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Something to die for.

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Bronze 11th Century Viking die
IMAGE SOURCE, JAMES JONES/PA MEDIA Image caption, Experts believe the carvings depict creatures from Viking mythology - the world tree Yggdrasil with the monstrous serpent Nidhogg


A Viking artefact used to craft decorative motifs for military helmets has sold at auction for £15,000.

Metal detectorist Jason Jones, 44, made the find in a field near Watton in Norfolk in January, having previously found two medieval silver coins there.

The bronze artefact, called a die, was bought by a UK collector at an auction at Noonans in London.

Mr Jones, from Norwich, said he was going to share the money with the landowner.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-66245232
 
Items found in the fields ranged from the bronze age to the 14th century.

Gold coins
IMAGE SOURCE, JASPER HYDE Image caption, The Celtic gold stater, left, is believed to date back to 65 BC, while the Edward III quarter noble, right, is from the 14th Century


Two gold coins separated by about 1,500 years of history have been found within 400 metres of each other in a farmer's field.

A Celtic gold stater, believed to date back to 65 BC, and an Edward III quarter noble from the 14th Century, were found in Sudbury, Derbyshire. The discovery was made by Jasper Hyde, who described it as "just amazing".

Musket ammunition, Bronze Age axes and a Roman coin were also found in the 47-acre "field of dreams".

Mr Hyde found the coins during an organised group dig in the pasture field last Sunday.

"The first couple of hours [of the dig] were not good," Mr Hyde said. "I set off again to look in another area of the field and about 30m away from the cars I got a good signal, dug it up and the glint of gold was there. It's a special find."

A silver Roman coin and a Bronze Age axe
IMAGE SOURCE ,DAVID MITCHELL AND DANIELLE LAWRENCE Image caption, Detectorists also found a silver Roman coin and a Bronze Age axe in the field

And an hour later, Mr Hyde, who has been metal detecting for about nine months, unearthed the Edward III quarter noble.

"As far as metal detecting days go [it] was about as good as it could be really," he added. "There were some other amazing finds on the dig. It was a field of dreams."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-66386477
 
Not just any old bucket, the detectorist was bowled over by his find.

A metal detectorist has spoken of his excitement after unearthing a rare Anglo-Saxon bowl he had initially mistaken for a "rusty old bucket".

Chris Ulliott found the relic while taking part in an organised dig in Ryedale, North Yorkshire, in February.

The bowl, described as "almost complete," is expected to fetch between £20,000 and £30,000 at auction on Tuesday.

Mr Ulliott, 36, from North Ferriby, said: "It's pretty special."

An Anglo Saxon bowl
IMAGE SOURCE, CHRIS ULLIOTT PHOTOGRAPHY Image caption, Usually copper-alloy from Anglo-Saxon times fail to survive, according to auction boss Brett Hammond

According to Timeline Auctions' website, the relic is "an excessively rare, almost complete copper-alloy hanging bowl".

Mr Ulliott and the landowner, who intend to split the profits after auction fees, have set a reserve of £16,200.

Describing the moment of discovery, Mr Ulliott said: "I'd gone down the length of this field without finding anything when suddenly the detector picked something up. Whatever it was, it was pretty deep. I dug down. A lot of people would have given up, but since I hadn't found anything else I thought I'd stick with it. I wanted to find out what it was. I dug down about 2ft (0.6m) and saw the top rim of what I thought at first was a rusty old bucket. I could see these little loops on it that still moved. I thought if they're still moving, this object is maybe, at best, Victorian."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-66679766
 
More than 6,000 Roman coins found in Buckinghamshire, all you MDs get pinging!

Roman coins
IMAGE SOURCE, THE PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES SCHEME Image caption, The detectorist had permission from the land owners when he located the Roman coin hoard


Roman coins found by a metal detectorist have been declared treasure.

The seven coins, which were found near Mursley in Buckinghamshire, date back to around the 2nd Century.

The oldest coin in the hoard, found in February 2022, was dated between AD 77 and 78.

The find joins more than 6,000 roman coins the British Museum has recorded as being found in Buckinghamshire.


Roman coins
IMAGE SOURCE, THE PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES SCHEME Image caption, Dr Eleanor Ghey said the coins were "typical of the sort of coins that would still be in circulation in the mid 2nd Century AD"

Assistant coroner Alison McCormick, of Beaconsfield Coroner's Court, concluded the hoard met criteria of being treasure under Treasure Act.

The find contained three silver Denari and four copper alloy coins.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-66685312
 
Well a small hoard (~230 3rd-4th century coins in total) was causing a bit of a kerfuffle behind me in March. I watched for a bit then carried on swinging because that's what I was there to do. The farmer was delighted though, because up until then he was the only one in the valley (and Pub) who hadn't had a hoard unearthed on his land (Bucks).

Skirmett_hoard.jpg
 
The geothermal spa is still in Bath but I think the Roman baths are no longer open to Public bathing, due to concerns over the purity of the water.
 
The geothermal spa is still in Bath but I think the Roman baths are no longer open to Public bathing, due to concerns over the purity of the water.
When I visited as a teenager, I seem to recall that we were given a chance to 'take the waters' - i.e., sample a small glass of water. Needless to say, it was foul (and probably had Roman detritus floating about in it).
 
Wasn't it standard back then for people to deliberately clip bits off coins so the bits could be smelted to create new forgery coins?.
Dug this up yesterday @Swifty - a Charles I half-groat (~ 1640s) with CAROLUS nearly totally clipped off the edge. As to why anyone would take the risk of clipping a silver coin worth only two (II) pennies, I'm guessing maybe there was a war on.

Halfgroat_733a.jpg
 
Clipping took place as a form of forgery.
You clip silver coins so that they still have enough pattern to be accepted in payment. Collect the clippings, melt 'em down, make new coins.
This is why many silver coins had a milled (ribbed) edge.
 
Dug this up yesterday @Swifty - a Charles I half-groat (~ 1640s) with CAROLUS nearly totally clipped off the edge. As to why anyone would take the risk of clipping a silver coin worth only two (II) pennies, I'm guessing maybe there was a war on.

View attachment 69360
That's a well-worn coin - maybe that's why they clipped it?
 
That's a well-worn coin - maybe that's why they clipped it?
Clippers knew people who'd taken casts of coins. The clipped metal would be melted down to make new forgery coins.
 
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Clippers new people who'd taken casts of coins. The clipped metal would be melted down to make new forgery coins.
Yes, I know that... but a worn coin like that would be treated almost as bullion. It would thus be a prime candidate for the clipping.
A much better-defined coin would probably get spent without too much alteration. They might do a 'shave' rather than a 'clip'.
 
Thanks - I'm trying to get some practice in on a new detector before Detectival (Gloucester) this weekend (B&B just confirmed).
 
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