I thought it was foil! Detector boy bins priceless gold strip
A BOY who found a strip of Bronze Age gold binned it because he thought it was sweet wrapper foil – until his dad realised the error.
When metal detectorist Patrick Hooper, 10, dug up the priceless treasure he did not mention it to his father.
Instead, he innocently tossed it in to his trash bag which his dad usually empties straight into the bin when they return home.
But luckily IT salesman Andrew, 47, tipped the contents on to their doorstep and spotted the rare “ribbon gold”, thought to be between 3,000 and 5,000 years old.
It is now being examined and recorded as suspected treasure.
The four-inch strip is believed to have either been worn in women’s hair or used to decorate a dagger handle. It could be worth thousands of pounds – which will be split 50/50 between Patrick and the owner of the land near Andover, Hampshire.
Dr Simon Maslin, Finds Liaison Officer for Surrey and Hampshire, said: “It is believed to be Bronze Age ribbon gold which is enigmatic as it was used for personal adornment.
“The shape and the decoration are indicative of that time and it’s not very common to find such a piece.”
Patrick, from Fleet, Hampshire, said: “I can’t believe I’ve found something so rare that it’s treasure.
“I wasn’t even excited when I found it. It looked like a sweet wrapper and I put it in the trash bag and didn’t even mention it to anyone.
“Normally my dad empties the trash bag straight into the bin, but luckily this time he didn’t.”
His mum Carly said: “He is so passionate about metal detecting. It brings history to life for him.
“He will find a Roman coin, for example, and go off and research everything about that age.”
Patrick added: “I’ll never throw anything in the trash bag again without checking it carefully.”