Treasure hunter finds gold helmet of the lost crown of Henry VIII

An amateur treasure hunter found gold – literally.

Kevin Duckett was hunting for treasure with his metal detector in a field near Market Harborough, Northamptonshire, England, when he unearthed a solid gold statuette that experts believe was part of a lost statuette of Henry VIII’s crown.

“At first I wondered if it was a crumpled aluminum foil plate from a Mr. Kipling product from the 1970s, or even a gold milk bottle cap,” Duckett told Sun.

“I received a very high positive signal from my detector and started digging before I found anything … It was housed in the side of a hole just a few inches deep.”

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

In 1649, Oliver Cromwell abolished the monarchy, beheaded King Charles I and ordered the crown, formerly used by Henry VIII, to be melted, minted and sold like coins – orders that were not followed.

According to the Sun, the 344 gems in the crown were sold separately, while other parts of the crown were passed intact so they would never be seen again.

The crown was worn by Henry VI II in his coronation and during his marriage to Ana de Cleves in 1540. The helmet was later used in the coronations of his sons, Eduardo, Maria and Isabel, and after Jaime I and Carlos I.

Historians think the figurine might have stood out when Charles escaped, or he buried it to keep it away from Cromwell.