EASTBOURNE 1973

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Location

Address

Eastbourne (District)

County

East Sussex

Region

South East

Country

England, United Kingdom

Lat/Long/Alt

50.742389 / 0.22381763 / 67.5 view

Location details

Approximate find spot (4-figure grid reference)

Find spot comment

Location displays approximate coordinates centred on four figure grid reference.

Information

2099

Permalink

https://chre.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/hoard/2099

Hoard name

EASTBOURNE 1973

Alternative names

Beachy Head III

Data type

Hoard

Date of discovery (from)

11 Feb 1973

(to)

11 Feb 1973

Total number of coins

5537

Summary

While searching with a metal detector for stray coins on Bullock Down Farm at Beachy Head near Eastbourne in Sussex a hoard of 5,540 antoniniani (radiates) was found, contained in a bronze bucket, within a few yards of the find-spots of the 1961 (CHRE 2098) and 1964 (CHRE 2101). The three recent deposits must be closely related, as they were all found within 20 yards of each other. The 1964 hoard, which concentrated on the fairly good quality coins struck before Gallienus' sole reign and on those of the earlier issues of Postumus, bears all the marks of a so-called 'savings' hoard. It seems, moreover, that the 1973 deposit is in many ways complementary to the 1964 hoard. Thus, it may well be that the hoarder divided his coins between two separate vessels, putting the better-quality ones into the 1964 pot and the poorer ones into the 1973 bowl. The hoarder ceased to add coins to the former container after c. AD 266, by which time the antoninianus had no more than a nominal amount of silver in it, but he continued to add to the latter container until c. AD 273, presumably until it was full. Then, it seems, at the very end of Tetricus I's reign, the hoarder suddenly removed a further 5294 coins from circulation and placed them in a third pot, which came to light in 1961. The 5,540 antoniniani (radiates): Trebonianus Gallus - Tetricus I.

Details
Coins Summary
Coins
Rating
Archaeological context
Containers
Objects
References
Reports
Images
Credit

Discovery method

Metal detector
Land Use

Cultivated Land
Disposition

British Museum (part)
Finder(s)

D.J. Aldred
Closing reign (earliest)

Tetricus I
Terminal year (earliest)

272
Closing reign (latest)

Tetricus I
Terminal year (latest)

274
Opening year (earliest)

251
Opening year (latest)

253
Coin-level data

Available to enter

Fetching coin data

Numismatic rating

Good
Context rating

Poor

Recovery method

Metal detecting use
Site class

Rural

Containers belonging to this hoard

Bronze vessel

The metal bucket which contained the coin hoard is a deep vessel with a small footring and lugs on the rim to which the handles were originally attached. Owing to its fragmentary state when found, the original height is not known, but when reconstructed according to the proportions of a similar bucket in Nijmegen, the height is 22 cm, with the attachment adding a further 2.6 cm. The rim diameter is 22.2 cm. The Beachy Head bucket belongs to the Hemmoor type, well known on the Continent but extremely rare in Britain.

Permalink in other online databases

Reference

The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS)

Ref

https://finds.org.uk/database/hoards/record/id/2013

Comment

Ghey, E (2015) IARCH-162415

References

Reference

Bland, R.F. - 1979 - The 1973 Beachy Head treasure trove of third-century Antoniniani

Reference

Robertson

Ref

705

Roberston dataset, imported by J. Mairat. IARCH dataset, AHRC funded University of Leicester and British Museum project. Imported and edited by M. Spoerri (June 2019 / Nov. 2024). Updated by C. Gazdac (Sep. 2025).

Coin Hoards
of the Roman Empire

EASTBOURNE 1973

Data not added to the map

Containers belonging to this hoard

Bronze vessel

Permalink in other online databases

References

Coin Hoardsof the Roman Empire

EASTBOURNE 1973

Data not added to the map

Containers belonging to this hoard

Bronze vessel

Permalink in other online databases

References

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Coin Hoards
of the Roman Empire