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Man finds 16th century sword with his metal detector.

scienceblogs.com — I found the sword on 30 August while metal detecting around the Harbour of the Sheaf Kings. Today we marked out a 2.5 by 2.0 metre trench around the sword, got rid of a lot of vegetation, dug and sieved 2.5 square metres and got the sword out.

Bury
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  • MrBabyMan, on 10/10/2007, -6/+160"There can be only one."
    • cnot3, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Ah, my favorite documentary.
    • gritta, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2Why is this on the front page?
      • chyya, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6hey at least its not another paris hilton story. be happy with what you get... bro!!!
      • picsectionpleez, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Because it's pretty much every geek's dream come true- finding a cool ass old sword from the 1500's with your metal detector! FTW
  • Aharoni, on 10/10/2007, -1/+125So people actually find more than just pennies with those damn things?
    • Prokaryote, on 10/10/2007, -2/+36Hey... don't forget the nickels.
    • desertDenizen, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9My father bought an old farm house in Virginia, built circa 1790. For kicks, he bought a metal detector to see what might be found. At first, he thought the thing was broken because it beeped no matter where he walked. Turns out, there was metal no matter where he walked. Nails, money, old tools, and... a few dozen "balls" -- bullets shot from muskets, probably during the Civil War.
      • picsectionpleez, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Man, metal detectors are just about as cool as police scanners and home made lasers!
    • hulez, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5In Soviet Russia. Sword Finds YOU
    • LogicBomB, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1My grandfather has pulled out everything from bullets to diamond engagement rings from the ground at the local parks. It takes a long time and you really should expect to be doing it as a hobby before pulling anything of any value up - if you ever find anything that is.
  • Ashra, on 10/10/2007, -0/+46Wow, what a cool looking sword. And in such good condition!
  • KevenM, on 10/10/2007, -5/+106Hiro has some explaining to do
  • jongos, on 10/10/2007, -4/+67By the power of Greyskull!!!
  • whataboutdave, on 10/10/2007, -1/+171Not gonna lie - after I read this I had a brief desire to go buy a metal detector.
    • etruscan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+25I'm still having it.
    • TheReverendObsk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+22Same here, I always wanted one as a kid...but in retrospect I think I'd feel pretty silly hanging out at the park waving it over the ground...
      • Reziarfg, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1Stupid double posting.
      • Reziarfg, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3It's not retrospect if you haven't done it yet. It's just having second thoughts. "on second thought, I'd feel pretty silly hanging out at the park waving it over the ground..."

        /word usage nazi
      • etruscan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I hit some pretty remote areas during the summer months that could potentially contain some interesting things under the soil. However, for a good detector you're looking at paying at least $300 - and often close to $1,000. That's a little much to justify for a hobby or a passing interest.

