Hoard of Roman coins go on show

A hoard of more than 50,000 rare Roman coins has gone on show at the British Museum.

Metal-detector Dave Crisp found the treasure in Frome, Somerset, in April this year and it was then excavated by archaeologists.

The coins, believed to have been buried in around 394 AD, are the largest Roman hoard ever found in a single container.

It held a large number of coins dating from the reign of little known Emperor Carausius which makes it even more unusual.

Other treasures on show included a 400-year-old toy coach found on the foreshore of the River Thames and a Bronze Age gold bracelet from Castle-derg, County Tyrone.

The finds were displayed to mark the publication of the Treasure Annual Report 2008 which included details of 806 reported finds. Anyone who finds gold, silver or coins more than 300 years old has to report it under the terms of the Treasure Act 1996.

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey announced that administration of the act would be handed over to the museum.

Its director, Neil MacGregor, said that would ensure “an effective and efficient mechanism for dealing with archaeological finds made by the public”.