A hoard of almost 700 coins from the invasion of Britain found at Helmingham Hall in mid Suffolk are expected to fetch £75,000 at auction.

The coins were found by George Ridgway, an Indiana Jones-inspired metal detectorist who lives in Ashbocking.

They will go under the hammer with auction house Noonans next month.

Mr Ridgway, 34, retold the story of how he first discovered the coins almost five years ago.

He said: “It was on September 8, 2019 that I decided to investigate an unusual crop mark in a recently harvested barley field in Suffolk with my Garrett AT Pro metal detector.

"I knew that a Roman road ran close to the field and was hoping the two might be related, but after scouring the area nothing turned up.

George Ridgway found over 680 coins on siteGeorge Ridgway found over 680 coins on site (Image: George Ridgway) “I moved away 30 yards, and recovered two early Roman bronze Colchester-type brooches dating from the mid 1st century AD. Another clear signal nearby from the detector then revealed a silver denarius, a coin that had been issued by Julius Caesar in 46 BC.

READ MORE: Indiana Jones-inspired metal detectorist finds £65k Roman hoard

"I couldn’t believe that over the next three hours of searching, I found 160 more Roman silver coins, with a few of the coins stuck to pottery fragments.

"I knew I had made an important archaeological discovery and called my dad to guard the site overnight while we waited for an archaeological team to arrive and excavate the site. It took three months to recover the hoard.”

Mr Ridgway called his dad to guard the site while they waited for an excavation teamMr Ridgway called his father to guard the site after the discovery while they waited for an excavation team (Image: George Ridgway) The British Museum and the Colchester & Ipswich Museum claimed a total of 63 coins for their collections.

Alice Cullen, coin specialist at Noonans Auctioneers, added: “This is one of the largest hoards containing both Iron Age coins and Roman coins found in Britain, with the latest coins of Claudius and those of Cunobelin in virtually as struck condition.

"The location of the hoard together with the date range suggests the coins may have been buried by a long serving Legionary soldier from the XX Legion, who were stationed at nearby Colchester."

Silver Denarii from the time of Julius CaesarSilver Denarii from the time of Julius Caesar (Image: George Ridgway)

The auction is being held on Wednesday, September 18 and the proceeds from the hoard are being split between the landowner and Mr Ridgway.