The Mildenhall Treasure

In 1942, a major discovery of Roman silver was made on a cold day in quiet Thistley Green. Now on display in the British Museum, the Mildenhall Treasure is comprised of 33 silver household objects believed to be from the 4th century AD. The most fascinating piece is called the Great Dish, measuring 60.5cm in diameter and weighing 0.826kg. On the plate, there are vivid low relief engravings of Oceanus, Hercules, Bacchus, Pan, and other mythical motifs. Some objects in the collection have Christian symbols as well.

Officially, the finders of the treasure were Gordon Butcher and Sydney Ford. However, a more interesting account of the tale is told in Roald Dahl’s short story entitled “The Mildenhall Treasure”. Butcher, a farmer, was hired by Ford to plough a plot of land belonging to a third party to get it ready for the planting of sugar-beet. While Butcher was doing the job, his plough hit something in the ground. Upon examining, he discovered a very large dish. Whether he was scared or just unlucky, Butcher ran to Ford for help. When he came upon the treasure, Ford schemed to keep Butcher out, keeping all the items for himself.

In Britain, the person who finds gold or silver is to make an immediate report of the discovery. He or she will then be rewarded the full value of the treasure by the Crown. The Mildenhall Treasure was believed to be worth up to one million pounds at that time. It was World War II and Britain was heading the Allied cause on the Western Europe front. Indeed, those were chaotic times. Why did Ford keep the treasure when he knew he would not be entitled to the reward? It’s anybody’s guess. After the war, a surprise visit by one Dr Hugh Alderson Fawcett put Ford’s game to an end. Forced to declare the Roman silver pieces, Ford insisted that he thought those were pewter and he escaped the penalty of concealment of Crown property which would have dire consequences. As for Butcher, he was happy with his share of a thousand pounds without knowing that he would have reaped a fortune if he had reported the Mildenhall Treasure right after he found it.
 
Now, you shouldn’t go around digging for silver in your backyard or farm. If you have some silver items to sell to a silver buyer,you should find someone who will pay top money for silver. Don’t be like Butcher or Ford. Sell your silver today.