Amateur Prospectors Find Rare Viking Treasure in UK

By News Dude,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 22, 2007 7:13 AM CDT
Amateur Prospectors Find Rare Viking Treasure in UK
This undated photo made available by the British Museum Thursday July 19, 2007 shows a gilt silver vessel containing gold coins dating back to the Vikings, at the British Museum in London. One of the biggest Viking treasures ever found has been discovered on an English farm by a father-son team of treasure...   (Associated Press)

A pot filled with mostly silver coins, buried for 1,000 years, was found recently by a father and son wielding a metal detector on a farm in Yorkshire, England.  Archeologosists theorize that the find by Dave and Andrew Whelan was booty from a Viking raid on a monastery. The hoard of coins is from England, Ireland, France, Russia and the Arabic-speaking world.

In England treasure of this historic value must be turned over to the authorities.  But the finders are paid; the value of this  trove is expected to be around $1.5 million. This is the largest find of Viking treasure in England since 1840. (More archeology stories.)

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