At the time of Pure Gold Rally, which was held in Kent with the last autumn (see DETECTION PASSION N°14), a French prospector had discovered new a Celte currency silver. This historical part was quite naturally left to its inventor, with responsibility of provide the English archaeologists and to Celtic Coin Index, of the photographs avers and reverse. This being made, the answers did not delay on behalf of our English friends, and these are these letters that we publish today.

Of David J Holman (archaeological Numismatist Grouping of Dover)
in Pierre Angeli (School of Detection).

Thank you for your letter and photographs for the silver money found by Mr. Hudo in Pure Gold Rally, Waldershare Park. Mr. Keith Parfitt asked me that I give you an answer because I was the numismatist of Pure Gold Rally. The currency is described in details below. I already informed Celtic Coin Index in Oxford of this discovery. Up to 1985, this type of currency was unknown. It is still very rare with less than ten known specimens and it does not appear in the most recent catalogue of Van Arsdell (1989).

The co-operation between the detectorists and the archaeologists is an excellent method to increase our knowledge of the past. My speciality, the Celtic currencies found in Kent, in is a very good example. Up to 1991, the Celtic currencies in the East of Kent were very rare, but the recording of the currencies discovered by the detectorists has since licence to fill this gap. You will herewith find cards which shows the enormous increase Gallic currencies (Mr. Holman understand by Gauloises, of the currencies originating in Gaule Belgium, i.e. of the North of France, as of the remainder of the country) out of bronze found in the East of Kent by the detectorists since 1991 (please do not publish because these cards are not finished) (damage!).

The cards emphasize a very close contact between Kent and Gaule, during the time front c.50. J.C.-c.40 ap. J.C. It is a pity which a comparative study of the Celtic currencies (English) discovered by the French prospectors does not exist in Nord/Pas of Calais, bus in this way, us increased our knowledge of the trans-manche contacts, and we would be perhaps able to affirm that such or such currency is Gauloise or Kentish .

In spite of the good intentions of the majority of the detectorists, there exists among them a minority, called here the " nightawks " (literally: falcons of night... night raptors by extension) which are detrimental for archaeology. They cause many problems and give the honest ones detectorists, a bad reputation with the eyes of some archaeologists. Even if detection were prohibited, these " nigthawks " would continue to cause damage, because after all, it is interdict to steal a bank, but some people continue nevertheless. However, if it is illegal to detect on a protected historic site, significant for archaeology, the law is seldom enfreinte. However, the situation is sometimes worsened by unwise television programmes, which always show the hunters of treasures and the " nigthawks ", by completely being unaware of the historical contribution to which the detectorists take share. There is no miracle solution. An alternative would have been that the archaeologists detect themselves on the sites and take the objects interesting, before they are not stolen, but it is not a good archaeological exercise. For my part, I use a detector on certain sites and I discovered many currencies which, otherwise, would have been lost forever. Last Sunday, I found a part of a dagger of the age of bronze.

PS: The treasure of the age of the bronze, discovered during Pure Gold Rally, now is cleaned and preserved. It will enter to the museum of Dover in 1998.

For Dr. Philip of Jersey (University of Oxford, Institute of archaeology), with Mr. Pierre Angeli (School of Détection).Je thanks you for your letter and your beautiful photographs. I will try to write in French, it is a formidable task for me, and painful for you, I believe... We have only six examples of your currency. It is a production of Cantii (or Cantiaci), county of Kent, I am sure, but of a very odd type, without analogies with other coinings of this tribe. A particular interest of this currency is that the avers was the prototype of a Anglo-Saxon currency, 8è century. If you have other questions about this currency, you can write with me of French I can read the language better than I can write it. Friendships.

Ci Joint, a specimen of the currency

Anglo-Saxon of the 8 3rd century