Novice finds £1m treasure trove

By Hilary Duncanson - Thursday, November 05, 2009

A NOVICE metal-detecting enthusiast said yesterday he was "stunned" to unearth a £1 million (€1.12m) Iron Age hoard during his first outing with the machine.

Safari park keeper David Booth, 35, had owned his metal detector for just five days when he discovered four 2,000-year-old gold neckbands in a Stirlingshire field. The neckbands, dating from between the 1st and 3rd century BC, represent the most important hoard of Iron Age gold in Scotland to date.

Booth, the chief game warden at Blair Drummond Safari Park, near Stirling, joined experts at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh as the treasure was revealed yesterday. He said he was still trying to come to terms with the importance of his discovery.

"I’d only had the detector for five days. I’d just practised around the house with nails and bits and pieces. I went with it for the first time, parked the vehicle up, got out, picked a direction to set off on, and about seven yards away that was the first thing I came across. I was completely stunned, there was a bit of disbelief. This was my first find."

Booth took the bands, known as torcs, to his home near Stirling and contacted the authorities. Under Scots law, the crown can claim any archaeological objects found in Scotland. Finders have no ownership rights and must report any objects to the Treasure Trove Unit.

However, Booth may receive a reward equal to the value of the jewellery.