MEDIEVAL HOARDS FOUND IN WALES

Metal detectorists in Wales have unearthed nine priceless valuables dating to the medieval and post-medieval periods, including a gold ring decorated with a spooky-looking skull crafted from white enamel.

After analyzing the curios, Graeme David Hughes, the senior coroner for South Wales Central in the United Kingdom, officially declared them to be "treasures," a term that refers to bonafide, often metal artifacts that meet a specific archaeological criteria, according to the U.K.'s Portable Antiquities Scheme.

In all, these treasures include three hoards of gold and silver coins, gold and silver rings, and personal items worn by upper-class members of Welsh society from the ninth to the 17th centuries A.D., according to a statement from the Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales released March 29.

Metal detectorists Chris Perkins and Shawn Hendry discovered one of the hoards — three medieval gold coins — in the Welsh community of Llanwrtyd in April 2019. The gold coins, known as "nobles," were minted between 1327 to 1399, during the reign of Edward III and his successor Richard II. Back then, the three coins had a total worth of 20 shillings, the equivalent of 50 days' wages earned by a skilled tradesman.

It's likely that these coins were buried for safekeeping near the end of the 14th century and for some unknown reason were never recovered, according to the statement.

Another hoard included five silver coins — four groats (the name of now-defunct coins worth 4 pence) and a "double patard" coin from the Duchy of Burgundy in mainland Europe. These coins, discovered by Aled Roberts and Graham Wood in the community of Churchstoke in May 2019, were buried during the reign of Henry VIII in about 1530. The king's face even graces three of the coins, archaeologists noted.

To read the complete article, see:
Medieval gold coin hoards and skull ring discovered in Wales (https://www.livescience.com/uk-metal-detector-medieval-treasures.html)

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