Grandmother mistakes medieval gold cross for costume jewelry before learning its five-figure value

A grandmother recently discovered a medieval gold cross while metal detecting in a farmer's field — and it could be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

The cross was found by 58-year-old metal detecting hobbyist Shelley Couzins in August, news agency Southwest News Service (SWNS) reported. The discovery was only recently publicized.

Couzins, a grandmother of five who took up metal detecting four years ago, told SWNS she was out with a group on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent in the United Kingdom when, after five hours of searching, she found nothing but "rubbish."

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Around lunchtime, her metal detector suddenly began beeping, prompting her to dig roughly 12 inches into the freshly plowed soil.

"It was quite quiet all morning, and then I heard this beep," Couzins recalled.

She soon unearthed a gold cross — but initially dismissed it as costume jewelry.

It wasn't until she returned to the group's main tent that fellow hobbyists told her the cross was made of real gold.

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"It is like a metal detectorist's dream," Couzins told SWNS. 

"You only find something like this once in a lifetime."

Couzins was searching with a group called Medway History Finders, which has withheld the field's exact location over concerns about illegal treasure hunters.

The cross, which weighs 10.6 grams, was subsequently reported to a Finds Liaison Officer under England's treasure reporting process.

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The grandmother said she was "absolutely gutted" about having to surrender the artifact.

"I like to keep everything I find. I know I will probably never see it again," Couzins said.

The artifact was identified as a medieval gold reliquary cross, depicting Jesus' crucifixion on one side and the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus on the other, according to SWNS.

The cross can also be opened to hold religious relics, though Couzins said she left it sealed for fear of damaging it.

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The artifact is being assessed by the British Museum, according to SWNS. Its ultimate ownership and value have yet to be determined.

If acquired through the treasure process, the cross would be valued, with any resulting reward expected to be split between Couzins and the landowner.

Online estimates have placed the cross's potential value at a minimum of £20,000 (roughly $27,000), though no official valuation has been announced, said SWNS.

Couzins also expressed relief that the delicate artifact had survived the plowing of the field without being destroyed.

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"I really love that I saved it," she said. "If that plough had gone over again, it might have picked that up and broken it in two."

Despite her disappointment at having to give up the cross, Couzins said she hopes it will be preserved.

"I am happy for it to go to a good home, where it needs to go, instead of sitting in my cupboard."

The Isle of Sheppey has historical ties to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who visited Shurland Hall on the island in October 1532, according to Historic England.

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Couzins said she hopes the cross might have a connection to the royal couple, though no evidence has emerged linking the artifact to either figure.

"There are links here to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn," she told SWNS. "We can't say it belonged to them, but that history makes this find more interesting because there could be a possibility that it is linked."

Fox News Digital reached out to Couzins for additional comment.

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The discovery follows other finds of early medieval Christian artifacts across Europe in recent years.

Last year, a metal detectorist discovered a 1,200-year-old gilded Christian cross in a field in Leeds, England.

A few months later, in Germany, archaeologists reported the discovery of another Christian cross among more than 200 Viking-era artifacts dating back roughly 1,000 years.