Silver and gold has been discovered by experts working on the record £10million coin hoard that was discovered in Jersey last week.
The haul contains between 30,000 and 50,000 Celtic coins and was discovered by metal detector enthusiasts Reg Mead and Richard Miles.
They are currently in one solid mass and work is being carried out to evaluate what else is in the find.
Exciting: Silver and gold, pictured here among the coins, has been discovered by experts working on the record £10million coin hoard that was discovered in Jersey last week
Neil Mahrer, conservator with Jersey Heritage, said: ‘As we unravel the story behind the hoard we are beginning to make some very exciting discoveries.’
The coins are thought to date from the year 50BC while the armies of Julius Caesar were advancing north-westwards through France, driving the tribal communities towards the coast.
Some of them would have crossed the sea to Jersey, finding a safe place of refuge away from Caesar’s campaigns.
The only place to store their wealth was to bury it in a secret place.
Incredible: Silver jewellery can be seen pictured with the coins. The haul contains between 30,000 and 50,000 Celtic coins and was discovered by metal detector enthusiasts Reg Mead and Richard Miles
Mr Mead, 70, and Mr Miles, a customs officer in his 40s, suspected treasure was in the area three decades ago, when they heard rumours a farmer had found some silver pieces on his land.
After a series of largely unsuccessful forays in the area, they unearthed a stash of 120 coins in February.
Mr Mead, a grandfather who lives with wife Ruth in St Clement, Jersey, said: ‘Richard found the first one and it was amazing – when you see him raising his hand above his head (saying) “got one”.’
The pair used a powerful metal detector known as a deepseeker to search for more treasure in the field and struck lucky last week.
Determined Reg Mead and Richard Miles spent decades searching a field in Jersey after hearing rumours that a farmer had discovered silver coins while working on his land
Coin in the hand: Archaeologists believe the hoard is worth about £10million
‘The machine picked up a really strong signal – so we immediately got in touch with professional archaeologists,’ Mr Mead said. ‘They started digging and we could not believe how many coins there were.
‘All of them were stuck together. I have been searching for things like this since 1959 and never found anything on this scale before.
‘We had been searching that land for 30 years.’
After four days of careful digging the hoard was hauled to the surface by crane. It will now be subject of an inquest to determine ownership rights.
Getting the hoard out: Metal detector Reg Mead (centre, back, blue polo shirt) watches as archaeologists unearth the Celtic coin hoard
Neil Mahrer from Jersey Heritage examines part of Europe’s largest hoard of Iron Age coins which have been unearthed in Jersey
Mr Mead added: ‘I am absolutely numb at the moment. To find one haul of coins in a lifetime is rare, but to find two is just unheard of.’
The location of the find is being kept secret.
The previous record find was in 1935 at La Marquanderie in Jersey when more than 11,000 were discovered.
Dr Philip de Jersey, a former Celtic coin expert at Oxford University, said: ‘The find is very significant. It will add a huge amount of new information, not just about the coins themselves, but the people who were using them.’
