A disturbed hoard of Roman coins found after the reinstatement of ground above a Welsh Water pipeline. JH May 1998,

On 22nd May 1998, chance find of coin of Quintillus (AD 270), on road surface west of Salem village, prompted investigation of recently reinstated pipe easement in nearby field. Subsequent metal detector survey recovered 47 antoniniani spanning period from reign of Gallienus (AD 260-68) to that of Carausius (AD 286-93), over an area c. 7.50m x 6m.

From Archaeology in Wales:

SALEM, nr. Aberystwyth (SN 6684)
In late May the chance find of a coin of Quintillus (AD 270), on the surface of the road to the west of the village, was instrumental in the discovery nearby of a scattered late third century coin hoard. The initial find was entirely due to the sharp eyes of Master Daniel McKewan of Salem, who spotted the coin from his bicycle and showed it to TGD who lives in the village. Subsequent identification by JLD revealed that such coins more usually form part of hoards and prompted the question of an origin for this stray find. Some two weeks previously, Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water had excavated and back-filled a pipe trench in the fields immediately to the north of the road. A subsequent metal detector survey of the newly re-seeded easement of the pipe trench recovered 47 antoniniani spanning the period from the reign of Gallienus (AD 260-68) to that of Carausius (AD 286-93), over an area c. 7.50m x 6m.

The scattered nature of the Salem hoard and the absence of traces of a container - plausibly a pottery vessel or metal bowl - makes it impossible to determine whether the hoard was disturbed for the first time by the excavation of the pipe-trench or had been re-disturbed and further scattered. The discovery was reported to the National Museums and Galleries of Wales, Cardiff and Cambria Archaeology. It is expected to be the subject of a Coroner's inquest in December 1998. Thanks are due to the landowner, Mr J Hughes, for permission to investigate the site and to Ms R Charnock for assistance in the field.

J L Davies, University of Wales, Aberystwyth and T G Driver, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, Crown Building, Aberystwyth.

References:
Besley, E.M. 2000: `Salem, Ceredigion?, in Treasure Annual Report 1998-1999, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 120

Davies, J. L. and Driver, T.G. 1999. The discovery of a Roman coin hoard at Salem, Trefeurig, Aberystwyth. Ceredigion, Volume XIII, Number 3.

TGD July 1999.