View allAll Photos Tagged metaldetecting
Metal Detecting finds from the Syracuse, NY area.
Found using a Fisher CZ-7 metal detector.
#metaldetecting #junksilver #metaldetectingfinds
I forgot to post this sketch of Carkeek Park in Seattle. I spotted two friends hard at work metal detectoring. @chesaw_mike @kkpacific2 .Check their posts out. Their finds are amazing and artistically presented. Sketched on location on Toned Tan Sketch paper with ballpoint, colored pencils, and some digital. #uskseattle Urban Sketchers MetalDetecting.com
Metal Detector Finds #metaldetecting #silver
Start Treasure Hunting-Kellyco Metal Detectors
The Medieval Section is endebted to Kat Baxter, Curator of Archaeology and Numismatics at Leeds Museums and Galleries, for speaking to us in November and for providing photographs of some of the very handsome Medieval treasure objects from the West Yorkshire hoard. Kat began her talk by giving an overview of Leeds Museums and Galleries and by telling us about the development of Treasure legislation. The success of the Treasure law can be seen in the fact that before 1997 26 finds per year were found to be treasure but in 2011 970 cases were reported as treasure – 95% of them found by metal-detectorists.
The story of the West Yorkshire hoard began when the Finds Liaison Officer for West Yorkshire sent Kat some photographs in 2008 asking if she might be interested in the objects. At this point five objects had been discovered. A rescue excavation was organised to see if there were any other pieces from the hoard still in the ground. A further two items were recovered by the metal-detectorist on a return visit to the site. The objects included a very fine 10th century gold and garnet ring, a 9th century niello ring, two filigree rings, a fragment of a 7th century cloisonne brooch, a piece of gold ingot or hack gold, and a lead spindle whorl.
The 10th century gold and garnet ring is particularly fine and has not suffered any wear. It has an enlarged stepped bezel and is decorated with granulations of gold beads. The garnet looks too small for its dog tooth setting – either this garnet is a replacement or it has sunk as its mount has degraded.The gold content of the ring is very high. The back of the ring has a twisted hoop of gold wire with decorative terminals. It is so fine it may have belonged to a bishop. It certainly belonged to someone of high status.
The 9th century niello ring is a different kind of ring. It may have been worn over the gloves. It has four large oval panels decorated with leaf or zoomorphic motifs picked out in niello (a black mixture of copper, silver, and lead sulphides used as an inlay). It has suffered a lot of wear.
The filigree ring is smaller and thinner and of lower gold content. It is decorated with filigree and granulation. It is not symmetrical and though a beautiful piece of jewellery it is not of the same quality as the piece described earlier.
The cloisonne brooch or pendant fragment is the earliest item in the hoard and dates from the 7th century. It has cells for inlays such as garnets but these have been hacked on one side and torn or bent out of shape. It would have been a stunning high class object when complete.
The second set of objects from the hoard consist of a another high quality ring with a high gold content with granular decoration. The ring appears to have a hollow bezzle and although it rattles when shaken nothing shows up on x-rays. the ring may have been an ecclesiastical ring owned by someone of high status. Like the earlier ring it shows no wear and appears to be brand new.
The last object is a lead spindle whorl and at present it is not clear why this was included in the hoard of gold objects. Two of the rings are of the highest quality known from Anglo-Saxon England. However, the rings cover a considerable period of time (the brooch has been dated to the 7th century, the rings are later, perhaps between the 9th and 11th centuries). It has been suggested they may have been part of a thief’s stash and that the hoard was consumed little by little, the individual pieces hacked up and semi-precious stones chiselled out. It is interesting that another fine ring was found between Aberford and Sherburn in 1870. It is clear that in the 10th century there were some affluent individuals living in the vicinity of Leeds. It may be that some of the rings have ecclesiastical associations. It is unusual not to find any coins with the hoard. The hoard is important because it is the only Anglo-Saxon hoard found of this quality in the area. As such it is an important addition to local history. Certainly it raises more questions than it answers; why do the rings range so much in date, and why were they buried in a field?
