A seaside town is bracing itself for a gold-rush after a German artist buried £10,000 worth of bullion on a beach as part of an arts festival. Michael Sailstorfer has hidden thirty 24-carat gold bars on Folkestone’s Outer Harbour beach. People are being encouraged to dig for the gold after low tide at 16:00 BST. Organisers say fortune hunters will be able to keep any bars they find. The Folkestone Digs project is part of the town’s triennial arts festival. The event, which takes place every three years and runs from 30 August to 2 November, will also feature work by Yoko Ono.
Month: August 2014
Beau Street Hoard Roadshow In Bath
The Beau Street Hoard roadshow will be touring Bath and further this autumn, bearing with it the chance to get up and close and personal with 2,000-year-old silver Roman coins. The roadshow is part of a venture aimed at bringing communities closer to the 17,577 Roman coins that make up the astonishing Beau Street Hoard. The project is assisted by the Heritage Lottery Fund. At the roadshow, staff from the Roman Baths will bring out a selection of the hoard’s coins for handling. They will also provide a wealth of information, activities and displays so visitors can learn about this important find.
A PHYSICAL HISTORIAN IN NETHER HEAGE
One of our customers, Rob Johnson has written an excellent local history account of his finds with a Garrett AT Pro International in the little village of Nether Heage, Derbyshire. I’m sure both newcomers and experienced detectorists will enjoy this gentle stroll through time with many pictures to help your imagination and create each scene around the village.
Visit http://www.roamingrob.co.uk/ wesbite to download the book.
From Rob’s website:
Hi, my name is Rob and over the past four years I have been metal detecting in Nether Heage. While out one day on my first farm, I found a small buckle containing white sapphires. It was recorded by the finds liaison officer at Derby museum and dated between 1600-1720.
This led me to looking more at the written history of Nether Heage. I found 3 books all telling stories of the area from the 1600s to the 1800s. I decided to look at the locations that are in the stories, to see if I could find any lost or discarded items (physical evidence) that were from this time period.
It was suggested by one of the farmers I write a book on what I found. I was unsure at first,not knowing if there would be much interest, but as I went along I spoke to many locals who seemed very interested. The book is written in parts, with the first part available now. The book can be downloaded for FREE by clicking the Download Book link below. This will open a new screen in Google Drive. Click on the “Red Ribbon Logo” the book will then open. By clicking the download button in the top centre, will download the book to your tool bar. Once completed you can click on it to open the full version of the book.
Thank you, Rob Johnson
Hoard of coins from Jewish Revolt near Jerusalem
A hoard of coins from the fourth year of the Jewish Revolt against Rome — minted months before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 BC — was found outside the capital and announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday to coincide with the Ninth of Av, the date commemorating the destruction of the Second Temple. The trove, which consists of 114 bronze coins, was unearthed during the expansion of Route 1, the major highway connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, in February. In the past several months, the IAA team led by Judea District chief archaeologist Pablo Betzer has excavated the remains of a small Roman-era Jewish village near the modern town of Abu Ghosh. Amid the ruins was a broken juglet containing the verdigris-coated coins.
Judea Capta coin with the head of Domitian found at Bethsaida, dated to 85 CE. (photo credit: Hanan Shafir)
Kingdom of Mercia Metal Detecting Club
Myself and 3 friends have started a new club called the ‘Kingdom of Mercia Metal Detecting Club’ (KMMDC). We’re based in Birmingham and will be organising rallies in the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, and possibly Derbyshire and Warwickshire. We’re currently building our membership and hope to have at least 35 members by the end of August (we currently have 23).
Please visit our free forum at: http://kingdomofmerciamdc.freeforums.net/ (there’s lots of interesting research and links to see).
We also have a Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/KingdomofMerciaMDC
and a Google Plus page at: KMMDC Page Google Plus.
We also offer a free recovery service in the West Midlands area for any precious items of lost jewellery, etc.
Chris Cooper
KMMDC Secretary
The oldest, forged coins found by metal detector in Romania
Romanian treasure hunter finds what could be oldest counterfeit coins in history worth £120,000 – and he’s going to spend it on a new metal detector. A Romanian man who found what could be the oldest forged coins in history, while out treasure hunting with his son says, he will use his fortune to buy a new metal detector. Paul Croituru, 37, dug up the hoard of 300 forged silver coins worth nearly £120,000 – more than ten times what he earns a year as a council worker. But the father, who found the ancient Greek coins with the help of son Alexandru, 13, immediately told the authorities and will now lose nearly all of the money because of local treasure hunting rules. Even though they are forgeries of the 2,350-year-old Tetradrachm currency, experts say each 5mm penny is worth £400. Mr Paul Croituru used Garrett Ace metal detector. The whole range of Garrett Ace Metal Detectors is available in Regton Metal Detectors shop.
The haul of 309 whole coins and 40 fragments is worth around £120,000, according to currency experts
Hoard of silver found in County Durham field
A metal detecting enthusiast has dug up a bag of silverware which could have been buried for more than 30 years. Candles, candelabras and a silver teapot, milk jug and sugar bowl made up the haul, which was discovered in a field in Summerhouse. The items were found taped up in a black bag, which also contained a scrap of newspaper detailing a UEFA football match which took place in 1982 – leading police to believe it could have been buried for more than 30 years.
Some of the silver ornaments found in the field near Summerhouse
Schoolchildren found 4,000 year old gold ornament
A group of schoolboys has unearthed a rare 4,000 year old ornament during a dig in Northumberland. The children, from Alston Primary School in Cumbria, were taking part in an excavation at Kirkhaugh when they saw a glint of gold in the soil. The object, which was found in a burial mound, is believed to be a decorated hair tress from about 2,300 BC. One of the boys, Joseph Bell, aged seven, said when he saw the gold in the ground he started dancing with joy. The ornament, which is 1.3in (33mm) long and dates back to the Copper Age, was found alongside three flint arrowheads and a jet button. It is thought to have been worn by a metal worker who could have travelled to Britain from overseas in search of gold and copper.
Staffordshire Hoard conservation registered for award
The Institute for Conservation has short-listed Birmingham Museum’s work for the Keck prize. The institute, a charity that encourages and supports the preservation of historical and artistic works, presents the award every two years. It is meant to be given to “the individual or group who has contributed most towards promoting public understanding and appreciation of the accomplishments of the conservation profession”. The hoard is displayed across four sites, at the Potteries Museum, Lichfield Cathedral, Tamworth Castle and Birmingham Museum.
A strip of gold bearing a biblical inscription: “Rise up, o Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face”