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Two Men Find Viking Treasure, Don't Report It To Authorities
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Jul 19, 2025
They Found Viking Treasure Buried for 1,000 Years, Don't Report It To Authorities. Man had decided on the value of things long before he was born – he was just playing at an ancient game of human nature. But soon, he was going to exchange an amazing type of metal for a new, devastating one that would dictate the rest of his life. 🔔 Hit the bell next to Subscribe so you never miss a video! ❤️ Like, Comment and Subscribe if you are new to the channel! Join Our Family For More Exclusive Content and Perks : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOaD4JxNYk29LHbHTOx3SQA/join 🔗 More Amazing Stories from Our Channel: ✅ Man Walks 20 Miles To Work Until One Day Cop Follows Him And Sees Why https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHlFcQ0OF8g ✅In 1997, She Got Septuplets — See What They Look Like 21 Years Later! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dQpSkmEv_Y #did_you_know
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0:00
Man had decided on the value of things
0:02
long before he was born. He was just
0:04
playing in an ancient game of human
0:05
nature. But soon he was going to
0:07
exchange an amazing type of metal for a
0:10
new devastating one that would dictate
0:13
the rest of his life. But before we
0:14
start, smash the like button and make
0:16
sure to subscribe if you haven't and hit
0:18
that notification bell so that you won't
0:20
miss any new stories. George Powell
0:22
breathed in the fresh early morning air.
0:25
He and his co-hunter Leighton were
0:27
already feeling the rush of excitement
0:29
that came anytime they picked up their
0:31
metal detectors. There might have been
0:32
over 20,000 detectorrists throughout
0:34
England and Wales. But George and
0:36
Leighton were different. They always
0:38
made sure they asked permission before
0:40
searching on others properties and all
0:42
the other nonsense that came along with
0:44
their hobby. George was also an adamant
0:47
historian, so when it came to the
0:48
possibility of local treasure, he didn't
0:51
mess around. This particular site they
0:53
were now scanning was the final X at the
0:56
end of a very long academic exploration.
0:59
England, like all of Europe, is ripe
1:02
with history and all the riches that
1:03
went with it. Remnants of fallen
1:05
crusaders, sneaky thieves, and pillaging
1:08
Vikings could be hiding right under
1:10
their feet at any moment. So, when a
1:13
loud beep filled the calm countryside,
1:15
George couldn't help but smile. He held
1:17
the detector above the ground to
1:19
pinpoint the metal and called his friend
1:21
over. frantically. "I've got something,"
1:23
he shouted. Leighton ran over to him and
1:25
grabbed a pair of shovels from the trunk
1:27
of the car. He tossed one over to George
1:29
and they started to dig. Unaware that
1:32
they were digging their way into a whole
1:34
lot of trouble. The chill in the air and
1:36
sweat beating down his forehead didn't
1:38
bother George. He would keep digging
1:40
until the beep was explained and payday
1:42
arrived. At first, nothing seemed to be
1:45
there, but the metal detector was still
1:47
beeping, and so they continued to dig
1:49
deeper and deeper into the damp soil.
1:51
George had never dug this deep before.
1:53
Usually, his finds were closer to the
1:55
surface. But this wasn't any ordinary
1:58
discovery. It was one of the most
1:59
lucrative finds of the century, enough
2:01
to make both George and Leighton
2:03
millionaires, but they made one crucial
2:05
mistake that would haunt them for the
2:07
rest of their days. George was a man on
2:09
a mission. He dug with a sense of
2:11
dedication Leighton had never seen in
2:13
him before. He was sure something big
2:16
was down there, and he was right. First
2:19
came a clink. Then came a dazzling flash
2:22
of light. The first glint of gold
2:25
knocked the air from his lungs. He bent
2:27
down and picked up the small pieces he
2:29
could see. He picked them up with
2:30
mudridden hands and showed late. His joy
2:33
dropped as he soaked in their unusual
2:35
detail. These weren't any ordinary
2:37
coins. Suddenly, he pointed to George's
2:39
feet and gasped, "Oh my god, dude,
2:42
look." George was standing on a bed of
2:44
ancient buried gold. No wonder the metal
2:47
detector was picking up such a strong
2:49
signal, even though it was laying far
2:51
beneath the ground. Both men fell to
2:53
their knees. As history buffs, they knew
2:55
what a discovery of this scale meant.
2:58
Financial freedom was well and truly
3:00
within their grasp, which is why they
3:02
couldn't bear to follow the books. Along
3:04
with a huge stash of coins, they also
3:06
found a silver ingot, dragon head
3:08
bracelet, pearl pendant, and gold ring.
3:11
It was an incredible find and one they
3:14
to be from the 18th century, the time of
3:16
the Vikings. George knew his hard work
3:18
would eventually work out. But there was
3:21
just one problem. If they wanted to keep
3:23
their riches and make some real money
3:25
off of this find, they needed to keep
3:27
quiet. It was a decision that would come
3:29
back to bite them. A few years back,
3:32
Britain put in place the National
3:34
Treasure Act. It was an act designed to
3:36
keep historical items from ending up on
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the black market. But all George saw was
3:41
a greedy government trying to steal
3:43
money from the little guy yet again. It
3:45
was time to call a friend, a specialist
3:47
in historical finds who also owned an
3:50
antique store. Jorg had speculated that
3:52
the gold coins came from the 18th
3:54
century, but now he needed proof. but
3:57
from someone he trusted who wouldn't
3:59
declare his national find to the
4:00
authorities. A specialist with the same
4:02
mindset as George looked over a dozen
4:05
coins with an unhinged jaw. He knew they
4:08
would get nothing if the government took
4:10
the horde, which he didn't think was
4:12
fair, either, but then he realized just
4:14
how much George's find was worth. The
4:17
expert confirmed George's suspicions.
