A metal detectorist from Grantham has been sentenced after admitting artefacts he claimed to have unearthed were actually bought online.
Jason Price, 54, of Purcell Close, Grantham, pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud and was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on 8 January 2026.
Price was handed a 12-month custodial sentence suspended for two years. He was ordered to pay £3,250 in compensation and an additional £1,000 in costs, and must complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
The four counts all related to items that he submitted to Lincolnshire County Council under the Portable Antiquities Scheme, claiming they were artefacts he found whilst out metal detecting between 2019 and 2023.
One false submission was a brooch in the form of a horse that Price claimed to have found in a field near Leasingham in 2019. Initial independent specialist studies dated the object to the Roman period, circa. AD 43-410 and its discovery generated national interest.
The object, known as the ‘Leasingham horse brooch’, was acquired by Lincoln Museum in 2022, thanks to a generous donation from the Friends of Lincoln Museums and Art Gallery. It went on to become one of the most talked-about pieces in their collection.
However, staff then became concerned about further artefacts brought forward by Price for identification, instigating a re-examination of the brooch and later raising the alarm with Lincolnshire Police.
The subsequent investigation exposed the item as a fake, with Price later admitting to purchasing the brooch online.
Will Mason, head of culture at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “It's incredibly sad and disappointing that anyone would choose to exploit Lincolnshire’s rich heritage in this way.
“Thankfully, incidents like this remain rare due to the rigorous examinations carried out on objects before they are added to a museum's collection.
“In this instance, not only did Mr Price knowingly deceive the independent specialists who initially authenticated this object and others like it that he submitted to the council as treasures, he also deceived the thousands of visitors who were understandably fascinated by the Leasingham horse brooch following its discovery.
“I’d like to thank the teams - and Lincolnshire Police - for their diligent work in pursuit of the truth and for exposing this crime.
“We understand that, immediately before his initial court date last year, Mr Price made a donation to the Friends of Lincoln Museums and Art Gallery, who had initially provided the generous funding to purchase the brooch.”
Sentencing, Recorder Nicholas Bacon KC told Mr Price that he considered the fraud a very serious matter and that Mr Price had abused a position of trust and responsibility, adding that there was sophisticated nature to his offending, which took place over a sustained period of time.