James Mather was giving up hope of getting a birthday surprise. After spending hours scanning a muddy field 40 miles west of London with his metal detector, the treasure hunter had nothing to show for his time except for some stray soda can tabs and cartridge cases, according to the Guardian newspaper. But just as the retired advertising manager was ready to find a more festive way to celebrate his 60th birthday this past October, he spotted something that resembled a silver Viking ingot he had once seen at the British Museum embedded in the ground.
http://www.history.com/news/viking-treasure-trove-unearthed-from-english-field
