An apparent children's toy found by a metal detectorist has been uncovered as a rare 2,000-year-old Roman brooch.
Martin Williams found the artefact in a field near his home in Dorchester, close to where he had found children's model cars from the 1960s and 70s.
As a result, he assumed the brooch was something similar.
The 54-year-old said: "When I first spotted it in the ground I saw the back of it had a latch, and so I thought it was some sort of badge a child may have worn.
"I then chucked it in a big bag I carry for lead, and it was only when I got back and cleaned it properly that I saw the bronze material.
"I thought 'thank God', as I could've easily broken it," he told The Independent.
Mr Williams then invited a local liaison officer to view the item - which has now been dated between 1,800 and 2,0000 years old.
He described it as "an interesting item for Dorset", explaining it is unlike other types of brooch found in Britain.
Mr Williams labelled the brooch an 'interesting item for Dorset'
|BBC
Mr Williams added: "There isn't any Roman road through the field, but I believe there is an abandoned church, which could mean this belonged to someone going to or from church."
The estate maintenance manager for the field has decided to keep the exact location of the find secret.
He himself found 14 Bronze Age axes heads, which are now housed at the British Museum, nearby with his son.
More finds include 30 Roman coins and two medieval posie rings, both thought to be worth more than £1,000 each.
ARCHAEOLOGY BREAKTHROUGHS:
The estate maintenance manager has unearthed treasures now found in the British Museum
| PAMr Williams, who has been metal detecting for around four years, said: "I love the buzz of finding something untouched for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years, and then linking it together with history. It's fascinating."
Any items discovered which could be treasure must be reported to authorities by law.
In order to be classified as treasure, an item usually need to be at least 300 years old if it is not a coin, and be made up of a minimum of 10 per cent precious metal.
If something is declared as treasure, museums can acquire them, offering a reward to the person who found it.
If not, it is usually returned to the finder.
In this case, if the brooch is given back to Mr Williams, he plans to gift it to one of the owners of the estate the field is in for their birthday.
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