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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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Amateur Prospectors Find Rare Viking Treasure in UK

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(Newser) – A pot filled with mostly silver coins, buried for 1,000 years, was found recently by a father and son wielding a metal detector on a farm in Yorkshire, England.  Archeologosists theorize that the find by Dave and Andrew Whelan was booty from a Viking raid on a monastery. The hoard of coins is from England, Ireland, France, Russia and the Arabic-speaking world.

In England treasure of this historic value must be turned over to the authorities.  But the finders are paid; the value of this  trove is expected to be around $1.5 million. This is the largest find of Viking treasure in England since 1840.

This undated photo made available by the British Museum Thursday July 19, 2007 shows a gilt silver vessel containing gold coins dating back to the Vikings, at the British Museum in London. One of the biggest Viking treasures ever found has been discovered on an English farm by a father-son...
This undated photo made available by the British Museum Thursday July 19, 2007 shows a gilt silver vessel containing gold coins dating back to the Vikings, at the British Museum in London. One of the...   (Associated Press)
A gilt silver vessel dating back to the ninth century is shown at the British Museum Thursday July 19 2007. One of the biggest Viking treasures ever found has been discovered on an English farm by a father-son team of treasure hunters, the British Museum said Thursday. The trove of...
A gilt silver vessel dating back to the ninth century is shown at the British Museum Thursday July 19 2007. One of the biggest Viking treasures ever found has been discovered on an English farm by a...   (Associated Press)
This undated photo released by the British Museum Thursday July 19, 2007 shows a ninth century gilt silver vessel discovered by a father-son team of treasure hunters in January of 2007 in northern England. More than 600 coins and 65 other items, including a gold bracer, and chopped-up fragments known...
This undated photo released by the British Museum Thursday July 19, 2007 shows a ninth century gilt silver vessel discovered by a father-son team of treasure hunters in January of 2007 in northern England....   (Associated Press)
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