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Detectorists strike gold despite faulty headset

Laura Devlin
News imageNoonans An oval of gold with an inscription engraved around its entire circumference. In the centre of the oval is a orange-red stone with a creature engraved into it. It appears to have a bird's head and a large body, a lion's hind legs and paws and bird's feet on its forelegs. Noonans
The ring is believed to have belonged to a canoness of an Augustinian priory

A medieval gold ring unearthed by two metal detectorists is expected to fetch more than £10,000 at auction.

Friends Aaron Pizzey, 30, and James Race, 39, made their discovery in a ploughed field near Stoke Ash in Suffolk, in April 2024.

Engineering lecturer Pizzey, who works at a college in west Suffolk, said he was about to throw away a faulty headset just before they struck lucky.

The 14th Century gold seal ring of Matilda has been described by auctioneers Noonans Mayfair as "extremely rare".

News imageAaron Pizzey Two men sitting on the edge of the open boot of a dark SUV-type vehicle parked in a field. They are both smiling, wearing dark long-sleeved jackets and dark trousers and have short brown hair. The man on the right has a brown beard. Aaron Pizzey
Aaron Pizzey (left) and James Race were not having a fruitful morning when Pizzey found the ring

Pizzey said they had not uncovered anything during their search of two fields that morning but decided to try one more field.

He was about to "throw his headset into a hedge" when Race told him it was a good omen and he may even find gold.

"Thirty seconds later my Minelab Nox 800 gave a cracking signal - digging down I saw in a clod of earth the colour of gold," said Pizzey.

"'Gold. I shouted to Jim, who ignored me, thinking it was a joke.

"Then he saw me waving holding the seal (ring) with a big grin on my face."

News imageAaron Pizzey A gold oval with a dark centre. It is embedded in a clod of soil and being held between a man's fingers. Aaron Pizzey
The ring was found in a field in an undisclosed location

The ring is to be offered as part of a sale of jewellery, watches, silver and objects of vertu in a live online auction on 22 September.

Noonans' consultant Nigel Mills said it has a carnelian intaglio engraved with the image of a griffin and its inscription was believed to give a clue to its original owner.

The words "GRIFFVnMATILIELEMATILIOVR" are inscribed on the ring and may be translated as 'griffin Matilda the maternal countess', which could suggest the ring belonged to Matilda of Lancaster, who became countess of Ulster.

In 1347-8 she became a canoness of the Augustinian Campsey Priory, near Wickham Market - about 20 miles from where the ring was found.

The two friends declared the ring to the local finds liaison officer to be recorded and will split the proceeds of sale with the landowner.

They plan to spend their portion of the money on a new detector and home renovations.

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