11/12/2025
Today we’re adding some serious sparkle to your advent… ✨🎄
There are countless heritage treasures in our collection, but we have to admit there’s something extra-exciting about real life buried treasure!
So throw open today’s door into the past and discover:
🪙 The Staffordshire Hoard – in 2010 we helped acquire the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and treasures ever found, containing over 1,500 objects dating from around the seventh century AD.
🪙 The Galloway Hoard – the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland. We supported its acquisition by in 2017.
🪙 The Herefordshire Hoard – in 2022 acquired three gold ornaments, a silver ingot and 29 silver coins, with our support. They’re thought to have been buried around 878, perhaps as part of a high-status Viking hoard.
🪙 The Melsonby Hoard – this summer we helped acquire over 800 Iron Age treasures, including chariot wheels, cauldrons, horse bridles and ceremonial spears.
🪙 The West Norfolk Hoard – this year we helped acquire the largest collection of seventh-century gold coins found in Britain. Most are Frankish tremisses – the first coins made in Europe after the fall of the Roman empire.
Imagine waking up to a stocking full of these on Christmas morning! Come back soon to open another advent door into the past.
Image credits: Birmingham Museums Trust, National Museums Scotland, Hereford Museums, Gareth Buddo for York Museums Trust and Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery.
