Nighthawking Ruins Coin Dig Site

About 70,000 Iron Age coins known as the Le Catillon II hoard have been the subject of archaeological studies since the hoard was discovered on the Bailiwick of Jersey in 2012.

The reason the contents of the hoard are described as “about” is that no one knows for certain just how many coins are involved. The initial find was made by two individuals with metal detectors. Unfortunately for researchers and numismatists alike, the site has continuously been plundered by treasure seekers. This problem continues.

According to a Jersey Heritage paper on the hoard, most of the coins are staters, quarter staters, and petits billons issued by the Coriosolitae tribe. Some of the coins in the find have been attributed to the Baiocasses, Redones, Osismii, and Veneti Celtic tribes. Globules a la Croix gold coins originating from an area southeast of Paris and coins likely from Hampshire have also been identified. Since the latest coins in the hoard to be studied date from about 50 to 30 B.C. it has been suggested the coins were buried after the date of the Roman invasion under Julius Caesar in 52 B.C.

The Coriosolitae tribe was based around the area of modern-day St. Malo and Dinan. According to Spink’s Coins of England and the United Kingdom, “…the Coritani [Coriosolitae] occupied Lincolnshire and adjoining parts of Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire. The earliest staters, the South Ferriby type, are developed from Gallo-Belgic C staters and are associated with the silver boar/horse types. The distinctive dish-shaped scyphate coinages have no parallels in Britain and stand apart from the main series. The later inscribed issues present a complex system of inscriptions.”

In the United Kingdom treasure trove laws determine who gets to keep or sell coins and other valuable finds. No such law exists on the island of Jersey. Jersey has been drafting its own treasure law since 1996, but it is still “under consultation.” In 2020 Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Senator Lyndon Farnham signed a ministerial decision to bring forward a Heritage and Antiquities Law to “provide clarity on heritage matters.” Jersey’s current laws don’t meet international standards. Jersey does not require reporting a discovery of metals other than silver and gold, or to report finds comprised of different materials such as stone, bone, or ceramics, regardless of the significance of the find.

Adding to the problem, Jersey’s government purchased the Le Catillon II coin hoard from its finders in early 2022 for £4.5 million (about $5.58 million U.S.) despite being advised not to do so by the government Treasure Valuation Committee. The TVC sought a value that would be in line with the “spirit” of English law. The actual payout was more than twice the value placed on the hoard by well-known British coin dealer Chris Rudd and Paris coin dealer CGB Numismatique.

The Pipeline is an investigative publication exploring the intersection between archaeology, money, and politics. The Pipeline Editor Andy Brockman said the Jersey government’s decision invites what he calls “casino metal detecting.”

Brockman said the purchase “sets a precedent for challenging the valuations, it sets a precedent for the amount by which a challenge might be successful,” adding, “The higher a find like Le Catillon II is valued, the more difficult it becomes for a local museum in particular to raise the money to match a commercial valuation. That’s one danger.” (Casino metal detecting is the other danger.)

There is evidence of recent digging at the site of the hoard by amateur metal detectorists seeking financial gain from their finds. Societe Jersiaise is a Heritage and Antiquities Working Group established in Jersey in 2022. The group’s primary focus is on objects of particular archaeological or historical significance. Archaeologists from Societe Jersiaise have asked permission to survey the site to stop people from illegally searching and looting.

Societe Jersiaise Field Archaeologist Herve Duval-Gatignol has called unauthorized tracks and new holes found nearby a “serious matter.” Duval-Gatignol said a survey would help “preserve the site and recover any artifacts that may still be there buried in this field, to avoid any further night hawking.”

The archaeologist explained that Societe Jersiaise does not intend to excavate the site but to carry out non-invasive surveys to see if there is evidence of more artifacts. Gold ornaments are among the non-coin finds associated with the hoard.

According to Duval-Gatignol, “It is really hard to address this issue. In other countries, you might put cameras in but I think the best thing is to talk to the public and tell them this practice is not acceptable. This is just a group of two or maybe three people and the large majority of metal detectorists on the island are very aware that they don’t go to listed sites. We feel like we need to do something and, depending on the results [of the survey], we will address this issue.”

Duval-Gatignol continued, “My role is to preserve pre-historical and historical sites in Jersey, studying them and sharing this knowledge with the public. It all starts with artifacts and our ability to record it the proper way so we’re sure that the information is registered and will be known for future generations. However, my judgment and position must not overcome the interest of the islanders and I strongly believe that it is for them (for us, all together) to decide. I know for sure that many of them would consider our dolmen and megaliths as treasures, even if they are not covered by precious metal.”