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COIN HOARD OF ALFRED THE GREAT AND CEOLWULF IIFinders of coin hoards in Britain must report them to authorities. Most people duly comply and are ultimately rewarded, sharing the market value with the property owner. But some are still tempted to keep the booty for themselves, robbing archeologists and museums of the chance to study the finds. Philip Mernick forwarded this article from the Independent about a Viking hoard recently seized in a police raid. -Editor
Police seized the hoard of coins and a solid silver bar from properties in County Durham and Lancashire during an investigation. The items, believed to be of major historical significance, include coins from the reign of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, and his less well-known contemporary Ceolwulf II of Mercia. King Alfred inflicted a major defeat on the Vikings in AD 878 and experts from the British Museum believe the coins belong to an undeclared hoard consistent with the location of the Viking army at that time. The hoard is important because it fills a gap in the understanding of history at that time. Until now, accounts have suggested Ceolwulf of Mercia was a puppet of the Vikings and a minor nobleman rather than a proper king. However, the coins tell a different story and show two rulers standing side by side as allies. DI Lee Gosling, senior investigating officer for Operation Fantail at Durham Constabulary, said: "We are in the very early stages of what is going to be a very long and complex investigation. "We believe the material recovered comes from a hoard of immense historical significance relating to the Vikings and we are delighted to have been able to hand it over to the British Museum. To read the complete article, see:
Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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