I made an incredible ancient find in a UK field – now it’s worth £30,000
A TREASURE hunter has made a mind-blowing discovery after spotting a centuries-old treasure – and it’s worth thousands.
Chris Ulliott was detecting on a farmland in Ryedale, North Yorks when he found the valuable relic.
The field was empty when he started to explore the hard soil as part of an organised team of professional detectorists.
The professional photographer dug down over 12 inches into the field and retrieved what he thought was a Victorian bucket.
He said: “I presumed it was an old bucket, maybe Victorian because of the good condition of the rings, so I carried on intrigued and carefully with the crowd around me steadily growing.
“After carefully digging around the rim I gently lifted out the bowl and straight away I was impressed by the detail on the mount facing me.”
What Chris really uncovered was a 8 inches copper-alloy bowl with three matching hole covers and suspension rings attached.
The ancient treasure contained a disc and sheep bones inside of it.
Other metal detectorists gathered around the arm-long hole to take pictures of the incredible moment.
Everyone was left astonished when an archaeologist confirmed that the artefact was in fact a 1,400 year-old Anglo-Saxon bowl.
The lucky treasure hunter said: “I was obviously over the moon with excitement as everyone on the dig came over to have a look.
“The reactions from the much more experienced detectorists confirmed I really was holding something very special.”
Chris Ulliott is now selling the relic worth thousands with London-based Timeline Auctions.
Experts say the hanging bowl – dating back to the 6th century – was considered a “prestige item during the Roman period”.
Aaron Hammond, chief operating officer at Timeline Auctions, said: “It is an incredible discovery to have one of these bowls with the remnants inside.
“It is rarely rare to find the entire bowl and it is a significant find for the country.
“The vendor was pretty shocked when I gave him my valuation.”
The sale takes place on September 5.
How to check if you have a valuable item
If you find anything that is legally defined as treasure, it must be reported to the local coroner.
The report must be made within 14 days of either the date of discovery or the date on which you realised the item could be treasure.
The penalty for not declaring treasure is an unlimited fine and up to three months in prison.
Items defined as treasure include metallic objects other than coins that are at least 10% precious metal by weight and are at least 300 years old.
For coins, any two from the same find that are at least 300 years old are defined as treasure.
Non-treasure items of cultural or historical interest can be reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme in England or Wales.
There are slightly different rules in Scotland and Northern Ireland, which can be found on the devolved governments’ websites.
After you make your report, you’ll be contacted by either a local Finds Liaison Officer or museum curator, who will discuss next steps with you.