Two metal detectorists in their 60s are charged with theft after discovering 1,000 Iron Age gold coins worth ‘more than million pounds’ in Essex
- Couple in their 60s charged after discovery of 1,000 Iron Age gold coins in Essex
- Shane Wood and Kim Holman are accused of failing to declare the treasure haul
- Wood, from Chelmsford, has also been charged with going equipped for theft
Two metal detectorists in their 60s have been charged with theft of nearly 1,000 Iron Age gold coins that could be worth more than £1million in Essex.
The ‘Detectorists’ pair were arrested after they found the Iron Age gold staters dating back more than 2,000 years in an unidentified field in the Chelmsford area but not declared under treasure finding laws.
Shane Wood, 62, of Great Baddow near Chelmsford and 61-year-old Kim Holman, of Chadwell Heath, near Ilford have been charged under the 1996 Treasure Act and will before Chelmsford Magistrates court on April 30th.
Shane Wood and Kim Holman both will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates Court next month accused of failing to declare a haul of 1,000 Iron Age gold coins they allegedly found in Essex
They face a charge of theft and of finding an object believed to be treasure and failing to notify the coroner.
Wood will also answer a charge of going equipped for theft.
The Celtic coins were common currency between 500BC and 500 AD and values range from £100 to £5,000.
Last year another treasure hunter in East Anglia found a hoard of 1,300 coins dating from 40-50 AD at the secret location.
The unnamed metal detectorist, who has not been named, spotted a glint of gold while looking at a buzzard in a recently ploughed field in eastern England.
Having rubbed off the mud to reveal a 2,000-year-old gold stater coin, he dashed home to pick up his metal detector and returned to carry on searching.
After several hours, and to his utter disbelief, he unearthed about 1,300 coins, all dating to circa 40-50AD.
Experts believe each coin could be worth up to £650, putting the value of the hoard at £845,000.
The haul beat the previous record Celtic hoard of 850 coins found at Wickham Market, near Ipswich by a detectorist in 2008.