It’s celebration time at Halesworth & District Museum. We will soon be displaying the second find of Iron Age gold coins from Blythburgh.
The 22 newly purchased coins, together with the first find of 19, will create a spectacular collection of 41 remarkable coins minted here in Britain for use by wealthy and powerful people in the indigenous population.
The coins are believed to date from between 60BC and around 25AD. Unlike the silver Roman coins in circulation at that time, the British gold coins were unlikely to have been used for everyday purchases. They represented wealth and status, and might have been used to finance wars or diplomatic negotiations.
Our coins are already an enormous attraction to visitors, and we anticipate renewed and increased interest once the collection is complete.
The first find (9 staters and 10 quarter staters), which we purchased in 2021, includes one coin which had never been previously recorded and two other coins that each have only one other known example. They feature fascinating, and mysterious motifs including animals, abstract figures and ‘hidden’ faces.
Since then, detectorists have found a further 11 staters and 11 quarter staters, most of which show similar designs to those already in the collection, or among coins found elsewhere in the country. However, there is at least one extremely unusual coin – a quarter stater with a stylised image of a Roman trophy.
By keeping the collection in one place, and permanently on display, the Museum believes it will be providing a valuable resource to historians seeking to understand and ‘interpret’ British Iron Age iconography.
But more importantly, this latest purchase helps us to keep our local history local and available to all. Our purchase of this exciting local collection has been made possible through £7,000 in grants from the V&A Grants Fund, the Art Fund and the Headley Trust, plus generous donations from our Museum Friends and Supporters.
We are still somewhat short of the purchase price, but have decided to go ahead using our treasures reserve fund. We are, of course, still asking for donations to this cause so that our much-needed reserves are not drained. Please consider donating to Halesworth & District Museum to support this purchase.