Metal detective Stephen Barrass could be in line for a windfall after discovering two Bronze Age axe heads in a field near his home.
Mr Barrass, a 41-year-old factory worker from Delves Lane, Consett, had been metal detecting for three years with hardly any success, until he found the 3,000-year-old artefacts - believed to have been a religious offering - just 10 inches below the surface of a field at nearby Castleside.
At an inquest in Chester-le-Street yesterday North Durham coroner Andrew Tweddle formally declared the findings to be treasure. They are currently waiting to be valued at the British Museum.
Whatever experts declare to be their value will then be divided as a "reward" between Mr Barrass and the owner of the land.
Mr Tweddle said he was not prepared to reveal at the hearing the exact location of the find, "because we don't want coachloads of metal detectives descending upon it".
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