TWO 15th century gold coins found in a field at Buckland Monachorum belong to the Crown, not to the finder, a coroner at Okehampton has ruled.

If one coin is found on its own it goes to the finder under the Treasure Act. In this case, the finder, a member of Plymouth Metal Dectecting Club, claimed the coins were found separately, as they were 25 feet apart.

But Exeter and Greater Devon coroner Richard Van Oppen ruled that they had been found together and must be forfeited. He admitted that the act had been inadequately drafted and he had been obliged to interpret it.

The coins, ryals dating from 1465 and 1466, in the reign of Edward 1V, were found earlier this year, one just below the surface and the other ten inches below.

They were passed to the City of Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery, which identified them and expressed an interest in acquiring them. The owner of the field has not entered a claim.

One was minted in Bristol, the other in London, and they are 99 per cent pure gold. Although not very rare, they are in unusually good condition.

The government valuation committee will now assess their value and invite the museum to make a bid for them. It is estimated they could be worth several thousand pounds.

At the coroner's court the finder, John Hrydziuszko, argued that the coins were separate finds, as the ground had never been ploughed up, which could have separated them. He said the site had been used by cider merchants in medieval times and could have been lost during a cider-tasting session.

Mark Tosdevin, deputy curator of the museum, responded that it was not certain that the land had never been ploughed and there could even be other coins still there.

Mr Van Oppen decided that 25 feet was 'together', that the coins were therefore 'treasure' and that they should be held in the custody of the Plymouth Museum while the valuation was made. It could acquire them and should give the finder credit if it did.

Mr Tosdevin said afterwards it was impossible to foresee if the museum would purchase the coins. If no bid for them is made, they could still return to the finder. The process could take many months.