Rare coin is most
important find yet!

A RARE coin dating back more than 2,000 years which has been unearthed in a Cheshire farmer's field is the most important find yet during three years excavation work.
The silver Roman Republican coin is believed to be one of the most important Roman finds in the North of England and one of only 20 ever found in Britain.
It has been unearthed by Rixton based archaeologist James Balme who has been carrying out investigations at the site in Warburton for the past three years, unearthing numerous finds.
"There are very few examples of these coins found in Britain and this is probably one of the most important Roman Republican coins ever to be found in the North of England," he said.
"The implications for the site are immense, apart from the vast number of Roman artefacts already recovered, it proves people were trading at Warburton during the Iron age of Britain."
James, who estimates he has spent more than 2,000 hours combing the field with his metal detector, says the "Denarius" coin dates from 211BC-100BC and was minted in the Roman republic.
It would equate to about a months wages in those days and could have bought up to 40 gallons of beer!
"It is hard to put an exact value on the coin because a lot depends on its condition compared against others that have been found.
"But it has given us valuable information into the archaeological importance of this site.
"It is high grade silver and was probably brought to Warburton from the Roman Republic during the Iron Age by a tradesman or traveller of that period."
A team from Manchester University's Archaelogical Unit is already preparing to carry out a major survey of the site, using special "x-ray" equipment.
But James is confident it was once a former Roman and Iron age settlement, which was only discovered by chance when he went on to the field with his metal detector.
"Over the past three years I have searched the site with great intensity and have recovered rare Roman artefacts dating from the 1st to the 4th centuries, including cosmetic items and jewellery.
"We must not forget however that the ancient settlement of Warburton did indeed begin 2,000 years before the Romans arrived and this was during the early Bronze age, circa 2,000 BC."
James has already recovered a bronze age axe, one of only five recovered in England to date - the other four being found at Stonehenge, which is one of the richest bronze age burial sites in the country.
He believes Bronze Age burial sites will be found in Warburton during excavation works scheduled to take place through the autumn and winter of 2001-2002.