Volunteer litter-picker finds ancient Roman coin while clearing fly-tipped car park
A VOLUNTEER litter-picker found an ancient Roman coin while clearing a fly-tipped car park.
Chris Lyon, 27, thought the silver piece was a Euro or Spanish peseta.
Chris Lyon found an ancient Roman coin while clearing a fly-tipped car park[/caption] The volunteer litter-picker thought the silver piece was a Euro or Spanish peseta[/caption]But after cleaning it up and some online research he found it was from the age of Emperor Gordian III, who ruled England around 240AD.
Chris said: “It wasn’t even buried. It was just half in the ground.
“We’re going to go back to see if there’s anything else lying around.”
The coin, found at Carr Mill Dam, Merseyside, is worth around £45, but Chris, of nearby St Helens, said he will keep it.
Chris added: “It looked like a big 5p and it wasn’t even buried. It was just half in the ground.
“When I first found it, I thought it might be a Euro or an old peseta from Spain.
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“But I showed it to my grandparents and they said it didn’t look like anything they’d ever seen on their holidays.
“If I had known what the coin was when I picked it up, I’d have spent more time having a look around.”
The coin has a side profile of Gordian III, Rome’s youngest ever emperor, on the front and Apollo, God of music, on the back.
Chris discovered the coin was from the age of Emperor Gordian III, who ruled England around 240AD[/caption] The coin has a side profile of Gordian III, Rome’s youngest ever emperor, on the front[/caption] And on the back of the coin is an image of Apollo, God of music[/caption] Chris said he will keep the coin after finding it at Carr Mill Dam, Merseyside — and it is worth around £45[/caption]GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk