Nationally important Bronze Age gold Treasure secured for city museum

A £150,000 appeal to secure a rare Bronze Age gold artefact discovered in Staffordshire has successfully kept the treasure in the county.

The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery has acquired the 3,000-year-old solid gold object - believed to be a dress fastener - after it was discovered by a metal detectorist near Ellastone in 2023.

It has since been declared Treasure and is the first object of its kind found in Britain in almost 30 years. Only seven others are recorded across England and Wales.

Now the money to keep it in the county has been raised through a combination of public donations – through support from the Friends of the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery – and grants from Art Fund, the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The fastener will eventually go on public display at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery from spring 2027 when the museum fully reopens following its multi-million-pound transformation.

In the meantime, the museum team will deliver outreach events and activities supported by National Lottery players to help people explore the dress fastener and Staffordshire’s Bronze Age past.

The artefact will sit alongside the Staffordshire Hoard and the Leekfrith Torcs as one of the county’s most significant archaeological gold discoveries. Its acquisition means the museum’s Treasure collection now spans thousands of years of local history.

Councillor Sarah Hill, cabinet member for finance and anti-poverty at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “This discovery, alongside the Staffordshire Hoard and the Leekfrith Torcs, confirms Staffordshire as home to some of the most important gold treasures ever found in the country.

“Securing this piece will strengthen the museum’s offer while it undergoes its multi-million-pound transformation and give visitors even more reason to explore our area’s history.”

Joe Perry, curator of local history at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, said: “Made from solid gold and carefully worked, this would not have been an everyday item.

“Objects like this were worn as visible displays of wealth and status, and it is likely the person who wore it belonged to the highest levels of Bronze Age society.

“This is the most significant item of Treasure the museum has acquired for almost a decade and the first of its kind to be discovered anywhere in Staffordshire.

“To find such a rare artefact in the county changes our understanding of the region during the Bronze Age. We are incredibly pleased that this nationally important object will remain in a publicly accessible collection following a successful fundraising campaign.”

Peter Wilson, chair of the Friends of the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, said: "The Friends are delighted that this important find has been saved for local people and visitors to see and enjoy, and thank everyone who supported our appeal."

Aysha Afridi, Interim Director (Museums), Arts Council England commented: “We're delighted to support The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent in acquiring the remarkable 3,000-year-old solid gold object - believed to be a dress fastener - with generous support through the Arts Council England / V&A Purchase Fund.

“This acquisition is testament to the continuing impact of the Fund, our colleagues at the V&A’s expertise and support, and the value of Arts Council England investment across the nation. We're excited to see how this extraordinary find will inspire deeper engagement with Stoke’s rich history." 

Physical and digital replicas of the fastener will also be created for events linked to the Festival of Archaeology in July and Heritage Open Days in September.

A Festival of Treasure is planned to mark the reopening of the museum next spring and the fastener’s first public display.