Lost & Found. Never seems to happen to me… Item Number: 100035 $0.00

DescriptionIn my life, I have never found anything of value. Sure, I have found the occasional dollar bill lying on the street, and I once found an Indian arrowhead, but never anything of great value. My son Alex once found a hundred dollar bill in a parking lot. And he was only 7 at the time. Still complains to his mother that he should have been able to keep it. Life can be tough when you are 7 – not to mention 54!

A couple of weeks ago I watched the History Channel. The show was about a metal-detectorist in England who last year stumbled upon an Anglo Saxon gold hoard in a rural field. By the time they were done they had found over 1500 pieces of gold. The artistic and historical importance of this find is perhaps the greatest ever uncovered in England - not to mention the fact the finder and the landowner will each be compensated to the tune of millions of dollars each.

Next week, a Roman bronze parade helmet with face-mask will be auctioned at Christies. This incredible piece was also found with a metal detector. Christies has set a pre-auction estimate of 300,000 British Pounds. Based on the photos they have in the catalog, I would be willing to bet this exceeds 700,000 pounds. Called the “Crosby-Garrett” helmet, it dates to the 1st century and is one amazing piece of ancient bronze! Can you imagine the excitement one must feel to hear your metal detector go off, and bend over and uncover an object of such incredible beauty and value? This must be how the Bulgarians feel when they uncover these huge hoards of Roman bronze rings and fibulae – oh, wait, they uncover these under the donkey dung pile in the workshop next door…

A busy week ahead, so we are keeping this blog short and sweet! Happy collecting and happy auctioning!
Bob