ANCIENT gold coins were among the finds uncovered by metal detecting enthusiasts who descended on the Englefield estate on Sunday (September 9).
Over 280 people armed with metal detectors arrived to sweep fields on the estate in the hope of finding rare historical treasures.
One top find was an Iron Age gold quarter stater, engraved with the image of a rearing horse. Dating from around 100 BC, it comes from the Atrebates tribe who spread across south east England from their Silchester capital.
Another find was a gold quarter noble dating from the reign of Edward III, the 14th century monarch who oversaw parliament’s evolution and turned England into a European military power.
The coin’s inscription, “EDWARD DEI GRA REX ANGL” translates as “Edward by the Grace of God King of England.”
A bronze statuette of Neptune was also dug up, but organisers are sceptical that it is genuinely Roman.
Wessex Metal Detecting Association chairman Jim Bradshaw said: “I’m not too happy with the provenance of the statue. To start with, it hasn’t been in the soil for long – it’s far too clean. Also, it has traces of paint, which would indicate that it’s a recent loss.”
Mick Turrell, whose Newbury firm Leisure Promotions sells metal detectors and arranges rallies, said metal detecting wasn’t just about striking gold.
“I started about 25 years ago and back then everybody thought they were going to get rich quick. Nowadays people do a lot more research than they use to, so we go out looking for interesting sites.”
“At Englefield we’re finding everything. We’ve had Bronze Age, we’ve had Iron Age, we’ve had Saxon. This has been an occupation site for the last 2000 years so it’s a really, really good site.”
The rally raised money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, in memory of keen Newbury detector George Pearce who died from the disease in 2005.

For photographs of the best of the day's finds, click on the more pictures tab below.