Treasure!

Anglo-Saxon Gold found

The UK's largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure has been discovered buried beneath a field in Staffordshire.

Experts say the collection of 1,500 gold and silver pieces, which may date to the 7th Century, is unparalleled in size and worth "a seven figure sum".

It has been declared treasure by South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh, meaning it belongs to the Crown.

Terry Herbert, who found it on farmland using a metal detector, said it "was what metal detectorists dream of".

It may take more than a year for it to be valued.


(It is) absolutely the equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospels or Book of Kells
Leslie Webster

Analysis: Hoard lights up Dark Ages
In pictures: Hoard uncovered
BBC History: The Anglo-Saxons

The Staffordshire Hoard contains about 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.

Leslie Webster, former keeper at the British Museum's Department of Prehistory and Europe, said: "This is going to alter our perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England as radically, if not more so, as the Sutton Hoo discoveries.

"(It is) absolutely the equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospels or Book of Kells."

The Book of Kells and Lindisfarne Gospels are intricately illuminated manuscripts of the four New Testament Gospels dating from the 9th and 8th Centuries.

'Just unbelievable'

Mr Herbert, 55, of Burntwood in Staffordshire, who has been metal detecting for 18 years, came across the hoard as he searched land belonging to a farmer friend over five days in July. The exact location has not been disclosed.

"I have this phrase that I say sometimes; 'spirits of yesteryear take me where the coins appear', but on that day I changed coins to gold," he said.

"I don't know why I said it that day but I think somebody was listening and directed me to it.

Duncan Slarke, Portable Antiquities: ''It is a hugely important find''

"This is what metal detectorists dream of, finding stuff like this. But the vast amount there is is just unbelievable."

BBC correspondent Nick Higham said the hoard would be valued by the British Museum and the money passed on to Mr Herbert and the landowner.

A total of 1,345 items had been examined by experts, although the list included 56 clods of earth which had been X-rayed were are known to contain further metal artefacts.

This has meant the total number of items was likely to rise to about 1,500.

Experts have so far established that there were at least 650 items of gold in the haul, weighing more than 5kgs (11lb), and 530 silver objects totalling more than 1kg (2.2lb) in weight.

Copper alloy, garnets and glass objects were also discovered at the undisclosed site.

Duncan Slarke, finds liaison officer for Staffordshire, was the first professional to see the hoard which contains warfare paraphernalia, including sword pommel caps and hilt plates inlaid with precious stones.

He said he was "virtually speechless" when he saw the items.

"I saw boxes full of gold, items exhibiting the very finest Anglo-Saxon workmanship," he added.

Roger Bland, head of portable antiquities and treasure at the British Museum, said: "The most we can say is, I think we're fairly confident it is likely to be a seven-figure sum."

'Truly remarkable'

The collection is currently being kept in secure storage at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery but a selection of the items are to be displayed at the museum from Friday until 13 October.

Dr Kevin Leahy, who has been cataloguing the find for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, said it was "a truly remarkable collection".

Terry Herbert, who found The Staffordshire Hoard
Terry Herbert found The Staffordshire Hoard using a metal detector

He said it had been found in the heartland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia.

"All the archaeologists who've worked with it have been awestruck," he added.

"It's been actually quite scary working on this material to be in the presence of greatness."

He said the most striking feature of the find was that it was almost totally weapon fittings with no feminine objects such as dress fittings, brooches or pendants.

"Swords and sword fittings were very important in the Anglo-Saxon period," Dr Leahy added.

"The Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf describes after a battle a sword being stripped of its hilt fittings.

"It looks like a collection of trophies, but it is impossible to say if the hoard was the spoils from a single battle or a long and highly successful military career.

"We also cannot say who the original, or the final, owners were, who took it from them, why they buried it or when.

"It will be debated for decades."

A spectacular discovery, I looked at Sutton Hoo for my dissertation because I found the whole Anglo-Saxon era absolutely fascinating, partly because of my love for LOTR and Zelda but also because of the mystery of the era and loving stuff like Beowulf from my childhood.

So reading this...

"This is going to alter our perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England as radically, if not more so, as the Sutton Hoo discoveries."

It's pretty amazing, Sutton Hoo is more or less one of three or four big pieces of history from the era that collectively make up about 80% of what we know of about 700 years of the countries history. Can't wait to find out in more detail what's in the find.

All you'll find is inner city pressure.

Saw this before its great.

Beowulf is fantastic. I won;t watch that CGI abomination of it!


I still want to read the kalevala.

Herbi wrote:It has been declared treasure by South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh, meaning it belongs to the Crown.

Nice find, peasant with metal detector, but it's the Queen's haul, now.

