A ROMAN ring unearthed in a field in South Cheshire is the only one of its kind found in Britain.
The highly decorative piece of jewellery was nearly discarded by Bentley worker David Beckett who thought it was a metal bottle top when he picked it up.
A treasure-trove inquest at Crewe heard how the trinket, which Mr Beckett found when he was sweeping across a field at Worleston with a metal-detecting machine, has generated enormous interest from museums across the country.
Mr Beckett, 39, who is married with one son, will receive 50% of the profits when the ring is sold, after Cheshire coroner Nicholas Rheinberg decided that it was treasure and should be in a museum.
The landowner, who wished to remain anonymous, will receive the remaining 50% of the sale price. Both vowed to make donations to charity.
Mr Beckett, of Verdin Court, Coppenhall, said: 'I had a heart attack earlier this year so I thought I would give some of the money to charity.
'The woman who owns the field lost her husband to cancer, so she is going to give some of it to Cancer Research.'
The ring, which was just two inches under the surface of a recently-ploughed field, is 75% gold and weighs nearly half an ounce. It has a thick spiral pattern which could represent a snake.
The only other rings of the same type have been found in Scandinavia, although a similar ring has been found at Hadrian's Wall.
Mr Rheinberg said: 'It is in remarkably good condition. It looks new.'
The ring is the first significant find for Mr Beckett who has been metal detecting as a hobby for several years.
