A three-year-old boy was playing with his father’s metal detector at a field in Essex, England when he found a gold locket worth $4 million.
Call it beginner’s luck
The boy, James Hyatt, was said to have beginner’s luck after he quite literally struck gold while playing with his dad’s metal detector.
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He found a pendant that turned out to date back 500 years and is worth a whole lot of cash.
The boy and his dad found a reliquary
As James was playing with the metal detecting gadget, it began to beep, and when he and his father searched for the cause, they found a reliquary, buried 8 inches below the ground. This happened back in 2009.
The reliquary held a gold pendant
A reliquary is a gold container used to hold religious relics, which are typically items believed to be the remains of objects associated with religious figures.
Inside it was a beautiful gold pendant that experts have since dated to the early 16th century, the era of Henry VIII.
The pendant has mesmerizing imagery on it
The diamond shaped pendant shows an image of a female saint on the front, supporting a cross. It could be that she’s meant to be the Virgin Mary.
While on the back of the pendant, there’s an image of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ, which are the five ‘piercing wounds’ Jesus sustained during his crucifixion.
It likely belongs to the Royal Family
There’s a likely possibility that the pendant belonged to the Royal Family of the period to which it was dated.
And with this in mind, it makes the pendant worth $4 million today. It was declared a treasure trove at an inquest, with James’ family and the landowner agreeing to split the money of selling it between them.
James’ father praised his luck
Speaking to the Daily Mail about the find, James’ father, Jason, said the boy had a knack for good luck and was prone to finding cash in unusual places.
“James was so excited when he realized he had found real treasure,” the father said. The gold pendant now sits at the British Museum.
