Treasure hunter finds gold headpiece from the lost crown of Henry VIII

An amateur treasure hunter struck gold – literally.

Kevin Duckett and his metal detector were searching for a treasure in a field near Market Harborough, Northamptonshire, England, when he excavated a solid gold statue that experts say is part of a long lost statue from the crown of Henry VIII. .

“Initially, I wondered if it was a crumpled foil bowl from a Mr Kipling product from the 1970s, or even a gold milk bottle top,” Duckett told the Sun.

“I got a very loud positive signal from my detector and started to break down before I noticed anything … It was in a few inches down the hole of the hole.”

Duckett found a solid 2.5-inch gold and enamel figure that has been lost for more than 400 years.

In 1649, Oliver Cromwell abolished the monarchy, beheaded King Charles I, and ordered that the crown, once worn by Henry VIII, be melted down, minted, and sold as coins — orders not followed.

According to the Sun, the 344 gemstones of the crown were sold separately, while other parts of the crown were transferred intact to never be seen again.

Henry VI II wore the crown during his coronation and during his marriage to Anne of Cleves in 1540. The chapter was later used during the coronations of his children, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, and thereafter of James I and Charles I.

Historians think the statue could have come loose when Charles escaped, or he buried it to keep it from Cromwell.