The largest collection of Roman coins unearthed in a single container goes on display to the public for the first time today.

The Frome Hoard, a collection of 52,503 silver and copper alloy coins unearthed by hospital chef Dave Crisp in April last year near the Somerset town that gives the hoard its name, is to go on show at the Museum of Somerset, in Taunton.Stephen Minnitt, Somerset County Council's head of museums, said it was a coup for the museum to obtain the 'highly important find'.

'The reason it was buried remains something of a mystery. Usually you tend to think of coin hoards being buried for safety in the times before there were banks, and those that are found today are the ones that were not recovered, presumably because the person that owned them had some sort of misfortune and didn't pick them up.

'In this case, though, the volume of coins in this very rounded pot - they weigh 160kg (353lb) - has led to the suggestion that they may well represent a votive offering of some sort. Precisely what, we don't know.'

Some of the coins have been completely cleaned to show what they may have looked like at the time they were buried. Others have been left in a condition closer to the way they looked when excavated.

All but five are made from a copper alloy which gives them a greenish tinge.

These five, which form their own display, are silver denarii of the emperor Carausius, an upstart from what is now the Netherlands who led a revolt against Rome in the last decade of the 3rd century AD and declared himself emperor of Britain and northern Gaul (France).They are among 760 coins from his reign of seven years.

'He was a usurper who took control of Britain and Gaul in AD296 and issued this very fine series of silver coins, which are exceedingly rare,' said Mr Minnitt.

'The five examples in the Frome collection are in mint condition. They are some of the finest examples of Carausius denarii ever seen.'

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