Treasure – The 10th century finger ring found at Kirk Deighton.Posted on 04/18/2008 6:14:59 AM PDT by BGHater
A 10th century finger ring, which was found by a man using a metal detector in a field at Kirk Deighton, near Wetherby, may go on permanent display in a museum in Yorkshire.
Experts at the British Museum say the ring is 65 per cent gold, 33 per cent silver and two per cent copper with a weathered glass stone.
The ring, which was formerly declared to be treasure yesterday at an inquest in Harrogate, was discovered only a few inches below the surface in an arable field by Colin Ashton, of Ilkley.
Mr Ashton told the Coroner for the Western District of North Yorkshire, Geoff Fell, that at first he was not sure whether the ring was real or was costume jewellery.
He said: "I was aware of my obligations under the Treasure Act so I knew I had to find out whether it was precious metal or not.”
He took it to a jeweller in Ilkley who confirmed it was gold.
After consulting a local museum, Mr Ashton took the ring to the Finds Liaison Officer at the Yorkshire Museum in York who delivered it to the British Museum and informed the coroner.
Mr Fell said: "It is quite an impressive ring bearing in mind it is over 1,000-years-old."
The ring, which is similar to one found on the Scottish island of Iona and another at Hitchin in Hertfordshire, will now be valued by independent experts on a Treasure Valuation Committee. The British Museum has said that a local museum is interested in exhibiting it.
Treasure – The 10th century finger ring found at Kirk Deighton.
Finders - keepers.
Losers - weepers.
Why do they give them to the government? Because they are not THEIRS. Same as if you find an envelope with $10K in it. It is the heritage of all the people.
Well, if it was formerly declared to be treasure, what is it now?
;-)
Because most people are fundamentally honest and understand the true value of an historic find. Besides which, if you did try to sell it without declaring it, you run the risk of being shopped to the cops, jailed and having a fine imposed upon you that far exceeds the cash value of your find....
Beautiful!
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