Chris strikes gold with his 1,500 year old find
Metal detectorist Chris Bursnall (37) went out to check a field which has been used by fellow enthusiasts for at least 20 years.
He wasn’t expecting to find much in the way of artefacts, but when he dug up a clod of earth, there gleaming in the mud was a Saxon pendant which experts believe could be a first for Leicestershire.
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Hide AdChris, of Long Clawson, said: “I first thought, ‘Oh here we go, another ring pull or bottle top’. But when I got it out I realised I had something special.
“When I cleaned the soil off it was pretty much how it was when it was dropped in the ground 1,500 years ago.”
Under the laws governing treasure, anyone who finds an object more than 300 years old and made of gold or silver, must report it to Leicestershire County Council’s finds liaison officer, Wendy Scott.
She has taken details and pictures of the 3cm pendant, which she thinks is a Bracteate mount, and sent them to the country’s leading expert and the British Museum.
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Hide AdWendy said: “It’s the first one I’ve ever seen. I know very little about them so I have no idea how many there are around the country but they are certainly not common.
“There’s a lot of debate about what date they are from, but we think they are very early Saxon. It’s always nice to see something this rare and when you see something this beautiful and shiny you do get excited.”
It is thought the pendant is from the period shortly after the Romans retreated in 410AD.
Roman coinage was still in use and it is thought the pendant is based on a coin.
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Hide AdLike currency, it has a face but unusually the bust on Chris’ find appears to be blowing a trumpet.
The item now has to go through the process of an inquest which can take up to a year and will put a price on it.
And both Wendy and Chris hope it will be able to stay in Melton at the Carnegie Museum.
Wendy said: “It’s a very nice find and I would really like to keep it in Melton if we are lucky enough to purchase it. It’s one of those finds that really should be on display.”