Row brews over Anglo-Saxon treasure trove

Lustre of the biggest treasure in Brittish history was tarnished by a row between the two men who will share the fortune it is worth.

A stunning hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure went on show Friday -- but the golden trove's lustre was tarnished by a reported row between the two men who will share the fortune it is worth.

The discovery of the biggest ever such haul -- at least 1,350 items, including five kilogrammes (11 pounds) of gold, found in a field in central England by a metal detector hobbyist in July -- was announced on Thursday.

And on Friday it was unveiled to the public at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where visitors will be able to view a selection of items until October 13.

But the show was marred by a reported row between the 55-year-old unemployed man who stumbled upon it, and the farmer in whose field the treasures were found.

Farmer Fred Johnson said the discovery had soured his relationship with Terry Herbert, who has been metal detecting for the last 18 years and was using his trusty 14-year-old detector when he made the life-changing find.

"I'm not happy with Terry," he was quoted as saying by The Times newspaper. "I think it is more about the money for him, and I'm going to have to confront him about that.

"Me and Terry agreed to keep it all low-key and I thought that would be the case. It is not about the money for me. It's an incredible find for the country and that's what is more important," he added.

The value of the find, which has been declared the property of the Crown and is expected to end up in a museum, has yet to be decided by a special committee, but one expert, Roger Bland of the British Museum in London, said he expected it to be "a seven-figure sum" -- which will be shared equally by Herbert and Johnson.

The golden hoard is believed to date from the seventh century AD, and may have belonged to Saxon royalty. The treasure includes sword pommel caps and hilt plates, many inlaid with precious stones.

Herbert -- who bought the metal detector from a car boot sale for 2.50 pounds in 1991, has so far been publicity shy, and did not respond to the farmer's remarks.

But on Thursday he described the discovery as "more fun than winning the lottery," and told how he dreamt about gold in the days after he made the find.

"Imagine you're at home and somebody keeps putting money through your letterbox, that was what it was like. I was going to bed and in my sleep I was seeing gold items," he said.

A fellow member of the Bloxwich Research and Metal Detecting Club, voiced surprise that Herbert had made the find.

"If you had told me someone had made such an amazing discovery I would never have thought it was Terry," Colin Pearson, 64, was quoted as saying.

"If he turns up for a dig at 12 o'clock he'll normally spend an hour with his metal detector out and the remaining four hours talking," he added.

Back at the museum Friday, queues stretched out of the doors as people flocked to see the glittering treasures, with hundreds waiting in line before the doors opened.

I'm not happy with Terry, I think it is more about the money for him, and I'm going to have to confront him about that.

Fred Johnson, owner of the field

"They're only letting 50 people in at a time so it is a long wait but it's worth it. The crosses are lovely," said Mabel Moran, 73, who waited 40 minutes to get in.

Allison Buckley, 47, from nearby Stafford, said: "What makes it so exciting is that it has just been unearthed. There is still soil on the pieces and you can imagine it in the ground.

"You can relate to it, it isn't just a collection of artefacts in a display cabinet.

"It is almost as exciting as queuing to see Tutankhamen's tomb."