Father and Son Discover $2 Million Viking Treasure

I always laugh at those people you see with the ground metal detectors...guess who laughing now?

David and Andrew Whelan had ploughed their field many times, but the best it had yielded so far was a few rusty old buttons until they decided to give it one more go.

That's when a signal led them to a single coin, enough in itself for a satisfactory day's hunting. But the Whelans kept on digging and unveiled a glittering haul of gold and silver Viking treasure.

It has been hailed as the most significant find of its kind in England for more than 150 years.

As well as shedding light on the way the Vikings lived more than 1,000 years ago, it is conservatively estimated to be worth around £750,000.

The Whelans are expected to keep half the value of the treasure, with the other half going to the North Yorkshire farmer in whose field it was found.

"It was a last resort really," said David Whelan, 60. "We have been in that field several times and have found nothing more than a few pieces of metal and 90 buttons.

"We were sweeping and then I got a signal. I took a couple of shovels of soil and there was a stronger signal.

"I just kept digging. A ball of earth rolled out of the side of the hole and I could see a coin stuck in it."

Then they dug the hole out to discover the rest of the treasure.

Unveiled at the British Museum, the 'Harrogate hoard' includes a decorated gilt and silver cup, 617 silver coins, a solid gold arm ring, brooch pins and various lumps of unworked silver.

Experts said the five-inch cup - which is decorated with animal motifs - was made in northern France in the 9th Century and was probably used in church services.

The coins date from the 10th Century and come from all over Anglo-Saxon England as well as from parts of Asia.

The necklaces, one of which is made of solid gold, are evidence that the hoard belonged to a Viking noble.

Barry Ager, curator of European objects at the British Museum, said: "It is an extremely exciting find, not just because it is the biggest and best for 150 years. The fact that the items come from all over the world shows the huge extent of the Vikings' commercial links."

Mr Ager said the haul would have either been amassed through trade or may have been looted.

He said it is likely that its owner would have buried it for safekeeping in 927 when the Anglo-Saxons under King Athelstan drove the Vikings out of northern England.

You don't usually hear finds like this in a field. Usually a haul like this is found in the ocean.

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