A numismatist bought ancient coins and buried them in a field to become famous, but almost changed the history of Britain (3 photos)

64-year-old Michael Jones bought five rare coins at an online auction for £200 and buried them on a farm in the small village of Titley (Herefordshire, Britain) in July 2021.





At a treasure hunters' meeting, an elderly numismatist pretended to have found ancient coins in an attempt to make himself look good.

However, at the time he announced his find, no other coins had been found in the area, raising suspicions and prompting an investigation.

If the artefacts, which were rare silver coins, were actually found in this area, then, according to archaeologists, it would change the history of the borders of Wales and Hertfordshire, as the coins were minted between 1163 and 1201 in Turkey, once called Antioch and they had never been found in the area before.



During a recent investigation, it turned out that the silver coins were purchased by Jones on eBay and the former owner confirmed the fact of purchase and sale.

“I know it was stupid, but for the sake of fame and bravado in front of my colleagues, I didn’t think about it. It was a moment of madness,” Jones said in court, whose representatives believed the elderly numismatist and found him not guilty of fraud.