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BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)
Pic: RogerGuttridge/BNPS
David Spohr.
3500 year old solid gold torc found in a Dorset field.
A peckish metal detectorist struck gold after leaving his machine on by accident as he went off for his lunchtime sandwich.
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.
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.
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.
Amazingly, the unremarkable lump was revealed to be a gold lunula, a crescent-shaped necklace dating back to the Bronze Age.
Lunulas were worn by ancient tribal leaders as a symbol of power and authority.
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.