The Relic

A metal detectorist has spoken of his excitement after unearthing a rare Anglo-Saxon bowl he had initially mistaken for a " rusty old bucket".

Chris Ulliott found The Relic while taking part in an organised Dig In Ryedale, North Yorkshire , in February.

The Bowl , described as " almost complete, " is expected to fetch between £20,000 and £30,000 at auction on Tuesday.

Mr Ulliott, 36, from North Ferriby , said: " It's pretty special. "

According to Timeline Auctions' website, The Relic is " an excessively rare, almost complete copper-alloy hanging bowl".

Mr Ulliott and the landowner, who intend to split the profits after auction fees, have set a reserve of £16,200.

Describing The Moment of discovery, Mr Ulliott said: " I'd gone down the length of this field without finding anything when suddenly the detector picked something up.

" Whatever it was, it was pretty deep. I dug down. A lot of people would have given up, but since I hadn't found Anything Else I thought I'd stick with it. I wanted to find out what it was.

" I dug down about 2ft (0. 6m) and saw The Top rim of what I thought at first was a rusty old bucket. I could see these little loops on it that still moved. I thought if they're still moving, this object is maybe, at best, Victorian. "

Mr Ulliott's furious digging piqued the interest of other hobbyists who quickly gathered around him, he recalled.

" There were people there who were a lot more experienced than me, " He Said . " They told me they thought it looked Anglo-Saxon. "

Checks with an archaeologist confirmed their suspicions.

Mr Ulliott said The Find was " really exciting" adding he had previously only found " the odd Roman and medieval coin".

Brett Hammond, Managing Director of Essex-based Timeline Auctions, said The Find was all the more rare as copper alloys do not tend stand The Test of time.

" This is exceptional, " He Said . " Either soil conditions were perfect or the workmanship was of a very high quality indeed. "

The Anglo-Saxon age in Britain was from around AD410 to 1066.

Meanwhile, Mr Ulliott said he had only taken up metal detecting in 2020 as a way of making his daily exercise during the pandemic more interesting.

" I contacted my local police and they said I was fine to take my metal detector with me on local walks during lockdown, " He Said . " I'd go to Hessle or North Ferriby foreshore, on The Banks of the Humber. "

Mr Ulliott said he had since graduated from a £200 Entry Level metal detector to a top-of-the-range instrument, costing about £2,000.

" Metal detecting is definitely Getting More popular, " He Said , adding his children Macy, five, and Harvey, three, occasionally joins him on treasure-hunting trips.

Mr Ulliott, a professional photographer, intends to use his share of the proceeds from the sale to buy a new camera " and treat The Family , " He Said .

Source of news: bbc.com