Archaeologist Stunned to Unearth Anglo-Saxon Coin Hoard in Mint Condition From a Construction Site

England's history is marked by countless conflicts and a succession of rulers from various lineages. Between 1036 and 1044, an Anglo-Saxon king named Edward the Confessor reigned, marking a turbulent period in English history. In a recent discovery, archaeologists unearthed a stash of 321 silver coins that were minted during the king's reign, stated Sizewell C. The coins were found in great condition and are considered quite rare. 

A team of specialists led by coin specialist, Alexander Bliss, from the Oxford Cotswold Archaeology (OCA), found the coins on the construction site of a nuclear power plant in England. The coins were wrapped tightly in a cloth and sealed with lead. It hinted that the owner might have tried to protect the wealth by burying it when there was a potential risk of it getting confiscated. Experts revealed that the reign of the king was marked by a period of unrest when the ruler started confiscating the properties of several elites who had fallen out of his favor. 

Bliss mentioned that the value of the stash of coins in the 11th century would have amounted to 320 pense which was a huge sum for people at that time. "Perhaps the owner of the hoard was concerned about the new regime or political situation and wider social instability, taking steps to hide their wealth," Bliss told Live Science in an email. "There are now three hoards from this period (1042 to 1044) known across England, which strengthens the idea that the first years of Edward's reign were not calm."

"Anglo-Saxon coin hoards are relatively rare," Bliss explained, adding that the textile pouch holding the coins made it a special find. "In this instance, preserving the pouch was very important because it forms part of the overall 'object' as one element of containment for the coins. We also wanted to understand whether the lead was just a piece of sheet or had been detached from a larger object." The team of archaeologists opened the pouch in a lab and found that the lead wrapping on it was created by folding sheets. Archaeological records proved that lead sheets were not uncommon for storing coins. However, the archaeologists wondered why the owner of the coins did not use a pot to hide them. 

"Perhaps they were unable to access one which was small enough, or perhaps they wanted to try and disguise the valuable contents," Bliss theorized. The owner might have belonged to the middle class instead of an elite or somebody who was a prominent member of society back then. The individual might have been an influential figure for the locals and feared the repercussions after Edward the Confessor was coronated. The site on Suffolk's coast which lies in the eastern part of England, was about to become the base of a nuclear power station called Sizewell C. The construction started in 2024. 

"The Pasty, as it was immediately and affectionately named for obvious reasons, was a true privilege to find. I was shaking when I first unearthed it, seeing a single coin edge peeking at me! A perfect archaeological time capsule. The information we are learning from it is stunning and I’m so proud to have added to the history of my own little part of Suffolk," Andrew Pegg, an OCA archaeologist and the one who initially found the coins, said in a statement. There is no evidence to reveal why the coin's owner did not return to retrieve them and the experts assumed that the person might have passed away before digging up the coins or telling someone else about it. "They might alternatively have been prevented from recovering them due to other means, for example, if they left or were exiled from the country and were unable to return," Bliss concluded.