A spectacular find by a Brightlingsea woman is being examined by British Museum experts.
Sword fragment? - the gold relic found by archaeology enthusiast Corinne Mills.
Corinne Mills, of Sidney Street, stumbled across an early medieval runic gold fragment in Kelvedon last August.
The historical remains were declared Treasure Trove under the Treasure Act yesterday by Essex Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray.
Under the Act, people must report objects containing a substantial proportion of gold that are at least 300 years old, to the district's coroner, within 14 days.
Ms Mills said she found the relic, believed to be 90 per cent gold, on one of her usual weekend trips scouring the fields of Essex with a metal detector, and reported it two days later.
The 49-year-old history and archaeology enthusiast added the item is the size of a finger nail, just under a centimetre thick, and has three Anglo Saxon runes inscribed on it.
It is believed the fragment may have once been part of the pommell of an Anglo Saxon sword that was chopped up by Vikings.
Ms Mills said the British Museum has been looking at the item for some time and valuation specialists may later try to determine how much it is worth. If it is seen to be valuable and a museum is prepared to pay for it, the money will be split between Ms Mills and the landowner of the area it was found in.
A circular silver medieval pennannular brooch, which Ms Mills found last September, has been returned to her but no value has been placed on it.
More in today's Evening Gazette
Published Wednesday, February 8, 2006
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