The hoard took three years to go through the Treasure process and after being valued at just under £172,000 four months were allowed to raise the money needed to reimburse the finder, as is usual in cases of Treasure. The National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund made generous grants. The Headley Trust usually only makes a contribution if a Victoria and Albert Museum grant has been made but the latter had already been exhausted and the Headley Trust kindly made a grant award regardless. Further sums of money were given by Leeds Museums and Galleries, Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society, the Friends of Leeds Museums and Galleries, and the Goldsmiths’ Company. The remaining money was raised by a public appeal and the hoard was secured for Leeds. The objects went straight on display in the Leeds City Museum, and a brand new display about the hoard, partly funded by the Art Fund, will be going up this Spring.
Booty from Elmet?
I am very grateful to Kat Baxter, Curator of Archaeology at Leeds Museums and Galleries, for allowing me to reproduce the beautiful photo of a brooch fragment from the Leeds or West Yorkshire Ring Hoard. The hoard was found by a metal-detectorist in 2008 and 2009, and Kat has worked very hard to fund-raise the money needed to acquire the hoard for Leeds. The brooch fragment is one of a number of pieces of jewellery, mostly rings that are later in date than this brooch fragment, and a piece of gold ingot.
A short account of the West Yorkshire Hoard was recently published in Mary-Ann Ochota’s Britain’s Secret Treasures (Headline Publishing, 2013: pp.252-3) from which I taken these details. The brooch fragment has been dated to the 600s AD, like the Staffordshire Hoard but the finger rings seem to date from between 800 and 1000 AD. Further investigation of the location where the hoard was discovered didn’t yield any conclusive results.
The brooch fragment, it is said, would have been an antique when it went into the ground. This is speculating wildly but is it conceivable that one possible explanation for the presence of the brooch fragment is that it was a piece of plunder associated with the Kingdom of Elmet? Could it be a piece of that high status material culture that either belonged to an important member of Elmetian society or had been brought back to Elmet as plunder? Of course the material could have been brought in from elsewhere and have no particular connection with the West Riding apart from being found here. We can’t possibly know but it is tempting to speculate in an idle moment and it is a very interesting set of objects.
We had a team of about 40 people from a local metal detecting group here today. Another good charity money raiser.
Round stuff that tends to stick around.
A few things from my square memorabilia case.
I found this coin metal detecting. It is real. Just talked with a coin collector friend of mine. It's not silver, it's copper. You'd be kind of dingy grey if you were 267 years old too.
Photo by suggestion of MacroMondays here on flickr. This week's theme is "Geometric Shapes." Every Monday we post one or two photos of our depiction of the suggested theme.
Helps keep your eye out for photo ops during the week.
This was a token or madallion of good luck given when you bought excellior shoes back in 1910. This was a good luck token. note the 4 other good luck symbol within the 4 squares of the main symbol.. the Nazi's turned it on corner and runed it for all time.
This early example was dug up in Houston in the late 90s
Read more here: www.theportsmouthinfo.com/page/6597/Portsmouth-Shoe-Co
And here : wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_value_of_a_1910_Boy_Scout_...
The Medieval Section is endebted to Kat Baxter, Curator of Archaeology and Numismatics at Leeds Museums and Galleries, for speaking to us in November and for providing photographs of some of the very handsome Medieval treasure objects from the West Yorkshire hoard. Kat began her talk by giving an overview of Leeds Museums and Galleries and by telling us about the development of Treasure legislation. The success of the Treasure law can be seen in the fact that before 1997 26 finds per year were found to be treasure but in 2011 970 cases were reported as treasure – 95% of them found by metal-detectorists.
The story of the West Yorkshire hoard began when the Finds Liaison Officer for West Yorkshire sent Kat some photographs in 2008 asking if she might be interested in the objects. At this point five objects had been discovered. A rescue excavation was organised to see if there were any other pieces from the hoard still in the ground. A further two items were recovered by the metal-detectorist on a return visit to the site. The objects included a very fine 10th century gold and garnet ring, a 9th century niello ring, two filigree rings, a fragment of a 7th century cloisonne brooch, a piece of gold ingot or hack gold, and a lead spindle whorl.
The 10th century gold and garnet ring is particularly fine and has not suffered any wear. It has an enlarged stepped bezel and is decorated with granulations of gold beads. The garnet looks too small for its dog tooth setting – either this garnet is a replacement or it has sunk as its mount has degraded.The gold content of the ring is very high. The back of the ring has a twisted hoop of gold wire with decorative terminals. It is so fine it may have belonged to a bishop. It certainly belonged to someone of high status.
The 9th century niello ring is a different kind of ring. It may have been worn over the gloves. It has four large oval panels decorated with leaf or zoomorphic motifs picked out in niello (a black mixture of copper, silver, and lead sulphides used as an inlay). It has suffered a lot of wear.
The filigree ring is smaller and thinner and of lower gold content. It is decorated with filigree and granulation. It is not symmetrical and though a beautiful piece of jewellery it is not of the same quality as the piece described earlier.
The cloisonne brooch or pendant fragment is the earliest item in the hoard and dates from the 7th century. It has cells for inlays such as garnets but these have been hacked on one side and torn or bent out of shape. It would have been a stunning high class object when complete.
The second set of objects from the hoard consist of a another high quality ring with a high gold content with granular decoration. The ring appears to have a hollow bezzle and although it rattles when shaken nothing shows up on x-rays. the ring may have been an ecclesiastical ring owned by someone of high status. Like the earlier ring it shows no wear and appears to be brand new.
The last object is a lead spindle whorl and at present it is not clear why this was included in the hoard of gold objects. Two of the rings are of the highest quality known from Anglo-Saxon England. However, the rings cover a considerable period of time (the brooch has been dated to the 7th century, the rings are later, perhaps between the 9th and 11th centuries). It has been suggested they may have been part of a thief’s stash and that the hoard was consumed little by little, the individual pieces hacked up and semi-precious stones chiselled out. It is interesting that another fine ring was found between Aberford and Sherburn in 1870. It is clear that in the 10th century there were some affluent individuals living in the vicinity of Leeds. It may be that some of the rings have ecclesiastical associations. It is unusual not to find any coins with the hoard. The hoard is important because it is the only Anglo-Saxon hoard found of this quality in the area. As such it is an important addition to local history. Certainly it raises more questions than it answers; why do the rings range so much in date, and why were they buried in a field?
The hoard took three years to go through the Treasure process and after being valued at just under £172,000 four months were allowed to raise the money needed to reimburse the finder, as is usual in cases of Treasure. The National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund made generous grants. The Headley Trust usually only makes a contribution if a Victoria and Albert Museum grant has been made but the latter had already been exhausted and the Headley Trust kindly made a grant award regardless. Further sums of money were given by Leeds Museums and Galleries, Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society, the Friends of Leeds Museums and Galleries, and the Goldsmiths’ Company. The remaining money was raised by a public appeal and the hoard was secured for Leeds. The objects went straight on display in the Leeds City Museum, and a brand new display about the hoard, partly funded by the Art Fund, will be going up this Spring.
Booty from Elmet?
I am very grateful to Kat Baxter, Curator of Archaeology at Leeds Museums and Galleries, for allowing me to reproduce the beautiful photo of a brooch fragment from the Leeds or West Yorkshire Ring Hoard. The hoard was found by a metal-detectorist in 2008 and 2009, and Kat has worked very hard to fund-raise the money needed to acquire the hoard for Leeds. The brooch fragment is one of a number of pieces of jewellery, mostly rings that are later in date than this brooch fragment, and a piece of gold ingot.
