Julius Caesar, 49-44 BC. Denarius (Silver, 10 mm, 3.41 g, 9 h), with P. Sepullius Macer, Rome, first half of March 44. [C]AESAR [DICT PE]RPETVO Laureate and veiled head of Julius Caesar to right. Rev. P•SEPVLLIVS - [MACER] Venus standing front, head lowered to left, holding Victory in her right hand and long scepter adorned with star in her left; to right, round shield set on the ground. Babelon (Julia) 49 and (Sepullia) 4. Crawford 480/11. Ghey 298 (this coin). RBW 1684. SF 720 (this coin). Sydenham 1072. A few banker's marks on the obverse and with light scratches, otherwise, fine.



Helmingham Hall is a picturesque manor house with a moat, dating back to the 16th century. Not far from the Tudor-style house, an almost 2,000-year-old secret was uncovered by George Ridway in September 2019. The hoard that came to light included 724 Roman silver Denarii, 19 gold Staters and 4 quarter Staters of Cunobelin. This is the largest known mixed hoard of British Iron Age and Roman coins ever discovered in Britain. The latest coins in the hoard were minted in 46-47, giving us a terminus post quem within the reign of Emperor Claudius, just a few years after the Roman conquest of Britain.

At that time, Helmingham was situated in the midst of these dramatic events, located just 43 kilometers north of Camulodunum, a significant early Roman settlement. Veterans of Legio XX Valeria Victrix, which arrived in Britain in 43 and played a pivotal role in the conquest, settled in Camulodunum before 49. While we will never fully uncover the original owner's precise connection to the conquest of Britain, it is highly likely that the Helmingham Hoard should be understood within the context of this event. It is a historical irony that a coin bearing the portrait of Julius Caesar—the first to attempt, though half-heartedly, to conquer Britain - found its way into the Helmingham Hoard nearly 90 years later, in the context of Claudius' successful campaign.