"...two stones,one green one red...????..I got three just like that, got em in boxes of Cracker Jacks in "55"""
Posted on 11/26/2011 7:13:06 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
A METAL detection enthusiast scouring the South Yorkshire soil unearthed a 14th century gold ring studded with a ruby and an emerald, an inquest heard.
Metal finishing plant worker Paul McEvoy, aged 44, found the medieval finger ring just six inches beneath the surface .
He had been using his metal detector to search a stubble field in Thurcroft, near Rotherham.
Mr McEvoy, from Dinnington, told the Rotherham hearing: “I thought I had dug up a squash bottle top but it turned out to be a ring.”
He said on the day of his discovery he had been metal detecting for an hour - and had otherwise found only modern spoons, nails and a buckle.
The find, made in July, 2009 was verified by Beverley Nenk from the Department of Pre-History at the British Museum in London.
Landowners Judith and Hedley Leaning were at the inquest and said the land - which had been left fallow after growing wheat - was farmed by Richard Crowe from Tickhill.
It is not yet known how valuable the ring is or where it will end up.
Assistant deputy coroner Jonathan Godfrey declared the ring was officially ‘treasure trove’ under the Treasure Act.
He said: “I am satisfied that the item that was found by Mr McEvoy was a gold finger ring with two stones, one green and one red.
“Having regard to its age and that it is gold it is one of treasure.”
Afterwards Mr McEvoy, a member of the Worksop-based Dukeries Metal Detecting Society, said the nring was now in the hands of Retford Museum.
He said: “I would rather have it back eventually after it is valued.
“I have no idea how much it is worth at the moment.
“I have been metal detecting for 10 years in the local area just as far as Newark and Woodsetts.
“I have found ancient coins before but nothing like this.
“I knew it was something special straight away.
“I just rubbed the soil off the ring and saw the two stones glistening.”
Sounds like he should have kept his mouth shut
Yup. Big brother will be there in a flash to claim the cash.
"...two stones,one green one red...????..I got three just like that, got em in boxes of Cracker Jacks in "55"""
If I’m not mistaken, the United Kingdom has a law against keeping “his mouth shut”, and all archeological / historical finds must be turned over to the authorities for inspection and valuation.
However, the treasure hunter and land-owners are each given 50% of the items value after the artifact is inspected and valued.
Yeah, it would be nice if he were able to keep it, but unlike the US gubmint, the UK gives fair compensation to the person that finds the treasure. In the USA, the gubmint would just keep it and then send you tax bill for finging it.
This guy is not going home empty handed.
Under the Treasure Act, I believe the British authorities are required to pay far market value for any items that are declared by them to be “antiquities.”
I remember reading here on Free Republic about a cache of Roman coins found in England. The British authorities paid the land owner and the metal detector enthusiast the equivalent of millions of dollars.
Perhaps I was hasty.
I am shocked if Britain gives finders rights.
Apparently they do, if you give them HALF.
I am stunned if they are that fair.
British law requires finders of a “Treasure Trove” to report it to the authorities A.S.A.P. British law also requires that the finder be paid fair market value and the item(s) are displayed as a national treasure. So it’s a win/win.
Night hawks probably have sold off untold billions of dollars in historical treasures. Sure wish I could do it.
Maybe the ring belonged to one of the ancestors of Henry VIII.
“Sounds like he should have kept his mouth shut”
In the US that is sound advice as our antiquity law says anything that is not on the top of the ground or just a few inches deep is treasure and belongs to the US govt. They will take it from you and you don’t get even a penny. Thats why you hardly ever hear about anything getting dug up.
Lol, well, when I was a kid, about 10 or 11 years old, we lived in a house adjacent to a large empty, weed-choked field. Directly across from us, on the other side, was a loud and rowdy honky tonk saloon. Fights were common and would spill outside onto the parking lot. Sometimes the fights would be between married or engaged couples and rings would come off and be flung into the field. I actually saw a woman go through the motions of pulling her ring off and throwing it away with my own eyes once. I heard that sort of thing happened fairly often. Anyway, always wanted to go back to that field and search it with a metal detector - even if the actors weren't royalty. It'd probably still be worth my time. The lot's probably covered with an office building by now though.
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