Two British metal detectorists who failed to declare a large hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure worth around 3 million pounds ($NZ6.01m) have been jailed for a total of nearly 20 years.
Some of the coins and jewellery found in farmland in central England were more than 1100 years old. Photo: Supplied / West Mercia police
George Powell, 38, and Layton Davies, 51, made the find, which included coins believed to date from the reign of King Alfred the Great, while scanning farmland in Leominster, central England.
British law requires that such discoveries must be declared to the landowner and reported to the local coroner.
But the men kept the find to themselves and began to release the coins to the market through two specialist dealers, Worcester Crown Court heard.
On Friday, Powell was jailed for 10 years and Davies for 8 and a half years.
"The coins Davies and Powell found were more than 1100 years old and bore the inscriptions of Aelfred and Ceolwulf from the Saxon-Viking period," said Lesley Milner of the Crown Prosecution Service.
"This find had immense historical value and should have been disclosed to the relevant authorities. But Davies and Powell actively hid their haul for their own selfish gain."
Alfred ruled the southern area of Wessex from 871 until 899 while Ceowulf II was king of Mercia, north of Wessex, from 874-9.
Ms Milner said the treasure would have been worth at least $NZ5.8m.
The two men were both found guilty of theft and, along with the two dealers, conspiracy to convert or conceal criminal property.
Culturally significant treasure hoards
The BBC reported that the find is regarded as one of the most valuable and culturally significant treasure hoards in British history.
Among the haul were rare "double emperor" coins - estimated at £75,000 each - which feature Alfred the Great, who ruled from AD871, and another leader.
Rare "double emperor" coins on display at the British Museum in London. Photo: Supplied / British Museum
They also found Saxon coins, a 9th century gold ring, a silver ingot and a 5th century crystal sphere pendant.
One gold arm-ring could be a particularly significant Welsh discovery, according to Dr Gareth Williams, curator of early medieval coins at the British Museum.
"We don't have a direct parallel to this one and the find spot being in the Welsh borders is interesting, in that regard," he told BBC Wales.
"Is this straight forward Anglo-Saxon workmanship? Is it perhaps an early example of Welsh jewellery?
"More research is needed to really make sense of it."
British Museum treasure registrar, Ian Richardson, carried out his own inquiries into the coins after hearing of the discovery.
He said: "I've been doing this job since 2007 and the number of cases of people being convicted for theft, which essentially derives from them not reporting their finds of treasure, has increased.
"It's not insignificant, it's not a victimless crime, it's depriving us all of our heritage."
Many of the coins have still not been recovered.
- Reuters / BBC