Metal detector discovers Vicking treasure

David Pescovitz: Daniel Whelan and his son Andrew were spending their Saturday as usual, walking around Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, with their metal detector, when the device's beep led to an incredible discovery. The two had stumbled upon a hoard of Viking treasure dating back to the 10th century. The stash, containing silver coins, jewelry, and a gilt silver vessel, came from Afghanistan, Ireland, Russia, and many other places the Viking traveled.

From the BBC News: The pair, from Leeds, said the hoard was worth about £750,000 as a conservative estimate.

They told the BBC News website: "We've been metal detecting for about five years; we do it on Saturdays as a hobby.

"We ended up in this particular field, we got a really strong signal from the detector... Eventually we found this cup containing the coins and told the antiquity authority.

"We were astonished when we finally discovered what it contained..."

It was probably buried for safety by a wealthy Viking leader during the unrest following the conquest of the Viking kingdom of Northumbria in AD927.

A spokeswoman for the (British Museum) said: "The size and quality of the hoard is remarkable, making it the most important find of its type in Britain for over 150 years."

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