A trove of 1,000-year-old Viking coins, unearthed on the Isle of Man, a British island territory located in the Irish sea, is officially treasure. Variously intact and fragmented, the coins had been discovered by John Crowe and David O’Hare while using metal detectors on the private land in May. The artifacts were later studied by the U.S.-based researcher Kristin Bornholdt Collins, an expert on Viking Age coins from the Isle of Man.
“This new hoard might be compared to a wallet containing all kinds of credit cards, notes, and coins, perhaps of different nationalities, such as when you prepare to travel overseas, and shows the variety of currencies available to an Irish Sea trader or inhabitants of Man in this period,” Bornholdt Collins said in a statement.
“Combined, the hoards provide a rare chance to study the contents side by side, right down to the detail of the dies used to strike the coins,” she added. “Having this much closely dated comparative material from separate finds is highly unusual.”
Two of the coins from the hoard. Photo courtesy of Manx National Heritage.
The coins, which date between between 1000 and 1065 C.E., are being described as a “a good size savings account,” according to Manx National Heritage curator of archaeology Alison Fox. The majority of the coins that were found were minted during the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042 to 1066 C.E.), one of the first kings to rule England, when the country was regularly invaded by Vikings. They relics also represent two earlier rulers: Edward’s father, Aethelred, and the Viking king Cnut.
The Isle of Man once boasted strong ties to Viking culture. During the 9th century, Norseman first came to this area in the Irish Sea where they fished, traded, and cultivated the land eventually settling there. The Island of Man which is located in the center of the British Islands, was also an important base for Vikings of this era.
One of the coins from the hoard, representing King Cnut. Photo courtesy of Manx National Heritage.
The unique find—the second discovery of ancient coins made on the island this year—has now been declared treasure by the Isle of Man Deputy Coroner of Inquests.
“This is a wonderful find which helps further our understanding of the complex Viking Age economy in the Isle of Man, where more Viking Age silver has been discovered per square kilometer than in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales,” Fox noted.
The coins will be displayed at the Manx Museum through 13 October where viewers will be able to see this piece of Viking history up close and personal.