# Large cache of Roman gold coins found in Itlay **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 10, 2018, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-cache-of-roman-gold-coins-found-in-itlay/821100 "2018-09-10T13:07:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-cache-of-roman-gold-coins-found-in-itlay/821100/1 "2018-09-10T13:07:11Z")
Wow. These look brand new. I guess it’s true that gold never tarnishes. 27 large coins and possibly some jewelry. It’s an Italian web site. But Google Chrome offers to translate. Making it very easy to access. Does Italy allow treasure finders to keep what they find? Some countries like Britain say it belongs to the state. > **[Monete d'oro romane sotto l'ex Teatro Cressoni di Como, il Soprintendente:...](https://www.quicomo.it/zone/centro-storico/monete-romane-tesoro-ex-cressoni-via-diaz-como.html)** > > Conservate in un'anfora: 27 monete già datate al V secolo d.c. ma potrebbero esserci anche monili e lingotti ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-cache-of-roman-gold-coins-found-in-itlay/821100/2 "2018-09-10T13:13:10Z")
Short quote in English > [@](#): > > „Still to be quantified also the exact content of the amphora: "The container is big and had a hole from which you could see the content - the Superintendent clarifies - it is gold coins stacked on top of one another. nucleus, consisting of 27 coins that have already been analyzed, but we can not simply overturn the contents or break the amphora - he explains -, we need to do a stratigraphical archaeological examination, one by one, to understand what is inside and if everything belongs at the same time,“ ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-cache-of-roman-gold-coins-found-in-itlay/821100/3 "2018-09-10T13:28:08Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Does Italy allow treasure finders to keep what they find? Some countries like Britain say it belongs to the state. [British law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Act_1996) actually provides for something like eminent domain when it comes to “[treasure trove](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_trove)”: The finder (probably\*) doesn’t get to keep the actual ancient gold coins, but they get paid fair market value in modern money by some museum. \*Only if no museum is interested would the finder of treasure in the UK just get to keep the actual physical treasure. I think the British approach is the best of both worlds, really. Apart from maybe rolling around in them like Scrooge McDuck, I’m not really sure what I’d do with a hoard of ancient gold coins anyway. Get paid modern money I can use; _and_ have a nice little sign in the British Museum with my name on it, telling future generations the story of how, after I found the ancient treasure, I did the right thing and notified the proper authorities (instead of trying to sell priceless antiquities on eBay). Win-win! I don’t know what the Italians, do, though; or the exact circumstances of that find. Maybe one way or another no one gets paid; or alternatively, maybe those coins get auctioned off to private bidders to wind up in some rich guy’s collection. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-cache-of-roman-gold-coins-found-in-itlay/821100/4 "2018-09-10T13:31:59Z")
It would be impossible to quietly sell ancient Roman coins. 😉 I didn’t realize the finder got some compensation in Britain. Thank you for clarifying. It’s a shame the amphora got broken. I’m glad it was spotted before the construction equipment completely destroyed it.