Amazing treasures found in UK
- Published
A couple in America have found a stash of 1,427 rare coins that date from 1847-1894 and could be worth as much as $10 million (£6m). But big treasure finds are not just made in America - here in the UK hoards of gold, silver, precious jewels and 'mystery' objects have been unearthed. Check out some of the UK's most amazing treasure finds.....
THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD: These pieces are from the Staffordshire hoard which was discovered in 2009, with more items discovered in 2012. Valued at over £3 million, it remains Britain’s largest treasure case, and one of the most important Anglo-Saxon finds ever made.
Made up of 3500 pieces of gold and silver it dates back to the 7th century. It was found by Terry Herbert on 5 July 2009, when he was searching an area of farmland near Staffordshire with a metal detector.
Many pieces come from swords and other weaponry like this sword pyramid, as well as unusual ‘mystery’ objects. You can see the Staffordshire hoard at the Birmingham Museum.
THE TORCS: These two gold bracelets known as 'Torcs', which were found near York, are thought to be the first Iron Age gold jewellery ever found in the North of England. They probably would have belonged to an extremely wealthy, possibly royal, member of a local tribe, who ruled most of North Yorkshire during the Iron Age. The first has been dated to 100BC-70BC, while the second could be older still. You can see them at the Yorkshire Museum.
THE MIDDLEHAM JEWEL: This is the Middleham Jewel, a beautiful example of medieval craftsmanship. It was found near Middleham Castle in North Yorkshire, the childhood home of Richard III. The diamond-shaped gold pendant is encrusted with a large sapphire.
THE FISHPOOL HOARD: This jewellery is from the Fishpool hoard, which was discovered on 22 March 1966 on a building site at the village of Fishpool. It included four rings, four pieces of jewellery, two lengths of chain and 1,237 coins - the biggest find of gold coins ever made in Britain! The hoard is thought to date back to the mid-15th century and is worth around £300,000. You can see it on display at the British Museum.
THE HOXNE HOARD: These coins are thought to have been buried in the 5th century. There over 15,000 coins, gold jewellery and a number of small items of silver, including pepper pots, ladles and spoons. Also found were the remains of a large wooden chest. It was discovered in November 1992 by Eric Lawes, who immediately reported the find and did not remove a single object from the ground until archaeologists arrived.
SUTTON HOO: This gold belt buckle is from the ship-burial at Sutton Hoo, which was uncovered in 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War. The 27 metre long oak ship was buried beneath a large mound. At it's centre was a ruined burial chamber the size of a small room, where man was buried in the ship with his weapons, his armour and valuable possessions.
SUTTON HOO: This helmet was also found at the Sutton Hoo burial, as well as a leather purse with a lid covered in jewels. The finds from this burial show the status of the man, but they also show the skills of the master craftsmen, including swordsmiths and goldsmiths, who made the objects. You can see it at the British Museum