Woman to sell hundreds of treasure pieces she found

15 hours ago

Alex PopeBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire

News image — Nettie Edmondson started her detecting journey in 2006

Nettie Edmondson Nettie Edmondson is standing outside, in front of trees, with grass behind her, holding a spade and a metal detector in each hand. She has shoulder-length blonde hair, with a fringe, is wearing glasses, and has on a gilet, a beige top and trousers with a tool belt around her middle. — Nettie Edmondson started her detecting journey in 2006

For over 20 years, Nettie Edmondson has scoured the earth in search of hidden treasure.

Her detecting skills have been so successful that her cabinet at her home in Wilden, Bedfordshire, is now full and she needs to make some space.

So on 16 May her collection of hundreds of items found in fields in Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Norfolk will go under the hammer and is expected to sell for about £11,000.

She says she is not auctioning her items for monetary reasons but hopes her finds will go to "someone who loves history".

Hanson Ross The 1½ scripulum (nine-siliquae) gold coin with a man's head on it, and a Roman gold coin from the reign of Constantius II (337-361) with an image of a person on it with one arm out towards a child. — A rare Roman gold coin from the reign of Constantius II (337-361) has a guide price of £2,000-£2,500, and a nine-siliquae gold coin has an estimated price of up to £2,500

The sale will take place at Hanson Ross' auction at Woburn Hotel, Bedfordshire.

It will include a medieval gold annular brooch, a 2nd Century gold Roman intaglio ring, a rare Roman gold ring and an 18th Century posy ring.

The rest of the collection is made up of hundreds of silver and hammered coins.

She says she started detecting while working in Bedfordshire Police's control room in Kempston to cope with the stress.

The idea came after she walked in fields by her home to get some fresh air and saw someone detecting.

"I talked to him, and I thought I could do this. I bought the equipment and haven't looked back," she adds.

She says since she started in 2006, she has collected "hundreds" of items, from all over the country, including her friend's garden, but will not reveal the exact locations.

"I'm not retiring, I'm just selling my items; they just take up a lot of room," she continues.

"It comes to the point when you've got so much - I've filled my display cabinet."

Hanson Ross A gold posy ring dating to about 1550-1700 with the inscription "My hart and I untell I die" could sell for up to £1,200, and a 13th Century gold annular brooch has a price tag of between £600 and £800 — A gold posy ring dating to about 1550-1700 with the inscription "My hart and I untell I die" could sell for up to £1,200, and a 13th Century gold annular brooch has a price tag of between £600 and £800

She says her daughter is not interested in taking the collection on, so "I hope they go to someone who loves history and will appreciate it all".

She then hopes to refill the cabinet.

"It's amazing thinking these items have been in the ground waiting for the joy and excitement I get from finding them," she says.

"I've recorded them all legally, so it's adding to history, which I have always loved; it's been great doing it."

Hanson Ross The 2nd Century gold Roman intaglio ring set with an oval blue nicolo gemstone depicting a male figure seated right on a rock holding a purse in outstretched right hand. It has an estimated value of £1,000-£1,500, image courtesy of Hanson Ross — A 2nd Century gold Roman intaglio ring set with an oval blue nicolo gemstone showing Hercules with a lion's skin over his shoulder could fetch up to £1,500

Edmondson says some of her highlights "have been finding lots of gold, I'm a very lucky girl, from Roman gold, coins and medieval brooches".

"You never know what you're going to find; it's part of the excitement," she adds.

"You get to dig 100 holes, and you'll find 80 bits of rubbish."

Nettie Edmondson A draw full of items found on searches, in a drawer. They are all in plastic boxes with writing by them. They are in rows and include different items. — She has documented and logged her finds over the years

She is thankful she has had lots of "lucky moments", including a medieval hammered coin she found just a month after she started detecting.

It also includes "the find of a lifetime" when she found a rare gold posy ring dated 1550-1700, inscribed with "My hart and I untell I die" in her friend's garden in 2016.

She recalls: "I flopped down, staring at the exquisite object. I was in genuine shock. My friend came down to see if I was okay."

Nettie Edmondson Nettie Edmondson, looking to the left, with long blonde hair, sunglasses on, a cap, and green outfit, with a metal detector in one arm and a spade in the other. A large belt round her middle and a gilet. — Nettie Edmondson is a keen lover of history

Hanson Ross's director, Amanda Butler, said: "The collection is nothing short of jaw-dropping – many detectorists go an entire career without finding gold, but something about Nettie just seems to attract it."

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