        Unless you find Excalibur.
    • MOJIRA, on 05/17/2008, -2/+13I live in Florida and I'm always amused to see old people combing the beach with metal detectors. I mean, there's water like 3 feet below them, wtf are they going to find?
      • uptown, on 10/10/2007, -0/+21their dentures....
      • Swarms, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2I live in Florida, too. Most people I see don't have metal dentures.
      • HeaveN, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9My grandfather does this on a daily basis living in florida. Goes to populated beaches and he always find lots of stuff, rings, earrings, bracelets, mostly jewelry, then he just pawns everything, he makes prolly 1000 bucks a week just doing this cuz he is old and it keeps him busy.
    • INTERNETMASTER, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1i used to have one, didnt find anything worthwhile but then again i didnt invest years searching with it like this guy probably did.
    • hansk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2i got one for xmas a while ago, never used it yet, maybe someday i suppose when theres something interesting to excavate.
  • Acecrow, on 10/10/2007, -25/+10Is this sword Elvish? Can it summon a living-dead army? If not, then it sucks.
    • Br0wn, on 10/10/2007, -1/+28Yes the sword wears studded suits and sells out vegas shows.
  • SmackMyMac, on 10/10/2007, -5/+30Hey dad what did ya find? Hey, I made that in shop last year, I lost it in a Live-Action RPG.
    • Stormwysper, on 10/10/2007, -1/+27Lightening bolt! Lightening bolt! Lightening Bolt!
      • SniperX, on 10/10/2007, -0/+22LARPing Rule #1: Do not EVER video tape yourself.
      • carleethian, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1it's ok if we sometimes spell words a little bit differently, some would say more correctly...
  • bstew22, on 10/12/2007, -2/+21that'd be awesome to find something cool like this. but i thought metal detectors were only used to pick up babes at the beach....
    • jbmercha, on 10/10/2007, -0/+29Robot babes?
    • zybch, on 10/10/2007, -1/+24Nah, metal detectors don't detect silicone, just silicon.
    • rnwen2750, on 10/10/2007, -0/+20What kind of beaches are you going to?
    • cave, on 10/10/2007, -1/+14I guess it would pick up the underwire in their bikini tops. :S
      • hansk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2lots of buried chicks at the beach where you're from?
    • picsectionpleez, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2ahaha!! +1 for you man
  • h4mx0r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+34King Arthur called. He can't seem to return from Avalon until he gets his sword back. Apparently he still owes the Lady of the Lake.
    • zybch, on 10/10/2007, -1/+32That watery tart who threw a sword at him?
    • drouk1556, on 10/10/2007, -0/+16Maybe, but if I went around saying I was Emperor, just because some moistened bink lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away.
  • yomamaisfat, on 10/10/2007, -1/+32So that's where I left it.
  • Kwinti, on 10/10/2007, -21/+8But does it blend?
    • Sharpezor, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1aw cmon thats a little funny? no? oh...
    • Sharpezor, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1aw cmon thats a little funny? no? oh...
  • mishaco, on 10/10/2007, -1/+67i'll give you 10 gold pieces for it !
    • cderry, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Pfft, I can vendor it for more than that.
    • zdevil26, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0d00d it's a rare! 5m gp n0w!!!!!!
    • hansk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3WTS [Rusty Old Longsword] 1500g pst!!!111one
  • jbmercha, on 10/10/2007, -0/+22Ebay
  • joemofo214, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15give it a month or so and im sure itll be on ebay
  • syroncoda, on 10/10/2007, -3/+11damn thats cool. i wanna find a kickass old sword. and then make a replica of it and put them side by side so you can see a before and after type thingy
    • bratterscain, on 10/10/2007, -0/+14Read up on sword smiths. It is not easy to make a good quality sword and can take years to get good at it to make a combat quality sword. Most swords you can buy today made in a factory would now would probably break or rapidly dull when faced with a quality hand-made sword in that era. A lot went into them and most were passed down through the generations due to the price and labor that went into them.
      • hansk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2even that stainless steel one i got from pakistan?
    • maz2331, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9Some of the old Damascus steel is just now being figured out. I guess if there was a big market for them we could create some really kick ass swords with modern materials and heat treat methods....

      But then again, it's a lot cheaper and more cost effective to just build AK-47s.
      • sicc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Unless you happen to be battling someone with an AK47
  • Br0wn, on 10/10/2007, -5/+294 strength
    4 stam?
  • yujie, on 10/10/2007, -3/+16Its the Kensei Sword
    • GirSaysDoom13, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3Hah, I was just about to make a Heroes joke.
  • KingLeo, on 10/10/2007, -2/+23I wonder if they'll find a body nearby...
    • picsectionpleez, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2dude good call. Does it kind of look like the end of that sword is extra rusty- maybe somehow because it was used to stab someone in battle?
      • AUniquePerson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Or maybe it just had a run-in with some harmless moles during the 400 or so years it was buried.
  • androothebear, on 10/10/2007, -26/+4BLEHAJKHLFDJKHFDSJKJFDSDFS
    • floridiot2, on 10/10/2007, -2/+22Please make sure you are not retarded before you operate a computer.
      • saltshaker2323, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1he's a bear, give him a break.
  • Fanrir, on 10/10/2007, -0/+36It's the sword of a thousand truths!
    • ScottoGato, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8More like the Sword of Omens. "Sword of Omens...give me sight beyond sight!"
  • scabbers, on 10/10/2007, -13/+2"Archaeologist finds 16th century sword with his metal detector."

    fixed it for you.