A short account of the West Yorkshire Hoard was recently published in Mary-Ann Ochota’s Britain’s Secret Treasures (Headline Publishing, 2013: pp.252-3) from which I taken these details. The brooch fragment has been dated to the 600s AD, like the Staffordshire Hoard but the finger rings seem to date from between 800 and 1000 AD. Further investigation of the location where the hoard was discovered didn’t yield any conclusive results.
The brooch fragment, it is said, would have been an antique when it went into the ground. This is speculating wildly but is it conceivable that one possible explanation for the presence of the brooch fragment is that it was a piece of plunder associated with the Kingdom of Elmet? Could it be a piece of that high status material culture that either belonged to an important member of Elmetian society or had been brought back to Elmet as plunder? Of course the material could have been brought in from elsewhere and have no particular connection with the West Riding apart from being found here. We can’t possibly know but it is tempting to speculate in an idle moment and it is a very interesting set of objects.
I found this 1881 $5 dollar gold piece 3 months ago while metal detecting in Sanford Florida.
This is my 1st gold coin in 14 years of detecting.
The ironic part is that I found my 1st silver dollar one block over, 12 years prior to this coin!
It was an 1887-O.
I found this hoard of roman silver denarius, in May 2008 with a metal detector. The coins date from 31BC - 187ad.
The coins equate to about half a years wage for a roman legionnare.
The Medieval Section is endebted to Kat Baxter, Curator of Archaeology and Numismatics at Leeds Museums and Galleries, for speaking to us in November and for providing photographs of some of the very handsome Medieval treasure objects from the West Yorkshire hoard. Kat began her talk by giving an overview of Leeds Museums and Galleries and by telling us about the development of Treasure legislation. The success of the Treasure law can be seen in the fact that before 1997 26 finds per year were found to be treasure but in 2011 970 cases were reported as treasure – 95% of them found by metal-detectorists.
The story of the West Yorkshire hoard began when the Finds Liaison Officer for West Yorkshire sent Kat some photographs in 2008 asking if she might be interested in the objects. At this point five objects had been discovered. A rescue excavation was organised to see if there were any other pieces from the hoard still in the ground. A further two items were recovered by the metal-detectorist on a return visit to the site. The objects included a very fine 10th century gold and garnet ring, a 9th century niello ring, two filigree rings, a fragment of a 7th century cloisonne brooch, a piece of gold ingot or hack gold, and a lead spindle whorl.
The 10th century gold and garnet ring is particularly fine and has not suffered any wear. It has an enlarged stepped bezel and is decorated with granulations of gold beads. The garnet looks too small for its dog tooth setting – either this garnet is a replacement or it has sunk as its mount has degraded.The gold content of the ring is very high. The back of the ring has a twisted hoop of gold wire with decorative terminals. It is so fine it may have belonged to a bishop. It certainly belonged to someone of high status.
The 9th century niello ring is a different kind of ring. It may have been worn over the gloves. It has four large oval panels decorated with leaf or zoomorphic motifs picked out in niello (a black mixture of copper, silver, and lead sulphides used as an inlay). It has suffered a lot of wear.
The filigree ring is smaller and thinner and of lower gold content. It is decorated with filigree and granulation. It is not symmetrical and though a beautiful piece of jewellery it is not of the same quality as the piece described earlier.
The cloisonne brooch or pendant fragment is the earliest item in the hoard and dates from the 7th century. It has cells for inlays such as garnets but these have been hacked on one side and torn or bent out of shape. It would have been a stunning high class object when complete.
The second set of objects from the hoard consist of a another high quality ring with a high gold content with granular decoration. The ring appears to have a hollow bezzle and although it rattles when shaken nothing shows up on x-rays. the ring may have been an ecclesiastical ring owned by someone of high status. Like the earlier ring it shows no wear and appears to be brand new.
