A diary of my treasure process-(Rob) Tafflaff *UPDATED Valuation received B.M

[Roman (Ray)]

yes good luck rob you deserve it butty.

[Terry]

Taff,   I have tried to find your diary,  but have not succeeded,  WHERE is it.
Kiwi Terry

[Legacy Hunter]

it is very interesting to know what goers on well done rob
debs

[waltonbasinman]

Such a great find Rob and it will be great to see it on display.

[Tafflaff (Rob)]

Updated...... go to top

[detectordave]

Its looking better all the time for you Rob, the wheels turn a lot quicker than some of the stories that we hear of.

[MetalDetective]

I hate to play a role of a forum sceptic but Knights Templar (real ones, not Dan Brown variety ) are one of my favourite subjects and I have never, in any literature on the subject, have come across similar ring. Templars were a monastic order and jewellery wearing was just not their thing, being impractical for a knight and somehow against their vows of poverty. Also the design of this signet does not look medieval and I was surprised when you wrote:

Without going into too much detail there is only two other similar 12th Century
rings of similar styling to the one I have found - one of these being a fragmented ring.

Is it possible for you to obtain any photos of those rings? To me this find looks modern and was perhaps connected with "templar or holy grail tourism", which is now so popular or, as a friend suggested, its design is reminiscent of coptic church, but also in a modern context. I am hoping that I'm wrong and that BM will date it as medieval, which would be really fantastic

[Tafflaff (Rob)]

I could not find any pics of the other two rings , but they are in the treasure reports online. There also a very similar ring in Cardiff museum. Same type of Cross on it.

[Jonola (Jon)]

Plus as any archaeologist would tell you its all about context. And the ring was found in an area rich with Templar history. i don't think it would have passed through the hands of the people it has if it wasn't the genuine article.

[Chef Geoff]

Hi MD, there are many believed templar rings in museums throughout Europe, one of which is below.
The crude manufacture on Taffs example is reminiscent of medieval workmanship.
I'm afraid there is no similarity to the coptic cross whose finials end in points and must by tradition contain a circle, but could be a similar Canterbury cross.
As you will know if you have read much on the subject, the medieval view of a  vow of poverty and ours is somewhat different. The templar knights were a minor element in the templar movement and it's still not fully understood if the ancillary staff also took the same vows. The templar movement was the richest organisation of it;s time, which became the main reason for it's eventual downfall.

[MetalDetective]

Plus as any archaeologist would tell you its all about context. And the ring was found in an area rich with Templar history. i don't think it would have passed through the hands of the people it has if it wasn't the genuine article.

Unfortunately we had literally hundreds cases of misjudged dates or even types of objects. Even BM had a few famous cock ups. Archaeologists are not infallible you know
As regarding the context that is precisely why I wrote about a possibility of a modern "holy grail" tourist loosing it at exactly the type of site they are visiting after reading too many Dan Brown books If on the other hand this ring was found with some other medieval bits next to it, then yes, we would have a proper archaeological context. I don't know what else was found on the trip so maybe Rob and other guys can check their finds bags as maybe they've got something else from the stated period. 

Chef - most of those rings are also called "crusader" rings as they probably date from the time of the crusades, but as far as I know there are no proven associations with the Templars. By that I mean positive grave find for example. Although it's not impossible that a ring like the one shown on your photo was worn by some Templar knight or serving brother, you will note a complete difference in styling. What Rob found is a typical heavy signet ring, not common in XII century.
And yes, Templars were rich as an order but individual brothers and knights carried only the basic possessions of their own and any display of wealth was frown upon by their superiors.
I really do hope the experts will be able to confidently state that it is indeed a XII century ring with Templar connection. To me personally, that would be sensational and great news

[Tafflaff (Rob)]

Rob Tafflaff -

Recently I have been lucky enough to find my own potential treasure in the shape and form of a possible 12th Century Silver ring with what could be a Knights Templar design on it.

Even though it was found in the vicinity of an important Templar historical site. I personally do not believe the BM are going to say its owner was or was associated with the Knights Templar. Can it be dated to the 12th Century? Well apparenty the non invasive particle test they do can date it quite accurately from the build up of  inlaid niello on the ring.  As you can see in the above quote the designs on the ring only resembles Templar designs.

[MetalDetective]

You're absolutely right Rob in saying that the BM won't be able to state for sure that it belonged to a Templar as it wasn't found in a Templar grave, but if they will date it as say XII/XIII century then, given the location, the likelihood of it belonging to one is very high indeed. Let's hope for the best

[Tafflaff (Rob)]

Updated click link to go to Diary.................... http://www.detectingwales.com/index.php?topic=5182.msg48552#msg48552

[PHIL YNYSBOETH]

I cant believe it takes this long to sort out the treasure process if it wasn't for you it would still be in the ground where no one could enjoy it.
While the suits deliberate i bet its stuck in some dusty old draw in the vaults of a museum
You can see why Detectorists Sell they're finds on Auction sites or Markets like Abergaveny or that one in Cardiff that i cant remember the name of.

I read this a few months ago from a book written by a very influential Detectorist
Treasure Trove:
 "This came about as an excuse to raise capital rather than preserving antiquites.
When Queen Elizabeth 1 was down on her last few coppers,she passed the law that any gold or silver found buried belongs to her, or as we now say the Crown"

Phil Jones
"Fighing the Power"