Housewife Finds £250,000 Treasure With Metal Detector
- Thread starter d-dub
- Start date
LMC 620
Jr. Member
- Apr 29, 2009
- 64
- 1
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- Ace 250,
- Primary Interest:
- Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Wish there was a picture to go with the article.
OP
OP
d-dub
Hero Member
- Thread starter
- #3
Found a picture from the auction house.
http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?lot_id=159530205
http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?lot_id=159530205
S
stefen
Guest
That's probably one very happy Lady...good for her.
mastereagle22
Silver Member
- May 15, 2007
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The article won't load for me. What is the item?
S
stefen
Guest
A housewife has discovered a 15th-century gold treasure valued at £250,000 with a metal detector.
By Ben Leach
Published: 9:09AM BST 25 Jun 2009
The find is thought to be part of a high-quality reliquary or pendant, and depicts the Holy Trinity. It is the first item of any real worth that Mary Hannaby has found in seven years of combing fields and beaches.
Mrs Hannaby, 57, from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, made the discovery while out on one of her regular six-hour Sunday detecting walks with her son Michael, a 33 year-old wood carver.
The treasure had been buried four inches below the ground for around 500 years - despite repeated ploughing and previous attempts by the Hannabys to unearth treasure on the same patch of arable field between Ashridge and Great Gaddesden.
"You get a buzz every time you get a signal, but chances are it won't be anything," said Mrs Hannaby, a former pub kitchen worker.
"This time, it popped up all of a sudden," said her son. "You can literally miss things by inches. We couldn't believe it. We always dreamed of finding treasure."
Under the Treasure Act of 1996, finders must report potential treasure such as gold and silver objects more than 300 years old. Finders are offered the market value for their discoveries which museums have first option to buy.
Roger Bland, head of treasure at the British Museum, describes the item - which at 2.8cm by 2.3cm, is barely larger than a postage stamp - as an "important find", and said he regrets that the museum does not currently have the funds to buy it.
As one of only three of its kind to have survived, the find could be worth even more than £250,000, and its engraving is being compared to that of the Middleham Jewel, which sold at auction for £1.3million in 1986 and was later resold to the Yorkshire Museum for £2.5million.
Sotheby's will auction it in London on July 9.
By Ben Leach
Published: 9:09AM BST 25 Jun 2009
The find is thought to be part of a high-quality reliquary or pendant, and depicts the Holy Trinity. It is the first item of any real worth that Mary Hannaby has found in seven years of combing fields and beaches.
Mrs Hannaby, 57, from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, made the discovery while out on one of her regular six-hour Sunday detecting walks with her son Michael, a 33 year-old wood carver.
The treasure had been buried four inches below the ground for around 500 years - despite repeated ploughing and previous attempts by the Hannabys to unearth treasure on the same patch of arable field between Ashridge and Great Gaddesden.
"You get a buzz every time you get a signal, but chances are it won't be anything," said Mrs Hannaby, a former pub kitchen worker.
"This time, it popped up all of a sudden," said her son. "You can literally miss things by inches. We couldn't believe it. We always dreamed of finding treasure."
Under the Treasure Act of 1996, finders must report potential treasure such as gold and silver objects more than 300 years old. Finders are offered the market value for their discoveries which museums have first option to buy.
Roger Bland, head of treasure at the British Museum, describes the item - which at 2.8cm by 2.3cm, is barely larger than a postage stamp - as an "important find", and said he regrets that the museum does not currently have the funds to buy it.
As one of only three of its kind to have survived, the find could be worth even more than £250,000, and its engraving is being compared to that of the Middleham Jewel, which sold at auction for £1.3million in 1986 and was later resold to the Yorkshire Museum for £2.5million.
Sotheby's will auction it in London on July 9.
jorge del norte
Bronze Member
- Dec 22, 2005
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ok...thats cool, here is the.....Middleham Jewel.....
both are freaking exquisite.
http://www.artfund.org/artwork/2633/the-middleham-jewel
both are freaking exquisite.
http://www.artfund.org/artwork/2633/the-middleham-jewel
S
stefen
Guest
RPG said:I just let my wife (she also is a house wife) read this post and she grabbed my MD and is in the front yard.
She can do double duty and mow the lawn at the same time
mlayers
Gold Member
- Oct 29, 2007
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Man I could be out of debt if I fund something like that. Very nice find.....Matt
curbdiggercarl57
Silver Member
- Nov 19, 2007
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- All Treasure Hunting
Four inches deep. Only in England. I'm packing as I write this. Even CC could have found that with his.... detector. 
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