Metal 'detectorist' unearths treasure thought to be part of King Henry VIII's lost crown
Video report by ITV News Midlands Correspondent Ben Chapman
In lockdown, metal detecting may be perfect for outdoor, solitary exercise. And there may be a chance of stumbling across buried treasure.
That's what happened to Kev Duckett who astonishingly discovered a solid gold figurine, that could be part of the lost crown of King Henry VIII, buried in a farmer's field.
"As I picked up the clod of earth I saw that glint of gold sticking out the side so it was quite an incredible moment," he said.
"You savour the moment, I spent quite a while slowly uncovering it, you know, like having a half-wrapped present and you just sort of take the soil off the find gradually and the excitement builds."
Because his find was gold and more than 300 years old, by law he had to report it to the coroner who declared it as treasure.
That means it officially belongs to the Crown but Kev and the landowner could still get a reward of as much as £2 million.
And more treasure is being discovered than ever with 1,300 finds in just one year.
Among them, Lisa Grace and Adam Staples, part of a group that found 2,500 Norman coins in Somerset. It followed the discovery of Anglo Saxon coins by Paul Coleman in Buckinghamshire five years earlier. The Department of Culture Media and Sport has said the rise in the number of metal detectors started before the pandemic suggesting Britain is fast becoming a nation of treasure hunters.
To find out more about Kev's buried treasure, visit his Facebook page.