Treasure in Norfolk

Family, Friends, Treasure!

Michael and Lorna had always loved traveling and exploring new places. They were in Norwich, England for a week, visiting Michael’s cousin and some old friends. They enjoyed the city’s history, culture and architecture, but they also wanted to do something different and exciting.

One day, as they were walking along the streets, they saw a sign that said “Detectorist Shop”. Lorna remembered that Michael had once told her that he was interested in metal detecting and finding buried treasure. She nudged him and pointed at the sign. “Hey, didn’t you mention some time ago that you would like to try searching for treasure?” she asked him.

Michael’s eyes lit up. He had always been fascinated by the stories of ancient coins, jewelry and artifacts that people had found with metal detectors. He had never tried it himself, but he thought it would be a fun and rewarding hobby. “Yes, I did,” he said eagerly. “Let’s go check it out.”

They entered the shop and were greeted by a friendly man who introduced himself as Dave. He was the owner of the shop and a passionate detectorist himself. He showed them around the shop, which was filled with various models of metal detectors, headphones, digging tools, books and magazines about metal detecting. He explained to them the basics of how metal detectors work, how to use them properly and where to look for potential treasure.

Michael and Lorna were impressed by Dave’s knowledge and enthusiasm. They decided to buy their first metal detector, a simple but reliable one that Dave recommended for beginners. They also bought a pair of gloves, a small shovel and a pouch to store their finds. Dave gave them some tips on where to go for their first dig. He suggested a nearby park that had a history of being used as a fairground in the past. He said there might be some old coins or tokens buried there.

Michael and Lorna thanked Dave and left the shop with their new equipment. They were eager to start their adventure. They walked to the park and found a quiet spot away from the crowds. They turned on their metal detector and began to sweep it over the ground.

They didn’t have to wait long before they heard a beep from their headphones. Michael looked at the display of the metal detector and saw that it indicated a possible coin-sized object about six inches deep. He marked the spot with a stick and dug carefully with his shovel. He felt something hard in the soil and pulled it out.

It was a coin! Michael rubbed it gently with his glove and saw that it had a faded image of a king’s head on one side and some writing on the other. He couldn’t tell what year or country it was from, but he guessed it was very old. He showed it to Lorna, who was equally amazed.

They put the coin in their pouch and continued their search. They found another coin soon after, then another one. They were getting more excited with each find. They wondered how many more coins were hidden under the ground.

After about an hour of digging, they stumbled upon something bigger than a coin. Their metal detector gave a loud beep and showed a large object about a foot deep. Michael dug eagerly and uncovered a round ceramic vessel with a lid on it. It looked like an old jar or pot.

He lifted it carefully and opened the lid. Inside, he saw more coins! There were dozens of them, of different sizes, shapes and colors. Some looked silver, some looked gold, some looked copper or bronze. Some had images of kings or queens or animals or symbols on them. Some had writing in languages they didn’t recognize.

Michael and Lorna gasped in awe. They couldn’t believe what they had found. They had stumbled upon a treasure trove! They wondered who had buried it there and why. How old was it? How much was it worth? What stories did these coins tell?

They felt like they had just made the discovery of their lives. They hugged each other and smiled widely. They couldn’t wait to show their find to Dave and learn more about it.

They packed their vessel and coins in their backpack and headed back to the shop. They were thrilled with their first dig and eager for more.

They had just become detectorists.