Latest news with #treasurehunting
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Treasure hunter finds huge silver coin hoard two months after being inspired by BBC comedy Detectorists to take up hobby
A treasure hunter who was inspired by BBC comedy Detectorists to take up the hobby found a £50,000 silver coin hoard just two months later. Steve Hickman, 59, bought a second hand metal detector from eBay after watching the hit TV show starring Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones. He secured a 'permission' to search farmland near his home in Buckinghamshire, even though he was told nothing of significance had been found there for over a century. On a wet day in February 2023 he got a strong signal on his device and dug down to unearth a pottery vessel filled with silver coins. In total, there were 1,064 coins spanning the reigns of Elizabeth I in the 1560s to Charles I in the 1640s. The latest coins had been minted a few months before the Battle of Aylesbury during the English Civil War in November 1642. The battle, at Holman's Bridge, saw the heavily outnumbered Parliamentarian forces defeat Prince Rupert's Royalists. The vessel may have been a wage pot to pay soldiers who fought in the battle, or the life savings of a wealthy individual who had planned to flee. Mr Hickman, a joiner from Princes Risborough, Bucks, carefully recovered them all and took them home to lay out on his dining room table before contacting the Finds Liaison Officer to report his historic find. He is now selling the hoard, which includes 409 Charles I silver shillings and rare Aberystwyth mint issues, at Essex Coin Auctions. He said he wanted to personally thank Mackenzie Crook, who created Detectorists, for helping him discover the pastime. The father-of-two said: 'It was complete beginner's luck and I had only been detecting for two and a half months. 'I must credit MacKenzie Crook as it was his series Detectorists that got me interested in the first place. 'Without it, I would not have started. 'It inspired me to go to my local detecting club and the people I met were just like the characters on the show, with the same banter. 'It was brilliant and I decided to buy a second-hand metal detector on eBay. 'I was searching the farm land and the landowner said his family had owned it since 1920 and nothing significant had ever been found! 'I suddenly got a really strong signal and dug down 9ins but there was nothing there, so I covered the hole up. 'I thought perhaps the para-cables were messing with the detector. 'But after 20 minutes I decided to have another try and dug the hole again, and at a foot down I saw silver and reached down to pick up a fistful of silver coins. 'One of them had Elizabeth I's face on it and I got more and more excited. 'It took 15 handfuls to fill the bag with coins which weighed 8kg. 'I took the coins home and laid them all out on my dining room table. 'For me, the monetary value is immaterial, as it is all about having that personal connection with the English Civil War. 'I crouched down at exactly the same spot as the person who buried that wage pot nearly 400 years ago.' Auctioneer Adam Staples said: 'This exciting Civil War hoard was uncovered near Aylesbury and consists of 1,064 silver coins hidden within a now broken pottery vessel. 'The earliest coins in the hoard date to the reign of Elizabeth I, and James I is represented by his English, Irish and Scottish issues. 'The latest coins were minted in the autumn of 1642, the beginning of the English Civil War and just prior to the Battle of Aylesbury, which took place a few miles away at Holman's Bridge. 'Amongst the coinage of Charles I are 409 silver shillings, including rare coins struck locally at Oxford, on which King Charles declared to uphold the Protestant Religion, the Laws of England, and the Liberty of Parliament. 'There are also very rare issues from the Aberystwyth mint. 'It is a wonderful discovery.' The sale takes place on June 12.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Gold ring found 'gleaming in the sunshine' in Norfolk field
A mental detectorist has discovered a gold mourning ring dating from the 16th Century "gleaming in the sunshine". Malcom Weale, 53, unearthed the ring in August, in a field in Norfolk. The piece of jewellery, linked to an ancestor of Gawdy Hall Estate in Harleston, is believed to have been created in memory of Sir Bassingbourne Gawdy, the 3rd Baronet of Harling, who died in a hunting accident in 1723, aged Weale said when he spotted it "I knew this was something very special and I did a bit of a dance". Mr Weale, 53, who has been a detectorist since he was seven years old, found the piece, that was crafted in gold and enamel, after searching the area for 18 months. He also discovered "some medieval silver coins from King Steven to Henry VII, some modern coins, some vape ring pulls and shotgun caps". The ring has been declared treasure at Norfolk Coroner's Court and will now be taken to the British Museum for valuation, to see how much money the finder and landowner will Weale said: "Over the years I've found all sorts of treasures including a hoard of late Roman coins, gold rings and jewellery."Last year was a particularly good year for detecting as, thanks to the rainfall, the moisture levels in the ground were very high."With metal detecting you can spend days, weeks or months searching, or sometimes just 20 minutes and make an amazing discovery." 'Six inches down in the mud' On the day of the discovery "there it was, a glint of pure gold, shiny as the day it was dropped, six inches down in the mud". "It's very rare to put a name to anything you find, but I knew this was something very special and I did a bit of a dance," he also discovered "a gold memorial ring, a medieval silver ring fragment, and the first and only Viking penny minted for Guthrum - a Viking warlord who became the first Viking king to convert to Christianity and ruled East Anglia in the 870s". The Gawdy family is believed to have been descended from Sir Brews Gawdey, a French knight who was captured during the Hundred Years being taken prisoner in 1352, it appears he was naturalised and settled in Suffolk, although the Gawdy Hall estate is just north of the River Waveney in Norfolk. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Upstate town to host town-wide yard sale
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Get ready for an amazing day of treasure hunting in downtown Cowpens. A town-wide yard sale will be hosted in downtown Cowpens and will feature over 30 vendors selling antiques, crafts, baked goods and more. The event will be held on Saturday from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., 5332 N Main Street. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
