The mystery of the greek coin hoard

By mid-September, Ian Botley was able to report initial findings regarding some mysterious Greek coins. The coins came to light when Frances Stackhouse-Aston conducted excavations at the Roman villa site in 1844, and they have remained shrouded in mystery ever since. The 1908 Victoria County History suggested that workmen had “salted” the excavations, concluding that it was “hardly possible that such early Greek coins could have been found at Acton Scott in Roman times.” Mrs. Stackhouse-Acton staunchly maintained that the coins were found on the spot. Recent finds of Greek coins in reliable Iron Age and Roman contexts lend weight to her assertion.

Ian began by searching the internet, looking for references to Acton Scott, Frances Stackhouse-Acton, Greek coin finds in Shropshire, and Shropshire’s Roman villas. The search yielded no references to the Greek coins, but he found several websites with information on Frances Stackhouse-Acton and her many interests, which of course included archaeology. A reference in BIAB to the excavation placed it in 1824 instead of 1844, which was puzzling. Period accounts of the dig appeared in Archaeologia (Arch) and The Proceedings of the Society of Antiquities of London (Proc Soc).

Phil provided an extract from the Victoria County History that described the coins:
1. Neapolis: Obverse, head of Apollo wreathed. Reverse, a demi-bull, with a human head; emblem of a river. Struck 300-250 B.C.
2. Andros: Obverse, head of the bearded Bacchus, wreathed with ivy. Reverse, head of Jupiter. Struck 250-200 B.C.
3. Smyrna: Obverse, head of Apollo with a laurel wreath; the hair arranged like a female head. Reverse, two-armed hands of a gladiator or athleta, and a palm branch. There had been also the name of the magistrate, not visible. Struck about 150-100 B.C.
4. Egypt Antiochus VIII and his mother Cleopatra: Obverse, head of Antiochus, with a radiated crown. Reverse, an Egyptian symbol known as the lotus ornament, placed on a crescent, and two ears of corn. Struck about 70 B.C.
5. Smyrna: Obverse, bust of Britannicus, when a boy; under the neck has been inscribed. Reverse, a winged figure of Victory holding a palm branch across her shoulders. Struck during the reign of Claudius, about A.D. 45.

Ian visited Birmingham Central Library to review the two articles. The dates on the five Green coins ranged from 300-250 B.C. to A.D. 45. While there was no specific mention of a dig in 1824, there were some preliminary excavations when the villa was discovered in 1817. In 1844, Archdeacon Owen persuaded Frances Stackhouse-Acton to re-open the site.

Recently the British Museum have confirmed that they also do not possess the coins – the search continues…