AN HGV driver from Okehampton and metal detecting hobbyist has just discovered the find of his life — a Henry VIII gold half sovereign, valued at up to £2,000.

Sean Sandercock’s rare find, uncovered in an organised dig in East Devon, is the talk of the metal detecting circuit and is gaining interest from coin collectors all over the UK.

Sean will be selling the coin to the highest bidder and is likely to walk off with around £1,000, with the find’s worth being split between the landowner and the metal detectorist.

He told the Times: ‘Everyone wants to know about the coin. I have had hundreds of comments on social media from people all over the UK and Treasure Hunter magazine wants to feature it.

‘It is like the Holy Grail of metal detecting — it’s pretty cool,’ said the 38-year-old father of two.

‘I feel like I have hit the jackpot. It will fetch a nice little sum and will pay for a holiday for the family.’

Although the location of the dig cannot be publicised, Sean said it was near an old abbey where there was a strong settlement.

Other finds at the site include historic silver coins, including a William III sixpence, dated 1649.

A member of the Axe Valley Searchers, Sean has only been metal detecting for 14 months and already he has had a good number of finds, not all valuable but some sentimental.

‘I found a gold ring which someone had lost 16 years ago so it was nice to give that back,’ he said.

‘I also found a 800-year-old silver strap end of a belt which experts believe could have belonged to high royalty.

‘I’ve been pretty lucky really but the gold sovereign is really special. Someone told me they had been metal detecting for 40 years and never found anything as good as that.’

Sean said he was asked by a friend if he fancied going metal detecting one day and from then on he was hooked.

‘The minute I found my first coin that was it. It is like holding history in your hand and you start thinking about who was the last to hold the coin and what their life was like.’

Sean said at the weekends, he sorted out his children and then went off for eight or nine hours metal detecting.

Organised digs take place on private land once a month and anything that is found valued at more than £500 is sold and the money split between the landowner and the metal detectorist.

The Okehampton resident is holding out for the maximum price on his find.

‘It’s not going cheap. I’ll hold until I can get maximum value — it’s a hell of a find,’ he said.