'My eyes nearly popped out of my head': Detectorist finds £250,000 pendant in Shropshire

Those are the words of metal detectorist Bob Greenaway, who made the find of a lifetime when he discovered a £250,000 medieval sun pendant in the Shropshire Marches.

The extraordinary sun pendant will go on public display for the first time at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery as part of the British Museum's national programmes.

The Shropshire Star had a sneak peak of the stunning artefact, gleaming in its display box at the museum in the Square. Bob lifted the lid on how it came to be discovered in the Shropshire Marches in 2018.

The retired engineer from Oswestry has been scoured fields for buried treasure for 25 years, but never thought he'd find something quite so astonishingly beautiful.

Explaining how he operates, he said: I usually cross check in both directions to pinpoint where an item is. Then I'll dig out a divot of about 12-14 inches. It was buried about eight inches deep.

When I found it my eyes nearly popped out of my head. I put it in my hand and thought 'it's absolutely perfect'. I was so reluctant to turn it over in case it had a large hole or something.

"I put it in my top pocket, and made sure nothing was in there that might damage it. I did try to carry on metal detecting, but it wasn't happening.

"I had it for two days before I handed it in. I took hundreds of pictures of it."

Bob could have been away sailing on the day he found the 3,000-year-old pendant, but was convinced there was more to be found in the field. And so he was proved right with the once in a lifetime find.

"I found a hoard about a week before on the same field. I found three axes and a spear top. I handed those in on the Tuesday, then went back to the farm the Tuesday after. My friend did say 'Bob, would you like to come sailing', but I had to go back to that field." He added: "During the winter, the cattle's hooves can push down about six inches (into the earth), so it's amazing to find this."

Bob, 75, has been metal detecting for the last 25 years. Asked if this was his most significant find, he said: "Absolutely. I started metal detecting when I was 50. I've always been interested in history, it was the only subject I was any good at in school. I'd have loved to have been an archaeologist."

The sun pendant, also known as a bulla, could be one of the most significant pieces of Bronze Age metalwork ever discovered in Britain. It will be on display in Shrewsbury until December 12 as a British Museum Spotlight Loan Gathering light: A Bronze Age golden sun.

The pendant dates between 1000–800BC in the late Bronze Age period. The elegant form and intricate decoration of the gold pendant includes an exceptionally rare depiction of the sun – not previously seen on objects found in Britain.

Solar symbolism was a key element of mythology and belief in the Bronze Age and this pendant celebrates the life-giving power of the sun during the time of the earliest metalworkers. The sun pendant is therefore a significant addition to knowledge of the art and iconography of Bronze Age Britain.

Councillor Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for communities, place, tourism and transport, said: “This Shropshire sun pendant is truly an incredible find and one of huge importance. We are delighted that this item, which is 3,000 years old, will go on show to the public for the first time at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery.

“This is an exceptionally rare depiction of the sun and undoubtedly one of the most significant finds from the Bronze Age in more than a century. As it was discovered in the Shropshire Marches, it is fitting that Shropshire should be chosen by the British Museum to display it. I am sure it will be a very popular attraction.”