The last object is a lead spindle whorl and at present it is not clear why this was included in the hoard of gold objects. Two of the rings are of the highest quality known from Anglo-Saxon England. However, the rings cover a considerable period of time (the brooch has been dated to the 7th century, the rings are later, perhaps between the 9th and 11th centuries). It has been suggested they may have been part of a thief’s stash and that the hoard was consumed little by little, the individual pieces hacked up and semi-precious stones chiselled out. It is interesting that another fine ring was found between Aberford and Sherburn in 1870. It is clear that in the 10th century there were some affluent individuals living in the vicinity of Leeds. It may be that some of the rings have ecclesiastical associations. It is unusual not to find any coins with the hoard. The hoard is important because it is the only Anglo-Saxon hoard found of this quality in the area. As such it is an important addition to local history. Certainly it raises more questions than it answers; why do the rings range so much in date, and why were they buried in a field?
The hoard took three years to go through the Treasure process and after being valued at just under £172,000 four months were allowed to raise the money needed to reimburse the finder, as is usual in cases of Treasure. The National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund made generous grants. The Headley Trust usually only makes a contribution if a Victoria and Albert Museum grant has been made but the latter had already been exhausted and the Headley Trust kindly made a grant award regardless. Further sums of money were given by Leeds Museums and Galleries, Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society, the Friends of Leeds Museums and Galleries, and the Goldsmiths’ Company. The remaining money was raised by a public appeal and the hoard was secured for Leeds. The objects went straight on display in the Leeds City Museum, and a brand new display about the hoard, partly funded by the Art Fund, will be going up this Spring.
Booty from Elmet?
I am very grateful to Kat Baxter, Curator of Archaeology at Leeds Museums and Galleries, for allowing me to reproduce the beautiful photo of a brooch fragment from the Leeds or West Yorkshire Ring Hoard. The hoard was found by a metal-detectorist in 2008 and 2009, and Kat has worked very hard to fund-raise the money needed to acquire the hoard for Leeds. The brooch fragment is one of a number of pieces of jewellery, mostly rings that are later in date than this brooch fragment, and a piece of gold ingot.
A short account of the West Yorkshire Hoard was recently published in Mary-Ann Ochota’s Britain’s Secret Treasures (Headline Publishing, 2013: pp.252-3) from which I taken these details. The brooch fragment has been dated to the 600s AD, like the Staffordshire Hoard but the finger rings seem to date from between 800 and 1000 AD. Further investigation of the location where the hoard was discovered didn’t yield any conclusive results.
The brooch fragment, it is said, would have been an antique when it went into the ground. This is speculating wildly but is it conceivable that one possible explanation for the presence of the brooch fragment is that it was a piece of plunder associated with the Kingdom of Elmet? Could it be a piece of that high status material culture that either belonged to an important member of Elmetian society or had been brought back to Elmet as plunder? Of course the material could have been brought in from elsewhere and have no particular connection with the West Riding apart from being found here. We can’t possibly know but it is tempting to speculate in an idle moment and it is a very interesting set of objects.
The Medieval Section is endebted to Kat Baxter, Curator of Archaeology and Numismatics at Leeds Museums and Galleries, for speaking to us in November and for providing photographs of some of the very handsome Medieval treasure objects from the West Yorkshire hoard. Kat began her talk by giving an overview of Leeds Museums and Galleries and by telling us about the development of Treasure legislation. The success of the Treasure law can be seen in the fact that before 1997 26 finds per year were found to be treasure but in 2011 970 cases were reported as treasure – 95% of them found by metal-detectorists.
The story of the West Yorkshire hoard began when the Finds Liaison Officer for West Yorkshire sent Kat some photographs in 2008 asking if she might be interested in the objects. At this point five objects had been discovered. A rescue excavation was organised to see if there were any other pieces from the hoard still in the ground. A further two items were recovered by the metal-detectorist on a return visit to the site. The objects included a very fine 10th century gold and garnet ring, a 9th century niello ring, two filigree rings, a fragment of a 7th century cloisonne brooch, a piece of gold ingot or hack gold, and a lead spindle whorl.
