I was out with a friend (Jim ) detecting on my local permission. Weather was a cool 10ºC, stubble was soft with the rain as we plodded off into a vast field trying to find the "perfect" spot. Not much had been coming up with the exception of screws, bottle tops, corroded copper coins, shotgun cartridges etc. Getting weary of digging scrap, I happened to mention to my friend that my day would be complete if I found a gold ring or hammered coin! I was only joking with him at the time trying to put a brave face on things! Well my day was complete within about 20 minutes :-) A cracking signal suggested I'd possibly found silver and not deep either. I dug down about 3" and was relieved that the target was out first time. I spread the soil with my foot to see a disc of silver laying there. With the size suspecting it was an old shilling I thought "oh well at least I'm going home with something to show for the day out". I reached down picking it up gently some of the soil fell away revealing the centre of a cross and 2 lots of 3 pellets. I knew right away it was a hammered coin!! a hammered coin that size ( 26mm ) ? it had to be a medieval groat! but which king ?? we stared at the coin for a while thinking Henry / Edward but which one? Not being able to work it out, I decided to post pictures online and the ID's came flooding in. It wasn't an English king, the monarch staring back at me was SCOTTISH :-)) it was King Robert III groat, 2nd coinage, Edinburgh mint dating 1390 - 1403 !
Amazing how a day can go from frustrating to terrific all the way to mind blowing :-))
Sinky – Scotland, UK.
