A MAN thought he’d found a cheap piece of plastic in the ground – but it turned out to be a rare ring worth £12,000.
Peter Pawel was sceptical when his metal detector picked up a signal in Greatham, West Sussex but something made him stop to check.
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Now the precious find is going up for auction.
The 46-year-old had actually told his daughter he would “bring home gold” that morning.
And after digging down just four inches he stumbled across what he thought was “cheap plastic funfair item” – but had it checked just in case.
It measured less than an inch wide while weighing 3.7 grams, but Peter still wasn’t convinced it could be anything special.
Yet to his amazement, the dig organiser of Sussex Metal Detecting Group revealed the yellow clump was in fact a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon ring worth about £12,000.
Peter told MailOnline: “Before I left home I told my daughter, who was nine years old, I’m going to bring you home some gold today.
“I got a signal and dug down four inches and saw a yellow colour in the clump of clay.
“I thought it was just a cheap plastic funfair item, but then looking closely it looked like it could be gold.”
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The incredible find took take place on Father’s Day in 2021, making it the perfect gift to celebrate with.
The proud dad added: “When I showed Maya the ring she was very excited and that’s when it sunk in for me too.
“It is a special, unexpected find and if it sells I want to take my family on holiday.”
The elaborate ring, believed to have been worn by a wealthy Anglo-Saxon woman, is going under the hammer on November 28.
London-based auctioneers Noonans, suggest the historic jewellery is extremely rare and could have religious significance.
The ring has also been disclaimed as treasure, which means money from the sale will be split between Peter and the owner of the land where he found it.
Nigel Mills, Noonans coins and artefact specialist, said: “The ring is a 10th-century gold finger ring decorated with filigree and inlaid on the bezel with green and blue enamel forming an expanding cross.
“In 1086, the village where the ring was found was recorded as Gretham with the Manor House owned by Queen Edith, widow of Edward the Confessor and regarded as the richest woman in England.”
Greatham is a popular metal detectorist area as it used to be called Terra Regis, meaning “Land of the King”.
This comes as another metal detectorist found a hoard of 400-year-old silver coins, on only his second outing.
The boiler engineer stumbled on the precious collection using a metal detector he bought on Amazon for £150.
Meanwhile, another man who thought he found one “lucky penny” was stunned to dig up a haul worth £200k.
Tony House came across a single coin, but gut instinct told him to keep digging – and he uncovered a collection of 570 more pennies.
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Plus, one rookie treasure hunter managed to locate one of the largest ever hauls of pre-Viking gold.
The huge fortune – including gold medallions as big as saucers – lay hidden for 1,500 years until Ole Ginnerup Schytz found it by “pure luck”.
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