Anglo-Saxon treasure field provides a second ‘harvest’ of gold and silver

NINETY new pieces of gold and silver have been unearthed in the field where the Staffordshire Hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure was found three years ago.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Dec 2012, 06:00 BST

The fresh discoveries, made in recent weeks at Hammerwich, near Lichfield, include what is thought to be a part of a helmet and an eagle-shaped object, Staffordshire County Council said.

Council leader Philip Atkins said: “The ploughing of the same field has unearthed a small number of other gold and silver finds. While it is far too early to say exactly what they are, or how old they are, they are certainly interesting finds.”

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South Staffordshire Coroner Andrew Haigh is expected to rule whether the haul of 90 items should be declared treasure at an inquest on January 4.

The Staffordshire Hoard, found by a metal detectorist in July 2009, is thought to date from the seventh century and is made up of 3,900 pieces of precious metal and copper alloy. Valued by experts at about £3.3m, the original finds have since been viewed by more than a million people while on display at 15 venues, including a US museum.

The collection, dated back to the Kingdom of Mercia, went on display after a fundraising campaign which attracted public donations of more than £900,000, as well as contributions from Birmingham City Council and local authorities in Staffordshire.