Man discovers rare gold bracteate from migration period in Norway

– It’s almost like an April Fool’s joke to find one like that.

That’s what Terje Marken tells Dagbladet about what he found on a field in Romedal in Stange on 14 May.

Just under ten centimeters below the ground, he dug up a gold bracteate.

According to Large Norwegian encyclopedia are gold bracts small, round, richly decorated gold jewelery from the migration period, from between the years 400 and 570. They are made of a thin gold plate and have a diameter of between three and twelve centimetres.

NRK mentioned the case first.

– Extremely rare with gold

Marken estimates that around 95 per cent of what he finds is rubbish – foil, silver paper, beer cans, empty casings and wire. In addition, he finds a number of worthless coins, which he likes to look after.

– There is a very small proportion that can be described as “nice finds”. There is little that ends up on the shelf, so to speak, he says.

This is the sixth season he has been looking for rarities with the metal detector. He happened to come into contact with someone who does it, and learned a bit about the hobby.

– I think it’s a bit like hunting and fishing, or going on a treasure hunt. But it is extremely rare that I find gold.

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– Had to be real

When he picked up the gold bract he did not understand at first what he had in his hand. He thought at first that it was a pewter button, but felt that it was heavier than that.

– I had it washed in a little water, and then it began to dawn on me that it must be real.

Ownerless objects from before 1537 are State property according to the Cultural Heritage Act, so Marken sent an SMS to archaeologist May-Tone Smiseth in Innlandet County Municipality.

In her answer, according to Marken, she wrote that she was about to leave the chair.

She tells NRK that golden bracteaters are extremely rare, and that only two specimens have previously been found in the interior. She estimates that the number on a national basis is around 100. Dagbladet was unable to get a comment from Smiseth on Saturday.

– The first appeared in an altar under a church in 1791. That says something about how far apart there is between the finds of such objects, the archaeologist says to the state channel, adding that she would say that the gold bractate that Marken has found is priceless.

She also says that the find in Marken is a little extra special – as it is completely identical to a gold bracteate that was found in Denmark in 1861.

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Belongs in a museum

Marken says that the gold bract was delivered to the county archaeologist, and that it will then probably go to Oslo and the Cultural History Museum, where experts will take a closer look.

– What will it be like to be able to see it in a museum one day?

– It will be a lot of fun. That’s where it belongs.

– Isn’t it a bit boring to hand over such a tax?

– It is probably worth much more than what I get as a finder’s salary, not least for the archeology and history. It’s good not to have it in my safe at home, and to be responsible for it, he replies.

The finder’s salary must be shared equally between the landowner and the finder himself, he says. He is unsure what it will be.

In retrospect, there have been many reactions.

– I have received many congratulations, both from village archaeologists and people in the Norwegian Metal Prospectors Association. It’s only positive and a little overwhelming, says Marken.