DetectingWales.com

By Amanda Williams

An engineer has discovered a 3,500-year-old tribal gold necklace worth £20,000 in a field full of grazing cows.

Part-time treasure hunter David Spohr had given up on his search in the Tarrant Valley, Dorset, and was on his way for lunch after a fruitless morning when his metal detector suddenly sounded.

At first glance he said the dull metal object he unearthed looked to be nothing more precious than a rusty old sardine tin. Little did he know that it was a solid gold Lunula dating back to the Bronze Age. But after wiping off the mud he was shocked to find the object was a solid gold amulet.

The unremarkable lump was revealed to be a gold lunula, a crescent-shaped necklace dating back to the Bronze Age and engraved with an ancient pattern. Lunulas - meaning 'little moon' in Latin due to their shape - were rigid necklaces worn by ancient tribal leaders as a symbol of power and authority.

The lunula unearthed by Mr Spohr weighs 71.5 grams, and is one of only a handful found in mainland Britain  - and the first to be discovered using a metal detector.

Only three others have ever been found in Britain, the last of which was dug up in Wales in 1869.

Mr Spohr, 55, a precision engineer,  has now discovered the necklace could be worth as much as £20,000.
The find would have been worth even more but it is thought to have been damaged by a farmer's plough.
Mr Spohr, from Poole, Dorset, said: 'I headed across the field to get my sandwiches and kept the detector on as I walked.


Mr Spohr, 55, a precision engineer, has now discovered the necklace could be worth as much as £20,000. The find would have been worth even more but it is thought to have been damaged by a farmer's plough

'Halfway across I got the signal. I dug very carefully and was quite amazed when I got it out.
'I could see it was yellow and so shiny. I also saw some engraved edges and I realised it was something special.
'We do find a lot of rubbish and you never think you're going to find a lump of gold.
'I have found some good things in the past but this was the find of a lifetime. You dream of finding something as significant as this. It was unbelievable.'
A treasure inquest will now be held and the value will be split between Mr Spohr and the owner of the field near Blandford.
It is then expected to go on show in a museum.
Mr Spohr, who has been treasure hunting for six years, added: 'It is being examined at the moment and will then go to the coroner who will declare it treasure.

'Its value is decided by a team of experts and typically you split it 50/50 with the landowner.
'I've heard everything from £2,000 to £20,000 but I'm not getting too excited until I get the letter.
'I'll probably use the money to go on holiday.'

A treasure inquest will now be held and the value will be split between Mr Spohr - who has been treasure hunting for six years - and the owner of the field near Blandford

Part time treasure hunter David Spohr had given up on his search in the Tarrant Valley, Dorset, and was on his way for lunch after a fruitless morning when his metal detector suddenly sounded

It is thought the lunula is between 2,500 and 4,500 years old but it is hoped the British Museum, who are currently examining it, will be able to narrow down the date.
Members of the Stour Valley Search and Recovery Club, of which Mr Spohr is a member, say the lunula is the most exciting find in their 30-year history.
Research by club members suggests that more than 80 of the 100 lunulas found in the past were in Ireland and several others on the coast of mainland Europe.

In mainland Britain, one was found in Wales in 1869 and three on the coast of Cornwall.
David Eagles, the club chairman, said: 'It is a very exciting find - a once in a lifetime discovery.
'Our club has been going 30 years and I can't think of a more significant find.
'We have been searching those fields for 25 years and they still continue to surprise us.
'David called me over when he made his discovery and it was very exciting to see the necklace come out of the ground.
'It is a wonder that it was still in tact after all these years.'

That's a wonderful find, the stuff of dreams.   Looking at the clod shot I wonder what else can be seen.  Is that bone, top right.  And I wonder what the copper bits are.
Did he come across the remains of a burial mound that had been ploughed over.  Interesting.


Val

p.s. Wonder where in Wales the last one was found.

all i can say is.

OMG :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

what an amazing find!!!!
that would be a dream come true.

brilliant story neil

What a cracking find, It must be an amazing feeling to find something like that

I bet whoever made his headphones is going to be bragging (http://i693.photobucket.com/albums/vv294/Chef_02/2014_whistling_and_rolling_eyes.gif)

A fantastic find and reinforces the argument that a site is never ever done to death ;)

Val I think the copper bits are grass and the bone is chalk ;)

So do we take it that those are CHEFPHONES and that he was wearing CHEFPHONES when he found it and it was while
wearing CHEFPHONES that he heared a clear and precise tone that only CHEFPHONES can give. ;)

Chefphones strike again!

You should stockpile all these images of major finds using Chef Phones for your site Cheffy - great PR. Don't ask Taff though as I'm guessing you won't want any of scrap metal! ;)

See you soon
Neil

lol  ;D ;D

If that's grass, all I can say is, there is too much Nitrogen in the soil  ::)

Only place in my field that green is where the horse used to pee.    Thanks for the explanation Geoff.


Val

Yes I think the photographer has been a little liberal with the colour as the blue of his jacket and yellow on the spade are a little vivid too ;D

Hay iv got chefphones & what a difference to my garrett phones "and I found my hammered last week let hope found some gold!, what a very nice find £20 k

Great find we can only wish for haha

(EPIC FAIL) sorry Geoff there predator headphones mate

In that case finding that necklace was just down to luck ;D ;D

Damn and what's worse he's got a pair of mine too :'(