LOOSE CHANGE: JULY 5, 2026

 

A shipwreck off the British coast, including a treasure of hundreds of gold coins, has finally been identified after 30 years.

The 400-year-old ship discovered off the coast of Devon, England, has now been identified as the Dutch trading ship ‘Dom van Keulen', which sailed from Morocco for the Netherlands in the autumn of 1633.

Found by the South West Maritime Archaeology Group, its cargo included 9,000 Barbary ducats (widely used European coins made of gold or silver), and gold Moroccan coins, along with 320 goat skins, 150 bags of gum arabic, and 64 bags of saltpeter.

The announcement came in a new book, From Morocco to the Coast of England: The Story of the Dom van Keulen and its Remarkable Cargo.

"It is thought that most of the cargo was salvaged at the time, but more than 400 coins remained on the seabed until they were discovered by the Archaeology Group in 1995," said Professor Dave Parham, professor of maritime archaeology at Bournemouth University and the book's co-editor who collaborated with the British Museum on the research.

To read the complete article, see:
Intrigue From 17th C. Shipwreck Carrying Moroccan Gold Coins is Solved After 30 Years (https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/intrigue-of-17th-century-shipwreck-carrying-gold-coins-is-solved-after-30-years/)

 

Archaeologists in northeastern France have uncovered an ancient neighborhood beneath the town of Senon, where they found three ceramic jars filled with Roman coins. The hoard is huge, numbering at least 25,000 bronze and copper coins from the 3rd-century CE. The discovery was made during a routine excavation. Now, the surprising find offers new insight into how people in the late Roman Empire stored and managed their money.

The dig, led by France's National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), spans 1,500 square meters. It has peeled back the layers of Senon's past, revealing how the settlement evolved from a Gallic village into a thriving Roman town—and how, eventually, it vanished in fire.

One blaze around the early 4th century marks a turning point. It was during this turbulent time—perhaps between 280 and 310 CE—that someone buried three large amphorae of coins beneath their floorboards.

Each vessel lay sunk into the ground, their necks level with the floor. Inside were tens of thousands of bronze and copper coins bearing the faces of emperors like Victorinus, Tetricus I, and Tetricus II, the rulers of the short-lived Gallic Empire that broke away from Rome in the 3rd century.

To read the complete article, see:
Archaeologists in France Dig Up a Jar Packed With Tens of Thousands of 1,800-Year-Old Roman Coins (https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/1800-year-old-roman-coins-france-archaeology/)

Bed Bath & Beyond is giving its iconic blue coupon a second life — and shoppers who held onto one could cash in.

The company recently announced a nationwide "Legendary Coupon Hunt" to find the oldest surviving Bed Bath & Beyond coupon in America, while giving its customers a shot at a $100,000 home makeover.

Through July 13, shoppers can bring any Bed Bath & Beyond coupon to participating Bed Bath & Beyond + The Container Store and Kirkland's Home stores nationwide.

Bed Bath & Beyond said the campaign is designed to send Americans searching through kitchen drawers, glove compartments, attics, basements and old scrapbooks for its coupons.

To read the complete article, see:
Bed Bath & Beyond launches hunt for America's oldest coupon with $100K prize up for grabs (https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/bed-bath-beyond-launches-hunt-americas-oldest-coupon-100k-prize-up-grabs)

While taxpayers are spending tens of millions of dollars on America's 250th anniversary celebrations, such as a huge state fair on the National Mall and an epic fireworks show, a Mandeville native is raising millions for the government through the production and sale of coins that remember scenes from American history.

"The Mint this year is making more coin design changes than you've ever seen in your entire life," said Director of the U.S. Mint Paul Hollis, a former northshore state legislator and Board of Elementary & Secondary Education member.

The nation's semiquincentennial is providing not just an opportunity to tell America's story on special editions of nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollar and dollar coins. The historic milestone also provides the Mint with a way to increase its revenue.

To read the complete article, see:
Meet the Louisiana man behind the U.S. Mint's new 250th anniversary coins (https://www.nola.com/news/politics/national_politics/remembering-us-history-on-special-2026-coins/article_1a7fee9b-eb20-48cc-833c-e0543d1cb8ff.html)

To watch the complete video, see:
Celebrating 250 Years of Independence (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdlRBoxTMPE)

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