The 10th century gold and garnet ring is particularly fine and has not suffered any wear. It has an enlarged stepped bezel and is decorated with granulations of gold beads. The garnet looks too small for its dog tooth setting – either this garnet is a replacement or it has sunk as its mount has degraded.The gold content of the ring is very high. The back of the ring has a twisted hoop of gold wire with decorative terminals. It is so fine it may have belonged to a bishop. It certainly belonged to someone of high status.
The 9th century niello ring is a different kind of ring. It may have been worn over the gloves. It has four large oval panels decorated with leaf or zoomorphic motifs picked out in niello (a black mixture of copper, silver, and lead sulphides used as an inlay). It has suffered a lot of wear.
The filigree ring is smaller and thinner and of lower gold content. It is decorated with filigree and granulation. It is not symmetrical and though a beautiful piece of jewellery it is not of the same quality as the piece described earlier.
The cloisonne brooch or pendant fragment is the earliest item in the hoard and dates from the 7th century. It has cells for inlays such as garnets but these have been hacked on one side and torn or bent out of shape. It would have been a stunning high class object when complete.
The second set of objects from the hoard consist of a another high quality ring with a high gold content with granular decoration. The ring appears to have a hollow bezzle and although it rattles when shaken nothing shows up on x-rays. the ring may have been an ecclesiastical ring owned by someone of high status. Like the earlier ring it shows no wear and appears to be brand new.
The last object is a lead spindle whorl and at present it is not clear why this was included in the hoard of gold objects. Two of the rings are of the highest quality known from Anglo-Saxon England. However, the rings cover a considerable period of time (the brooch has been dated to the 7th century, the rings are later, perhaps between the 9th and 11th centuries). It has been suggested they may have been part of a thief’s stash and that the hoard was consumed little by little, the individual pieces hacked up and semi-precious stones chiselled out. It is interesting that another fine ring was found between Aberford and Sherburn in 1870. It is clear that in the 10th century there were some affluent individuals living in the vicinity of Leeds. It may be that some of the rings have ecclesiastical associations. It is unusual not to find any coins with the hoard. The hoard is important because it is the only Anglo-Saxon hoard found of this quality in the area. As such it is an important addition to local history. Certainly it raises more questions than it answers; why do the rings range so much in date, and why were they buried in a field?
The hoard took three years to go through the Treasure process and after being valued at just under £172,000 four months were allowed to raise the money needed to reimburse the finder, as is usual in cases of Treasure. The National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund made generous grants. The Headley Trust usually only makes a contribution if a Victoria and Albert Museum grant has been made but the latter had already been exhausted and the Headley Trust kindly made a grant award regardless. Further sums of money were given by Leeds Museums and Galleries, Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society, the Friends of Leeds Museums and Galleries, and the Goldsmiths’ Company. The remaining money was raised by a public appeal and the hoard was secured for Leeds. The objects went straight on display in the Leeds City Museum, and a brand new display about the hoard, partly funded by the Art Fund, will be going up this Spring.
Booty from Elmet?
I am very grateful to Kat Baxter, Curator of Archaeology at Leeds Museums and Galleries, for allowing me to reproduce the beautiful photo of a brooch fragment from the Leeds or West Yorkshire Ring Hoard. The hoard was found by a metal-detectorist in 2008 and 2009, and Kat has worked very hard to fund-raise the money needed to acquire the hoard for Leeds. The brooch fragment is one of a number of pieces of jewellery, mostly rings that are later in date than this brooch fragment, and a piece of gold ingot.
A short account of the West Yorkshire Hoard was recently published in Mary-Ann Ochota’s Britain’s Secret Treasures (Headline Publishing, 2013: pp.252-3) from which I taken these details. The brooch fragment has been dated to the 600s AD, like the Staffordshire Hoard but the finger rings seem to date from between 800 and 1000 AD. Further investigation of the location where the hoard was discovered didn’t yield any conclusive results.
