The archaeological investigations that probed the historical centre of San Giovanni Valdarno for more than twenty years, from the 1980s to the turn of the new century, have made it possible to recover many ceramic, glass and metal artefacts, mainly from ancient burial pits, grain silos, and vault fills. These artefacts highlight the historical development of the Terra Nuova, its trade, its moments of crisis and those of prosperity. The excavations also yielded 48 coins, the diverse origins of which demonstrate the intense economic activity at the heart of Castel San Giovanni. Most of these were accidentally lost loose change. An exception is the extraordinary finding of 8 coins from the Roman period, the only trace that the excavations have yielded of human activity prior to the founding of the town. It is likely that this group of coins from the Roman-Imperial period was brought to this site accidentally, transported within a load of earth or other materials from the surrounding area.