ONE of the largest hoards of Roman coins ever found in the UK has been unearthed by a builder.
Metal detector enthusiast Laurence Egerton discovered 22,000 fourth century copper-alloy coins in Devon in November last year.
After the find on Clinton Devon Estate, near Seaton Down, Mr Egerton reported it to the landowner and the local authority - and slept in his car for three nights to guard it.
The hoard was then removed by archaeologists and over the past 10 months the coins have been cleaned, identified and catalogued by British Museum experts.
The Seaton Down Hoard has been declared treasure by a coroner.
Mr Egerton said: "Initially I found two small coins the size of a thumbnail sitting on top of the ground.
"I decided to dig the earth and immediately reached some iron ingots which were laid directly on top of the coins. The next shovel was full of coins - they just spilled out over the field. It really doesn't get any better than this."
Most of the coins are associated with Emperor Constantine I, who became emperor in AD 306, and his family.
Dr Roger Bland, from the British Museum, said: "It is one of the largest coin hoards of the fourth century found in the Roman Empire."
He added that, despite the volume, it would have been worth a worker's pay for just two years.
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