Metal Detector Enthusiasts Report Big Finds in England

Recycle and Refine GoldRecycle Precious Metals
Written By Barry Lenson

What Will You Find Closer to Home?

Metal detector enthusiasts have recently found astonishing treasures buried in the British Isles. Last December, a retired police officer who was exploring on the Isle of Man found a cache of Viking-era jewelry that contained a gold arm ring, a silver brooch and other items that were apparently hidden 1,000 years ago.

And then in January, another man with a metal detector found a priceless small gold figurine that might have been owned by King Henry VIII.  He was detecting near Northampton, England, and found it buried next to a tree. You can read all about it in The Daily Mail. How did a gold figure that belonged to that king end up under a tree in a field? No one knows. But then again, part of the appeal of prospecting with a metal detector is that it is possible to make mysterious discoveries that can never be fully explained.

What Can You Find Closer to Home?

Well, you probably won’t find anything that belonged to Henry VIII, no matter where you live in the U.S. But that shouldn’t discourage you from heading outdoors to enjoy some quality time with your detector. You could find buried metal items that can be worth a lot of money. Some of them have collectible value, while others will contain enough gold, silver and even platinum that you can recycle for a nice payout.

And we aren’t pulling your leg. Here are some recent interesting discoveries that metal detector users have reported recently on the Metal Detecting in the USA forum.

Items with Collectible and Historic Value

A 70-year-old aluminum plaque that commemorated a purchase of U.S. Savings Bonds. A man found it near his own barn and is now investigating how much it could be worth.

Civil War-era ammunition. It’s hardly any wonder that detector users keep pulling up ammunition from the sites of Civil War battles. (Did you know that during the battle of Gettysburg, so many bullets were fired that there were no leaves left on the trees?) Neither shell casings nor bullets contain precious metal, but they have historical interest to collectors.

Old coins of all kinds. Users of metal detectors are digging up all kinds of old dimes, quarters, half-dollars, and other coins all the time. Some have collectible value, others not. But all are worth pulling out of the ground.

A 100-year-old Girl Scout pin. It’s certainly not made of gold or silver, but it could be worth a lot to the right collector.

Items Made of Precious Metal

A chunk of silver scrap. The man who found this doesn’t know what its original purpose was, but he does know that it has the same weight as about four silver dimes. Time to recycle!

A silver ring that was made in Norway. A century ago, some lady dropped it on the grounds of a school. Now a prospector has dug it up and will add it to a growing batch of silver bits and pieces to be recycled.

A gold ring with religious imagery on it. The finder reports that he found this buried about four inches underground in a schoolyard. An image that is engraved on it seems to depict the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus.

A 14K gold charm. The finder reports that he and his detector while hunting in a soccer field that is currently in use. The gold this charm contains is worth about $80.00. That is quite a nice find.

Good Places to Go Prospecting with Your Metal Detector

Athletic fields . . . battlefields . . . cemeteries . . . churchyards . . . schoolyards . . . old or abandoned buildings . . . old canals . . . parks . . . areas around factories . . .

And When You Find Gold, Silver or Other Scrap . . .

Give our consultants a call at 800-426-2344. We are here to make it easy to have your detector discoveries tested. We can recycle your precious metal scrap using the most advanced technologies and will pay you full market value promptly.

Barry Lenson
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