From items found during house clearances to those dug after patient searching with metal detectors, there have been a host of intriguing historical finds this year. And some have gone on to sell for big sums of money too.
It may not come as a surprise though. Although the data for this year isn't out yet, a study that ran up to 2022 found that the amount of buried treasure reached a new high last year. A total of 1,378 finds were made - a rise from 2021's 1,072.
And finds from 2023 form an intriguing bunch - from Iron Age coins, to shark teeth and World War II equipment that was previously forgotten about. And not to mention an extremely rare find of a gold hoard under a fireplace.
The Iron Age coin found back in March even led to history books being reevaluated as it was stamped by a previously unrecorded king. NationalWorld has compiled a list of some of the most interesting historical finds from 2023.
1. A Highland clan chief who was murdered during the Glencoe Massacre appears to have owned a long-lost treasure trove that has now been found in an unlikely spot. A hoard of 17th-century coins was found hidden under a fireplace during an archaeological dig.
Highland clan chief's gold hoard (Gareth Beale/PA Wire) | Gareth Beale/PA Wire Photo: Gareth Beale/PA Wire
2. While out with his dad Jason, schoolboy Ben was 'over the moon' to find a shark tooth which some have said belongs to the prehistoric marine animal - the Megalodon.
A shark tooth - believed to belong to a Megaladon - was found at Walton-on-the-Naze nature reserve on the Essex coast (c: Jason Evans) | Jason Evans Photo: Jason Evans
3. A rare Mickey Mouse gas mask case designed to make children less scared of respirators during World War II was discovered during a house clearance in Birmingham
WW2 Mickey Mouse tinplate gas mask case (RichardWintertonAuctioneers/SWNS) | RichardWintertonAuctioneers/SWNS Photo: RichardWintertonAuctioneers/SWNS
4. Archaeologists in Wales discovered what they believe is the oldest comb ever found in the UK. The work - carried out on behalf of the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the Welsh Government found a wooden comb that is more than 3,000 years old and dates to the Bronze Age.
A 3,000-year-old comb found during an excavation in Wales - with a modern comb on the left (Red River Archaeology Group) | Red River Archaeology Group