Watched chasing birds and found a treasure trove of Celtic gold staters for a record sum

It's like The Detectorist! A birdwatcher was watching magpies and buzzards over a freshly ploughed field when he caught a sharp glimpse of something golden. Arriving at the site, he found a 2,000-year-old Celtic coin in the mud. As he is also an avid detectorist, he went home to get his equipment and when he returned, within hours he found another 1,300 gold coins dating back to the mid-1st century. His find set a new British record.
The 50-year-old lucky finder wishes to remain anonymous. He fears that unexpected events "could change his life". He told Treasure Hunting magazine, "Although I'm a keen detectorist, I was really just birdwatching that evening. After a buzzard duel with a pair of magpies, I looked down and noticed something lying in a deep furrow that ran along the edge of the field. I bent down and picked up what I took to be an old mat. I rubbed it and felt its thickness. I saw a glint of gold and realized it was a beautiful Celtic gold statere. I was left sitting there in utter shock. Then I saw a second coin about 60 cm away and by then I was rushing home to get my detector."
When the finder returned, he noticed a "really strong" signal at the site of the trench. He excavated another 40 cm or so of soil and saw what looked like a copper bracelet, but was actually the rim of a ceramic container that held other coins.At one point, he says he saw a "cascade" of gold coins: "With a gentle lift, a cascade of coins literally poured out of the pot - it was a sight that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I had to sit down to catch my breath again. I had just gone for a walk and found a Celtic treasure!"

At that moment, a friendly passerby jokingly called out to him from a nearby trail, "Have you found the gold yet?" After several hours of searching, he finally took the shopping bags out of the car and filled them with gold coins: "As I left the field with the spade, the detector, and two heavy swinging shopping bags, I prayed that the thin plastic handles would hold the weight." He took the gold treasure home and notified the local coroner's office, which is in charge of treasure and historical artifact finds.

Experts say each of the 1,300 coins could be worth up to £650 (about £18,660), or at least £845,000 (about £24.2m) in total. This is a new British record for the number of gold staters. The previous record Celtic hoard was 850 coins - also found by a detectorist in Suffolk in 2008. Editor of Treasure Hunting magazine, Mr Jules Evans-Hart, said: 'This is an amazing discovery. The coins make a substantial contribution to our academic numismatic knowledge. They will no doubt be the subject of detailed evaluation in the next few years."

The Celtic coins may be related to the wars of the mid-first century - when the Celtic leader Boudicca was at war with the occupying Roman forces. It is possible that the coins may have been a military deposit for activities in the eastern areas of Suffolk and Norfolk. The record set is now going through the process of approval and assessment under the Treasure Act 1996. The coroner will decide whether the finder must offer the items for sale to the museum at a set price or can keep them. Any proceeds he receives will have to be shared with the owner of the field.

Roman Němec

Sources: dailymail.co.uk, thetimes.co.uk, nypost.com, unilad.co.uk, thetimes.co.uk