Magnet Fishing in England
Penny made this rare discovery while magnet fishing in the River Cherwell, which is located in Oxfordshire, England. He’s a magnet fisher, so he was searching for objects at the bottom of the river.
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Magnet fishers are fishers who do not fish to catch fish. Instead, they use magnets while fishing to find objects that have fallen into rivers and bodies of water. Everything from historical items to live bombs have been found by magnet fishers.
Penny’s Bad Day
According to Penny, the day he found the ancient Viking sword, he was actually having a bad day. He hadn’t found anything of interest, so he wasn’t positive he would find anything worthwhile while magnet fishing.
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Before he found the sword, he had only pulled up scaffolding poles from the River Cherwell. But soon, his luck would change.
An Unknown Object
When Penny first found and pulled up the sword, he wasn’t aware of what it was. At first, he didn’t even realize he had a sword in his grasp.
Source: Image courtesy of York Museums Trust/Wikimedia Commons
However, he was alongside a friend who was able to quickly help him out. Penny is a member of the Thame Magnet Fishing Facebook group, and other magnet fishers were able to help him out.
The Discovery of a Sword
Once his friend took a look at the object Penny had found in the river, Penny began to realize he had a sword in his hands — and possibly a very old sword.
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“I was on the side of the bridge and shouted to a friend on the other side of the bridge, ‘What is this?'” Penny remembers. “He came running over shouting, ‘It looks like a sword!'”
Penny Went to Google
One of the first things Penny did after finding this sword was upload various images of it to Google. Using the search engine, he tried to identify what it was — and if it indeed was a sword.
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However, no matter what type of photo Penny put on Google, he kept on getting results that said it was likely a Viking sword. “Whatever photo angle I tried was coming up with Viking sword,” he said.
Archeologists Looked at the Sword
After these Google searches, Penny became convinced he had found a very old sword. So, he got in touch with the Oxfordshire county liaison officer who records the archeological discoveries the public makes.
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Then, the sword was examined by experts who knew what to look for. Though many quickly thought it was a Viking sword, authentication needed to be done.
A 1,000 Year Old Sword
Now, experts agree this Viking sword could have come from anywhere from 850 to 975 A.D. As a result, this ancient sword could be as old as 1,200 years.
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Because the sword remained intact, it’s considered a rare discovery. “The officer said it was archaeologically rare to find whole swords and treasure of historical importance still intact,” Penny explained.
The Viking Invasion of Britain
This sword comes from a time when the Vikings arrived on British soil and began to conquer much of the land — and defeated many of the Saxons who lived in England.
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Many Viking raids occurred from 793 A.D. and into the 11th century. Eventually, the Saxons were able to bring the Viking Age to an end in 1066 once Harald III Sigurdsson, the king of Norway, was defeated at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
The Popularity of Magnet Fishing
Magnet fishing has increasingly become popular in recent years. In Scotland, many magnet fishers are searching throughout the country’s rivers for possible hidden treasures.
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In the United States, many people have also taken on magnet fishing to try to find expensive — or historical — items. However, many analysts are warning magnet fishers to be wary, as these situations can quickly become dangerous.
The Dangers of Magnet Fishing
There have been countless reports of people in the United Kingdom, the United States, and elsewhere finding dangerous items. In rare cases, live bombs have been found.
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Recently, a man in Massachusetts found a military projectile while magnet fishing. This projectile was a live mortar that had to be detonated by a bomb squad. Other fishers have found everything from World War II artifacts to guns.
Finding Archeological Treasures
The British Museum has also warned fishers to cease their activities when it comes to finding historical treasures. This warning came after a man accidentally destroyed parts of a Viking sword when trying to get it from the water while magnet fishing.
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Though Penny was fortunate to keep his find intact, he did have one issue after magnet fishing. “There was a little dispute with the landowner and the rivers trust who don’t permit magnet fishing. The latter sent a legal document saying they wouldn’t take action on the condition that the sword was passed to a museum, which I had done,” he explained.