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Treasure found in farmer's field
A haul of ancient coins found buried in the mud of a farmer's field could be bound for the Harris Museum.
The 11 Tudor coins, which are more than 400 years old, were found by amateur metal detector user John Davis in Barton, near Preston.
And the English and Spanish silverware has now officially been declared as 'treasure' after an inquest to decide who had the rights to the unusual find.
Mr Davis, from Ashton, discovered the coins at the farm owned by Thomas Hargreaves in May last year.
He said: "I was talking to the farmer before I jumped over the fence into the field. I took two steps and found them."
On his first expedition, he found nine silver coins and returned the following two days, finding two more items.
The haul is made up of four sixpences, three groats, one threepence and two half groats, totalling 2s 7d, or between 20 and 30 in today's money.
The Spanish coin was from the reign of Ferdinand in the 15th century.
Mr Davis has also uncovered other items of treasure, including a Tudor gold ring and 19 coins at Newton-with-Scales.
The inquest recorded the find as treasure, and the Harris Museum and Museum of Lancashire might now buy the haul. If they decide against it, the coins will be kept by Mr Davis and Mr Hargreaves.
For more on this story, read Tuesday's Lancashire Evening Post.
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Weather for Preston
Thursday 09 February 2012
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