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43 Roman gold coins found in London
On 17th January 2001, the first hoard of Roman gold coins to
be found in London was unveiled. The 43 coins were found on a site
called Plantation Place being redeveloped into an office block and shops. The
site is being excavated before development begins.
The coins had lain undisturbed for almost
2000 years and date from the 2nd century AD. They are now on show at the
Museum of London. They had been placed in a bag, probably of leather and then
concealed in a floor safe adjacent to a partition wall within a large family
house. The coins amounted to four years' salary for a Roman soldier and would
have been worth the equivalent of £100,000 in today's money. They would have
probably been the property of a rich merchant as such valuable coins would not
have been used in everyday general transactions.
Under the 1996 Treasure Act, the find was
immediately notified to the City of London coroner. It was then donated to the
Museum of London by the owners of the site, The British Land Company.
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