.....amateur treasure hunter finds largest Anglo-Saxon treasure/booty.....I bet a DISC or Nat GEO or HIS special is coming......


Largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure found in UK

....An amateur treasure hunter prowling English farmland with a metal detector stumbled upon the largest Anglo-Saxon treasure ever discovered, a massive seventh-century hoard of gold and silver sword decorations, crosses and other items, British archaeologists said Thursday.

One expert said the treasure would revolutionize understanding of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people who ruled England from the fifth century until the Norman conquest in 1066. Another said the find would rank among Britain's best-known historic treasures.

"This is just a fantastic find completely out of the blue," Roger Bland, who managed the cache's excavation, told The Associated Press. "It will make us rethink the Dark Ages."

Bland said the hoard was unearthed in what was once Mercia, one of five main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, and is thought to date to 675-725 AD.

A total of 1,345 items have been examined by experts and and 56 lumps of earth were found to contain metal artifacts detected by an X-ray machine, meaning the total will likely rise to about 1,500.

"I think wealth of this kind must have belonged to a king but we cannot say that for absolute certain," Bland said.

The Anglo-Saxons were a group of Germanic tribes who gradually invaded England by sea starting in the fifth century in the wake of the collapse of the Roman Empire. Originally, they came from what is now the coastal region of northwest Germany.

Their artisans made striking objects out of gold and enamel and they also created poetry that still amazes people today. Their best-known literary work is "Beowulf," an anonymous epic poem about a warrior who does battle with monsters and a dragon.....


truly BOOTYlicious....?

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2009 10:55AM by NewtonMP2100.

Great. I had to Google J. Lo. just to satisfy the tease.

(and no, this is not about J. Lo's ass) I wonder what monetary gain or reward, if any, the finder may receive.

He may get some historical acclaim, to be eventually known only as "a guy with a metal detector..."

So will he be able to parlay the cache for cash? It's probably not *his* stuff, no finders keepers, but I hope he at least got a "memento" before calling the authorities.

Maybe a large broadsword with which to spank some comely wench's ass?

Innkeeper!

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Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

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An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

I too wonder what the finder's cut of the loot is. There has to be some compensation for him, I would think. And yes, I would sort of hope that he snagged a small heirloom for himself, after all, if he hadn't found it...

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

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lipskidder
Great. I had to Google J. Lo. just to satisfy the tease.

Typically, finds of this nature are governed by the laws of that particular nation and, possibly, by more local laws. So, no finders keepers and no "stuffing the shirt pocket" with loot. This is quite literally what may be termed "national treasure."

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Hurts like a bastid...

According to the article posted on CNN, the treasure will be sold and the guy who found the treasure and the land owner will split the money 50/50

So, no finders keepers and no "stuffing the shirt pocket" with loot.

That's a particular problem for people who go to another country to find artifacts and treasure. It's tough to sneak something through customs.

But this guy may have been on his own turf, so to speak.

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I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

As I recall, British law does allow for "fair compensation" to the finder in many cases... but I don't know the specifics.

I do remember reading that British law is FAR more reasonable to metal detectorists and amateur archaeologists that US law is...
Had it been found HERE, not only would he not be allowed to keep so much as a single coin, but in most cases, he'd be serving prison time for it... ususally on some charge like "disturbing an archaeological site" even if he turned it up in his back yard while digging a post hole..

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Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
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Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
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Eureka, CA

Oh, and by the way: COOL FIND!!!

Let's hope it's at least as significant as the Sutton Hoo treasure trove!

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Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
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Eureka, CA

Found this quote about the finder getting a share;

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The hoard was officially declared treasure by a coroner, which means it will now be valued by a committee of experts and offered up for sale to a museum. Proceeds would be split 50-50 between Herbert and his farmer friend, who has not been identified. The find's exact location is being kept secret to deter looters.

Bland said he could not give a precise figure for the worth of the hoard, but he said the treasure hunter could be in line for a "seven-figure sum."

Also, the Staffordshire Hoard already has a web site;
[www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk]

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Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

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Eureka, CA

Good for history's sake. That's cool.

Quote
Paul F.
As I recall, British law does allow for "fair compensation" to the finder in many cases... but I don't know the specifics.

I do remember reading that British law is FAR more reasonable to metal detectorists and amateur archaeologists that US law is...
Had it been found HERE, not only would he not be allowed to keep so much as a single coin, but in most cases, he'd be serving prison time for it... ususally on some charge like "disturbing an archaeological site" even if he turned it up in his back yard while digging a post hole..

I think Mel Fisher got 50% of 50% for much of the 1715 Platte fleet. Big half went to the USA, and the 25% cut went to the state of Florida, whose territorial waters most of the ships were in. He got around lots of the taxes by starting a non-profit museum, donating the booty, and the museum employs him. IIRC. But his son and others died during the salvage, so there was a terrible cost to him for finding the fleet.

They fscked Mel Fisher, big time...

I REALLY like what I've heard about Englands "Treasure Trove" Laws... they don't PUNISH people for finding things!
Sure, there are requirements to protect the archaeological significance of finds, and reporting, and taxes, etc...
But they allow people to be compensated for their finds!
Unlike US law, where more often than not, the Government (Federal, State, or Local) claims it ALL.

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Paul F.
-----
A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
----
Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
--

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Eureka, CA

That was why he got smart and set up the museum/foundation.