Somerset Detectorist Strikes Gold with ‘Spectacular’ Roman Ring Find

THE GUARDIAN: Kevin Minto’s discovery near Ilminster, showing goddess Victoria, has been acquired with coin hoard for £78,000

This screenshot has been taken from this Guardian article. | You’re a little dumbfounded, really,’ Minto said of the find. ‘One of the boys I was with was screaming: “We’re rich, we’re rich.”’ Photograph: South West Heritage Trust
When Kevin Minto, a lorry driver, former soldier and keen metal detectorist, came upon something glinting in a Somerset field, he thought at first it was a coin – potentially quite interesting, probably not amazing.

But the object turned out to be extraordinary: a gold Roman ring, unusually large and exquisitely crafted, set with a finely engraved gemstone depicting the goddess Victoria driving a two-horse chariot.

“It’s hard to explain what if feels like when you find something like that,” Minto said. “It was like being hit by an express train. At first I thought it was a coin, then a brooch, and then realised it was a ring. You’re a little dumbfounded, really. One of the boys I was with was screaming: ‘We’re rich, we’re rich.’” » | Steven Morris | Tuesday, June 2, 2026