Incredible Metal Detecting Discoveries: True Stories of Amazing Treasures Found by Everyday People (15 page)
Authors: Mark D Smith
Image courtesy of Portable Antiquities Scheme from
London, England
There is some controversy
surrounding this incredible find. The helmet was not determined to be
“treasure” by the authorities because it was not made
from a precious metal like silver or gold. Because it was not
determined to be “treasure,” the helmet was allowed to be
sold and handled privately. In other words, archeologists were not
allowed to look, touch and analyze the piece.
When the helmet was found,
it did not resemble what it looks like today. It was found in over 67
pieces in May of 2010 by an anonymous group of metal detecting
enthusiasts. The 67 pieces were reconstructed behind close doors by a
private party. Archeologists were not allowed to see the pieces
before they were put back together.
The archeologist community
has expressed outrage at the way this piece was handled and recorded
and some of them say that its original find location of Crosby
Garrett, Cumbria, England was a complete hoax.
Unfortunately, we may
never know the true story of what lies behind this mask.
Because it was not
declared “treasure,” the mask was also allowed to be sold
at private auction. This meant that the mask could be purchased by
anyone who had the money. It could end up in a private collection
behind closed doors. The local Tullie House Museum raised £1.7
million or $2.8 million for the auction. This would not be enough to
secure the mask and keep it in its homeland.
The mask was purchased by
a private bidder for £2,281,250 or $3,629,469. For something
that was not declared treasure, this find sure did sell for a lot of
money!
In 2012, the anonymous
owner of the helmet decided to let the world see this incredible
find. It has been on display at the Tullie House Museum and it has
also been on display at the British Museum as well. A truly
incredible metal detecting find.
I will leave you with one
more story that I think is pretty incredible. This is another
personal story of mine from my book:
Metal
Detecting the Beach.
One summer afternoon I was
hunting a stretch of beach that I was very familiar with. The breeze
was fresh and beautiful. It was a great day to be out there.
About half way into my
hunt, I find a nice crucifix. I wipe the sand from the cross and toss
it into my pocket. I was working a good area that was loaded with
small change.
The path that I was taking
was right towards two women that were enjoying the summer breeze.
They were sitting in beach chairs, and each woman had their purse
sitting at their feet.
One of the woman looked at
me and said, “Finding any treasure?” I nodded and kept on
going. The other woman got out of her chair and approached me. This
is not unusual. I often get approached by people that are curious
about metal detecting. I took off my headphones as she approached.
She looked at me and
asked, “Do you ever find anything really good?”
“Sometimes.” I said.
She asked me if I found
anything good today. Usually when someone asks me this, I just say
no, but for some reason I felt I should show her the crucifix I
found.
I said, “I did find
something pretty interesting.” I was looking for the crucifix
in my pocket. I fumbled with some coins, and then I located the
crucifix and pulled it out.
I said, “I found
this nice looking crucifix right back there.” I pointed in the
direction I had just come from.
The woman's face changed,
and she turned and walked back to her chair. She started looking
through her purse. She came back to me and said, “Can I see
that.” I handed her the crucifix, and she started to cry.
Now I was in what I would
call a very awkward situation. The woman looked me in the face and
then she wrapped her arms around me and started hugging me. Her
friend approached us and said, “What is going on?”
The woman hugging me
exclaimed, “He found my cross. I did not even know it was gone.
We were just down there 20 minutes ago and a wave came in with the
tide. It knocked my bag over. My crucifix must have fallen out.”
She started to cry again.
Her friend looked at me
and said, “You don't know how important that crucifix is to
her. Her mother gave it to her right before she died. She takes it
with her everywhere she goes.”
I didn't know what to say
or do, so I just kind of stood there for a moment. The woman stopped
crying, hugged me again and said, “Thank you!”
I went on my way. I never
found anything else that day, but that was an incredible experience!
It is hard to imagine just
how much treasure is hiding right beneath the surface of the earth.
The previous finds in this book barely scratch the surface of what is
out there. I have personally found thousands of coins, artifacts and
pieces of jewelry. I am not bragging. I am simply trying to put
things into perspective.
My treasure finds have
come from less than 1% of our planet's surface. There must be
billions upon billions of lost coins, hoards, caches, jewelry and
artifacts buried right under the surface of the earth. Think about
that for a minute. Let it soak in.
The reality is this. There
is a ton of treasure out there. It could be a penny, or it could be a
gold nugget as big as your head. So I leave you with one simple
question. What are you waiting for?
Thanks for purchasing my
book. If you enjoyed Incredible Metal Detecting Discoveries, then
click
here to leave a review
! I would re ally appreciate it.
If you are ready to claim
your own share of buried treasure, then I highly suggest you read my
best selling book entitled:
Metal
Detecting: A Beginner's Guide to Mastering the Greatest Hobby In the
World.
It
is loaded with invaluable information that will help you find your
first piece of long lost treasure. Over 200 pages of facts, tips and
illustrations. It is available in both digital and print.
If you want to learn what
it is like to metal detect at the beach and uncover loads of
treasure, take a look at my best selling book entitled:
It
is packed full of great beach hunting tips, tricks and secrets. It is
available in digital format and paperback.
You
don't always need a metal detector to find old valuable coins made
from gold and silver. They could be right under your nose. Learn the
EASY way to find old coins in my best selling book entitled:
It
is available in digital format and paperback.
I am currently
in the process of writing several more great treasure hunting books.
If you want to be the first to find out about any new books that I
publish, sign up to my
new book release
email list.
I promise not
to share your email address with anyone, and I won't send you tons of
junk mail. (I will only contact you when a new book is out.)
Drop
me a line and let me know how you are doing out there. I always love
hearing about things that other people are finding. You can email me
at:
[email protected]
Happy
hunting,
Mark
Smith