Three part-silver Roman coins found on farmland in Sidlesham have been declared as treasure at an inquest in Chichester.
The coins were found by Martin Homer at a depth of 18 inches.
Mr Homer also found two bronze discs, believed to be coins, and a pin brooch.
He has been allowed to keep the latter items, but the three Denarri Trajan coins have been declared as
treasure, and may be put on display at Chichester Museum.
The items were found on farmland belonging to Chris and Douglas Shepherd on July 14 and 15 last year.
The pair had been using metal detectors on the land for years and had never found anything.
Chris Shepherd received a phone call from Mr Homer asking if he could use his more powerful metal detector on the land to search around an area he believed to be part of a Roman road.
The coins were examined by Dr Ian Leins, who is a curator of Iron Age and Roman coins.
He found them to be from between AD 98-117.
Speaking at the inquest, Chris Shepherd said: "I had not found anything there previously, which is most annoying. He has obviously studied the land and searched it well."
West Sussex coroner Penelope Schofield said: "I declare these items to be treasure within the treasure act."
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The full article contains 294 words and appears in OS-Chichester Observer newspaper.
