Iron age necklace discovered
Submitted by Anonymous on Friday, 18 February 2005 Page Views: 3490
Iron Age and Later PrehistoryAn amateur archaeologist using a 30-year-old metal detector has discovered a rare golden necklace from the iron age buried in a local farmer's field. The delicately twisted torc, designed for a well-to-do member of a tribe in the area now covered by north Nottinghamshire, is expected to be valued at more than £100,000.Maurice Richardson, 55, a self-employed tree surgeon from Newark, reported the find to the local coroner after initially thinking his soil-covered discovery was scrap metal.
It was only when he dug down and scraped one end, that he realised it was much more valuable.
The 700g (1.5lb) necklace was buried beneath a field which has been ploughed for years on the outskirts of Newark.
Mr Richardson said: "I got down on my stomach and scraped away and that was when a glint of gold came into view. It took me another half an hour to get it out of the ground because I was so nervous.
"It came out as though I had bought it from the shop yesterday. It shone, it was solid and perfect in every way. That is what the hobby is all about. It is something you read about in books but it never happens to you."
Mr Richardson found a modern gold ring worth £80 the day after buying his detector in 1975, but until Saturday had discovered nothing else of value.
The torc has been sent to the British Museum and a treasure trove inquest will be held in Newark to determine its value and an appropriate reward for Mr Richardson.
Last year, metal-detecting enthusiasts turned up what is thought to be the first-known Viking ship burial south of Hadrian's Wall. Hours of patience in a Yorkshire field yielded 130 items, including swords, sets of scales, ship nails and a silver Baghdad coin.
Source: The Guardian, Friday February 18, 2005
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