Back in May of 2016, a 43-year-old treasure hunter named Brian Morton took his metal detector out in an Irish field and made an unusual find. About four inches down in the dirt was a silver coin—and about five feet away, there was another one. Morton, who’d been a metal-detectorist for about 10 years at the time, was excited at having found the coins, but it would be several months before he learned their significance.

Turns out, Brian Morton had unearthed two extremely rare, 11th-century Viking coins known as “Hiberno-Manx” coins—“Hiberno,” from the Latin name for Ireland, and “Manx,” for the Isle of Man. This island, which is known to numismatists for its modern collector coins, and the surrounding region were largely ruled by the Vikings in the 11th century. According to The History Blog, “Viking Dublin had its own mint and issued coins which copied English designs. The Hiberno-Manx coins were very rough versions of the Dublin designs.”

The Hiberno-Manx coins circulated almost exclusively on the island, and most of the known specimens have been discovered there; the rest have been found in Scandinavia. Until last May, none had been unearthed in Ireland. It’s uncertain how these two coins came to be there. Given that there were only two, it seems likely that they were dropped by whoever was carrying them, rather than hidden for safekeeping—but who was carrying them? One theory is that a Viking raiding party looted them from a nearby monastery called Maghera. Another theory is that the coins are evidence of peaceful trade between the Isle of Man and the southeast area of Ireland where they were found (see the map below).

Morton handed the two coins over to the Ulster Museum for a treasure inquiry. They were investigated and confirmed to be legal treasure, and have been sent to the British Museum for independent valuation, after which they will be for sale to interested museums. The proceeds will be split between the owner of the field and the treasure hunter.

On a related topic, Coin Update posted a story on the Royal Mint’s commemorative coin honoring the millennial of the coronation of King Canute. Author Michael Alexander writes that Canute was the son of Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark, and for a time was a Viking commander. In 1017, Canute became the first person to unite the realm under a single authority. The design of the commemorative replicates his profile as depicted on silver pennies minted during his rule. Although the Hiberno-Manx coins do not depict Canute, the Viking style is unmistakable. (Compare the Canute silver penny in Coin Update’s slideshow with the Hiberno-Manx coins pictured on the Old Currency Exchange blog, which has an excellent description of the Viking and Irish rulers of the era. ❑

Resources:

“Rare Viking coins found in Belfast.” The History Blog, November 28, 2016. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/45024

McKeown, Lesley-Anne. “Metal detectorist to coin it in after find of rare Viking currency in Co Down field is declared treasure.” Belfast Telegraph, November 26, 2016. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/metal-detectorist-to-coin-it-in-after-find-of-rare-viking-currency-in-co-down-field-is-declared-treasure-35244988.html

Alexander, Michael. “United Kingdom: Millennial Anniversary of Coronation of King Canute Remembered with New Crown Coin.” Coin Update, January 25, 2017. http://news.coinupdate.com/united-kingdom-millennial-anniversary-of-coronation-of-king-canute-remembered-with-new-crown-coin/