£2m payout for finder of treasure buried by the Vikings

FOR most metal detector hobbyists, a few pound coins is a good day’s haul.

But one enthusiast’s lucky find has netted him £2million and a place in the history books.

Three years ago Derek McLennan discovered Britain’s richest collection of Viking-age gold, silver and jewelled treasures in a Galloway field.

The Galloway Hoard – as it has become known – has been hailed as a find of ‘global significance’.

Mr McLennan passed the collection to the Queen’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer, which ruled the hoard should be allocated to National Museums Scotland (NMS) on the condition it compensates him to the tune of £1.98million.

Yesterday, museum officials announced that they had raised the cash for the collection of brooches, armbands and ingots, including a unique gold bird pin, pictured – making Mr McLennan a rich man.

The National Heritage Memorial Fund gifted the NMS £1million to secure the collection.

A total of £432,200 was raised through public donations and £400,000 was donated from national fundraising charity the Art Fund, with the Scottish Government gifting the remaining £1 0,000.

Had the funding not been raised by the mid-November deadline, the extraordinary hoard of treasure could have been sold to a private buyer and even split.

Visitors now have until October 29 to see the items at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh before they are taken away for vital conservation work.

NMS director Dr Gordon Rintoul said: ‘The Galloway Hoard is a hugely important find for Scotland and could rewrite tenth century history.’