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SILVER BOOTY PICKED UP ON A BOOT

By County Press Reporter - Thursday, November 23, 2006
By Martin Neville
A TREASURE hunter picked up a valuable find on his boot that his metal detector missed during a dig.
Brian Hawkes, a member of the IW Metal Detecting Club, discovered a silver Roman coin caked in mud on the tip of his boot. He had been walking through a muddy field with his metal detector on a club dig when he made his discovery.
"The rain was pouring down and when you are walking across a ploughed field you do pick up a lot of mud on your boot," said Mr Hawkes, 60, of Pineview Drive, Carisbrooke.
"Every few paces I was stopping and shaking the earth from my foot and I noticed the coin on my toe. I must have missed it with the metal detector and it somehow found its way on to my boot.
"Sometimes you see them on top of the soil but this is the first time the find has found me."
Minted in Rome, the coin dates back to 108 AD and depicts Emperor Trajan on one side and the goddess Venus on the other.
Mr Hawkes, a founder member of the club, said the coin was in excellent condition.
"When you consider how many times the field has been ploughed, it's amazing the coin is in such fabulous condition," he said.
Club members have had a fruitful month with several finds on the Island.
Rob Gates, of Chale, discovered a 15th century gold ring depicting St Catherine and John the Baptist.
He also found a Roman coin depicting Emperor Hadrian and a Henry VI half groat.
Members discovered six Celtic coins in a field in the West Wight while Michael Rugg, of Carisbrooke, found a similar coin from the Iron Age in another field.
He also unearthed an early Iron Age coin in Calbourne.
"We would dearly love to display all these finds but we can't find anywhere on the Island that is interested," said club chairman Dave Clark.
"We would like to hear from any novice metal detectors interested in joining us. We are organising a coach trip to the British Museum on January 14 and anybody interested can contact me on 883839."