Centuries-old coins excavated in farmer's field

Two full pots of antique coins, weighing more than 130 kilograms, were unearthed in a township in South China's Hainan province, local newspaper Nanguo Dushibao reported on March 28. A farmer surnamed Chen and his wife discovered and excavated the coins and their containers in their home yard.

All the coins are copper money that date back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The coins aren't worth much – at least not as much as the two jars they're contained in. However, according to local archeological official Wang Mingzhong, the antiques are still valuable in cultural and historical research.

Chen said he would like to hand over his finds to the authorities but desired compensation.

Antique coins were no stranger to Chen's family as they had excavated 170 kilos in 1987 in the same field, but back then, they had sold off the excavations as ordinary copper for 800 yuan ($128.7).