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Tuesday, 24th April 2007 (2101 views)

An amateur metal-detecting enthusiast has claimed a mammoth treasure find in Northumberland was "sheer luck".

The novice treasure hunter, John Minns from Arbroath, Scotland, admits his find, which included gold hair rings and bracelets from the Bronze Age, was a stroke of luck as he had only just started his hobby.

Among the finds was a Bronze Age razor, which will be exhibited alongside the other gold objects and weapons at Newcastle University's Museum of Antiquities, until the end of June this year.

Lindsay Allason-Jones, director of Archaeological Museums at Newcastle University, told the BBC: "Hoards from the late Bronze Age containing such a variety of objects in such good condition are very rare in the north of England, so this is an extremely important find."

Gold lock rings, which were thought to have held hair in place or as decoration, were found alongside bracelets and rings as well as an axe head, which was the first thing Mr Minns found.

He told the BBC that his first dig only found a yoghurt pot lid, but further inspection unveiled an axe-head.

 

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