The most logical explanation?

[ddave07]

One of my most thought questions within metal detecting is ‘How did that find get there?’. I find it particularly amazing when American coins, Swedish coins, Chinese coins, along with hosts of others pop up in fields across the UK.

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine was moving house. Knowing that I metal detect, they invited me to come and detect in their small garden (Perhaps a 10m x 10m square) in a very rural part of Scotland before they moved out. Their home is a small Victorian Crofters cottage, so there was always a chance of something of interest. As I started, signals were constant, varying from small buttons and buckles to Vicky Halfpennies.

But one good signal on my Deus, resulted in another coin, almost identical in size to a Halfpenny, but so corroded that it was seemingly unidentifiable. (So grotty it doesn't really justify a pic on here) When I got home, I gave it a scrub to see if I could salvage any detail from the coin. In the middle of one side I could make out the words in the middle of the coin:

“ANNA
??DIA
1920”

I looked up an excitedly found it was my first Indian coin, a Quarter Anna. I was pleased as punch! But was immediately left wondering how on earth an Indian Coin would end up in the garden of a remote Scottish Crofters cottage garden. Once I finished I mentioned this to my friend, and they said, ‘well, let’s look at the through the old property deeds and see if we can find any names/details of previous owners from around then.’

And we found that from around 1920-1950. A family lived, there, and the father (we found out through extra research) was a Sergeant in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers in the British Army in WW2. Further research then went on to find that, this Sergeant went to India and went on to fight (and survive) in the Battle of Imphal in North Eastern India.

Which left me with the thought that the most logical explanation must be that it came back with the Soldier after serving in India in the war. (Either that, or a Numismatist was outside gardening and somehow dropped it in a veg patch)

[Allectus]

India was once part of the now defunct British Empire.

[Phil2401]

Great research and indeed a logical conclusion. International trade and travel are not a modern concept - been going on for millennia - things do turn up in the most seemingly unlikely places

Phil