Heavy metal

15 September 2020

Precious metal has been in the news recently. But I’m not talking about the price of gold which has been reaching record levels as investors seek a safe haven in turbulent times.

It’s because metal detectorists have been recording some significant successes. One of them recently discovered Bronze Age artefacts “of national significance” near Peebles, in the Scottish Borders, while earlier in the year it was reported that a hoard of Roman coins had been unearthed in Derbyshire.

Historic England has put £50,000 towards establishing an Institute of Detectorists to promote good practice.

Could this be a hire opportunity as people take up new leisure activities closer to home?

Some hirers already have metal detectors in their fleets. One is Beaver Tool Hire (Chichester), which says they are in demand, but not necessarily by treasure seekers.

“We’ve offered them for years,” says operations director, Tony Criddle. “The classic case was when a woman visited our Waterlooville depot five years ago, desperate to hire one.

“Her five-year-old son had emptied her jewellery box out of the bedroom window, scattering the contents all over a vegetable patch. That’s the usual sort of application they’re hired for.

“A former member of staff was a keen metal detectorist himself,” adds Tony. “He always enjoyed demonstrating the machines to customers.” 

(Photo: Jakub Orisek/Pixabay)