According to the British "Daily Mail" reported on February 1 local time, a 54-year-old British amateur "metal detector expert" dug up a 3,000-year-old gold cloak fastener, this Bronze Age artifact is one of only 7 gold artifacts found in England, and is expected to be in the permanent collection of the British Museum, and the discoverer will also get a huge fortune, the man plans to use the money to travel to the Caribbean.
The man, Jonathan Needham, is 54 years old, lives in Derby, England, and is a retired tree surgeon.
(The British Museum staff in the middle)
On May 6 last year, the day of the coronation of King Charles III, Mr Needham and his 63-year-old friend Malcolm Baggaley were in a field in Erastone, Staffordshire, and the two began to use a metal detector.
Joseph Needham shared a photo of the item on social media, and within 5 minutes, a netizen reminded him that he had found a very rare artifact that should be sent to a professional for identification.
Joseph Needham sent the object to the Derby Museum, which was then transferred to the British Museum in London, where it was a 3,000-year-old Bronze Age gold cloak fastener, 13 centimeters long and weighing 110 grams, according to museum staff, and only seven such items have been found in England, which is expected to fetch a high price and eventually end up in the permanent collection of the British Museum.
In England, where the proceeds of the sale of treasures were shared between landowners and discoverers, Mr. Needham hoped that in the future he would be able to travel to the Caribbean with the cash he earned.
(Left: British Museum staff)
Now, this artifact has been displayed in the British Museum in London, Mr. Joseph Needham told reporters that he went to the British Museum to visit, among many famous artifacts, such as Sutton Hu's helmet, he saw the treasure he found, and felt that everything was very unreal, like a dream. Mr. Needham looked forward to seeing his name on the museum's signboard, where he would get a great sense of accomplishment.
Needham said that it normally takes up to five years for a treasure to obtain a reliable appraisal report, but the appraisal of his gold fastener was completed in just a few months because it was a very important discovery.
Decades ago, Joseph Needham was passionate about ancient history and loved watching shows like "The Detective Corps", where he also wanted to be a treasure hunter after seeing other people's stories of digging for treasures, but his job was always too busy, and he didn't start doing it in his spare time until he suffered from arthritis and couldn't keep busy with his own work.
Joseph Needham's metal detector was a gift from his wife, and Mr. Buckley helped him learn how to use the machine, and the two became like-minded treasure hunters, going on treasure hunts together twice a week.
Joseph Needham said that he had found a lot of good things last year, and he had always had a hunch that he would one day find gold, but never thought that he would find such a precious artifact. Maybe he will never know the whole story of this metal fastener, maybe it's a true story of love, friendship and circumstance, and it must be an extraordinary story anyway.
SOURCE: DAILYMAIL