Roman coins and pot go on show in Newport
A hoard of ancient coins and the remains of the pot in which they were found will go on display together for the first time this weekend.
The Sheriffhales Roman Coin Hoard was unearthed by detectorist Terry Hayward in August 2009. The 86 bronze coins were discovered in a field near Newport along with 21 bits of broken pottery.
Only the base of the pot remained intact because of damage caused by ploughing.
The earliest coin recovered dates from the reign of the emperor Vespasian (AD69-79) and the latest from the reign of the emperor Antoninus Pius (AD138-161).
The coins and pot will go on display from Saturday at the Heritage Centre, Newport.
Centre spokesman Julian Meeson said: "This will be the first time all of the Roman artefacts found with the hoard will have been together since it was examined by experts at the British Museum.
"Although the hoard is not of great financial value – the British Museum valued it at between £250 and £300 – it is historically priceless."
Meanwhile, an exhibition of colour photographs from Newport's Serck Audco Engineering Works is now back on display.
The photos show men and women at work at the valve-making firm.
In its heyday Serck Audco employed almost 1,200 people before it was closed in 1999.
Mr Meeson added: "If anyone has photographs of the foundry in operation or employees working within the foundry, then the Newport History Society would be grateful if it could make copies of them for its historical record and for display."
The Heritage Centre is next to the Guildhall in High Street and is open on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.
The centre has attracted more than 1,000 visitors since it opened its doors last year.
