Awestruck archeologist marvels at treasure's link to the seventh century

Terry Herbert, the treasure hunter who recently unearthed the world's largest and most important hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold in Staffordshire, England, recently reflected on his historic find. He told the BBC that he often invokes a special phrase when he is out with his trusty 14-year-old metal detector: "Spirits of yesteryear take me where the coins appear." But he changed the word "coins" to "gold" on the day of the discovery. "I think somebody was listening and directed me to it," he says.

Dr. Kevin Leahy, the archaeologist in charge of cataloguing the items, told DailyFinance that he too feels a kind of mystical connection with the items: "We are, through these objects, being linked to the eyes and hands of people who were around 1,400 years ago. It is a spiritual link: These things have traveled through time."