Rare Gem-Set Medieval Bishop’s Ring & Fine Posy Ring Discovered by Metal Detectorist Friends in Norfolk Sell For a Combined Hammer Price Of £30,000 at Noonans

Two medieval rings that were discovered by metal detecting friends in Norfolk have fetched a combined hammer price of £30,000 at Noonans Mayfair in a sale of Jewellery, Silver and Objects of Vertu today (Wednesday, March 26, 2025). A rare gem-set Medieval Bishop’s ring dating from the late 12th/early 13th century, which was discovered by Mark Sell on King Row in Shipdham, on a cold but sunny afternoon in November 2019 sold for a hammer price of £19,000 [lot 88]. Meanwhile, a very fine Medieval gold posy ring, dating from the 13th / 14th century, that was discovered by Richard Girling in March 2024, in Merton, near Thetford sold for £11,000 [lot 89].

Both Mark and Richard are 63 years old and have been metal detecting together for a long time and were together when Mark discovered the Bishop’s Ring. After the sale, Mark, who had been watching the auction online, said: “It was a wonderful price, and I am delighted with the result,” while Richard said: “I was working in a tree at the time of the auction, so didn’t know how much the ring had sold for until I saw Mark, and I was amazed that it had sold for almost double the pre-sale estimate.”

Before the sale, Mark recalled: “I had been on the field a couple of times before but had not found anything of importance and had been detecting for a couple of hours with a friend, using my XP Deus metal detector, when just before it started to go dark I got a faint signal and dug down about 9 inches to find what has to be the best item I have found so far!”

He continued: “I was amazed to see a thin line of gold in the clod of mud that I had dug up, and as I wiped away the mud, I could see the bezel of a medieval gold jewelled ring. I could also see that the ring was complete with all the original jewels still in place and was in pristine condition.”

The proceeds from the sale of the two rings will be shared with the landowners. Mark, who has retired from the Fire Service, and is planning to use the money to go on a special holiday! while Richard, who is a tree surgeon, hasn’t decided what he will spend his money on.