TWO treasure hunters struck gold after finding three Bronze Age bracelets worth over £300,000 during a metal detecting rally.
Alan Daniels, 48, and Andy Crammond, 34, from Kilwinning, Ayrshire, found the impressive 3,000-year-old goods in an empty farmer’s field.
Two metal detectorists struck gold when they uncovered three Bronze Age bracelets Credit: BNPS
They could be worth £400,000 Credit: BNPS
During an organised detecting rally in May, the pair unearthed a bracelet a few inches under recently-ploughed soil, which Andy joked almost gave him a heart attack.
It was in pristine condition, despite having been buried under mud for thousands of years.
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Alan continued searching the area in Blackford, near Carlisle, and discovered the second torc a few minutes later.
At that point they alerted an event marshal and the field was roped off to allow the detecting duo to carry on searching when they found the third bracelet about 20ft away from the other two.
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Alan Daniels and Andy Crammond found the solid gold bracelets in an empty farmer’s field Credit: BNPS
Despite being buried in mud for over 3,000 years, the torcs were in pristine condition Credit: BNPS
Alan said: “I think they have been struck by the blade of a plough which has brought them towards the surface,
“Gold doesn’t tarnish at all and they came out of the ground just the same as when they went in over 3,000 years ago.”
The torcs have been dated to around 1100BC and are at least 22 carat gold with a combined weight of 518 grammes.
They would have belonged to a high status, wealthy landowner who either buried them as an offering to the gods for a good harvest or hid them as he thought his settlement was about to be raided.
The torcs are being assessed by the British Museum Credit: BNPS
The torcs were found in 20ft of each other Credit: BNPS
Andy, a gas engineer, said: “Detectorists dream of these things and that is how it still feels, like a dream.
“I’m waiting for someone to come out of the woodwork and say they aren’t real. It is the find of multiple lifetimes.”
The three torcs are now with the British Museum which is assessing them, with a coroner to rule if they are treasure or finders keepers.
If they are treasure then a museum or institution will be given the opportunity to buy them for the nation at their market value, with Alan and Andy getting a share of the proceeds.
If nobody wants them they will be returned to the finders to sell at auction and the duo will have to split the proceeds with the landowner.
Alan said: “We have been detecting together now for a few years. We don’t do it for the money, we go for the social side of it.
“We have never found anything valuable before and always come home disappointed – until now!
“It was a last minute decision for us to go, I thought it would be a waste of time.
“After about two hours all we had found were some bits of aluminium cans.
“We changed fields and there were a few people scattered around in the new field but they hadn’t found anything.
“I went off in one direction and Andy in the other. After a short while I saw the figure of Andy out of the corner of my eye walking towards me.
“He had his hands clasped together in front of him and said ‘I think I’m going to have a heart attack’.
“He opened his hands and I recognised what it was straight away.”
The British Museum is expected to produce a report on the torcs in the next few months before a valuation committee will determine their worth.
In 2024 thieves stole a similar Bronze Age gold torc from the Ely Museum in Cambridgeshire. It was valued at £220,000.
