▁sell ▁the ▁objects ▁he ▁had ▁found ▁to ▁private ▁buy ers . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁time ▁arch ae olog ists ▁learned ▁of ▁the ▁find ▁several ▁months ▁later , ▁the ▁find spot ▁had ▁been ▁built ▁over , ▁making ▁proper ▁arch ae ological ▁investigation ▁impossible . ▁It ▁was ▁not ▁even ▁possible ▁to ▁question ▁the ▁find er ▁about ▁the ▁circumstances , ▁because ▁by ▁the ▁time ▁the ▁material ▁arrived ▁at ▁the ▁British ▁Museum ▁for ▁study , ▁he ▁was ▁termin ally ▁ill , ▁and ▁he ▁died ▁about ▁a ▁month ▁later , ▁in ▁July ▁ 1 9 8 0 . ▁ ▁Pers istent ▁rum ours ▁that ▁the ▁tre asure ▁originally ▁included ▁co ins ▁have ▁never ▁been ▁confirmed ▁or ▁convin cing ly ▁rejected , ▁but ▁even ▁if ▁there ▁were ▁no ▁co ins , ▁it ▁is ▁quite ▁likely ▁that ▁the ▁group ▁as ▁we ▁see ▁it ▁now ▁is ▁incomplete . ▁The ▁full ▁account ▁of ▁the ▁circumstances ▁of ▁the ▁discovery ▁is ▁related ▁in ▁the ▁standard ▁catalog ue . ▁This ▁lack ▁of ▁information ▁makes ▁it ▁particularly ▁difficult ▁to ▁spec ulate ▁on ▁the ▁nature ▁of ▁the ▁ho ard ▁and ▁the ▁purpose ▁of ▁its ▁conce al ment ▁in ▁anti qu ity . ▁ ▁Silver ▁objects ▁▁ ▁The ▁silver ▁table ware ▁in ▁the ▁ho ard ▁compr ises ▁three ▁stra in ers ▁and ▁ 3 3 ▁spo ons , ▁of ▁two ▁types . ▁ ▁Se vent een ▁of ▁the ▁spo ons ▁are ▁co ch lear ia , ▁with ▁long ▁t aper ed ▁handles , ▁and ▁the ▁other ▁six teen ▁are ▁the ▁larger ▁lig ula e ▁or ▁c ign i