It was found near Billesdon, Leicestershire by an 81 year-old detectorist who has preferred to remain anonymous. Over the 60 years, that she has been detecting, the finder has found many Medieval and Roman coins. When she started detecting in the 1960s people asked her what she was doing, and she told them she was looking for bombs.

She tells the story of the find ““It was the 8th of July 2021 at a local detector meeting while searching a field, that everybody said had nothing in it, that I had a signal from my Minelab Deus 2. After digging to a depth of 7 inches, I discovered a gold Saxon sword pommel dating to the early 7th century AD decorated with a filigree pattern.”

The find was recorded at the PAS as LEIC-C615C9 went through the Treasure process and was disclaimed. The PAS record says “ This pommel can be categorised as Menghin’s (1983) Typ Beckum-Vallstenarum …dating to the later sixth to seventh centuries.“

Nigel Mills, Artefact and Coin expert at Noonans, explained: “The sword pommel is a beautiful example of fine Anglo-Saxon gold measuring 4 centimetres by 1.5 centimetres and weighing 20.5 grams. It is of cocked hat form using beaded wire filigree ornamentation. On one side are two dragons or beasts facing each other with their heads and front paws touching. The other side has an interlaced snakelike pattern. It compares with the detectorist-found Staffordshire hoard of gold jewellery, while the motif of the confronting beasts on the sword mounts can be seen on a shield from the Sutton Hoo ship burial. The pommel would have been fixed to the end of the sword handle both as a counterbalance and to stop the hand slipping. The imagery displayed would have imbued a mystical power to the sword.“

The £18,000 hammer price was at the top end of the pre-sale estimate. The finder will be sharing the proceeds from the sale with the landowner and will be using her half to buy a replacement vehicle.

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The gold nugget had been expected to sell for £30,000 – £40,000 but bids had only reached £12,000 when the auction closed on Monday, 1st April. Auctioneer Ben Jones said “You always take a gamble with these things, and sometimes you just have to see how they ride and play it out, really. In the last couple of minutes there were a few bids being placed, and you sit there thinking, ‘This could go a bit more’. We’ll have a chat to the bidders and speak to the vendor, and see if there’s something we can do.”

Original article

Below is the article which we published before the auction:

The largest gold nugget ever found in England is up for auction until 1 April 2024. It was found by detectorist Richard Brook in 2023. Auctioneers Mullock Jones expect to fetch between £30,000 to £40,000.

The Find

In May 2023, Richard, who has been detecting since 1989, drove three and a half hours to an organised rally near Much Wenlock, Shropshire. He described the find:

“I actually arrived about an hour late. Everyone there had all this up-to-date kit and I bowled up with three old machines, and one of them packed in there and then. At first I just found a few rusty old tent pegs with this back-up detector which had a fading screen display. But after only 20 minutes of scanning the ground I found this nugget buried about five of six inches down in the ground. I was a perhaps bit too honest and started showing people, and then all of a sudden I had swarms of other detectorists scanning the same area.“

“The machine I was using was pretty much kaput – it was only half working. It just goes to show that it doesn’t really matter what equipment you use. If you are walking over the find and are alert enough to what might be lurking underneath the soil, that makes all the difference. I couldn’t believe it – I turned up late, was only there a matter of minutes and this treasure hunting expedition was supposed to last all day. I couldn’t look for anything else as I had the land owner, the organiser of the dig and every other detectorist around me trying to get a look at this nugget.“

Richard added that he had only recently learned that it could be the biggest found in England, which was “quite incredible really“, and he was going to split the proceeds with the landowner

Gold Nugget

It has been named Hiro’s Nugget and is being sold at a single lot online auction by Mullock Jones. Bidding closes at 6pm on 1 April 2024.

It’s something of a mystery as to why a gold nugget would be in that location. A theory is that it might be Welsh gold. An old track or road and a railway line are thought to have run near the find site, containing stone possibly distributed from Wales.

The post Largest gold nugget found in England fails to sell appeared first on Detecting Finds.

The find

Nicholas described the find “I visited the field on a particularly warm and dry July morning, which can often limit the amount of finds that you discover. However, this time I received a confident reading on the metal detector. As I un-earthed the signal from the hole, I gently revealed a silver oval item with the striking bust of an elegant lady.“

He continued “Taking in the precious moment, I sat down holding this truly magnificent find whilst trying to imagine the story that it would tell. Who had dropped it? What connections did they have to it? How did they come about this item?“

The medallion

The obverse shows Charles I with the inscription CAROLVS. D. G. MAG. B[RI. FR.]ET. HIB. RX. The reverse depicts Queen Henrietta with the legend HENRIETTA MARIA. D.G. M.A.G. BRITAIN. FRAN. ET. HIB. REG.

