Discovered in  Brussels, Belgium in 1908 this huge hoard consisted of around 145,000 silver pennies from England, Scotland, Ireland and the Continent. It would appear to have been buried around c.1265 and given it's vast size an explanation has been sought to understand why such a huge amount of money was assembled,  concealed and subsequently not recovered. One theory surrounds Richard of Cornwall (1209-1272), the younger brother of Henry III who became Holy Roman Emperor in 1257. The main supporters of his election to the imperial throne were the  Electoral Princes (known as the "English party") of Cologne, Mainz and the Palatinate. Richard bought the elector's votes for the vast sum of 28,000 marks (equivalent to 4,480,000 pennies at 160 pennies to the mark). Whilst a large part of this sum may have been rendered in silver bullion, much of it would have been paid in coin and it does provide a reason for a huge parcel of coins on the continent, perhaps en route to Richard's allies in the Rhineland.