Metal Detectorist Uncovers Rare Roman Brooch In England

Martin Turner initially thought the brooch was a child's toy and tossed it into a bag of scrap metal — but then he took a closer look at it.

A metal detectorist thought he had found a child’s toy while searching a plowed field near his home in Dorchester, Dorset, England. It turned out that the “toy” was actually a 2,000-year-old Roman brooch.

Martin Turner didn’t think much of the object when he scooped it up and put it in his bag of scrap metal. But when he got home and cleaned it off, he realized that it was made of bronze. He alerted a local finds liaison officer, who emphasized how rare the discovery was for the area.

The Roman Brooch That Was Mistaken For A Toy

In June 2025, Martin Turner decided to search a recently plowed field near his home in Dorchester with a metal detector.