Image: Museum of Chelmsford
In 2020, a metal detectorist discovered 933 gold Iron Age coins on private land in Great Baddow, Essex, without permission to be detected there. Acquired by the Museum of Chelmsford in 2025 through a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, it is thought to be linked to Julius Caesar’s invasion of Britain. On discovering it, the finder initially failed to declare the find under the Treasure Act 1996, which limited how well the archaeological context could later be understood. The hoard itself consists of 933 gold coins, 930 of which are Eastern British staters of the ‘Whaddon Chase’ type, produced in the North Thames region around 60 to 20 BC, according to Essex Heritage Trust. The hoard will go on permanent display in the museum from spring 2027 (Image: Museum of Chelmsford) It is now recognised as the largest recorded hoard of Iron Age gold coins ever found in Britain. The hoard was on public display for the first time in a dedicated temporary exhibition, Timeless Treasures, in summer 2026, and will now be moving to permanent display at the museum from spring 2027.
The hoard, now known as the Great Baddow Hoard, is the largest recorded find of Iron Age gold coins ever made in Britain, according to the official data available on Museum of Chelmsford’s site. Here’s how the find came about, what happened afterwards, and how it’s being shared with the public. The hoard was found on private land in Great Baddow by a metal detectorist who did not have permission to be detecting there. The remaining three coins are a quarter stater, a Continental Gallo-Belgic E uniface stater, and an East Anglian ‘Norfolk Wolf’ stater, alongside fragments of what may have been a container or vessel.
