
Treasure hunter finds huge silver coin hoard two months after being inspired by BBC comedy Detectorists to take up hobby
A treasure hunter who was inspired by BBC comedy Detectorists to take up the hobby found a £50,000 silver coin hoard just two months later.
Steve Hickman, 59, bought a second hand metal detector from eBay after watching the hit TV show starring Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones.
He secured a 'permission' to search farmland near his home in Buckinghamshire, even though he was told nothing of significance had been found there for over a century.
On a wet day in February 2023 he got a strong signal on his device and dug down to unearth a pottery vessel filled with silver coins.
In total, there were 1,064 coins spanning the reigns of Elizabeth I in the 1560s to Charles I in the 1640s.
The latest coins had been minted a few months before the Battle of Aylesbury during the English Civil War in November 1642.
The battle, at Holman's Bridge, saw the heavily outnumbered Parliamentarian forces defeat Prince Rupert's Royalists.
The vessel may have been a wage pot to pay soldiers who fought in the battle, or the life savings of a wealthy individual who had planned to flee.
Mr Hickman, a joiner from Princes Risborough, Bucks, carefully recovered them all and took them home to lay out on his dining room table before contacting the Finds Liaison Officer to report his historic find.
He is now selling the hoard, which includes 409 Charles I silver shillings and rare Aberystwyth mint issues, at Essex Coin Auctions.
He said he wanted to personally thank Mackenzie Crook, who created Detectorists, for helping him discover the pastime.
The father-of-two said: 'It was complete beginner's luck and I had only been detecting for two and a half months.
'I must credit MacKenzie Crook as it was his series Detectorists that got me interested in the first place.
'Without it, I would not have started.
'It inspired me to go to my local detecting club and the people I met were just like the characters on the show, with the same banter.
'It was brilliant and I decided to buy a second-hand metal detector on eBay.
'I was searching the farm land and the landowner said his family had owned it since 1920 and nothing significant had ever been found!
'I suddenly got a really strong signal and dug down 9ins but there was nothing there, so I covered the hole up.
'I thought perhaps the para-cables were messing with the detector.
'But after 20 minutes I decided to have another try and dug the hole again, and at a foot down I saw silver and reached down to pick up a fistful of silver coins.
'One of them had Elizabeth I's face on it and I got more and more excited.
'It took 15 handfuls to fill the bag with coins which weighed 8kg.
'I took the coins home and laid them all out on my dining room table.
'For me, the monetary value is immaterial, as it is all about having that personal connection with the English Civil War.
'I crouched down at exactly the same spot as the person who buried that wage pot nearly 400 years ago.'
Auctioneer Adam Staples said: 'This exciting Civil War hoard was uncovered near Aylesbury and consists of 1,064 silver coins hidden within a now broken pottery vessel.
'The earliest coins in the hoard date to the reign of Elizabeth I, and James I is represented by his English, Irish and Scottish issues.
'The latest coins were minted in the autumn of 1642, the beginning of the English Civil War and just prior to the Battle of Aylesbury, which took place a few miles away at Holman's Bridge.
'Amongst the coinage of Charles I are 409 silver shillings, including rare coins struck locally at Oxford, on which King Charles declared to uphold the Protestant Religion, the Laws of England, and the Liberty of Parliament.
'There are also very rare issues from the Aberystwyth mint.
'It is a wonderful discovery.'
The sale takes place on June 12.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Freddy Brazier reveals he turned down Love Island in an attempt to step away from his family name and admits his social media is just like the ITV2 show
Freddy Brazier has revealed he turned down dating show Love Island and that he wants to step away from his family name and not be remembered for who his parents are. The 20-year-old son of Jeff Brazier and the late Jade Goody told The Mail how producers recently offered him a slot on the show. 'I'm on Instagram, I don't need Love Island,' he said. 'I've got Love Island on my phone from my bed. 'I need to do something without him [my dad]. I don't want to be seen as 'Freddy from Race with his dad.' I want to be known for something on my own. 'I'm more interested in modelling. I've got some good opportunities coming up – but this stuff with my dad isn't helping that.' Freddy's reveal comes as he insisted, he is now 'not' going to rehab, days after revealing he was going to 'get clean' in Marbella. He told fans last week that he has been addicted to smoking from the age of 12 and would be heading for treatment soon. Freddy shared in an Instagram post on Sunday that he has decided he 'doesn't need rehab' and instead just 'needs a boys' holiday or a retreat'. Posting a black and white photo of his younger self, he wrote: 'You know what I don't need rehab! I just need a holiday with a good group of boys or a retreat.' Last week, Freddy also made candid remarks about wanting to rebuild a healthy relationship with his father Jeff, 46, after a family rift. Freddy wrote: 'I've decided that I will be cutting down And I want to go to Rehab In Marbs as I feel if I'm in England I won't take getting clean seriously. 