Metal Detectorist Uncovers 500-Year-Old King Henry VIII Pendant Worth Millions

A British man is about to be a millionaire after he discovered a rare King Henry VIII pendant in a field using a metal detector.

Charlie Clarke, an amateur treasure hunter and cafe owner, made the rare discovery in 2019 in Warwickshire.

The pendant, which dates back 500 years, is described as having one side "decorated with an image of a Tudor rose intertwined with a pomegranate tree, symbols relating to Henry and Katherine respectively," according to The Art Newspaper.

"The other features the letters 'H' and 'K', bound together with white thread. At the bottom of each face is the word tousiors, or 'always' in old French."

The one-of-a-kind piece -- aptly dubbed The Tudor Heart -- is believed to have been created to mark the marriage of Henry and first wife Katherine of Aragon's daughter Mary's wedding in 1518.

Rachel King, curator of Renaissance Europe and the Waddesdon Bequest at the British Museum, said it was likely worn by a "son of a knight or a baron or above."

British Museum Hopes to Buy Rare Artifact

The British Museum is pushing to raise £3.5m in order to purchase the piece from Clarke under the Treasure Act 1996, which gives museums the right to purchase any potential treasures before the item goes to auction.

"We have absolutely nothing of this complexity or type surviving from Henry VIII's early reign," King told The Art Newspaper. "We have very little in Britain's museums that relate to those two figures and that's because of vilification through anti-Catholic bias over the past 400 to 500 years."

According to King, prior to this piece's discovery, historians were limited to observing art from this era in order to understand the "bling" from the time period.

The museum has until April 2026 to come up with the funds to purchase the piece for the £3.5m, which was decided by the Treasure Value Committee.

"The valuation at present is a good one. Should we not reach it, the object will be returned to the finder, and if there’s then a bidding war, this would certainly go higher than the museum could achieve," King said.

The piece is currently on display in Gallery 2 at the British Museum until April 2026.