Muddy hoard

On April 30, 2018, a metal detectorist in the town of Huntingdon, was searching on private land under the permission of the landowner, where he unearthed a copper-alloy coin. After a few more coins emerged from the ground, the detectorist covered up the find to report it under the Portable Antiquities Scheme, whereupon the find liaison officer of Cambridgeshire, Helen Fowler, and Dr. Andrew Brown of the British Museum conducted a two-day excavation of the hoard.[2][4]

Under the PAS, it is designated CAM-A0ECFB under Treasure Tracking Number 2018T317.[1]

The hoard is considered partially disturbed, and was initially discovered scattered out.[1]

The hoard sorted by it contents at the British Museum in August 2019.[5]

It is composed of two ceramic vessels, one inside another, nestled like matryoshka dolls. The outer vessel was a coarse, grey ware vessel, the inner pot made of dark gray, finer clay. It was determined that with the weight of the coins that the inner pot cracked, requiring the addition of the outer pot to contain rest of the stash. The hoard itself was otherwise mostly intact, with no indicating archaeological features surrounding the land.[1][2][4]

After separation of the coins at the British Museum, it was determined to be made of 9724 Roman coins, a mixture of Antoninianii, Barbarous radiates, and 3 denarii, including an unrecorded denarius variant of Tetricus I.[1][2]

The hoard has a high proportion of radiates, which were made during the short supply of official coinage and turbulence of the Gallic Empire, a result of the Crisis of the Third Century. By the time the hoard was buried, Tetricus I surrendered to Aurelian, who then reunited the Roman Empire.[6]

The hoard contains the coinage portraiture of 14 Emperors and 1 Empress.[2]