Underneath her bust is stamped T. Rawlins. Thomas Rawlins worked under Nicholas Briot at the Royal Mint. He moved to the Oxford mint at the start of the Civil War and produced the dies for the coins minted there and several medals on behalf of King Charles. After the restoration he was reinstated as chief engraver at the mint.

Collaboration

Carmarthenshire County Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, leisure, culture and tourism – Councillor Hazel Evans said “This beautiful silver pendant shines a light on Carmarthenshire’s fascinating seventeenth century history. “The discovery of this object is another great example of how collaboration between metal detectorists, PAS Cymru and Amgueddfa Cymru can benefit communities“

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It will be given to the Forum 2000 Group in Horsforth which is on the outskirts of Leeds. The venue is the Grove Methodist Hall, 5, New Street, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 4BH. My talk will start at 10.00am, last approximately 40 minutes and will be followed by tea and biscuits. There will then be plenty of time for questions.

It is not restricted to members of the Forum 2000 Group but the admission charge is £3, which includes refreshments. Information on the Forum 2000 Group can be found here. Anyone wanting further details should contact me.

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The find

On 4 October 2020, Alan was out detecting on a stubble field in Norfolk that he had detected many times before, with little success. This time, after getting a signal on his XP Deus, he dug down 9 inches and unearthed the ring.

Alan said “I have never found anything made of gold in over 10 years of detecting so was really excited. It was only after it was taken to the Museum that I realised how significant this discovery was! The British Museum had originally declared an interest in acquiring the ring but now two years later the ring has been disclaimed, so I am able to sell it.“

Ashfield Ring

The ring was recorded at the PAS as NMS-71554C, which sheds some light on the owner of the ring:

The lozenge of arms indicates that the ring belonged to an unmarried woman. The arms are divided into four of Ashfield, Tendring, Botelier and finally Mapersall.

The mullet in the centre of the arms represents a third son.

Putting all this information together leads to Dorothy Ashfield, born in 1594, who was the eldest daughter of Thomas Ashfield of Hopton in Suffolk. Thomas was the third son of Sir Robert Ashfield (1527-1578) and Frances Spring.

Nigel Mills, Artefact and Coin Expert at Noonans said “The ring is historically important because it is extremely rare to find a seal ring of this period that was worn by a woman. The find spot is close to the old hall of Brockdish which was owned by John Tendring whose family arms appears on the second quadrant of the ring bezel as a fess (horizontal band) with a crescent between two chevrons. The name Ashfield originates in Suffolk and Shropshire.”

The ring has been through the Treasure process and disclaimed. It is Lot 34 in Noonans sale with a pre-sale estimate of £14,000 – £16,000. Alan said “I intend to use the money, which will be shared with the landowner, on a holiday for my wife and myself”.

Auction update

The ring failed to sell at the auction on 12 March 2024

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Mike’s find is a forgery of a George III 1816-20 period shilling. I’ve seen lots of these as detecting finds and over the years I have unearthed several. Most were made in Birmingham by button makers who were skilled at making dies. Mike said this is the third he has found with the obverse split from the reverse. His latest example is the first I have seen of this type of forgery and I’ve no idea how it came to be as it is.

The coin would be of minimal commercial value but it is nonetheless and interesting find and a reminder of the ingenuity of forgers in the early19th century.

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The find

Jonathan was out with fellow detectorist Malcolm Baggaley when he heard a faint beep. When he unearthed the object he thought at first it was a faded aluminium drawer handle. It was when they were back in their car that they began to realise that it was something significant. After doing some research and posting a picture online they realised that they had something special.

Jonathan said “I didn’t sleep a wink that night. I knew it was mega special and I couldn’t stop looking at it. This is truly a one-in-a-billion find – I had a much higher chance of winning the lottery.“

Reporting the find

The find was sent to Derby Museum and recorded at the PAS as DENO-A4D394.

The PAS record says that the artefact can be dated to the Ewart Park phase in Britain and gives a date range of 1000 – 800 BC. It weighs nearly 109g.

It says that only 19 examples are known from Britain (82 from Ireland) and that this is the first find of its type in Britain since 1994.

The find has since been moved to the British Museum. Jonathan said “I went to see it in the British Museum and it was displayed with loads of famous artefacts like the Sutton Hoo helmet. It was simply unreal to see it there. If I get to see my name on a plaque in a museum that will be the making of me – it’s something you dream of.“

The post Bronze Age dress fastener is “one in a billion” find appeared first on Detecting Finds.

