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The Isle of Man has a larger concentration of Viking silver for its area than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.The Vikings raided and traded all over the world. Their currency was coinage, silver and gold and jewellery - they often wore their wealth.

This hoard was buried in the Isle of Man around 1065 AD. It contains silver coins - English, Irish, Norman and Manx - currency rings and jewellery. It illustrates that a small island in the middle of one of the main Viking trading routes acted as a "clearing house" for deals in goods and wealth.

The items were buried for safekeeping, by a Viking never to return.
Whether the wealth of the hoard was the result of trade in grain, wool or slaves is unknown, but it was a universal currency - coins and precious metal.

The Isle of Man was a vital offshore finance centre a thousand years ago and the hard cash earned by the Vikings enabled them to settle and trade in much of the known world.

The Isle of Man has a larger concentration of Viking silver for its area than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.