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Private Notes
In this episode the boys are focussed on a hoard of 1400 Roman bronze coins unearthed near Turvey, Bedfordshire in December 2006. The coins date from the middle of the 4th century towards the end of the Roman Empire in Britain. Some coins in the hoard have a propaganda message stamped across them: ‘happy days are here again’; others are emblazoned with the names of two Roman usurpers Agnentius and Decentius. Gary and Gordon are keen to return to the site with their state-of-the-art technology in the hope of finding missed coins; Gordon even believes there’s an opportunity to find a whole new hoard.
Gordon and Gary are catapulted back to Medieval times to follow up on a hoard of 19 Plantagenet short cross pennies. The farmer who found the coins, Peter Brown, only has a low-level detector so needs the boys’ help to find anything he missed. Gary in particular is very excited about the dig, and is given the job of sourcing a special vehicle for the occasion… Something that Gordon may regret allowing!
In this show Gary and Gordon are chasing the Thame hoard - a hoard of Medieval silver groats and gold rings unearthed in 1940 by a man walking his dog along the banks of the river Thame. Intent on returning to the site with their top-of-the-range metal detectors, the boys believe there’s more fortune to be found.
The boys are setting off on the annual metal detecting rally that Gary himself has helped organise for the past 10 years. A few years earlier a hoard of Celtic bronze staters from the first century AD were discovered, and the guys are hungry for more. And this time it’s personal as they decide to go up against each other to see who can have more success in the field.
In this episode Gary and Gordon are hurtling back to Saxon times to follow up on a hoard of sceats found back in 1971. For Gordon, this hunt is personal; he first read about the hoard, one of the earliest Saxon hoards found with a metal detector, from a copy of Treasure Hunting magazine when he was bedridden with chicken pox as a child. He is very excited to be granted permission to search the woods in Oxfordshire where the hoard was originally found. Gary is also excited; he believes his love of outdoor pursuits and off-road driving will be put to the test in the woods.
Gary and Gordon chase a mysterious hoard from Winterbourne, Gloucestershire, which when researched throws up more questions than answers to its whereabouts. The hoard was originally documented in 1874 and potentially includes a Saxon gold ring, and a pot of gold coins. Gordon is keen to get back to the area to check out the site, and hopefully hoover up any leftovers. Gary is bemused at the lack of information, and questions Gordon’s rationale.
In this episode Gary and Gordon are pawing over a Celtic hoard of gold coins dating back to around 60BC found in Leicestershire by fellow metal detecting-enthusiast, Steve Bestwick. This hoard has a particular resonance with Gary who has never found a gold stater and can’t wait to resolve this issue! He is so dedicated to success his focus on the dig surprises his metal-detecting buddy.
In this show Gordon shows Gary an incredibly special and unique coin he recently found on the banks of a river in Buckinghamshire. It’s believed to have been struck in the name of King Athelstan. Gordon believes this means the coin belongs to the Viking king, Guthrum, who changed his name to Athelstan after losing the Battle of Edington to the mighty King Alfred the Great. However, because the coin is unique the experts struggle to confirm this fact; there’s a chance the coin could have been made in the name of the Saxon King, Athelstan King of all England, instead.
