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‘Dumbfounded’ Truck Driver Stumbles Across Ultra Rare Ancient Treasure

Kevin Minto says he’ll continue to visit the site in the hope of turning up other prizes hidden in the dirt.

A truck driver and former soldier has unearthed a priceless 1,700-year-old gold ring in the English countryside. Kevin Minto, an amateur detectorist, was searching farmland close to Ilminster in the south west of the U.K. when his detector picked up on the buried object. He initially assumed he’d located a coin or a brooch. “You’re a little dumbfounded, really. One of the boys I was with was screaming: ‘We’re rich, we’re rich,’” he said. The piece features an engraved gemstone depicting Victoria, the Roman goddess of triumph, steering a chariot drawn by two horses. Weighing 48 grams and dating to roughly A.D. 297, the object is believed to have belonged to someone of considerable standing during years of regional turmoil under Roman occupation. The South West Heritage Trust, a historic association, paid £78,000 ($105,000) for the ring and 297 accompanying coins. Senior curator Amal Khreisheh hailed the find as “an unparalleled discovery for Britain.” Minto, who paid off his mortgage with his share, says he’ll continue to visit the site where he unearthed the ring, hoping to find other treasures.