When detectorist David Moss set out with his new MANTICORE, gifted to him by his fiancée for his birthday, he had no idea that he was about to uncover what experts believe could be one of the largest Roman coin hoards ever discovered in the UK. Beneath the rain-soaked fields of Wales, and under a rainbow that arced across the horizon, David’s instinct - and the MANTICORE’s precision led him to an extraordinary find: a Roman hoard of up to 15,000 coins, buried for nearly 2,000 years.

David has been detecting for nearly a decade. In 2018, while using his EQUINOX 800, he uncovered his first Roman hoard - around 3,000 coins sealed inside a clay vessel. It was a discovery that changed everything.

“Something always told me there was more here,” David explained. “Thirty-five denarii felt too many to be a pocket spill. I’ve always had a feeling there was another hoard waiting to be found.”

Since then, David has poured hundreds of hours into researching the same two fields, convinced that ancient history still lay hidden beneath the soil.

Just weeks ago, while detecting alongside his friend Ian Nicholson, David picked up a crisp, low tone - a solid 37 on the VDI. The signal was faint but steady, coming from a depth of around 52 to 55 centimetres.

“The MANTICORE picked it up perfectly,” said David. “At that depth, I expected it to be iron, but I dug down and saw the edge of a clay pot filled with coins. My heart stopped.”

What they had uncovered was truly remarkable - a mix of Roman denarii and silver-washed radiates, estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 coins weighing more than 60 kilograms. A few days later, the pair returned to the same field. While investigating another faint signal, David dug just a few inches off-target and uncovered the edge of a second vessel lying close beside the first.

“We couldn’t believe it,” he said. “Two hoards in the same area, it was beyond anything we could have imagined.”

Under guidance from local authorities, David and Ian were granted permission to excavate the site themselves when experts couldn’t attend at short notice. Working carefully, they recovered the hoards over six hours, documenting every step on video and collecting soil and rock samples for later study.

For David, there’s no doubt that the MANTICORE’s power and depth were key to his success.

“The depth and clarity of the MANTICORE are game-changing,” he said. “It picked up a solid signal half a metre down, no problem. Since switching to the M15 coil, I’ve noticed a huge increase in both depth and find quality.”

He also credits the MANTICORE 101 program and guidance from detectorist Gordon Heritage for helping him fine-tune the machine to his soil conditions.

“The MANTICORE is powerful, precise, and once you learn its language, it guides you to extraordinary finds.”

The hoard has been delivered to Cardiff Museum for expert analysis and conservation. Archaeologists are now studying the site, and the discovery is expected to be declared Treasure under UK law.

For David, the find is the culmination of years of dedication, research, and intuition - and a reminder of why detectorists keep chasing the next signal.

“We’re still in shock,” he said. “To finally find it in the same fields where it all began is unbelievable. They say good luck comes in threes, but I’m hoping it’s in fours.”