4:19
The coins and gold he'd collected looked
4:21
to be no other than a Viking treasure
4:22
horde, which they typically accumulated
4:25
by ransacking monastery vaults. With
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excitement coursing through their veins,
4:29
they prepared to leave. But not before
4:31
noticing a nosy customer who lurked in
4:33
the back of their friend's store. George
4:35
had no idea that his brilliant plan
4:37
would soon come crumbling down. Little
4:39
did the men know, this customer was also
4:41
a history buff who followed the law to a
4:44
tea. He also had a particular interest
4:47
in the Viking era. He asked the men
4:49
could he see their discovery. The
4:51
preface of the encounter was that George
4:53
and his friend had found the buried
4:54
pieces separately. They only brought a
4:57
few coins to the store for inspection.
4:59
The rest were a secret. Instantly, the
5:01
stranger's eyes went from awe to
5:03
suspicion. He saw how both coins had the
5:05
same wear and tear and must have come
5:07
from the same location. He looked at the
5:10
men with shrouded eyes. George snapped
5:12
the treasure back and stormed away. But
5:14
when he got home, his stomach twisted
5:16
into an enormous knot. The cops soon
5:19
came knocking. They handed them a search
5:20
notice and got to work immediately. They
5:23
had been reported. There was no way out
5:25
of this. George's heart pounded and his
5:27
palms grew wet with nerves. This was
5:30
ridiculous, George exclaimed. He went
5:33
into his kitchen and came back out with
5:34
the gold. I found it so I should get
5:37
reimbured. In his eyes, the government
5:40
were the thieves, but they didn't want
5:42
to hear it. The officer shook his head
5:44
and let out a long sigh with a chuckled
5:46
attached to the end. George wanted
5:48
nothing more than to punch him, but new
5:50
violence would get him nowhere. But the
5:52
next words out of the guy's mouth made
5:55
him even more furious. You know, all you
5:57
had to do was report it. You did
5:58
everything else legally. Do you know how
6:01
much you would have got? It would have
6:02
been half of the value. Worst case
6:04
scenario, you guys would have ended up
6:06
with a third. But no, you got greedy.
6:10
The weeks stretched into months. And as
6:12
the lawyers presented their case to an
6:14
indifferent judge, the total value was
6:16
finally announced, they demanded George
6:18
and Leighton tell them where they found
6:20
the invaluable treasure and declared it
6:22
a treasure of the state. They needed to
6:25
tell them where it was so that they
6:27
could check the area for more. George
6:28
drew a rough map for the authorities to
6:30
follow. He thought he had taken
6:32
everything, so he didn't mind giving its
6:34
location away. But yet again, George was
6:37
wrong. The ordeal ended up with George
6:39
and Leighton feeling the cold, hard
6:41
metal bench in the local lockup and
6:43
tasting two-day old coffee while a Stein
6:45
officer went on and on about treasure
6:48
laws. The cops found more coins in the
6:50
area of the original site. It was the
6:52
land that kept on giving, but for George
6:54
and Leighton, their luck was running
6:56
out. George's horde was worth over 12
7:00
million. He seethed as they kept saying
7:02
he would have got an easy£3 million if
7:04
he had just followed the law. But the
7:06
police still didn't get it. It could
7:08
have been a share of over20 million
7:10
pounds to private collectors and a
7:12
payday of way more than£3 million if he
7:14
did things his own way. Of all the
7:16
discoveries George found and dug up over
7:18
the years, of all the years he followed
7:20
the rules and played a good citizen, he
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had never seen a fair return of
7:24
investment for his work in restoring the
7:26
National Treasure Fund. Just this once,
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he wanted to see what would happen if he
7:30
played by his own rules. After all,
7:32
isn't that what he deserved? That's why
7:34
he had something else hiding up his
7:36
sleeve. There was at least one pot of
7:38
gold at the end of their dark and
7:40
frustrating rainbow. Both he and
7:42
Leighton had made a pack. They didn't
7:44
bring out the entire stash, only a few
7:47
pieces for appraisal. The rest was
7:49
hidden and rearied. They both kept the
7:51
location a secret until their dying
7:53
breath or their eventual freedom. Did
7:55
they get caught? Conspiracy to conceal
7:57
is no light verdict. They both spent
8:00
years behind bars before they could
8:02
taste freedom again. But there were
8:03
mixed views online. Some thought the
8:06
punishment was too severe, while others
8:08
thought it was just right. But what did
8:10
they think? It was a lesson learned the
8:12
hard way that even finders cannot be
8:14
keepers. Yet, they still managed to
8:17
outwit the law. What do you think? If
8:20
you were in George's position, would you
8:22
hand your find over to the government or
8:24
would you feel conflicted? Not every
8:26
country has the National Treasure Act.
8:28
So, do you think it's fair? Either way,
8:31
George and Leighton did their time,
8:32
although we're not sure they learned
8:34
from