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Viking/Bronze Age GOLD and a lovely rare hammered coin !!!!

Nectar Detector

Greenie
Joined
Mar 18, 2016
Messages
13
Reaction score
55
Golden Thread
0
Location
London UK
Detector(s) used
Fisher Goldbug Pro
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Here is a short story of a dayout by myself on my own permission. I had been at least 6 times to these pasture fields, and to be honest, apart from a crotal bell, a thimble and a few viccy pennies, I really felt that this land, which is my only permission, really had not much history on it at all. It also made it a difficult day as the farmer had had several small fires on the field and there was coke every where.
Anyway, I started on the first field, and had done at aleast 4 hours on it and nothing good to show for it, plus was by myself and I always find it boring that way. I like a bit of company and a chat.

I went back to the car for lunch, a 5 minute walk, scoffed it down and came back out to the first field as soon as possible. I really must eat slower.

So i started to find tiny bits of rubbish, coke, scrap small metal and a musket ball, a real test for my newly-ish aquired Fisher Goldbug pro.
And to be honest after a couple of hours of even more diging, I really was going to call it a day, as daddy duties were calling me back home.

Then there was a really faint signal, nothing that I had not heard before, I thought here we go another bit of crap. So started digging, pinpointer, dig and di, and pinpointer again, until I was right on it, i got my pointing trowel out, and started scraping away, and I really couldnt even be bothere at that, and there it was....a hammered, after a very long dry spell of not finding any at all. I could see it had detail on it as it fell out, wow, really pleased, and made my day. After asking about it, I found out that its John, class 5b1, mint: London, Moneyer: Iohan. 1204-1206.


I was really pleased as a hammered to me was enough, so I crossed into what I now felt was NOT a boring permission, and headed to a slightly hilly part, again full of coke, then I got another faint signal...I dug it out, looked at it and didnt think much as it was gold coloured, so just put it in my pouch, after sending pictures from the muddy field with very damp knees, to a fb page, I started to get loads of notifications, I mean by he hundreds.......It turns out I had found a Viking gold ingot, what I have been told is hack gold or Bronze age gold, ( Yet to be confirmed which by The London Museum )
I am totally over the moon and suggestion says that I will have to class as treasure.

Go home a very happy man.

So I hope you enjoyed this story, from someone who is usually down on their luck but today that changed....finally

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Upvote 78
Two great finds in one day! Ok, the ingot is waaay more important than a hammered, i still love these little silvers. Congrats on a very rare find!
 
Wow unfricken real
 
Hi All. Thanks for the encouragement. And by the way Scrappy. It weighs 9 grams. Enjoying all your posts.
 
Amazing find. Certainly banner worthy, even if not a qualifying find. Have you been detecting for a while?

oh yeah, welcome to Treasurenet!
 
Hi Oxbowbarefoot. Thanks for the welcome. I have been detecting for 2 years.
 
Way to go New Man. :thumbsup: awesome stuff.
 
I'm speechless! Thanks for sharing this extremely awesome find!!
 
I must say I am already really enjoying this forum. And again really appreciate all your encouragement and welcome. Thanks so much.
 
I must say I am already really enjoying this forum. And again really appreciate all your encouragement and welcome. Thanks so much.

Great dig... Well done.
And...
Welcome to Tnet.
 
Now that's one heck of a way to join the forum- welcome to Tnet and congrats on an incredible dig. Anything Cru hasn't dug must certainly be the rarest of the rare.

I sort of get what your saying, but we still have plenty of relatively common stuff to dig. Plus strictly speaking this is a Very Rare object but not extremely rare, there are lots of examples of hack gold found in the UK. There date is often questionable, some guessing anything from Bronze Age, Iron Age, or Early Medieval.
If we only look at the 'complete' ingots with these characteristics we are looking at about 30 or less recorded examples(this doesn't include ones found prior to the PAS & UKDFD databases, so times by 10 at least), which I know sounds pretty small (& in some ways it is), but there are much rarer objects to be found. I'm pretty sure the London Museum Report will write this one up as having early medieval characteristics, dating it to 850-1100 (Viking Age).
Sadly although a stunning piece of Viking History, these are not that commercial, & the way the Committee have been pricing these, your only going to get a value of about £200-£350.
 
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I sort of get what your saying, but we still have plenty of relatively common stuff to dig. Plus strictly speaking this is a Very Rare object but not extremely rare, there are lots of examples of hack gold found in the UK. There date is often questionable, some guessing anything from Bronze Age, Iron Age, or Early Medieval.
If we only look at the 'complete' ingots with these characteristics we are looking at about 30 or less recorded examples(this doesn't include ones found prior to the PAS & UKDFD databases, so times by 10 at least), which I know sounds pretty small (& in some ways it is), but there are much rarer objects to be found. I'm pretty sure the London Museum Report will write this one up as having early medieval characteristics, dating it to 850-1100 (Viking Age).
Sadly although a stunning piece of Viking History, these are not that commercial, & the way the Committee have been pricing these, your only going to get a value of about £200-£350.

It crazy that a gold ingot of Viking origin would only command that value, but the history is priceless. As always thanks for the education Cru!
 
It crazy that a gold ingot of Viking origin would only command that value, but the history is priceless. As always thanks for the education Cru!
I also think its crazy, my complete silver ingot (bigger than this gold one), they valued at £90. A joke.
 
Hi All. For me it's about the history. And when most of us are diging junk with the odd good find here and there, I wanted to share what I feel is a special fund to me.
 
Hi All. For me it's about the history. And when most of us are diging junk with the odd good find here and there, I wanted to share what I feel is a special fund to me.
I never sell anything, so its all about the History for me. However, when they are obligated by Law to give you Market Value, that is what they should do. I didn't need the £90 but there is a principle in all of this.
If the BM don't buy it, you may get interest from the Fitzwilliam Museum or which ever local museum is closer to the find spot. If you're not interested in the money they always encourage a free donation. However, don't forget to inform the landowner who will get a letter that your legal split is 50/50 assuming that's what you agreed prior? (They will write & ask what your agreement was & the split agreed, which can vary from 0-100%)
 
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Many thanks for the advice. I will go through the correct procedures. Quite excited now with the fact of what else is on my permission or if it is just a One off piece.
 
WANTED DIFFIBULATOR ' FROM LOOKING A FINDS LIKE THIS . DANG NICE...
 
Wow great find. I would vote banner also if you were not a brand new member.Unfortunately it does not qualify even though it is banner worthy . Simple rule for a simple reason. But it in no way diminishes the importance of your find and we appreciate seeing it. Hope you keep finding and post great discoveries!
Just asking ....Do the rules say less likely to make banner or absolutely not and at what point does one become not a new member
 
really great finds! keep going on that hill, who knows !:notworthy:
 

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