Incredible Metal Detecting Discoveries: True Stories of Amazing Treasures Found by Everyday People (5 page)
Authors: Mark D Smith
Image
courtesy of portableantiquities (Dominic Coyne, Young Graduates for
Museums and Galleries Programme, British Museum)
The
cup was badly damaged by a recent plow, but Cliff knew he was
standing on top of something that would change history. He
immediately called the local authorities who would later precisely
excavate the entire burial mound.
A
Controversy Develops
Cliff
believed this site was Anglo-Saxon, but archeologists kept saying
otherwise. Every other archeologist on the site said there was just
no possible way this could be an Anglo-Saxon burial site. They all
insisted it was a Bronze Age Barrow, but Cliff refused to believe
them. He knew better. This controversy went on for a period of three
years. Of course the professional archeologists knew better than some
“amateur” swinging a metal detector.
This
would all change in 2004 when other Anglo-Saxon burials were found on
the same site just south of where Cliff made his original find. It
seems he was right all along.
I
almost forgot to mention. That golden cup he found was declared
treasure. The value of this treasure was £270,000 or $520,000.
Not bad for an “amateur” archeologist with a metal
detector, huh?
As of
this writing, the Ringlemere cup was on display at The British
Museum.
Hoard
:
A
stock or store of money or valued objects, typically one that is
secret or carefully guarded.
By
definition alone, a hoard is something that every person with a metal
detector is looking for. Wouldn't you agree? It can be great finding
one or two older coins, but finding a hoard is something that most of
us dream of!
It
just so happens that people lucky enough to live in Europe are the
ones finding these long lost treasures, and you will be amazed when
you learn just how many hoards have been located and unearthed using
nothing more than a metal detector.
My
first guess would be in the neighborhood of maybe a dozen or so. As
of this writing, there have been over 50 documented hoard discoveries
over the years. If this many have been found and documented, just
imagine how many hoards must still exist out there. You could be the
next person to find one! What follows are some of the best metal
detecting hoard finds.
This incredible find has a really great story behind it.
A local farm hand by the name of Peter Whatling lost a hammer while
working. He decided to get in touch with a friend who owned a metal
detector to help him find his lost hammer.
His friend, a retired gardener by the name of Eric Lawes
was the obvious choice. What they found would wind up changing
history.
During their initial search of the field, they
discovered silver spoons, several pieces of gold jewelry, gold coins
and silver coins as well. The two knew they had made a huge discovery
so they called in the local authorities.
A team of archeologists was dispatched to the area and
the entire hoard was removed in one day. The archeologists also used
metal detectors to help them uncover the final pieces of the hoard.
Why this huge hoard of treasure was buried will never be
known.
What
Was Found
?
This is a big one! 14,865 gold, silver and bronze Roman
coins. The hoard also included over 200 additional pieces of treasure
which included tableware and gold jewelry. In total, the Hoxne Hoard
equaled 3.5 kilograms (That is 7.7 pounds for the Americans) of gold
and 23.75 kilograms (That is 52.4 pounds) of silver. Could you
imagine finding this with your metal detector? Here is a breakdown of
this incredible find.
569 gold coins
14,272 silver coins
24 bronze coins
29 pieces of gold jewelry
98 pieces of silver tableware (spoons and ladles)
An intricate silver tigress
4 silver bowls and one small silver dish
one silver beaker
a silver vase
4 pepper pots
2 silver locks
a small ivory pyxis (a small round box used to hold
women's cosmetics)
Check out the pictures of this incredible find!
This image is a reconstructed version of the box the
hoard was originally found in.
Image courtesy of Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net).
Four golden bracelets that were part of the hoard.
Image courtesy of Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net).
The
intricate silver tigress
Image
courtesy of
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindas_pictures/
A
fabulous gold body chain that was also part of the hoard.
Image courtesy of Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net).
Whew!
I need to catch my breath after looking at those pictures.
What Was It
Worth?
£3.02
million or $4,983,000
When
Was the Hoard Discovered?
November 16
th
1992
Where
Was the Hoard Discovered?
Southwest of the village of Hoxne in Suffolk, England
Where
Is It Now?
The British Museum acquired the Hoxne Hoard in April of
1994.
Interesting
Facts About The Hoxne Hoard
The entire hoard was found in what was left of a large
wooden box that could be thought of as a treasure chest. This
discovery helped changed the local laws about metal detecting and
finds that have a significant archeological significance. As of this
writing, this is the single largest hoard of Roman silver and gold
coins found in Britain.
What
Was Found?
A clay pot with 52,503 1800 year old Roman coins made
from silver and bronze. The coins date back to AD 253 to 293.
Image courtesy of Portable Antiquities Scheme from
London, England
What
Was It Worth?
£320,000 or $531,520
When
Was the Hoard Discovered?
April 2010
Where
Was the Hoard Discovered?
In a
field in the southwestern region of England known as Frome, Somerset.
Who Found It?
63
year old Dave Crisp was the one lucky enough to find this amazing
hoard. Find out more about this hoard and Dave's other great finds in
his book. You can find it in the UK Amazon store.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Metal-Detecting-need-know-started/dp/1897738471
Where Is It Now?
The
hoard was on display in 2011 at the Museum of Somerset.
Interesting Facts About
The Frome Hoard
As difficult as it seems,
once Dave knew that his find was much more than 21 roman coins, he
chose to leave the entire hoard in the ground until some
archeologists could arrive and properly excavate it. That is one
decision that no one could take lightly.
The Frome hoard would wind
up being the largest find of coins in a single pot in the UK.
What
Was Found?
A
total of 617 silver coins that were later discovered to be from a
10
th
century Viking Hoard. The coins were not the only items found. There
were also ingots, ornaments, precious metals, hacksilver and a gold
arm band.
