Treasure find: Amateur gold hunter wins share of 'seven-figure' hoard

Published on Thursday 24 September 2009 15:25

AN AMATEUR treasure hunter who discovered one of the largest ever hoards of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver is poised to collect his share of the find's 'seven-figure' value, an expert said today.

The haul, which metal detectorist Terry Herbert found in a field in Staffordshire this summer, contained 1,345 items and is believed to be of significant historical importance.

It will now be valued by a committee of experts after South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh declared it to be treasure at a hearing this morning.

Dr Roger Bland, head of portable antiquities and treasure at the British Museum, said: "I can't say anything other than we expect it to be a seven-figure sum."

The cache – the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold yet found – was hailed today as "a fantastically important discovery".

The haul was found by Mr Herbert, 55, just below the surface of a cultivated field in south Staffordshire in July.

Mr Haigh said: "This is a magnificent find, both in terms of its content and its likely history."

Dr Bland told the inquest in Cannock the significance of the find was "only beginning to dawn" on the small number of experts who have examined it.

He said: "It is at least as significant as any of the major discoveries of this period that have been made in the past."

Conceding it may be difficult to establish the story which lies behind the astonishing find, Dr Bland added: "It is a fantastically important discovery.

"It is assumed that the items were buried by their owners at a time of danger with the intention of later coming back and recovering them."

Archaeologist Dr Kevin Leahy said none of the experts involved in the discovery had seen anything like it before.

He told a press conference at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: "These are the best craftsmen the Anglo Saxons have got, working with the best materials, and producing incredible results."

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

"That in itself is an enormous quantity of precious metal," Dr Bland said.

"It's bigger than any other hoard of precious metal from the Anglo-Saxon period by quite a large margin."

Archaeologists have said the discovery in Staffordshire is so significant that it is akin to the discovery of a "new Book of Kells".

Mr Herbert, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, has described unearthing the haul as "more fun than winning the lottery".

"My mates at the (metal detecting) club always say that if there is a gold coin in a field, I will be the one to find it. I dread to think what they'll say when they hear about this," he said.