Latest news

Britain's largest gold nugget

Image
Vincent Thurkettle from Somerset, South West England is a dedicated treasure hunter and gold prospector who now holds the record of finding the largest gold nugget in the U.K, weighing 97.12 grams (3 oz).
The find was made in 2012 near the shipwreck of the Royal Charter, off the coast of Anglesey,  Northwest Wales, but kept a secret until recently to allow him to search the area thoroughly, undisturbed.
At age 16 Vincent left school and trained as a Chartered Forester, following his studies worked for the Forestry Commission.  He had a keen interest in treasure hunting, also wanted to write a book and in 2005, after filling the position of Deputy Director, decided to retire from his job to pursue his dreams, which he both full filled by making several very valuable finds and writing a book named The Wood Fire Handbook.
He describes his passion for treasure hunting: “Every little speck  of gold I’ve found around the world has been a thrill – the campfires I’ve sat around, the people I…
Post a Comment

Hoard of silver Arabic coins found in East Ukraine.

Numerous silver coins which dates back to the Samanid Empire (819-999 AD) and other artefacts were discovered by a metal detectorist in North-East Ukraine at a site by the Psel river in Sumy Oblast.

Numerous Arabic coins were in the collection.

Silver fittings, which are remains of a belt were also found with the coins and it is believed that the coins were kept in a bag or some kind of purse, attached to the belt.  The coins are silver dirhams which were minted in the Samanid Empire, a Sunni Iranian empire, surrounding Afghanistan, and parts of Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and between 819-999 AD.

Several other small artifacts were also found.
Silver fittings from a belt for keeping the coins.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gilded horse mounts of Viking confidant of the king found in Denmark

Image
Gilded bronze and silver-plated mounts from a horse bridle have been discovered in the town of of Hørning near Skanderborg in Jutland, Denmark along with the remains of a viking to whom these artefacts belonged to.
The find consists of two cross-shaped fittings and a rectangular buckle.  They are now on display at the Museum of Skaderborg.
Merethe Schifter Bagge, a project manager and archaeologist at the museum said the artifacts are exquisite and so rare that it is considered among some of the greatest archaeological discoveries in Danish history. It dates back to 950 AD which could mean the viking who owned them could have been a confidant of the king and it is believed to be a gift of alliance from the king. This type of bridle was only available to the most powerful people in the Viking Age



















The Museum of Skanderborg archaeologists has secured funding for a full excavation of the area including a huge grave complex, which is unusually large for the time period.

Archaeologists hop…
Read more

Beginner's luck for 3 Year old boy who unearths Medieval reliquary worth £70 000

Image
3 Year old James Hyatt from Billericay, Essex wanted to join his father and grandfather metal detecting and a trip planned out on a field in Hockley, Essex seemed like as perfect opportunity as any to have his first ever try at treasure hunting.
Within minutes of taking hold of the metal detector there was a distinctive beep, indicating a non ferrous target buried in the ground. He started digging several inches deep and much to the astonishment of everyone unearthed a gold locket which turned out to be a reliquary.
Experts dated it to the era of Henry VIII (early 16th century), the engraving is a type which was popular during that time.

Medieval Christians believed in the power of relics, any physical remains of what was considered a holy site or person and any object which they had contact with. Anything touched by Christ or his apostles were considered to have healing powers and since Saints were believed to provide a spiritual link between life and death and acts as an advocate…
Read more

Beachcomber discovers mysterious hoard of more than 100 foreign coins

Image
Robert Hodsdon from Galveston regularly metal detects on the local beach and usually makes the typical finds like a few bottle caps, some coins and the odd jewellery.
One day he made a mysterious discovery of more than 100 various foreign coins buried under the sand.
He says that while swinging his metal detector it made several beeps and he was sure it was just a coin spill which got lost.
Clyde Longworth was searching for items on the beach with Hodsdon when he noticed he was still on the same spot for more than an hour, pulling handfuls of coins, which is very unusual.
The find was made on the front of the eastern sea well where they have searched many times without uncovering foreign coins.
It soon became evident that the discovery was not a coincidence. The coins originated from Australia, India, Fiji,  and several European countries.


He believed the coins were stolen and planned on returning them to their owner.  Following an Internet search it was found that days prior, Peter …
Read more