A YOUNG factory worker who’s found ‘lots of rubbish’ during years of metal detecting wasn’t surprised when his machine’s digital display indicated he’d found a drink can ring-pull.

Ben Bishop, 30, from Bridgwater, said: “I thought it was another Coke can ring-pull – I’ve found tons of those over the years along with lots or rubbish. 

“I lifted up the turf and started digging, expecting to find another one. 
“But I saw something shining and, when I broke off the mud, it was an ancient gold ring.

“It’s the first gold I’ve ever found. I was so gobsmacked I just sat down on the ground staring at it for 40 minutes.”

The ring has since been identified as Elizabethan and dates back to between 1550 and 1650. That means it could be nearly 500 years old.

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It was found last August in a farmer’s field near Glastonbury where Ben, a metal detector for seven years, had permission to dig.

The gold signet ring, featuring a double-headed eagle, will now be sold at Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire on September 27 with an estimate of £7,500 to £10,000.

Ben said: “I did lots of research on the ring and immediately registered it as Treasure Trove. 

“I thought it may have been Eastern European but it turns out that the Eagle symbol was used on lead tokens when Elizabeth I was on the throne

“The ring was taken away for a couple of months to be examined and the British Museum did a report on it. 

“No museums wanted to buy it so it was returned to me as the finder.

“I had an agreement with the owner of the field that if I found anything of high value I would sell it and split the proceeds. It’s a man’s ring and fits my finger really well, but I have to part with it.

Ben took the ring to show jewellery expert Kate Bliss, a familiar face on TV’s Bargain Hunt and Flog It! 

She was at a free jewellery valuations events organised by Hansons Auctioneers in Stratford.

She said: “This gold signet ring bowled me over. What an amazing find. Ben is an avid and experienced metal detector. It’s been assessed by the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

“Depicting a double headed eagle on a flat oval bezel with beaded border, the ring weighs in at an unusually heavy 17grams. This is a rare find and one which will appeal to jewellery enthusiasts and historians alike.”

The ring will be sold at Hansons’ Jewellery Showcase Auction on September 27. 

This was not however, Ben’s first fantastic find.

While detecting in Ashcott a couple of years ago, he also discovered an antique dog collar which has since been dated back to 1676 and belonged to a Samuel Birch - whose brother, Colonel John Birch, took part in a siege of Bridgwater.

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He is hoping it will be displayed at a special exhibition at Leeds Castle in Kent.

Ben said he had not seen BBC’s The Detectorists, so could not say how accurate a depiction of detecting it was, but added: “Detecting is a bit like fishing, it is just waiting for that good bite.”