A HOARD of Celtic coins found buried in the New Forest by three metal detectorists is now on display at Lymington's St Barbe Museum.

The unique, 2,000-year-old cache of 269 coins, which includes some never before been seen by historians, was secured by the museum following a fundraising appeal backed by TV historian Dan Snow.

Having been declared a treasure trove by the British Museum - meaning it was buried deliberately - the find effectively belonged to the people who found it in 2018, and the landowner.

St Barbe launched a public campaign - dubbed the Celtic Countdown - to raise a total of £37,500 to buy, display and interpret the coins, which bear charming and detailed designs relating to myths.

"The coins look like jewellery, with their beautiful designs," said a museum spokesperson. "They vary in size from smaller than the rubber on the end of a pencil to roughly the size of a 1p piece.

"This is more incredible if you consider they are Iron Age, before magnifying glasses were invented!"

St Barbe trustee Professor Tony King said the coins display mythical scenes, one a horse and sun depicting the belief that the horse carries the sun under the sea at sunset and emerges at sunrise.

The hoard is believed to have been buried as part of a ritual activity, along with other items of this period. Their exact location has not - and will not - be divulged for fear of others "trying their luck" on the private land.

Museum director Maria Ragan said the collection is "totally unique".

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