Posted on 08/23/2008 8:40:28 AM PDT by BGHater
A METAL detector enthusiast unearthed a 15th century silver cross depicting the figure of Christ while working in a field he had searched many times before.
Retired postal worker Philip Fletcher, 53, discovered the small cross in the Ackworth area of Pontefract in February last year.
He said yesterday: "I had an inkling it might be a significant find as I had found things on this land in the past which indicated a past medieval presence."
The value of the find – which, once sold, will be divided between Mr Fletcher and the landowner, a farmer – has yet to be determined but Wakefield Museum may buy it.
An expert at the British Museum, Maureen Mellor, said: "The cross dates from the 15th century, at time when small, personal items of devotional art were popular."
The reverse of the cross has another figure, likely to be the Virgin Mary.
Mr Fletcher, a member of the National Council of Metal Detectorists, found the cross around five inches down using a £500 detector.
Coroner David Hinchliff, sitting in Wakefield yesterday, ruled the cross was treasure under the Treasure Act and thanked Mr Fletcher for handing the item over.
Mr Fletcher added: "Now the coroner has decided it is treasure, it will go before a valuation committee to put a market value on it. Wakefield Museum has shown an interest in acquiring it."
He has been metal detecting since 1996 and has made many finds including an Anglo-Saxon buckle now in Doncaster Museum.
Maybe for Inventory.
Interesting. Thanks.
What’s wrong with this picture? Retired Postal Worker, 53, still can do labor like metal detecting. Government workers get to retire after 30 years, the taxpayers have to work till they are 65-70 years old. No wonder the Empire is crumbling. The US is heading down right behind it..
Why is it always a "retired postal worker"?
cool!
Email?
Cheers
That’s the first thing I noticed. Retired at 53? I’ll be lucky if I can cut back to 45 hours/week when I’m 53.
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Thanks BGHater. At first I thought it was a duplicate, but this one is about a different find.. |
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£500 is almost $1,000 US. Unless it is a commercial model, that seems kinda spendy. White Bros., et al, make detectors of equal sensitivity for around half to two-thirds that much.
I retired at 55, my brother in law at 52.
I have a great semiretiremnet with a little work on the side and he is in school becoming an investment advisor. We both had careers as engineers.
The UK tends to have higher prices for Metal detectors. Having said that, 1K will buy a DFX. Nice detector.
I’ve thought about taking up metal detecting.
It costs 500 quid when you add in the VAT tax. You pay VAT on most goods and services in the UK at the standard rate, currently 17.5 per cent.
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