Digging the earth to make a fence, a man finds a box full of gold

While digging to build a new fence, a man unexpectedly found a box filled with precious gold jewelry.

Paul Hardcastle, 52, from England, was utterly astonished when he discovered a “treasure” from the Anglo-Saxon period, approximately 1,400 years old, in his garden.

Specifically, while digging the ground to prepare for the fence, Mr. Hardcastle accidentally unearthed a collection of jewelry known as the “Acomb Jewel,” believed to belong to a high-status Anglo-Saxon woman from the 7th century.

The man found the treasure while digging for a fence.

However, upon learning that the treasure was valued at £2,800 (approximately 92 million VND) rather than the previously estimated £48,000 (over 1.5 billion VND), Mr. Paul was quite upset.

Despite the low valuation, Mr. Paul might have to sell the jewelry to the Yorkshire Museum due to the UK’s Treasure Act.

Mr. Paul attempted to sell the jewelry on an antiques website to see if anyone would offer a higher price, and the bids reached nearly £50,000 (1.6 billion VND) before he canceled the transaction.

He stated that instead of selling the entire collection for £2,800 (92 million VND), he would look for ways to keep them.

Recounting the events of that day, Mr. Paul mentioned that his garden fence had collapsed due to strong winds. He and his son dug about 1 meter deep to build a new fence. During the digging process, Mr. Hardcastle discovered a box filled with jewelry.

Some gold jewelry from the recently found treasure.

York area expert, Rob Turnbull, concluded after an investigation that the items found, including several intricately decorated gold and garnet brooches, are indeed treasure.

This opens up the opportunity for museums to potentially acquire them after their market value is determined by the independent Treasure Valuation Committee. The York Museum Trust has expressed interest in purchasing it for the Yorkshire Museum.

According to the British Museum, since this discovery has been declared treasure, it belongs to the Crown, not to the finder or landowner.

A spokesperson stated: “According to the Treasure Act of 1996, since the museum wishes to own the artifact, the finder and landowner cannot keep it but are eligible for a reward equivalent to the market value of the artifact.“

However, she added that the finder could provide evidence, such as valuations from a member of the antiques trade, to support his claim that the valuation is too low.

Natalie Buy, the museum’s archaeology curator, stated: “These are very beautiful and interesting artifacts found in a notable area of York.

We are eager to learn more about them and eventually display them for everyone to enjoy.”