A pensioner found thousand-year-old Viking silver and received 23 thousand rubles for it.

A Viking Age silver bar found on the Isle of Man, UK, has turned out to be a treasure. About it reports BBC News.

Pensioner John Smart discovered a piece of silver using a metal detector in July 2022. The ingot reaches 6.7 centimeters in length and 0.75 centimeters in width. Smart, following the law, reported the find to the Isle of Man National Heritage (MNH). The University of Liverpool examined the bar and concluded that it was 80 percent silver. The ingot was recognized as thousand-year-old – dated 900-1045 AD.

Under Isle of Man law, treasure hunters are required to report artefacts that may be of archaeological interest to MHN. Finds declared treasures are given into the possession of the British crown and are covered by monetary compensation. So, Smart received 200 pounds sterling (23 thousand rubles) for a silver bar. The Viking artifact will be on display at the Maine Museum.

MNH curator of archeology Alisson Fox said silver was the main currency during the Viking Age. Bullion was accepted by traders along with silver coins. Scientists do not know whether the silver found by Smart was temporarily hidden or lost by the owner.

Earlier it was reported that treasure hunters had found the treasures of the legendary Polish adventurer, false prophet and hermit Anthony Jachevsky. The majority of the treasure consists of silver coins dating from the late 17th to early 18th centuries.