Roman coins may be the most commonly recorded artefacts with the Portable Antiquities Scheme, but it’s not every day that someone discovers a hoard of almost 700 debased silver radiates and the pot they were buried in. Mick Green, the finder of just such a hoard in Brighstone on the Isle of

Coins and potsherds from the Brighstone Hoard

Wight, made sure that it ended up in a public collection by waving his right to a reward for the find. Brading Roman Villa is the lucky recipient of the hoard.

The coin hoard seems to have been deposited in the later 3rd Century AD.  One of the coins was of a type not held by the British Museum, which adds to the academic interest of the find.  Other of the coins are in poor condition and not legible, but it is fortunate that they are in a public collection nonetheless, where they can contribute to the overall context of the find.   The hoard should make for an interesting and impressive display, if Brading Roman Villa are able to facilitate this.