Magnet Fisher Finds 1,000-Year-Old Viking Sword
You can find lots of interesting things in rivers — just ask people who enjoy magnet fishing.
Magnet fishers spend their time looking for treasure in places like rivers and canals, using a strong magnet at the end of a rope. They often just find rubbish — but sometimes they find something special!
Magnet fisher Trevor Penny got a big surprise in November 2023 when he was fishing in the River Cherwell in England, looking for metal treasure.
His magnet hadn't found anything interesting that day — but then he pulled an old metal sword from the river.
It wasn't just any metal sword; it has since been examined, and experts have said it's a Viking sword.
They think it's at least 1,000 years old — it would have been used between the years 850 and 975.
The Vikings arrived in England from Scandinavia around the year 787 but they later conquered large parts of the country from the year 866.
Viking treasure is still sometimes found across the UK, but it's thought to be unusual to find a sword like this still in one piece.
Penny said it was a "proud moment" to find the sword, but there was a problem.
Magnet fishing is actually not allowed on many rivers and canals in the UK. It can be dangerous as very strong magnets can pull fishers into the water.
Penny wasn't supposed to be fishing on that part of the river but it was agreed that no action would be taken against him if he gave the sword to a museum.
Penny said he'd already done this, although the sword isn't on display in a museum at the moment.
