Gold rod found in field declared as treasure

A gold rod found in a field in Derbyshire has been declared as treasure.

Chesterfield Coroner's Court heard on Thursday that the item - which is 57.2mm long and weighs 19.1g - was found on "cultivated land" during an organised metal detecting event around Whitwell, Derbyshire, on 26 October 2024.

A report into its provenance said it could date back to the Bronze Age or the early medieval period.

As it is more than 300 years old and is at least 10% gold, it was deemed to meet the requirements of the Treasure Act 1996.

The finder of the rod, Rachael Storer, was not present during the hearing, but assistant coroner Sarah Huntbach referred to a report written by finds liaison officer Amy Downes, who examined where the rod could have come from.

One end of the cylindrical rod had been cut, with the diameter ranging from 4.9mm to 5.7mm where the main rod was 5.2mm.

Marks on the rod "suggests the metal was hammered into shape", Ms Huntbach said, with a slight curve seen in the middle of the item.

"The rod may have been part of a bracelet or an armband that has been cut into smaller pieces," she said.

While noting the shape "is similar to a number of Bronze Age examples", such as the Fittleworth Hoard held in the British Museum, she said there were also other markings that looked like "rods found in early medieval contexts".

Though the Bronze Age dating was deemed "most likely", an early medieval origin was also considered "possible".

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