'I've been smoking from the age of 12 and it's time to stop it was a bad coping mechanism that turnt into an addiction something I relied on and something that made me feel sane and some what ok. 'I've found a rehabilitation centre and a boxing club I've found someone I want to get to know and I'm happy I got a good bunch of friends and I get out and enjoy myself. 'I want to be clean so I can life happily and have healthy relationships with people and be there for all of my family rather then feeling like I'm in the middle and have to choose a side.' He continued: 'I haven't been able to feel love properly as I have never loved myself and it starts now I want to play football and take up boxing I want to be happy and be in a healthy relationship and have a healthy relationship with my Nana and my father.' Celebrity Race Across the World star Freddy lost his mother when he was just four years old after she died from cervical cancer in 2009, and has since been raised by his dad Jeff. Jeff has clashed multiple times with Jade's mum Jackiey Budden, and it was revealed last month the TV star is taking action in an attempt to legally block contact between his son and his grandmother, to keep him safe'. And Freddy's love life has also recently made headlines. His Love Island admission comes just days after Freddy enjoyed a first date with controversial influencer Tasha Newcombe, 22, at Glasshouse Terrace in London Bridge. Tasha hit headlines herself last summer when she, then 21, became romantically involved with 16-year-old Marko Vituk, from Maidstone. MailOnline contacted Bobby and Jackiey's reps for comment. The latest series of the reality dating show kicks off on Monday night with host Maya Jama [pictured] set to introduce a new batch of sexy singletons looking for love The new season of Love Island returns on June 9 with the full line-up of contestants confirmed. This year's crop of hopefuls include a Declan Rice body double, fire breather and Maura Higgins lookalike and Maya will once again be at the helm after joining the popular dating series in January 2023. This year, the show celebrates a decade on screens and promises to have 'more twists and turns than ever before' in honour of their 10-year anniversary.


The Sun
22 minutes ago
- The Sun
Katie Price cruelly slammed by mum-shaming trolls as she poses with son Harvey at home
KATIE Price has been cruelly slammed by mum-shaming trolls. The former glamour model, 47, came under fire after she posted a sweet snap with son Harvey, 22, at home 4 4 4 It came after Katie shared a picture of her and Harvey doing some baking. In the photo the mother and son are posing in the kitchen, with a packet of cake mix in view. Katie captioned the shot with: "Baking with Harvey 🍰 carrot cake for all the family today." While the majority of comments were kind, there were some trolls who used the picture to mum-shame her. One wrote: "Thought you were really worried about Harvey's weight!!! And you make a cake?!" While another added: "Bake it from scratch Katie. You can make one much healthier than from that cake mix, and use real butter not spread." This one said: "Wouldn't it have been healthier for Harvey if you'd made it from scratch." Another chimed in: "You moan about his weight but feed him cake." HARVEY'S WEIGHT JOURNEY Meanwhile, last week Katie gave her fans an update on Harvey's weight loss journey. She has been worried about her son's health after his weight reached 30st. Katie Price drops huge hint daughter Princess Andre is in talks for Love Island after boyfriend split But now she has revealed they have looked at weight loss jabs to help him. Speaking on the latest episode of her The Katie Price Show podcast, she said: "Hopefully Harvey starts his Mounjaro this week, but we'll talk about that next week and I'll go through all of what's happening about that." The mum-of-five previously opened up on how Harvey's life was at risk because of his size. The TV personality's eldest child has Prader-Willi syndrome, which sparks a constant desire to eat food and a permanent feeling of hunger which leads to obesity. 4 Harvey battles a series of debilitating conditions including autism, septo-optic dysplasia, ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder. In a video posted in April, Katie revealed: 'I'm so heartbroken and gutted that his weight is just going up. 'I just googled it in stones, 188kg is just a few kg of being 30 stone. 'It's so life-threatening now, I'm still waiting for the doctors to get back to me starting on the Mounjaro and his journey to a healthy life.' She continued: 'It's so sad his quality of life at the moment where he's so big, he just can't really do much. 'It's just another thing I have to deal with because he's at high risk of having a heart attack, he struggles to put his trainers or struggles to walk anywhere but I love him and I'm going to help him through this. 'So sad, obesity and his condition is sad, it's sad to see someone go through it and he doesn't understand.' In February Katie told The Sun she consulted top doctors who suggested starting Harvey on the jabs in a bid to improve his chances of living longer. Harvey's biological dad is former footballer Dwight, 53, dated for a short period between 2000 and 2001, but split shortly after Katie told him she was pregnant. Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.


BBC News
24 minutes ago
- BBC News
Listen to In Conversation with Clive Eakin
BBC Radio CWR's Coventry City commentator Clive Eakin is hanging up his headset after 24 Eakin as he reflects back on a long career as the voice of the Sky Blues at 18:00 BST on BBC Radio CWR or online with BBC Sounds on to miss it? Don't panic. The episode will be available shortly after broadcast right here on the BBC website.