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A stunning gold Saxon sword pommel that was unearthed in a field in Leicestershire, England by an 81-year-old woman has sold at auction for $22,000 (£16k).The rare 7th-century artifact was found in 2021 while the long-time metal detector enthusiast was searching a field during a local gathering of detectives.They told her that there was nothing to be found in the field where she was searching, but she persevered and found the gold pommel seven inches beneath the ground...Weighing 20.5 grams, the pommel -- which the Leicester Museum declined to purchase -- would have been fixed to the end of the...

A 350-year-old ring belonging to the Sheriff of Nottingham is set to fetch thousands at auction after being unearthed by a metal detectorist in a find 'worthy of Robin Hood'.The ancient, high-carat gold signet ring was uncovered by chance by a lucky detectorist on farmland in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire, last summer.The treasure once belonged to Sir Matthew Jenison, who served as High Sheriff of Nottingham between 1683 and 1684 and looked after trees in Sherwood Forest.His family were known for gleaning wealth from a hoard of valuables left in their safekeeping during the English Civil War which were never reclaimed.The ring,...

A metal detectorist who discovered a gold mourning ring dating from the 18th century is overjoyed after it was declared a British treasure.Malcolm Weale unearthed the ring in a field in the eastern county of Norfolk last August and said he was 'shaking' as it sparkled in the sunlight.The lost jewelry is believed to be a memorial ring for Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry -- the 3rd Baronet of Harling -- who died in 1723, a year that was engraved on the inside.Mourning rings are worn in memory of someone who has died, typically bearing the name and date of death of...

When farmer Ifor Edwards dropped his keys in a field he had no idea the search to find them would result in the discovery of buried treasure. Mr Edwards, 56 and his wife Anna, 40, called in enthusiasts from Wrexham Heritage Society when he lost his keys on land at Oak Farm in Bronington, near Whitchurch. But as well as finding his keys -- which had gone through a lawn mower -- the team armed with metal detectors also found 14 mediaeval coins dated from the 14th and 15th centuries. At an inquest in Ruthin the North East Wales Coroner...

The St. Anthony was nearly 200 years old, crashing the same year it was initially built. An 8-year-old boy out metal-detecting unearthed a steel spike that, after digging further, he realized was attached to a shipwreck. The ship remains was that of the St. Anthony, a schooner that was built in 1856 and wrecked later that same year. Experts determined that the best course of action was to simply re-bury the wreckage to maintain its structure. ======================================================================= When you’re a kid, and you get your first metal detector, it comes with big dreams of making some great discovery. That you’re...

Metal detectorists in southwest England have discovered an extraordinary Anglo-Saxon gold and garnet raven’s head. It dates to the 7th century and is intricately decorated with an inlaid garnet eye surrounded by a white enamel circle, individual feathers outlined in filigree and inlaid with garnets on a waffle-pattern foil backing, a technique found on many Anglo-Saxon objects. The raven was discovered by Chris Phillips at a rally this January with the group Ninth Region Metal Detecting Group. Another member of the group, Paul Gould, first discovered a flattened gold band inlaid with triangular garnets set in filigree outlines. Then Phillips...

It was unearthed by metal detectors Finn Ibsen and Lars Danielsen who were conducting survey work in a field outside Ringsted, a city on the island of Zealand, 50km southwest of Denmark's capital Copenhagen.The bronze fitting, known as a bracket, was given to Museum West Zealand... It's about 2.7 centimetres in diameter and made of a bronze alloy.The mini portrait dates to about 200 CE. This places it at roughly the same time as the Roman emperor Caracalla...Caracalla often "dressed with the same style and believed he was Alexander the Great reincarnated," Oldenburger adds. "Caracalla is also the only emperor...

The Miami Herald reports that two Polish metal detectorists combing a beach after a storm found a rare 2,500-year-old weapon embedded in a block of clay that had recently fallen from a cliffside. Although its exact location remains undisclosed, the 10-inch long, intricately designed dagger was found in West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Officials from the Museum of the History of the Kamień Land determined that it dated back to the Hallstatt period of the early Iron Age. "A true work of art!" said museum director Grzegorz Kurka. "I have not seen such a dagger in my experience with findings in Polish...

The man leading the search for King John's lost treasure says he has pinpointed a small area at the Sutton Bridge site which contains valuable targets.Raymond Kosschuk has been conducting tests at an undisclosed site in Sutton Bridge for over a year and says his equipment is picking up overwhelming evidence of the treasure, as we previously reported.Mr Kosschuk, from Keighleyin Yorkshire, believes that he has found scientific anomalies which are consistent with the high value items King John lost in 1216.King John lost the treasure to The Wash during an ill fated crossing from King's Lynn on October 12,...

A metal detectorist has unearthed a gold nugget that is currently up for auction and expected to sell for over $37,000. The largest gold nugget ever found in England was discovered by a man using a faulty metal detecting device. Metal detectorist Richard Brock unearthed the chunk of gold last May while exploring Shropshire, a county in western England, despite arriving late to a meetup with fellow treasure hunters and using an older detector, The Guardian reported. About 20 minutes into his search, Brock, who has been metal detecting for 35 years, discovered the nugget. The chunk of gold weighs...

