An amateur treasure hunter struck gold – and discovered a “one in a billion” Bronze Age artefact.
Jonathan Needham, 54, found the 3,000-year-old dress or cloak fastener on a patch of land in Ellastone, Staffs. The gold item – which is just 13cm in length and weighs 110g – is thought to be one of just seven found in England.
It is likely to be acquired by a museum and has left retired tree surgeon Jonathan delighted. He said: “This is way beyond even my wildest dreams. It’s incredible! We were in the car when we realised how valuable it was.
“We were yelling and punching the air – people must have thought we were completely crazy. At home we did a bit of research and knew it was real treasure. We sat there in pure disbelief.”
He added: “I didn’t sleep a wink that night. I knew it was mega special and I couldn’t stop looking at it. This is truly a one in a billion find – I had a much higher chance of winning the lottery.”
Jonathan, from Derby, was out with a friend on May 6 last year – the day of King Charles’s Coronation – when he heard a faint beep.
He pulled the treasure out and initially thought it to be a faded aluminum drawer handle.
But he posted a picture online and people soon said he had something much rarer on his hands. When Jonathan and his friend Malcolm Baggaley, 63, realised the value of their find they sent it to Derby Museum.
It has since been moved to the British Museum in London. The object is expected to sell for significant sum at auction.
Money from the sales of treasure finds is typically split between the land owner and the finder – so Jonathan is hoping for a Caribbean holiday.
He said: “It’s so ironic that I found a king’s gold on the day Charles III was being crowned. I went to see it in the British Museum and it was displayed with loads of famous artefacts like the Sutton Hoo helmet.
“It was simply unreal to see it there. If I get to see my name on a plaque in a museum that will be the making of me – it’s something you dream of. The report can take up to five years but this was done in a few months because it’s such an important find.”
Jonathan wanted to be a treasure hunter decades ago after watching TV programmes about finds. He is passionate about ancient history and loves watching The Detectorists.
But he was always too busy working – so had to wait until after arthritis forced him to go part-time to take up the hobby. His metal detector was given to him by his wife.
Malcolm, who Jonathan met on a dig, helped him learn to use the machine and they became firm friends who hunt treasure together twice a week.
Jonathan said: “No one expects a find like this but I felt in my bones that I was going to find gold – I’d had a few good finds over the previous year. I thought it would just be a coin or two though, not this massive lump of gold.”
He added: “Five minutes down the road we got good reception and posted a picture on a detecting group on Facebook. People immediately recognised it as very valuable and we took the picture down because it was actually very frightening.
“I didn’t like having something that valuable in the house overnight. But I was elated at the same time. It’s really intriguing that we will never know its whole story. It’s a real story of love, friendship, and gold – it’s truly remarkable!”
