TREASURE FINDS IN ENGLAND REACH RECORD HIGH

Treasure finds in England have hit a record high, with a lamp shaped like a human foot and an earwax scoop among the more unusual items unearthed.

Provisional government figures recorded by the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme show 1,446 discoveries in England in 2024 - up from 1,266 the previous year.

A treasure find can include multiple items, and eastern England has proved the jewel in the nation's crown, with 388 finds last year.

For the first time, the 2024 finds include two objects that meet a new definition of treasure.

Previously treasure had to be at least 300 years old and made in part of precious metal such as gold or silver, or part of a hoard.

From July 2023, this was expanded to objects at least 200 years old and deemed to be of outstanding historical, archaeological or cultural significance, regardless of what type of metal they are made from.

The 2024 provisional figures show a further 85 treasure finds in Wales and nine in Northern Ireland, which has additional restrictions on searching for archaeological objects.

Scotland has a separate law for treasure trove and so its figures have not been included.

 
The silver penny was made for Aethelstan II, better known as Guthrum

The first under the new definition, a 9th Century penny, was in England's treasure capital, Norfolk, which had 138 finds in 2024 - the most of any county.

Dr Helen Geake, Norfolk finds liaison officer, said the area may be the highest for finds due to being rich with arable fields, historically well-populated and good for collaboration between detectorists and archaeologists.

"It's the first official coin issued by Aethelstan," she said. "A proper government coin".

It was minted by a Viking warlord after he became a Christian king, known as Aethelstan II.

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