The Normanby Cliff Hoard (1985)

Here we are offering a small group of interesting ‘Barbarous Radiate’ coins from the Normanby Cliff Hoard.
A large hoard of 47,920 antoniniani found in December 1985 by a man while using a metal detector in a field about half a mile east of Ermine Street in the parish of Normanby, Lincolnshire, some twelve miles north of the city of Lincoln and about one and a half miles north of the Roman settlement of Owmby. It was contained in a large jar, and the finder dug a large hole to recover the jar. It was buried with its top about 0.30m below the surface of the ploughed field, and its top was covered by a large stone, which was subsequently lost. The general vicinity was examined very shortly after by Brian Simmons of the Trust for Lincolnshire Archaeology. The hoard’s pot seems probably to have been buried just outside the north wall of the building. The hoard was immediately sold by the landowner to a coin dealer, and the British Museum was only subsequently able to acquire 550 (instead of the 1775 it originally wanted) coins from him by purchase. The remainder of the hoard has now been dispersed, largely abroad. The hoard consisted of a total of 47920 coins: Valerian I – Carausius (268-293). The 47920 coins were 9 denarii and 12409 antoniniani of the Gallic Empire; 33171 ant. of the Gallic Empire; 69 ant. of the British Empire; and 2262 irregular coins (2188 struck, including 1 denarius of Severus, 4 antoniniani of Carausius, and 74 cast).