'Extremely rare' Roman coins sell for £16,000

Two Roman coins described by auctioneers as "extremely rare" have fetched £16,000 at auction after they were unearthed in a small village.

The silver denarii - the plural form of an ancient Roman silver coin - were discovered by a metal detectorist in Westbury-on-Severn, Gloucestershire in June 2023.

Estimated to date back to AD 286-293, the coins each feature a bust of Carausius, an officer in the Roman military service who created a short-lived independent state in Britain.

Dominic Chorney, head of ancient coins at Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's Auction House, said of the coins: "Each one is a really important piece of economic history, propaganda and social history."

The first coin, which was expected to fetch between £5,000-7,000 at auction, has been described as "extremely fine".

Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's said the other coin features "an exceptional left facing portrait of Carausius in superb style".

They were estimated to fetch around £10,000 between them but actually sold for £16,000.

The specific location in Westbury-on-Severn, which lies in the Forest of Dean, where the coins were found has not been disclosed.

Hoards - meaning discoveries of two or more coins - must be reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, Chorney said, as the discovery may be classed as treasure.

"If it's just one, the chances are it probably won't be [treasure]," he said. "But if it's of national significance, then it could be declared treasure."

Carausius declared himself emperor after usurping power in 286 duringa revolt, and would have minted the coins himself, Chorney said.

"He stole power from the central Roman Empire and ruled Britain for nearly 10 years," he said.

"They're more like artefacts than coins if you go this far back."

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