Staffordshire's hidden treasure is dug up
A 3rd century Roman silver ring, 29 silver coins of English rulers dating back to the mid-17th century and a cuff link commemorating the marriage of Charles II to Catherine of Braganza in 1662.
Dozens of artefacts unearthed by metal detectors in Staffordshire were all formerly classified as treasure at inquests held in Cannock yesterday.
Staffordshire Coroner Andrew Haigh ruled that all of the items met the necessary criteria, concluding that the pieces were more than 300 years old and made up of more than ten per cent gold or silver.
A total of 11 separate cases were dealt with.
Members of the Bloxwich Research and Metal Detector Club were responsible for unearthing many of the items including two hoards of Roman coins and a medieval ring during different digs in the Tamworth area.
But their most notable find was a batch of civil war coins found in Wheaton Aston during two digs in February.
The hoard included 29 silver coins of English Rulers from Elizabeth I to Charles from the mid-17th century.
Club secretary Jim Wall said: "If treasure turns up it's once in a blue moon, for some people it never does. It is a very rare occurrence."
Two cases included suspected royal memorabilia - a 17th century cuff link found in Eccleshall in February commemorating the marriage of Charles II to Catherine of Braganza in1662 and another 17th century cuff link found in Rugeley in June 2014, with the initial W and M, associated with the reign of William III and Mary II.
Another find from Eccleshall included a medieval broach dated as far back as the 13th century.
The treasure will now be valued by the British Museum and museums have eight weeks to find the money, otherwise it is left in the ownership of the finder and landowner.
