Norwegian picks up metal detecting as a hobby and discovers Viking hoard after only two weeks

In 2018, Fuglerud made an extraordinary find.

"When I realized it was from the Viking Age, I was a bit shaken," he told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) at the time.

Childhood friends Ole Johan Fuglerud and Joakim Gulbæk are big history fans. While looking for treasure in Hole, Norway, they had hoped to find coins from the 18th century. 

However, their big dream was to find something from the Viking Age.

Vikings TV series fans

Kompisane is hooked on the TV series "Vikings," so he knew there were many old and exciting things to find in Hole.

"Suddenly, there was a notable beep from the metal detector. I didn't realize at first that we found coins, but I called my friend who got me into this (note: the hobby). He said we just had to stop and that this was an important discovery," Fuglerud said.

• READ MORE: A Viking history of Norway: Part 1

At the time, he had only been looking for historical objects with a metal detector for just over two weeks. On the other hand, his friend Joakim had two years of experience.

In total, they found eight coins, several pearls, and a few other items. The objects can be dated all the way back to the early 800s.

Important contribution

Historian and Viking book author Kim Hjardar described their find as very exciting.

"I must say that this was surprising. These coins are quite valuable and can be an important contribution to the understanding of culture and the contacts that the Vikings had," Hjardar said.

He added that the coins were Frankish and that they probably came to Scandinavia through the trading town of Doorstad in the modern-day Netherlands, which was an important trading center for Scandinavian products.

"It was also at this time that the Vikings intensified their attacks on France, so it is also not impossible that this could be part of the plunder they took home," the Viking expert explained.

A big find

The two friends handed over the finds to the county archaeologist experts in Buskerud, who are tasked with examining such finds. 

Ole Johan said he was delighted with how his hobby archaeologist career started.

• READ MORE: A Viking history of Norway: Part 2

"I wanted to find Viking treasures... I have an interest in Norwegian history and our roots. In addition to the fact that I am completely hooked on the series 'Vikings,'" he said.

"We googled similar finds and discovered that this one was even bigger," Joakim added.