It’s one of those fantasies every kid has.  You see someone combing the beach with a metal detector and you think, “Man, that would be sweet.  Get me a metal detector, find me a big treasure chest full of gold and jewels, and live the sweet life!”  Most people only find junk like discarded underwire from bras or lost military artillery, but occasionally you hear about someone striking it rich.  One man’s metal detection trip has turned him into a millionaire, after an ancient Roman helmet he uncovered while browsing in a Cumbrian field sold at auction for 2.3 million British pounds (or $3.65 million dollars US) during an auction at Christie’s.

Because the find was metal, not gold or precious stones, the discovery belonged to the finder.  Bidders, including the Tullie House Museum, had to win the auction to get it.  There’s no legal means to keep the helmet from being sold internationally, since it’s not a precious discovery, just some old pot metal fashioned into a parade helmet.  It’s literally a case of finder’s keepers.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go look for a metal detector on eBay.

Tags: Roman helmet, Roman helmet auctioned for 3.65 million dollars, Roman helmet auctioned for 2.3 million pounds, Christie’s Auction House, Crosby Garrett Helmet, helmet found by metal detector worth 3.6 million dollars, unusual discoveries

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