In your last Minelab Times, I read with interest the article "Staffordshire Hoard" accompanied by a photo of detectorists in a field near Corfe Castle in Dorset. That photo has special significance for me, as I was privileged to attend the Minelabowners Rally at Corfe last September and detected on that very field as well as surrounding fields where permission had been gained by Minelabowners (MLO).
A memorable find for me on that field was my first cut quarter hammered silver coin and my detecting friend found a very bent Medieval hammered Silver Penny there. I was suprised how thin those hammered coins are, making them easily damaged by farm machinery. By this time I had realised that any old coin we might find here in Australia is modern in comparison to England where 1800-year-old roman coins are commonplace. One bloke let me hold a 2000 year old Gold Stater he had found a month or two earlier. Wow! The high ridge next to the Castle ruins produced Roman coins for some of our group, which is quite surprising, as I was told it had been detected for 30 plus years. Just goes to show that you never get it all. The best coin I saw at Corfe was a gold Guinea from the 1690's,which was found lying on the surface. Needless to say, the next day everyone rushed to detect that field, but no more were found. Another memorable find for me at the Corfe Rally was a small Roman brooch. I didn't know what it was at first, but was soon told.