LONDON.- One of the largest collections of Iron Age coins to be found in recent years has been saved for the nation, and will be displayed at Ipswich Museum thanks to the support of the Art Fund.

The Wickham Market hoard is one of the most important discoveries to be found in Suffolk in the past century and joins a roll call of nationally important treasure finds from the county that includes the Mildenhall treasure and Hoxne hoard.

The hoard consists of 840 gold coins dating from between 20 BC-AD 20. The hoard is rare for the time period and unique for this type of discovery as it contains only gold coinage. It is tangible evidence of the long history of the peoples of the British Isles and offers a direct connection to the Iceni tribe which remains strongly linked to the story of Boudica, one of Britain’s most famous folk heroines.

Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, said, “We are pleased to have played a part in adding this important collection of Iron Age coins to the collection at Ipswich Museum. There it will be studied locally and engage younger generations with the region’s rich social history.”

Discovered by a metal detector user in March 2008 and subsequent SCCAS excavations near Wickham Market, Suffolk. Originally called the Dalignhoo Hoard and declared Treasure in 2008.