The Viking hoard known as the Herefordshire Hoard was valued maxium of 12 million. This is one of a very rare evidence that Viking actually pushed into Wales, if not the first of this scale. The find included a 9th-century gold ring, a dragon's head bracelet, a silver ingot, and a unique crystal rock pendant. Also originally contained roughly 300 coins. Only about 30 were initially recovered by police.The hoard contained rare "Two Emperor" coins showing Alfred the Great (Wessex) and Ceolwulf II (Mercia) together. This proved the two kings were allies, contrary to historical accounts suggesting Ceolwulf was merely a "Viking puppet." By concealing the hoard, the thieves nearly erased this crucial evidence of England’s unification.
Recent Update (May 2026): George Powell was recently sentenced to an additional 20 months in prison after stabbing a friend during a row over stolen gold while he was on the run from police.
by Phantion-
2 Comments
As an Archaeologist this breaks my heart to think think 4 men could act so selfish on behalf of our country’s history and Heritage and especially how nationally significant this was. Context is everything and the information and knowledge we could have extracted would have be existential to us.
The reason we are lucky in this country to have the Treasure act to is reward or reimburse the significance of National History that has been found through non commercial ways. Gain a few mill and have your name to that artifact way beyond your life.
Direct link to article (skipping the google redirect): [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-50461860](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-50461860)