The battle over Boadicea’s gold
It was a treasure hunter’s dream – a huge hoard of more than 800 gold coins dating back to the time of Boadicea.
But the find has so far brought only bitterness for metal detecting enthusiast Michael Darke and his former friend Keith Lewis.
Lorry driver Mr Darke was alone when he found the first few coins in a Suffolk field and believes he is entitled to the lion’s share of any proceeds.
However postman Mr Lewis, who helped him recover the bulk of the hoard, believes he deserves just as much as the other man.
The pair now face a legal battle over how to split a reward of up to £500,000 after a coroner yesterday ruled that the coins were treasure trove, allowing the finders to receive their full value on their sale to a museum.
The two men arrived separately with their own lawyers at the treasure inquest in Ipswich and did not exchange a word after the proceedings.
‘We are not talking about it today, I’m afraid,’ said Mr Darke.
It was in March last year that the 60-year-old from Woodbridge, Suffolk, found ten Iron Age coins buried in a meadow at nearby Dallinghoo.
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Mac Says:
Greed isn’t admirable, is it? The sad part is the lawyers will now end up with the lion’s share.
Posted on July 4th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Jack Says:
Isn’t that the truth?
Posted on July 4th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Tammy Wood Says:
I would like to see the amount of sequences (combinations) the coins represent, possibly linked to language lettering of the day.
Posted on July 4th, 2009 at 8:55 pm