Medieval gold ring discovered on April Fool’s Day to be sold at auction

A gold ring unearthed by two metal detectorists on April Fool’s Day in 2024 is expected to fetch more than £10,000 at auction.

Friends Aaron Pizzey, 30, and 39-year-old James Race made their discovery in a ploughed field near Stoke Ash, Suffolk.

Engineering lecturer Mr Pizzey, who works at a college in West Suffolk, said he had been about to throw away a “faulty headset” before they struck lucky.

“That morning had proved fruitless on the first two fields we had searched, so we tried one more field,” said Mr Pizzey.

Friends Aaron Pizzey, 30, and 39-year-old James Race made their discovery in a ploughed field near Stoke Ash, Suffolk (Aaron Pizzey/ PA)

“I had a faulty headset and was about to throw it into the hedge when Jim, who is a product development engineer, said: ‘It’s a good omen, you’ll find gold’.

“Thirty seconds later my Minelab Nox 800 gave a cracking signal, digging down I saw in a clod of earth the colour of gold.

“‘Gold!’ I shouted to Jim, who ignored me, thinking it was a joke.

“Then he saw me waving holding the seal (ring) with a big grin on my face.”

The 14th century Medieval gold seal ring of Matilda is described by auctioneers Noonans Mayfair as “extremely rare”.

It is to be offered as part of a sale of Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Objects of Vertu on September 22 with an estimate of £10,000 to £12,000.

The gold ring will be auctioned by Noonans Mayfair with a pre-sale estimate of £10,000 to £12,000 (Noonans/ PA)

Nigel Mills, consultant to Noonans, said: “The seal ring has a Medieval carnelian intaglio engraved with the image of a Griffin walking to the left, set in the centre of the gold oval bezel which has a flat border inscribed in lombardic script “GRIFFVnMATILIELEMATILIOVR” which may translate as ‘griffin Matilda the maternal countess’.

“This could suggest the ring belonged to Matilda of Lancaster who became countess of Ulster.

“In 1347-8 she became a canoness of the Augustinian Campsey Priory just 20 miles from where the ring was found.”

The two friends declared the ring to the local finds liaison officer to be recorded and will split the proceeds of sale with the landowner.

They plan to spend their portion of the money on a new detector and home renovations.