The UK Metal Detectorists and the Criminal Gangs

Precious, history-altering group of artefacts, wanted by criminals and historians alike, the story is laid out in full on the Strange But True Crime podcast on BBC Sounds: Nicola Goodwin, 'The buried hoard: A story of treachery and greed' BBC Midlands 30.04.2025

This is a story of treachery, secrecy and greed which led to two friends ending up in jail and a mystery about buried coins. [...] The hoard is believed to have been taken from the Anglo-Saxons by Vikings and buried for safekeeping at about 878 AD. For centuries the coins and jewellery lay undisturbed, buried in the Herefordshire countryside by a Viking warrior in the Ninth Century.

Then some thieving artefact hunters George Powell and Layton Davies discovered it in a field near Leominster in June 2015, dug them up, failed to declare the hoard. Only 31 of an estimated 300 coins of the discovery have been recovered, and the big question is, where is the rest of the hoard? Police believe they are in the hands of organised crime gangs around the world so the hunt for the missing treasure continues. The journalist tells the story of how she "spent years following its journey from a hole in the ground to the fringes of the criminal underworld".

Legally, Powell and Davies, from Pontypridd, should have declared it. If they had done so, they could have become very wealthy men. Instead, they kept it, sold it to dealers and ended up in prison. I have been a reporter for 25 years but this is one of the most intriguing stories I have ever covered. Over the years, I had to keep quiet as the police investigation carried on. I received anonymous tip-offs and one of the criminals even sent me text messages from prison.

Where are the rest of the coins?