Two amateur treasure hunters have found what is thought to be the oldest Iron Age gold jewellery ever discovered in Britain.
Life-long friends and metal detectorists Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania said they could not believe their eyes when they found gold buried in a muddy Staffordshire field last year.
Disbelief then turned to shock as the enthusiasts unearthed a total of four torcs - three necklaces and a bracelet - thought to be up to 2,500 years old, a metre apart.
Experts said the "unique" find, uncovered on farmland in Leekfrith in the Staffordshire Moorlands, had international significance.
The county is gaining a reputation as a hiding place for some of the country's greatest historical treasures with the latest discovery following the 2009 Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard find, officially valued at €3.853 million.
This latest discovery was found about 45 miles north of Hammerwich, near Lichfield - the site of the vast Saxon hoard, which is perhaps the most famous discovery made by a metal detectorist.
That seventh century find, which dates back to the Kingdom of Mercia, is made up of 3,900 pieces of precious metal, currently on display in UK museums.
This latest find of Iron Age jewellery, thought to be equivalent to 18-carat gold, was found just beneath the surface of farmland just before Christmas 2016.
It is not known why the Leekfrith Iron Age Torcs were buried, but it could have been for safekeeping, an offering to the gods, or as an act of remembrance.
The decoration on the sole bracelet has excited experts because it is thought to be some of the earliest Celtic art from Britain.
Mr Hambleton had searched the same field once before about 20 years ago, but without success.
After scouring the ground in the mid-winter cold last year, both men were ready to call it a day when suddenly Mr Kania got a signal.
Mr Hambleton, 59, said: "We have found the odd Victorian coin, but mostly it has just been junk."
He added: "Joe said to me 'I think I've found something a bit special' and he was dangling it in front of my face."
That's when I started to get a bit dizzy and weak at the knees
"That's when I started to get a bit dizzy and weak at the knees."
"I said to him 'You know what this means - we have to search the area now'."
After digging up the rest of the gold, Mr Hambleton admitted he had slept with the haul next to his bed.
The gold was handed over to experts at Birmingham Museums with archaeologists from Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council brought in to investigate the finds site.
There are hopes the collection, thought to be from Europe and most likely Germany or France, can now be secured for permanent display in the city.
Dr Julia Farley, curator of British & European Iron Age collections for the British Museum, said: "This unique find is of international importance. It dates to around 400-250 BC, and is probably the earliest Iron Age gold work ever discovered in Britain.
The torcs were probably worn by wealthy and powerful women, perhaps people from the continent who had married into the local community
"The torcs were probably worn by wealthy and powerful women, perhaps people from the continent who had married into the local community. Piecing together how these objects came to be carefully buried in a Staffordshire field will give us an invaluable insight into life in Iron Age Britain."
Asked if there could be more finds awaiting discovery, she added: "It's hard to know - we'll never know unless people find things."
Stephen Dean, county council archaeologist, said of the new find: "This far into North Staffordshire we don't tend to see anything, so I think this is going to be a spur for a fresh look in North Staffordshire for the Iron Age."
A preliminary valuation is due to take place, with the detectorists planning to split the value of their find 50/50 with the field's owner.
Staffordshire County Council leader Philip Atkins said: "We are both proud and unbelievably lucky to be home to some truly exceptional finds, including of course the Staffordshire Hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold."
"This amazing find of gold torcs in the north of the county is quite simply magical and we look forward to sharing the secrets and story they hold in the years to come."
Landowner Stuart Heath, who farms 640 acres of land where the find was made, said: "Mark has detected on our land before and it is amazing to think these gold pieces have been lying undiscovered since long before we farmed here."
"Archaeologists have surveyed the site and although this is very much a one-off find, we will all be fascinated to hear more about how the collection found its way from Europe to Staffordshire thousands of years ago."