A HOARD of Roman coins has been bequeathed to The Helmsley Archive by the family of the late Richard Frank.

The Frank Collection was found in Helmsley in 1931 by Richard's father, who was also named Richard, and comprises 34 silver Roman denarii dating from as early as AD69.

It is believed that the hoard was deposited not much later than AD218, the date of the latest coin.

Roman coinage was badly depreciated during the third century, and that meant that the earlier, high-value silver tended to be hoarded; it is very seldom found lost or scattered on a habitation site because of its increased value.

A total of 11 different Roman emperors or their wives are represented on the coins, including Vespasian, Trajan, Marcus Aurelius and Septimius Severus. The coins are typically about 12mm in diameter, and each contain about 3g of silver. They are in good condition - especially the more recent ones - and have been clearly identified by the late Philip Corder of The Roman Malton and District Excavation Committee.

Two coins of Caracalla and and one of Geta (his brother) are inscribed with their father's name, though bearing their own busts; it means that they were issued during the reign of their father, Antoninus Pius. The rest of the coins of Geta were issued when he was "Caesar", that is heir-apparent and before he - for four brief years before his murder - became joint Imperator with his brother, Caracalla.

The Helmsley Archive is primarily a collection of more than 5,000 images illustrating the history of Helmsley over the last 150 years.

Its custodians Jen and Paul Harris said: "We are delighted to have received this bequest which will be of undoubted interest to Helmsley residents and others. Although we have no permanent display facilities for the archive, images of all of the coins and their detailed descriptions can be seen online. The coins themselves have now been stored under modern conservation conditions - with grateful assistance from English Heritage.

"The Helmsley Archive is eager to receive any other Helmsley-related images and artefacts; these will be promptly and reliably returned after being scanned. If you can provide as much information as possible on names, dates, location and events, this makes them of wider interest."

All of The Frank Collection and further information about The Helmsley Archive can be found at helmsleyarchive.org.uk