‘Find of a lifetime’: 15th century gold and silver coins discovered in Scotland

March 17, 2025

Amateur metal detectorists in Scotland have discovered a 600-year-old hoard of gold and silver coins. The rare find was made by Keith Young and Lisa Stephenson, who had been exploring near the village of Cappercleuch, in the Scottish Borders region. They initially unearthed a total of 30 coins from both Scotland and England, minted in the 15th century.

“The hoard is the find of a lifetime,” Stephenson said in a statement from Scotland’s Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
Among the coins were English silver groats, minted under Henry V and Edward IV. Other coins were Scottish gold demys and half-demys, minted under James I and II of Scotland. The coins show the effigy of the reigning monarch at the time of minting.

The groat was a large silver coin first introduced into England by Edward I in 1279, and was valued at four pence. The Scottish gold demy was typically valued at nine shillings in Scottish money. It was named after the French word “démier”, meaning “half”, because it was about half the value of a noble (an English gold coin). The gold half-demy was a smaller version of the demy, valued at about 4.5 shillings.

Initial investigation by archaeologists from the Scottish Treasure Trove Unit revealed that the coins may have been left at the site sometime in the early to mid-1460s. The archaeologists subsequently discovered a further five coins nearby, bringing the total hoard to 35 coins.

“Hoards containing a mix of both English and Scottish coins are not unusual, but we don’t see many hoards from this period in Scotland, so it’s a fascinating find,” said Antony Lee, who leads the Treasure Trove Unit, in a statement.