    If you're not an archaelologist, don't go digging things up yourself because you ruin the context.
  • hexx54, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3epic
  • KingBunny, on 10/10/2007, -16/+6My sword cost $30 on ebay, and it wasn't all old and rusty, and I didn't have to dig it out of dirt, and since my sword works, it means that when WW3 starts in a few months, I can join one of the "middle clans" above those with knives, but still below those with guns. Hoora.
    • rootstyle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Your sword 'works'? Just because it doesn't fall apart when you swing it at anime conventions doesn't mean it works when striking anything made of metal with any reasonable amount of force. Guessing that at $30, it doesn't actually work, where as this sword once polished up, will.
      • Cowmin, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1I don't think you looked at the picture when you say that this sword would work if it were all polished up.
  • uziko, on 10/10/2007, -29/+1pics or it didn't happen
  • Treshnell, on 10/10/2007, -0/+13Find of a lifetime. I spent $250 for a good beginner detector and haven't found much more than beer cans :(
  • rnwen2750, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3That is ***** ridiculously awesome!
  • AgentMull, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I can dig it.
  • deutscheBag, on 10/10/2007, -0/+14Its got less rust than the sweet Rambo knife i bought at the fair in 84'
  • ItsMyWii, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Is it gonna be refurbished?
  • worksmart, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10WTS [16th century Sword] !!
  • ph33rpwn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+53This is why Europe is awesome: you can find f*cking swords in your f*ucking backyard.That is all.
    • maz2331, on 10/10/2007, -2/+17Yeah... but you may also find old WWI or WWII artillery rounds, live bombs, or an occasional helmet with skull inside too.
      • swrostmore, on 10/10/2007, -0/+14so you could find swords, bombs, or skulls, what is not awesome about that?
        • Clixx13, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Trick question, it's all awesome.

          But maybe he's referring to the 'blow off an arm with a live bomb you found in your f*ucking backyard' risk.
        • ElGanyan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3"But maybe he's referring to the 'blow off an arm with a live bomb you found in your f*ucking backyard' risk."

          That still counts as awesome in my book.
      • Ozzy73, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1For sure you could find land mines at my farm. If you are lucky you could find grenades and mortar shells.
        Nobody is allowed in the northern part of my farm for that reason (war went on there almost 30 years ago.)
    • Lokishot, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2^^yeah, that's also pretty good.
    • escortez, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1ya, but we find rocket launchers... above ground (in the front yard):
      http://digg.com/world_news/Breaking_Feds_Seize_Roc ...
  • subcomandante, on 10/10/2007, -8/+1Dugg?
  • standinero, on 10/10/2007, -8/+1damn it someone already made reference to the popular show on NBC about ordinary people with powers.. maybe next time.
  • BradMW, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12WTT [16th Century Sword]+[Gnomish Metal Detector] for [Girlfriend]
  • xXdredgXx, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2oh my god Hiro Nakamura sword yess I can finally stop working on the delorean time machine and start time traveling
  • robjohnston, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1someone is gunna be rich!. Good on him.
  • elroyel1327, on 10/10/2007, -0/+27Dugg for all the nerdy pop-culture references here in the comments.. bless you all.
  • roebeet, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10OK you primitive screwheads, who lost your sword?
    • g33kfu, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Don't know why you're being dugg down. Don't you people get the Army of Darkness reference?
  • Pake, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2You don't just find a sword lying on the ground. Either you buy it at a weaponsmith or you kill a local mob and pull it out it's ass.
  • judicar, on 10/10/2007, -1/+91d8
  • supermanred, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1My name-a-Hiro-Nakamura... Please you give me my sword back OK?
  • Sharpezor, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Like everything else, this especially will be overpriced at the AH
  • holyskeleton, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1in other news, my girlfriend found a pre-historic pizza in an iceberg.

    oh wait, diggers dont have girlfriends. oops.
  • itomixdotcom, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1My metal detector is with me all of the time... I'm the inspector over the mine.
  • iluvkegs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5now all he has to do is keep it in his inventory until he finds some iron ore and pays the right blacksmith the right amount of gil
  • Apoy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I suspect it's the HISTORIC SWORD. Flyff fanatics anyone?
  • shadowmoose, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Eureope has all the cool burried things. We only find crappy horse shoes.
  • LewisBreaker, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1But will it deflect bullets?
  • swisstone, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2*racks brains for pop culture sword references that haven't already been mentioned...
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