SIX metal detector finds from Denbighshire and Flintshire dated from the 13th to the 17th centuries have been declared treasure by the assistant coroner for North Wales.

The objects were all discovered by members of the public since 2016 and reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme run by the National Museum Wales and British Museum.

Among the finds were a group of post-medieval silver coins, found in Trefnant; a post-medieval gold ring, and a post-medieval silver bodkin fragment, found in Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd, a medieval silver brooch, found in Llanfynydd; a medieval silver brooch, and a medieval silver-gilt ring, found in Cilcain.

The discovery of eight silver coins dated to the reigns of Elizabeth I (1558-1603), James I (1603-1625) and Charles I (1625-1649) was made by Stephen Marnick and Richard Leech in September last year. The hoard consists of two sixpence coins and six shilling coins, which would have been worth a total of 84 old pence, or about five days’ wages for a skilled craftsman in 1640.

The latest coins in the group were minted in 1645-6, so the hoard is likely to have been lost or deposited at the site after that date.

Alastair Willis, senior curator of numismatics and the Welsh economy at the National Museum Wales in Cardiff said: “This group of coins, like many others of the period, was probably buried for safe keeping during the English Civil Wars of 1642–1651. What’s particularly interesting is that two of the coins were struck at the Tower of London by Parliament after the start of the war.

“They still bear Charles I’s portrait, however, because Parliament claimed that it was fighting the king’s advisers, not the king himself.”

Jason Kempster found a 17th-century gold posy ring with the aid of a metal detector in Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd in December 2016.

The outer surface of the ring is plain, but the inner surface is inscribed with the words ‘CONTINEW FAITHFVLL’ (‘continue faithful’). Posy rings were often exchanged as lovers’ gifts, the inscriptions acting as a private message between the couple.

A decorative silver-gilt finger ring fragment was found by metal-detectorist, Simon Bennet-Williams, in Cilcain in July last year. A section of the hoop was missing, but the surviving part is decorated with leaves and quatrefoils set in square frames.

Dr Mark Redknap, head of collections and research in the department of history and archaeology at the National Museum Wales, dated the ring to the 14th century. He described the find as “a fine example of a late medieval decorative ring”.

A silver annular (ring-shaped) brooch, dating to the late 13th- or early 14th-century, was found by Michael Nelson while metal-detecting in Llanfynydd in October last year.

Another brooch, of similar style and age, was found with the aid of a metal detector by Andrew Critchley in January 2017, in Cilcain. Relatively common treasure finds, these brooches were a widely-used method of fastening clothing in the Middle Ages.

In July 2016 Allan Hughes discovered a 17th-century silver bodkin or dress pin while metal detecting in Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd. The bodkin was decorated with a terminal in the shape of a fleur-de-lys and would have been used to fasten clothing by drawing laces through eyelets.

Denbighshire Museums Service and Flintshire Museums Service have expressed an interest in acquiring these treasure finds, after they have been independently valued by the Treasure Valuation Committee.