Lancashire pensioner charged after coins from £1m Viking hoard recovered during raid

By Sean Gleaves
Published 19th Aug 2021, 16:35 BST
Updated 19th Aug 2021, 16:36 BST
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Two men have been charged after coins from a historically important Viking hoard were recovered in a police investigation.

Coins and silver ingot with an estimated value of almost £1m were recovered from two properties in County Durham and Lancashire in 2019.

They came from an undeclared Viking hoard and are believed to be of major historical significance.

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A 44-year-old man from Bishop Auckland and a 73-year-old man from Loveclough have both been charged with conspiracy to convert criminal property.

They are also charged with possessing criminal property.

The 73-year-old man has also been charged with a second count of possessing criminal property.

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They are on unconditional bail and will appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court on September 7.

Police previously said the recovered coins were similar to these four from the British Museum. (Credit: British Museum)Police previously said the recovered coins were similar to these four from the British Museum. (Credit: British Museum)
Police previously said the recovered coins were similar to these four from the British Museum. (Credit: British Museum)

Durham Police said the haul contained coins of Alfred the Great of Wessex and his less well-known contemporary, Ceolwulf II of Mercia.

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King Alfred inflicted a defeat on the Vikings in AD 878, and experts believe the coins belong to an undeclared hoard consistent with the location of the Viking army at that time.

When the coins were recovered in 2019, Dr Gareth Williams, curator of early medieval coins and Viking collections at the British Museum, described the collection as a "nationally important hoard" which could "add significantly" to the understanding of the political history of England.

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