Finding the torc

Billy found the torc five inches below the surface in a field in Copeland, Cumbria in late 2019. Speaking at the time, Billy described the find:

“I’d only been detecting six months and I was out by myself on a field I must have been in dozens of times before, spending seven or eight hours going through it.

This time I got a strong signal so I dug down five inches and saw it. My first reaction was it was a piece of climbing equipment, or perhaps coupling from a tractor. I never thought it could be gold.

I carried on detecting for an hour and a half before I called my friend and sent him a picture of it. He said I must come around with it right away so I hopped in my car and drove to his house with it.

He was very excited about the find and told me to take it to a jeweller’s, who confirmed it was 11oz of 22 carat gold. He said it had a value in gold of £11,000, but it was worth a lot more because of its age and what it was.

I was stunned and gobsmacked. I still can’t believe it.“

PAS

The torc was recorded at the PAS as LANCUM-C6B5FC

The PAS record says the torc’s form is similar to those of the Tullydonnell hoard from County Donegal. This is dated to 1200 – 800 BC. The punched decoration is also known from another Irish example.

Display

The torc has been jointly acquired by both The Beacon Museum in Whitehaven and Tullie in Carlisle, purchased with support from Art Fund, Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, Cumberland Council and the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society. The Beacon Museum will showcase the find from November 18 to June 2024 in its Prehistoric and Bronze Age section. It will then move to the Tullie.

Councillor Anne Quilter, Cumberland Council’s Executive Member for Vibrant and Healthy Places said “This joint acquisition provides more opportunities for our communities to see this amazing find and discover more about their local heritage“

Beacon Museum’s Customer and Visitor Experience Manager, Heather Holmes said “The nature of the item, and its role as a showpiece object, will highlight the importance of the museum as a venue for sharing heritage. It’s a must-see exhibit“

Prof Michael Lewis, Head of the PAS said “It is wonderful news that The Beacon Museum, Whitehaven, has been able to acquire this important Late Bronze Age gold arm ring for local people to see and enjoy. The British Museum is proud of its role in managing the Portable Antiquities Scheme in England, through which this object was reported Treasure via the local Finds Liaison Officer.“

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Finding the ring

Peter was out detecting with the Sussex Metal Detecting Group on 21 June 2021 in a field near Greatham, West Sussex.

Peter continues the story: “It was Father’s Day so I only planned on detecting for a couple of hours then I would take her to the restaurant. I got a signal and dug down four inches and saw a yellow colour in the clump of clay.

I thought it was just a cheap plastic funfair item, but then looking closely it looked like it could be gold. I took it to the dig organiser and they said straight away it was Anglo-Saxon.”

He added: ‘When I showed [my daughter] Maya the ring she was very excited and that’s when it sunk in for me too.”

Reporting the find

Peter’s find was recorded at the PAS as SUSS-2F13E8, where it was considered to be a Find of Note of Regional Importance. It went through the Treasure process and was disclaimed.

As the PAS image shows, the ring was a bit crumpled when found and has subsequently been straightened although there is still a small piece missing in the hoop.

Queen Edith

The auctioneer details a possible connection with Queen Edith, wife of Edward the Confessor. The find site of Greatham is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 but in the Anglo-Saxon era it was an agricultural community and named Terra Regis (Land of the King); it bordered the Royal hunting forest of Woolmer and the river Arun. The manor house owned by Queen Edith, the widow of Edward the Confessor and regarded as the richest woman in England. She was the daughter of Earl Godwine of Wessex, who was the father of Harold II.

Auction

The ring is Lot 56 in Noonans auction of “Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Objects of Vertu” on 28 November 2023. It has a estimate of £8,000 to £12,000.

Nigel Mills, Noonans coins and artefact specialist, said: “The ring is a 10th-century gold finger ring decorated with filigree and inlaid on the bezel with green and blue enamel forming an expanding cross. Lavish rings from the 10th and 11th century are rare and normally have a religious significance.“

Peter, the finder, will share the proceeds with the landowner. He said “It is a special, unexpected find and if it sells I want to take my family on holiday.”

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As the graph shows, with a total of 1,378, there were a record number of Treasure cases recorded in 2022. The vast majority of these (96% in 2021) are discovered by detectorists.

There is the potential for the figure to rise further in 2023 with the expansion of the definition of Treasure to include objects of historical importance more than 200 years old.

Norwich tops the charts

Outcome of Treasure Cases

This chart shows the reported Treasure cases for 2021 and there outcomes.

Interesting to note that nearly half (46%) end up being disclaimed.

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