Lincolnshire in top five places to find treasure

A Roman furniture fitting in West Keal, a post medieval musket ball at Burwell, a coin at Wainfleet St Mary, a post medieval bell at Market Rasen, a post medieval gold pin on the outskirts of Horncastle and a medieval dagger chape near Sleaford are among the finds.

New research by online metals retailer, metals4U, has revealed the most lucrative areas of the UK to go metal detecting, with many Brits looking for new outdoor pastimes to enjoy during their summer staycations.

Norfolk came out top in the UK, with over 6,500 discoveries in the last 12 months, including a Bronze Age sword and a Medieval chandelier.

Part of a post medieval vessel found in the Mumby area.

In Norfolk, coins (2,142) were the most commonly found object, followed by buckles (450), pots (206) and brooches (201). Other interesting finds included a Bronze Age sword, a Medieval chandelier and various Post Medieval toys.

Many detectors dream of finding gold and in the last year, 216 items made from the precious metal were discovered in the UK. Hampshire was the gold capital, with 25 objects unearthed, including a stunning 7th-century pendant.

For those interested in the Roman period, Suffolk is the place to go, with over 1,500 objects found from that era in the past year. These included a copper ring and a folding knife that could date back to 43AD, when Emperor Claudius ordered four legions to conquer Britain.

This is not the first time Lincolnshire's rich heritage has hit the headlines.

Last year, it was reported a hoard of early fourth century Roman coins which was discovered by two metal-detecting enthusiasts was thought to be the largest haul of its kind to be found in Britain.

The discovery was made in July 2017 near the village of Rauceby, which detectorists 59-year-old Rob Jones and his friend Craig Paul, 32, had searched for years.

Lincolnshire County Council archaeologist Dr Adam Daubney said the coins may have been buried as part of a ceremonial ritual.

More than 3,000 copper alloy coins were examined by The British Museum for valuation.

A post medieval musket ball found at Burwell.

A long-forgotten hidden hoard of Roman coins unearthed on farmland near Spilsby also came up for auction.

The complete ‘Near Spilsby’ collection of 281 Roman coins was discovered by two metal detectorists.

Mainly bronze coins, featuring they featured Roman emperor Constantine the Great and members of his family, would have been buried in the ground near Spilsby around 340 AD.

Metal detecting along the Skegness coast has also won five star reviews on Tripadvisor, with one visitor stating: "My husband used his metal detector on the beach outside of Butlins and all I can say this is the cleanest beach we have been to on the Lincolnshire coast.

"There is very few bottle tops and ring pulls. It is definitely a blue flag beach, spotlessly clean."

Lincolnshire's metal detection experts have also been in the spotlight.

Gary Drayton, who was educated in Spilsby and later lived in Boston, is a regular team member on the Sky History Channel’s popular Curse of Oak Island series.

The petition was launched for Gary to have his own show after fans said he was the real reason why people watched.

The Curse of Oak Island follows the current multi-million pound effort to solve the mystery of a 230 year-old treasure hunt on the small island, situated off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.

10 regions with the most treasure discoveries in the past 12 months:

A post medieval pin found on the outskirts on Horncastle.

Norfolk - 6,527

Leicestershire - 4,101

Suffolk - 3,105

Lincolnshire - 2,650

Hampshire - 2,006

Wiltshire - 1,689

Oxfordshire - 1,647

North Yorkshire - 1,508

East Riding of Yorkshire - 1,322

Somerset - 1,209

Object type: KEY (LOCKING)

Broad period: MEDIEVAL

County: Lincolnshire