In 1854, in the town of Ballinry, about three and a half miles west of Coleraine, County Londonderry, Ireland, a working man dug from considerable depth in the peat soil one of the most remarkable hoards of Roman silver ever found. "Although no trace was left of any urn or other container, it was evident, both from the depth of the deposit and from its proximity, with which everything was brought together, that this was indeed a hoard, not merely a random series of deposits.
The deposit is of exceptional interest from several points of view:
1. it is a remarkable example of a rare hoard that combines a silver coin and a silver plate.
2. it includes a very late hoard of Roman silver coins on which a probable date can be assigned with far greater certainty
than the original comments about the hoard.
3. Enough of the characteristic style and craftsmanship preserved in the silver plate fragments to give this hoard, with its participation and rather close dating, that in itself is important to the art.