There are many ways that a coin collector can grow their collection. They can search their homes, go to coin shows, or purchase collectibles from Coins Plus. However, as Cincinnati’s leading coin dealer, we also encourage numismatists to try metal detecting. It’s fun, active, and sure to turn up some leads. Just look at these three historic discoveries made by metal detectorists around the world!  

Top 3 Coins Ever Found by Metal Detectorists

1. Grouville Hoard

Reg Mead and Richard Miles began metal detecting in the early 1980’s when they heard that a farmer in the Channel Islands had discovered ancient silver coins while landscaping. The duo searched the rumored area in the parish of Grouville for nearly 30 years before they found something spectacular.

Throughout 2012, they found an estimated 70,000 gold and silver coins, all dating between 50 and 60 B.C when local Curiosolitae tribes fled Julius Caesar’s armies. Thanks to its historical significance, as well as its sheer volume, this collection is valued between 7 and 14 million.

2. Shrewsbury Hoard

While Mead and Miles were seasoned detectorists and coin collectors, Nic Davies was only a month into the hobby when he stumbled upon his own treasure. He was metal detecting in a field near Shrewsbury, Shropshire in 2009 when he dug up a large storage jar filled with 9,315 bronze and silver-washed Roman nummi from A.D. 320. Although the value from the official coin appraisal has yet to be announced, this impressive collection remains one of the area’s largest hoards to date.

3. The Isle Haute Treasure

In 1947, Massachusetts historian and author Edward Rowe Snow bought what he believed was an 18th-century treasure map from the notorious English pirate, Captain Edward Low. Five years later, Snow grabbed his metal detector and left for Isle Haute, or “Island Haute” as Low had written, just off the coast of Nova Scotia.

There he found eight small Spanish and Portuguese doubloons buried in the soil beneath a skeleton. While neither as plentiful nor valuable as the other items on this list, these still-unidentified remains give the Isle Haute Treasure its own sense of intrigue.

You probably will not discover a priceless hoard or long-lost treasure on your first time out in the field. Regardless, metal detecting is a thrilling, timeless hobby that anyone can try. For tips on how to get started, call Coins Plus at (513) 621-1996. To learn about our coin dealers’ credentials and expert coin appraisal services, visit us online.