With metal detectors, treasure hunters unearth pieces of British history

Malcolm Weale, a detectorist who found the item displays an early medieval silver penny of Guthrum of East Anglia, the first silver coin minted by a Viking ruler in Britain, at the British Museum's annual treasure launch in London, Feb. 11, 2025.

When Malcolm Weale saw the tiny, dirt-covered object he'd unearthed in an English field, he knew it was something special.