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BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)<br />
Pic: RogerGuttridge/BNPS<br />
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David Spohr.<br />
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3500 year old solid gold torc found in a Dorset field.<br />
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A peckish metal detectorist struck gold after leaving his machine on by accident as he went off for his lunchtime sandwich.<br />
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David Spohr had given up after a fruitless morning searching the Tarrant Valley in Dorset and was walking to get his sandwiches when his metal detector went off.<br />
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Curious to know what had triggered the detector he started digging and soon spotted a dull metal object which at first he thought was a rusty old sardine tin.<br />
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But as he dug deeper he realised it was more than it first appeared - and after wiping the mud off it up he was shocked to find it was made from solid gold.<br />
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Amazingly, the unremarkable lump was revealed to be a gold lunula, a crescent-shaped necklace dating back to the Bronze Age.<br />
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Lunulas were worn by ancient tribal leaders as a symbol of power and authority.<br />
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The lunula David found, which weighs 71.5 grams, is one of only a handful dug up in mainland Britain and is thought to be the first discovered using a metal detector.