Some of that stuff looks beautiful. What do you think some guy in the future will find of us? iPods and vibrators?

Knoyleo wrote:

Herbi wrote:It has been declared treasure by South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh, meaning it belongs to the Crown.

Nice find, peasant with metal detector, but it's the Queen's haul, now.

S'why if you find hidden treasure you should just (illegally) sell it and not report it.

Zenigame wrote:

Knoyleo wrote:

Herbi wrote:It has been declared treasure by South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh, meaning it belongs to the Crown.

Nice find, peasant with metal detector, but it's the Queen's haul, now.

S'why if you find hidden treasure you should just (illegally) sell it and not report it.

By a coroner? What right does he have to declare such treason!!

That sucks, it belongs to the crown, how the flying strawberry float does it!!

If I ever found a huge stash of gold, like strawberry float would I report it. Ebay that gooseberry fool!

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar. Me booty, they've stolen me booty. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

The Pirate wrote:Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar. Me booty, they've stolen me booty. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

gaminglegend wrote:

Zenigame wrote:

Knoyleo wrote:

Herbi wrote:It has been declared treasure by South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh, meaning it belongs to the Crown.

Nice find, peasant with metal detector, but it's the Queen's haul, now.

S'why if you find hidden treasure you should just (illegally) sell it and not report it.

By a coroner? What right does he have to declare such treason!!

That sucks, it belongs to the crown, how the flying strawberry float does it!!

Everything like this over a certain value or historical worth gets classed as treasure.
Because that way it becomes the country's treasure, rather than being sold off all over the world and separated to make one guy insanely rich everybody in the country benefits, plus the guy is getting a probably not insignificant finders fee.

And people who find stuff like this (obviously not in such huge quantity) and don't report it are why metal detectors are banned all over the place, which only goes to set back further finds of historical significance.

I used to be really into Anglo-Saxon history and all that Old English literature, so suffice to say I find this quite exciting!

Herbi wrote:

gaminglegend wrote:

Zenigame wrote:

Knoyleo wrote:

Herbi wrote:It has been declared treasure by South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh, meaning it belongs to the Crown.

Nice find, peasant with metal detector, but it's the Queen's haul, now.

S'why if you find hidden treasure you should just (illegally) sell it and not report it.

By a coroner? What right does he have to declare such treason!!

That sucks, it belongs to the crown, how the flying strawberry float does it!!

Everything like this over a certain value or historical worth gets classed as treasure.
Because that way it becomes the country's treasure, rather than being sold off all over the world and separated to make one guy insanely rich everybody in the country benefits, plus the guy is getting a probably not insignificant finders fee.

And people who find stuff like this (obviously not in such huge quantity) and don't report it are why metal detectors are banned all over the place, which only goes to set back further finds of historical significance.

How does the queen having even more trasure benefit us, the normal citizen? I fail to see your point.

StayingDead wrote:

Herbi wrote:

gaminglegend wrote:

Zenigame wrote:

Knoyleo wrote:

Herbi wrote:It has been declared treasure by South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh, meaning it belongs to the Crown.

Nice find, peasant with metal detector, but it's the Queen's haul, now.

S'why if you find hidden treasure you should just (illegally) sell it and not report it.

By a coroner? What right does he have to declare such treason!!

That sucks, it belongs to the crown, how the flying strawberry float does it!!

Everything like this over a certain value or historical worth gets classed as treasure.
Because that way it becomes the country's treasure, rather than being sold off all over the world and separated to make one guy insanely rich everybody in the country benefits, plus the guy is getting a probably not insignificant finders fee.

And people who find stuff like this (obviously not in such huge quantity) and don't report it are why metal detectors are banned all over the place, which only goes to set back further finds of historical significance.

How does the queen having even more trasure benefit us, the normal citizen? I fail to see your point.

Wonderful, I can only assume your joking but just in case.

Saying it belongs to the Queen is just a symbolic thing, in reality it will end up at the British Museum and will have pieces lent out at smaller museums all around the country.

Well apparently the guy is going to get half of the treasure's value so it's not all bad.

He'll have to share it with the farmer too.

Poncho wrote:Well apparently the guy is going to get half of the treasure's value so it's not all bad.

I'm sure that's not true because it would most likely be over 5 million

I'm just quoting the suave black man on BBC News 24.

Just to increase my amazing sex appeal and cred on this forum EVEN FURTHER, I shall announce that I own a metal detector. Needless to say, this guy makes me significantly jealous.

My greatest ever find is a 1816 Sixpence. You would not believe how excited I was to find that. I thought I was rich. Then I found out about the great 're-minting' of 1816

I also found a small gold ring which I gave to my mum.