July 2015 - Regton Metal Detectors

Medieval gold ring goes on show

18 July 201518 July 2015 Regton Detectors 1 Comment

A medieval gold ring found by a metal detecting enthusiast has gone on display for the first time.

The 15th Century ring, decorated with images of the five wounds of Christ, was found in Durham City in 2014 and declared as treasure. It has now been bought by Durham University’s Museum of Archaeology and has gone on permanent display on Friday (July 10) in the Living On The Hills gallery, the museum’s new home in Palace Green Library. Museum curator, Gemma Lewis said: “Living on the Hills reveals the lives of the people who lived in Durham over thousands of years, displaying the tools, cups, bowls and other everyday objects they used. “It is wonderful to be able to add this ring to the gallery. The ring is decorated with images of the five wounds of Christ surrounded by drops, thought to represent drops of Jesus’ blood. During the medieval period the wounds of Christ were thought to have protective qualities.”

Coins & other finds

14 July 201514 July 2015 Regton Detectors Leave a comment

Some great finds from our customers.

15th Century Ring Sells For £35,000

10 July 201510 July 2015 Regton Detectors Leave a comment

15th Century Ring Found By Treasure Hunter Sells For £35,000. The British Museum has confirmed a local man with a metal detector discovered a 15th century relic on one of his walks. A treasure hunter unearthed a small fortune after a ring he discovered turned out to be a 15^th century jewel worth a whopping £35,000. A metal detectorist discovered the historic gold, enamelled relic near Launde Abbey, an Elizabethan manor house in Leicestershire – which was once the home of Thomas Cromwell’s son. Experts have described the artefact as extremely lavish – with the point-cut diamond and rounded ruby reportedly reflecting the bond between husband and wife. The finder, who lives locally, then handed the ring to his local council – who asked the British Museum to investigate its history.

It was given a minimum guide price of £20,000 at Sotheby’s. But after bidding on the relic began on 09 July 2015 it reached an impressive £35,000 – with the money split between the treasure hunter and the land owner. Erik Bijzet, Sotheby’s Old Master Sculpture & Works of Art specialist, explained: ‘The British Museum identified it as a 15th Century ring and then it was handed over to us and we narrowed it down to the last two decades of that century. The Portable Antiquities Scheme has found some extraordinary lots over the years and this is certainly one of the best rings we have had in a long time.’

Launde Abbey was taken over by Thomas Cromwell as part of the dissolution of the monasteries, but he was executed in 1540 before he could move into the stately home.

Source: https://uk.news.yahoo.com

Bronze Age Gold Unearthed in Denmark

9 July 20159 July 2015 Regton Detectors 4 Comments

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—Some 2,000 spirals made of gold have been unearthed in a field in south-western Zealand, where four gold rings and six gold bowls have been found in the past. The spirals date to the Bronze Age, between 900 and 700 B.C. “Maybe the spirals were fastened to the threads lining a hat or parasol. Maybe they were woven into hair or embroidered on a ceremonial garb. The fact is that we do not know, but I am inclined to believe that they were part of a priest-king’s garb or part of some head-wear, said Flemming Kaul of the Danish National Museum press release. The site has now yielded the most gold jewellery and other artefacts by weight from the northern European Bronze Age. “The sun was one of the holy symbols in the Bronze Age and gold was presumably seen as having some sort of particular magic power. It is coloured like the sun, it shines like the sun, and because gold lasts forever, it was also seen as containing some of the sun’s power,” Kaul said.

Besides the four gold rings that triggered the excavation, six other large and heavy gold rings have been found in the same area. And in the 1800s some local farmers found six gold vessels at Borgbjerg Banke, located some 500 meters away. The rings weigh together 3.5 kg, and the bowls and beakers more than a kilogram, so it is one of the largest gold finds from the Bronze Age in Northern Europe. It shows that the place had a special significance for the Bronze Age people when they chose to sacrifice several kilos of gold.

Source: http://archaeology.org

500 Years Old Gold Ring Found in Shropshire

1 July 20151 July 2015 Regton Detectors Leave a comment

Ring found in Bridgnorth reveals a wealth of facts.

A ring and hook thought to be more than 500 years old were found in Shropshire, an inquest heard. An expert from the British Museum said the two items found in Bridgnorth, which would have been owned by “high-status people”, showed the wealth of some folk in the area hundreds of years ago. Both the ring and hook were declared as treasure at an inquest held in Shirehall. Speaking after the inquest, Peter Reavill, finds liaison officer for British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme, said: “Although not found together, these two very fine late Tudor or Stuart artefacts show the material wealth of some residents of the Much Wenlock and Bridgnorth area.

Both finds would both have been owned by high-status people who would display their money through the objects they owned and displayed around their person. The first item, a gilded, silver dress hook or hat hook, was found on November 30 last year. The hook is 12.9 millimetres in length, with a head diameter of 12.8 mm and a weight of two grams. Mr Reavill said – The Tudor dress hook or hat hook is an exceptionally fine example – functionally it would have held swags of cloth together but it’s shape and form show considerable workmanship. The gold ring was found on March 8 and while it was originally circular in shape, it is now sub circular because of soil pressure. Inside, the ring has the inscription “MY HART IS YOVRES” and weighs 1.4g.