KevinDuckett is an amateur metal detectorist from Market Harborough, Northamptonshire (UK). One fine day, he decided to take his metal detector for a walk in the fields looking for lost items.
After wandering around for a while, the detector suddenly emitted a strong signal, Kevin Duckett immediately dug and realized that there was something stuck in the hole a few dozen centimeters deep. He carefully picked it up and found that it was a golden statue.
The gold statue that the man picked up is worth more than 62 billion VND. (Photo: The NY Times)
This statue is about 6.4 cm high. After being examined by museum experts, they said that this golden statue is an antique that has been lost for 400 years. It is actually an ornament attached to the crown of King Henry VIII.
King Henry VIII wore this crown when he ascended the throne in 1509 and when he married his fourth wife, Princess Anne of Cleves, in 1540. The crown was later used at the coronations of kings and queens Edward, Mary, Elizabeth, James I, and Charles I.
However, in 1649, Oliver Cromwell, after executing King Charles I, ordered the 3.3 kg crown worn by King Henry VIII to be melted down and minted into coins. The 344 gems in the crown were sold separately while some other parts were smuggled out. Historians believe that the figurine may have been sold when Charles fled.
Experts believe that this statue is an ornament attached to the crown of King Henry VIII. (Photo: The NY Times)
Experts believe the gold statue could be worth up to $2.7 million (about 62.8 billion VND). The museum is still researching the statue. If its origin is verified, they will offer to buy it back at a suitable price set by the expert panel.
“This is fantastic news,” said a museum spokesperson. “I know that across the vast fields of Britain there are many lost artefacts lying undiscovered in the ground. This precious golden statue has finally come to light after many centuries.”
Quoc Thai (Source: The NY Times)
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