A metal detectorist working near Great Baddow in Essex uncovered a cache of 933 gold coins dated back to sometime between 60 and 20 BC.
The find, now called the Great Baddow Hoard, was confirmed as the largest Iron Age gold coin hoard found in Britain. It offers a fresh look at late Iron Age politics and money.
These coins were minted by local tribes rather than imported, making them tangible records of decisions made by leaders on the eve of Roman pressure in southern Britain.
Why this hoard matters
A hoard of this size gives historians a sharp snapshot of power, trade, and fear at a precise moment. Most of the coins share a common design linked to the Whaddon Chase tradition, a distinctive regional pattern of Iron Age coinage.
Local leaders issued coins to pay warriors, reward loyalty, and show authority. When many pieces of the same type turn up together, it hints at planned storage, urgent movement, or tribute.
“Not a lot is known about Chelmsford’s Iron Age history and the Great Baddow Hoard helps us fill some of the gaps in the archaeological record of this period,” said Jennie Lardge, cabinet deputy for cultural services at Chelmsford City Council. The remark underlines how a single archaeological discovery can shift the conversation about a place’s past.
The hoard also anchors the story to a real landscape of rivers, trackways, and tribal borders. It ties numismatic evidence to events that were once only text on a page.
Coins as clues to a tense decade
In 54 BC, Julius Caesar led a second invasion of Britain and described British tribal politics, including the Trinobantes, a powerful southeastern British tribe, and the war leader Cassivellaunus, in Book V of his campaign memoirs. Those passages mention hostages, tribute, and fast-shifting alliances.
“Most of the coins in the Great Baddow Hoard are thought to have been produced in the region later associated with the so-called ‘Catuvellauni’,” and their discovery in Trinovantian territory “may indicate movement or influence from western tribal groups into the east, potentially aligning with accounts of upheaval during Caesar’s second invasion of Britain in 54 BC,” said Claire Willetts of the Museum of Chelmsford.
“While these events were recorded in Roman sources, until now there has been little archaeological evidence to support them, making the Great Baddow Hoard a significant find for our understanding of eastern Britain in the late Iron Age,” said Willetts.
Coins do not tell stories by themselves. They speak when matched with texts and mapped across landscapes.
What the coins are
The hoard is dominated by stater coins, small gold pieces used by Celtic tribes as high-value trading units and struck with regional dies, engraved metal stamps used to imprint designs on coin blanks, making them the standard currency among tribes in southeastern Britain.
Their designs are abstract, with a wreath-like motif on one side and a stylized horse on the other. Many of the staters match the Whaddon Chase family of types known from the North Thames region.
That pattern fits the idea that minting took place in areas associated with the Catuvellauni and that some of this money moved east under pressure.
Numismatic details matter because small die differences can point to specific workshops. By tracking those patterns, researchers can trace influence and control without a single written word.
From field to museum
The hoard came to light in 2020 on private land and the finder failed to report it promptly under the Treasure Act 1996. In England and Wales, finders must report within 14 days.
After the hoard was catalogued, the reward went to the landowner rather than the finder because of the circumstances of discovery, as reported in contemporary coverage. The case has become a touchstone for responsible metal detecting and clear reporting.
“By displaying the hoard in its entirety at a local museum, local audiences have a valuable opportunity to engage with part of their history,” said Lori Rogerson, Finds Liaison Officer for Essex, Portable Antiquities Scheme. That goal depends on the partnership between finders, landowners, and museums, all following the law and best practice.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme, a voluntary program in England and Wales that records archaeological objects found by the public, helps link those groups by recording finds and their findspots through county-based officers. That record keeps data available to researchers while preserving ownership rules.
What happens next
The Museum of Chelmsford acquired the hoard with a grant of 250,000 pounds from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, a U.K. organization that distributes money raised by lottery players to heritage projects.
They have planned a special exhibition in summer 2026 before a permanent display in spring 2027. That timeline gives conservators and curators time to research and interpret the material for the public.
Exhibitions are not just cases and labels. They are arguments built from evidence, and the evidence here is unusually focused.
One numismatic study explains that hoards can reveal coin circulation in ways that scattered single finds cannot. When a hoard is complete and well recorded, it becomes a controlled sample of a past money system.
The Great Baddow Hoard adds a strong sample from a decade when power shifted across the Thames and into East Anglia. It also sets a benchmark for how community funding and careful curation can bring complex research to a wide audience.
Image credit: Fountains Media.