Researchers have discovered that an ancient gold disc found in southern Denmark includes the earliest written reference to the Norse god Odin, revealing that he was worshiped up to 150 years earlier than previously thought, according to a report. The piece of jewelry — which dates to the 400s AD — was uncovered in Vindelev in central Denmark in 2020 amidst a treasure trove that included Roman coins. For years it was publicly displayed at a museum near the site before academics had the opportunity to study it, according to NBC News. A runic inscription with a reference to Odin,...

A chance discovery is shedding new light on early Norse history, after two old school-friends, armed only with a metal detector stumbled across a gold treasure trove.More than 20 gold artefacts, weighing almost a kilo, were found buried in a field in the Danish village of Vindelev. Hidden for almost 1,500 years, the treasure includes Roman medallions and ornate pendants called 'bracteates' - some as large as a saucer.There are mysterious inscriptions and never-seen-before runes, which researchers think are some of the earliest references to Norse gods.So could Vindelev have been the seat of power for a previously unknown Iron...

An amateur metal detectorist in Denmark has unearthed a rare gold ring that may have belonged to a previously unknown royal family with ties to the Kingdom of France.Lars Nielsen discovered the large, ornately decorated gold ring, set with a red semiprecious stone, while exploring Emmerlev, a parish in Southern Jutland, Denmark, according to a translated statement. The ring dates to the fifth or sixth century...Researchers at the National Museum of Denmark determined that the piece of jewelry has much "historical significance" and may have belonged to local royalty connected to the Merovingians, a dynasty of Frankish kings who ruled...

Archaeologists want permission to carry out a new survey of the site of Jersey's largest coin hoard to stop people illegally searching and looting.The Le Catillon II hoard was discovered in the east of the island in 2012 by two metal detectorists after a similar find on the site in 1957.The hoard contains about 70,000 coins as well as valuable Iron Age artefacts.Societe Jersiaise is seeking planning permission to carry out archaeological surveys in the same area of the island.Plans submitted online said the move had been "prompted by recent instances of nighthawking and archaeological looting, which have been reported...

In June 2012 metal detectorists Reg Mead and Richard Miles uncovered a hoard of a staggering 70,000 late Iron Age and Roman coins. They were searching in Grouville in Jersey when they came across their incredible find that has since turned out to be the largest hoard ever found in the island. The Hoard The coins, which had fused into one solid mass, were found using a deep-scanning metal detector. They were searching the area after Reg and Richard had uncovered a smaller hoard of 120 coins the previous year. As soon as they realised the size of their find,...

those metal detecTwo men using metal detectors discover hoard of 50,000 Iron Age Celtic coins Great news for all you hopeful amateur metal detectorists: Two men, who'd been searching the same field for nearly 30 years, have stumbled upon the largest hoard of Iron Age coins ever discovered in northern Europe. Inspired by legends that a local farmer once discovered silver coins on his land, the men unearthed the congealed chunk of 50,000 silver and gold coins after following a trail of pieces — that turned out not to be related to the cache. Reg Mead and Richard Miles found...

June 30, 2012 For more than 30 years, Richard Miles and Reg Mead scoured the fields of their native Jersey with metal detectors, hoping to one day come across an ancient coin or two. Earlier this week, the detector beeped and they found the world's largest-ever stash of Celtic coins. Host Scott Simon speaks with Reg Mead about their find. Copyright © 2012 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Reg Mead and Richard Miles began to scour a field on their home island of Jersey...

Nine gold pendants with rare horse symbols, ten gold beads, and three gold rings from the 6th century were recently discovered by a metal detectorist in Southwestern Norway. Erlend Bore just wanted a hobby. So just before this summer, he bought a metal detector. To get him off his couch and go treasure hunting. He was searching around the shore of the island Rennesøy in Stavanger, in Southwestern Norway, when the metal detector started to beep. In a lump of soil, he saw something that looked like gold coins. “At first I thought I’d found chocolate money with a gold...

Just wondering if anyone here has seen 'The Detectorists', a gentle comedy series about metal detecting. It's written by Mackenzie Crook, who also stars in it.I think is was shown on a couple of channels over there. Here's a clip: https://youtu.be/C6gSYHJhuCw It also stars Diana Rigg's daughter Rachel Stirling, who's the spit of her mother.https://youtu.be/_8fBd0Um43o

Amateur treasure hunters armed with metal detectors unearthed the rare Anglo Saxon coins near Aylesbury, Bucks., during a Christmas dig. The stunning find is one of the most significant in Britain in recent years, say experts. The perfectly preserved pieces, which feature the faces of Anglo Saxon kings, were in a lead bucket which was buried two feet underground. The extremely rare coins could be worth more than £1million and Weekend Wanderers Detecting Club leader Pete Welch said the find was "very significant". Pete, 56, said: "...It looks like only two people have handled these coins. The person who made...