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Schoolboy's hidden Roman treasure revealed
WHEN 10-year-old Andrew Lister found two old coins while digging in 1963, he was worried that his "treasure" would be taken away.
He kept quiet about his find for 45 years and only recently shared details of his discovery with a local historian, Stephen Wilson.
Mr Wilson says the coins throw a little bit more light on the Roman past of Ossett, near Wakefield, where Mr Lister found them after his family moved to a new house in Deneside, off Kingsway.
"The gardens at the Listers' modern new home were littered with builders' debris and the previously untouched farmland had been turned upside down by diggers when the house footings were constructed," says Mr Wilson.
"Andrew and his father Ken made a start on laying out the gardens and young Andrew was given the job of digging out the bricks, stones and rubbish left by the builders.
"One day, among the stones and soil, Andrew found two very old bronze coins or folles, which subsequently turned out to be of Roman origin. Andrew has kept quiet about his find until very recently.
"Understandably, as a 10-year-old he was worried that his "treasure trove" would be taken away from him. I'm grateful to him for sharing details of his discovery all of 45 years later!"
Mr Wilson says both coins were minted at the Treveri mint at Trier in Germany.
"Sadly, the coins have no great value and similar specimens can be bought cheaply on eBay or at coin fairs around the country. Had the coins been minted from gold, as some Roman coins were, they would have been worth several thousand pounds each.
"However, in one sense they are priceless because they prove the existence of the Romans in Ossett."
It is believed that Roman coins have been found in Ossett before and one theory is that Love Lane was a carting track in Roman times.
Mr Wilson adds: "There may have been a few settlements along Love Lane or perhaps the coins were simply lost from a tired traveller's purse. In the event, they lay in the Ossett soil for 1700 years until Andrew Lister dug them up in 1963.
"It is thought that Streetside was a small hamlet alongside Via Vicinalis, the Roman road from Dewsbury westwards towards Wakefield, and provided amenities required by travellers. However, it is unlikely that there was any large scale Roman settlement at Ossett."
Ian Day, of Ossett Civic Trust, said: "The discovery of the coins in Ossett gives us proof that Romans were present in the town. It's fantastic to hear that Andrew Lister has keep these coins hidden away for 45 years and now shares his story with the town."
Related link: Ossett Civic Trust
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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