Metal Detecting Stories

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Largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure in UK discovered, includes 1,500 gold and silver pieces
The UK's boggest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure has been discovered in a field in Staffordshire. Experts say the collection of 1,500 gold and silver pieces is unique in size and worth "a 7-figure sum". It has been declared treasure by coroner Andrew Haigh, meaning it belongs to the Crown. Terry Herbert, who found it using a metal detector, said it "was what metal detectorists dream of". The Staffordshire hoard contains 5kg of gold and 2.5kg of silver, making it far bigger than the Sutton Hoo discovery in 1939 when 1.5kg of Anglo-Saxon gold was found near Woodbridge in Suffolk. Herbert has been metal detecting for 18 years. | by bbc.co.uk :: 2009-10-07 |

South African shipwreck treasure hunter has to wait a decade to excavate treasure
Bureaucracy has kept treasure hunter Charlie Shapiro away from the 224-year-old wreck of the Brederode, loaded with porcelain, tin and gold from Indonesia and China. One of Shapiro's richest finds lies waiting in the ocean a decade after its discovery, at risk from ransackers. Shapiro found the 224-year-old shipwreck of the Dutch Brederode 11 years ago, but a series of mishaps has left him still waiting for government to grant him a permit to recover its 10.1 M pounds cargo. From combing archives in Europe and South Africa, to a 16-year search and against-the-odds discovery of an amazingly well-preserved ship, his tale is literally of a treasure hunt. | by telegraph.co.uk :: 2009-10-07 |

Father and son metal-detector team spot 1 million pound Viking hoard
The "largest and most important" Viking hoard found in UK since 1840 could shed new light on the historical period - and it will go on display in London and in York after preservation work. The treasure, most likely buried by a wealthy Viking in Northumbria after the Anglo-Saxons had invaded the region, is valued at 1,082,000 pounds. The hoard includes a silver cup worth 200,000 pounds, as well as 617 coins and various silver fragments, ingots and rings. David Whelan, and his son Andrew, discovered the buried treasure with their metal detectors after reluctantly covering a field as a "last resort" because they had only ever discovered buttons there. | by independent.co.uk :: 2009-09-23 |

10,000 Roman coins unearthed by metal detector enthusiast - on his first treasure hunt
A huge haul of over 10,000 Roman coins has been discovered by an amateur metal detecting enthusiast - on his first treasure hunt. The silver and bronze 'nummi' coins, dating 240AD-320AD, were discovered in a field near Shrewsbury, in Shropshire. Nick Davies was on his first treasure hunt when he discovered the coins, mostly inside a buried 70lb clay pot. The stunning collection of coins was uncovered by Nick only a month after he took up the hobby of metal detecting. He said he never expected to find anything on his first treasure hunt - especially anything of any value - depicting the discovery as "fantastically exciting". | by dailymail.co.uk :: 2009-09-23 |

How does Odyssey Marine Exploration find all that sunken treasure?
Discovering $500 million worth of sunken gold coins might be just the beginning for Odyssey Marine Exploration. Tampa's treasure-hunting company may have a lead on far more wrecks and far richer finds on the ocean floor, thanks to some skilful legal work and new high-tech gear. "There are billions of dollars worth of valuable and interesting things laying on the ocean floor waiting for us to find. That's our business plan in a nutshell," said Odyssey President Mark Gordon. There are 3 million shipwrecks worldwide: The hard part is finding them. There are no treasure maps with "X" marking the spot. Odyssey doesn't start by exploring into the ocean, it goes to the library. | by tbo.com :: 2009-09-23 |

Treasure hunters fall out over who deserves 500,000 pounds reward for Boadicea's gold
It was a treasure hunter's dream: a hoard of 800 gold coins dating back to the time of Boadicea. But the find has brought only bitterness for metal detecting enthusiast Michael Darke and his former friend Keith Lewis. Darke was alone when he found the first few coins in a Suffolk field and feels he is entitled to the lion's share. However Lewis, who helped him dig up the bulk of the hoard, thinks he deserves 50%. Within an hour of arriving, the pair had discovered an Iron Age cooking pot holding 773 gold coins - the largest such cache found in Britain since 1849. Yet more were found later. The pair face a legal battle over how to split a reward. | by dailymail.co.uk :: 2009-08-20 |

A history buff finds part of an ancient sword handle while metal detecting in Gloucestershire
A history buff has discovered a piece of weaponry thought to be one of the rarest ever dug up in Gloucestershire. Steve Taylor found part of an ancient sword handle while metal detecting on a farm near Cirencester. The bronze head, fitted to the end of a Celtic sword to keep the blade in place, is worth 5,000 pounds. Steve has given the artefact, which dates from 200-400BC, to Cirencester's Corinium Museum as part of a long-term loan arrangement. Steve uses a high-tech metal detector to browse the countryside for valuable items - he has been treasure hunting for 25 years and 2 years ago he found a haul of Roman coins in the Cotswolds. | by thisisgloucestershire.co.uk :: 2009-08-20 |

Detectorist Keith Bennett found one of the largest hoards of Roman coins ever discovered in Britain
One of the biggest hoards of Roman coins ever discovered in Britain has been declared 'treasure.' Amateur metal detecting enthusiast Keith Bennett discovered 1,141 Roman denarii (silver coins), in a field. The coins, in a clay urn and buried 4 feet underground, date from 206BC-195BC. Bennett found the hoard in a field in Stratford-upon-Avon. Landowner Peter Turner said: "Keith had been metal detecting and suddenly stopped because he saw a large number of objects flash up on his screen. After digging down around 4 feet he saw the top of a large pot had been smashed and hundreds of silver coins were inside." | by dailymail.co.uk :: 2009-08-20 |

Metal Detecting Stories -- Delivering hand-picked articles about treasure hunting, metal detectors and detectorists

Metal Detecting Stories is an edited review of metal detecting, treasure hunting and metal detectors related articles.