The brooch fragment, it is said, would have been an antique when it went into the ground. This is speculating wildly but is it conceivable that one possible explanation for the presence of the brooch fragment is that it was a piece of plunder associated with the Kingdom of Elmet? Could it be a piece of that high status material culture that either belonged to an important member of Elmetian society or had been brought back to Elmet as plunder? Of course the material could have been brought in from elsewhere and have no particular connection with the West Riding apart from being found here. We can’t possibly know but it is tempting to speculate in an idle moment and it is a very interesting set of objects.
I found this 1881 $5 dollar gold piece 3 months ago while metal detecting in Sanford Florida.
This is my 1st gold coin in 14 years of metal detecting. The ironic part is that I found my 1st silver dollar one block over,12 years prior to this coin! It was an 1887-O.
treasure hunting
Glenn
The Medieval Section is endebted to Kat Baxter, Curator of Archaeology and Numismatics at Leeds Museums and Galleries, for speaking to us in November and for providing photographs of some of the very handsome Medieval treasure objects from the West Yorkshire hoard. Kat began her talk by giving an overview of Leeds Museums and Galleries and by telling us about the development of Treasure legislation. The success of the Treasure law can be seen in the fact that before 1997 26 finds per year were found to be treasure but in 2011 970 cases were reported as treasure – 95% of them found by metal-detectorists.
The story of the West Yorkshire hoard began when the Finds Liaison Officer for West Yorkshire sent Kat some photographs in 2008 asking if she might be interested in the objects. At this point five objects had been discovered. A rescue excavation was organised to see if there were any other pieces from the hoard still in the ground. A further two items were recovered by the metal-detectorist on a return visit to the site. The objects included a very fine 10th century gold and garnet ring, a 9th century niello ring, two filigree rings, a fragment of a 7th century cloisonne brooch, a piece of gold ingot or hack gold, and a lead spindle whorl.
The 10th century gold and garnet ring is particularly fine and has not suffered any wear. It has an enlarged stepped bezel and is decorated with granulations of gold beads. The garnet looks too small for its dog tooth setting – either this garnet is a replacement or it has sunk as its mount has degraded.The gold content of the ring is very high. The back of the ring has a twisted hoop of gold wire with decorative terminals. It is so fine it may have belonged to a bishop. It certainly belonged to someone of high status.
The 9th century niello ring is a different kind of ring. It may have been worn over the gloves. It has four large oval panels decorated with leaf or zoomorphic motifs picked out in niello (a black mixture of copper, silver, and lead sulphides used as an inlay). It has suffered a lot of wear.
The filigree ring is smaller and thinner and of lower gold content. It is decorated with filigree and granulation. It is not symmetrical and though a beautiful piece of jewellery it is not of the same quality as the piece described earlier.
The cloisonne brooch or pendant fragment is the earliest item in the hoard and dates from the 7th century. It has cells for inlays such as garnets but these have been hacked on one side and torn or bent out of shape. It would have been a stunning high class object when complete.
The second set of objects from the hoard consist of a another high quality ring with a high gold content with granular decoration. The ring appears to have a hollow bezzle and although it rattles when shaken nothing shows up on x-rays. the ring may have been an ecclesiastical ring owned by someone of high status. Like the earlier ring it shows no wear and appears to be brand new.
