Are these eBay metal detector finds genuine?

August 28, 2020 5:52 AM

Out of idle curiosity, I wonder if the finds on this UK-based eBay page of metal detector finds are what they purport to be.

I bought an item from them (picture of item here), and it's shiny metal with red stones and I really like it, regardless of what it is. The description said "Roman", and that the stones are rubies. I can well believe there are plenty of Roman trinkets hiding in the British countryside, and that they're found by detectorists. But do they end up on eBay for £30-40 each? I wonder if anyone in the Hive Mind has specialist knowledge that might persuade me one way or another.

posted by altolinguistic to Shopping (8 answers total)

Looking at this one I think it's a creative interpretation of things found in the ground. The second included picture is what they started with.
posted by Dmenet at 7:33 AM on August 28, 2020

Similar to what Dmenet said, this one has an explicit "before" and "after" shot, labeled as such.
posted by tiamat at 8:02 AM on August 28, 2020

At the very least the descriptions seem very… colourful. So for example if you search the British Museum collection for ‘magicians ring’ or ‘demon ring’ you get almost nothing back, none of it is Roman and none of it looks like this object.

Incidentally, despite the name of the seller, some/most of the items are actually described as being from Europe.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 9:08 AM on August 28, 2020

The Portable Antiquities Scheme lists some similar Roman rings that have been found in Britain, but they are not common.

I am also suspicious of where this item was found. One of that seller's other eBay listings mentions "'Found in Eastern Europe with other objects," so there's no telling whether this item really came from the UK.

But if you like the ring, it's a decent price and you can continue to enjoy it without being sure of its provenance!
posted by Orkney Vole at 10:13 AM on August 28, 2020 [1 favorite]

Also, English and Welsh detectorists and mudlarkers and treasure hunters are honour-bound to report all finds older than 300 years old to the Portable Antiquities Scheme under the Treasure Act of 1996. So if this ring was found in England or Wales, it should have been recorded.
posted by Orkney Vole at 10:17 AM on August 28, 2020 [2 favorites]

The business address listed on eBay comes back to a Dixy Chicken takeaway.
posted by essexjan at 5:10 AM on August 29, 2020

There's also a mobile number on the eBay business details, so it might be worth someone with a bit of knowledge of these things asking a few difficult questions. To me they look like fakes made in the Far East but what do I know? The prices seem very, very low for genuine treasure and, as Orkney Vole says, there is a legal obligation to report all recovered treasure.
posted by essexjan at 5:17 AM on August 29, 2020

I’m shuddering with the fakeness, and ruthless destruction of any patina the older pieces may have had.
Can’t look any more.
Going to look at something old for a minute to refresh my eyeballs.
posted by antiquated at 9:37 AM on August 29, 2020 [2 favorites]