detectorist

noun

de·tec·tor·ist di-ˈtek-t(ə-)rist

plural detectorists

chiefly British

: one who uses a portable metal detector as a hobby

The trove was discovered in October near Watlington, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of London, by 60-year-old James Mather, an amateur treasure-seeker who called the find "every detectorist's dream."—

Alastair Grant

The third, known as the Crosby Garrett Helmet, was found in a field in 2010 by a metal detectorist who wants to remain anonymous. It was sold at auction for $3.6 million.—

Brad Smithfield

Examples of detectorist in a Sentence

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Following the detectorists’ initial discovery of 381 coins in the summer of 2023, the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency, with the help of Koelink and Messelaar, conducted additional excavations in the surrounding areas, finding another 23 coins. —

Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025 Remnants of this cultural exchange remain outside the city, and in the spring of 2024, two metal detectorists from Jutland and Sweden stumbled upon pieces of the past, the ROMU museum organization announced Jan. 16 in a news release. —

Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025 Archaeologists recently unveiled remarkable artifacts from Viking graves in Norway — all thanks to a pair of metal detectorists who unwittingly stumbled across the treasure. —

Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 8 Jan. 2025 Read Next World Metal detectorists unearth ancient jewelry — and find Viking ‘grave field’ in Norway January 02, 2025 12:16 PM Read Next World 125-year-old structure with staircase, several hallways unearthed in India. —

Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for detectorist