The last object is a lead spindle whorl and at present it is not clear why this was included in the hoard of gold objects. Two of the rings are of the highest quality known from Anglo-Saxon England. However, the rings cover a considerable period of time (the brooch has been dated to the 7th century, the rings are later, perhaps between the 9th and 11th centuries). It has been suggested they may have been part of a thief’s stash and that the hoard was consumed little by little, the individual pieces hacked up and semi-precious stones chiselled out. It is interesting that another fine ring was found between Aberford and Sherburn in 1870. It is clear that in the 10th century there were some affluent individuals living in the vicinity of Leeds. It may be that some of the rings have ecclesiastical associations. It is unusual not to find any coins with the hoard. The hoard is important because it is the only Anglo-Saxon hoard found of this quality in the area. As such it is an important addition to local history. Certainly it raises more questions than it answers; why do the rings range so much in date, and why were they buried in a field?
The hoard took three years to go through the Treasure process and after being valued at just under £172,000 four months were allowed to raise the money needed to reimburse the finder, as is usual in cases of Treasure. The National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund made generous grants. The Headley Trust usually only makes a contribution if a Victoria and Albert Museum grant has been made but the latter had already been exhausted and the Headley Trust kindly made a grant award regardless. Further sums of money were given by Leeds Museums and Galleries, Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society, the Friends of Leeds Museums and Galleries, and the Goldsmiths’ Company. The remaining money was raised by a public appeal and the hoard was secured for Leeds. The objects went straight on display in the Leeds City Museum, and a brand new display about the hoard, partly funded by the Art Fund, will be going up this Spring.
Booty from Elmet?
I am very grateful to Kat Baxter, Curator of Archaeology at Leeds Museums and Galleries, for allowing me to reproduce the beautiful photo of a brooch fragment from the Leeds or West Yorkshire Ring Hoard. The hoard was found by a metal-detectorist in 2008 and 2009, and Kat has worked very hard to fund-raise the money needed to acquire the hoard for Leeds. The brooch fragment is one of a number of pieces of jewellery, mostly rings that are later in date than this brooch fragment, and a piece of gold ingot.
A short account of the West Yorkshire Hoard was recently published in Mary-Ann Ochota’s Britain’s Secret Treasures (Headline Publishing, 2013: pp.252-3) from which I taken these details. The brooch fragment has been dated to the 600s AD, like the Staffordshire Hoard but the finger rings seem to date from between 800 and 1000 AD. Further investigation of the location where the hoard was discovered didn’t yield any conclusive results.
The brooch fragment, it is said, would have been an antique when it went into the ground. This is speculating wildly but is it conceivable that one possible explanation for the presence of the brooch fragment is that it was a piece of plunder associated with the Kingdom of Elmet? Could it be a piece of that high status material culture that either belonged to an important member of Elmetian society or had been brought back to Elmet as plunder? Of course the material could have been brought in from elsewhere and have no particular connection with the West Riding apart from being found here. We can’t possibly know but it is tempting to speculate in an idle moment and it is a very interesting set of objects.
My first finds in 2009, and this is my best one time find too. This was found in a wooded area, was this a hiding place, did someone drop this a long time ago. Stay tuned, I will be sorting, cleaning and counting them this week, so check back.
Head with three snake heads facing,Horse and rider on back, snakeheads around... Excessively rare (Between 2 and 5 known. (Although on my find it’s clear they are horned beasts rather than snakes! )
This is a Saint Patrick / Saint Bridget medallion made of sterling silver. I found this buried under about six inches of soil near the back entrance to a local park. It's about the same size as a nickel, about 7 grams of sterling silver and worth about $4 on metal value alone. It has the engraving "Creed Sterling" on it, as well as the names of the two saints, and the motto "Pray For Us".
This coin (from the 8th C) was found in Haxby by one of my former patients.
It is about the size of a 20p piece.
Detectorist finds Golden Spur!
A metal detecting enthusiast found the "Golden Spur." the railroad spike that finalized the connection completing the transcontinental railroad in Promontory, Utah in 1869. Actually, that's a spoof, but it makes for a good gag. I often carry this spray-painted spike with me when I'm teaching a newbie the the fine art of metal detecting. I work up the story of the spike during our lessons, then bury it in the sand of a kiddy playground and let him "find" it. Always good for a laugh!