This treasure hunter’s latest find? A 1000 year old Viking sword.

The long, thin piece of metal looked like a scaffolding post when Trevor Penny spotted it on the banks of an English river last November.

That wouldn’t have surprised Mr Penny, who has been unearthing household items, tools and other metal waste from the waterways near his home in Oxfordshire while pursuing his magnet fishing hobby. (Magnet fishing is pretty much what it sounds like: a strong magnet is attached to a rope, which is then thrown into a body of water.)

But his find that day was much more dramatic: a rusty Viking sword that had been there for more than a thousand years.

The sword, found in the River Cherwell and identified by an archaeological group that traces public finds, most likely dates from a period between AD 850 and AD 975. Mr Penny said he handed it over to the Oxfordshire Museums Service this week, where it is kept. expected to be put on display after restoration.

When Mr Penny, 52, realized what he had found, he contacted a local official responsible for identifying the public’s archaeological finds.

The discovery was “another piece of the puzzle that can shed light on our shared heritage,” said an official, Edward Caswell, who is documenting the Oxfordshire finds for the Scheme for portable antiquities run by the British Museum. More analysis was needed, he warned, but experts confirmed that the sword matched other swords of the era.

“We are finding Viking weapons, including swords, deposited in rivers in England,” said Jane Kershaw, associate professor of archeology at the University of Oxford. About 70 such swords have been found in Britain, she said, and while Mr Penny’s sword may have been accidentally dropped, they were also often deliberately thrown into waterways as part of a ritual.

“Rivers were seen as gateways to other worlds, where gods and other beings or spirits might live,” she said, adding that archaeologists interpreted such rituals as a Viking plea for protection or good luck, perhaps in battle.

Many such weapons have been found in the north and east of the country, said Dr. Kershaw. She called the sword a “rare example” of Viking activity in the area.

“It’s outside the normal discovery zone for these weapons,” she said. “But the Vikings were active in that area. There is a lot we don’t know about their activities.”

Hobbyists are making increasingly important discoveries, and Dr. Kershaw said it was crucial they reported their finds. “It’s extremely valuable information,” she said. “As long as they record it, there is archeology that would otherwise be lost.”

But who owns artifacts found today can be a thorny issue, and may depend on whether they are classified as ‘Darling.”

According to the Treasure Act in Great Britain, metal objects that are more than 300 years old when found must be reported to the authorities within two weeks. Museums have the opportunity to claim objects, and finders and landowners can receive a reward after an object is appraised if it is deemed treasure.

Mr Penny found the sword on land owned by the Canal & River Trust, a charity that manages much of England’s inland waterways. The group has banned magnet fishing on its property, saying it can be “dangerous” and that sharp objects can cause problems for visitors.

But the charity called the sword an ‘exciting find’ and has agreed with Mr Penny to transfer any ownership rights to the sword to a local museum.

Since he started magnet fishing three years ago, Mr. Penny helped dredge up other discoveries, including old railway equipment and a grenade probably came from World War II that had to be detonated safely by the authorities.

“It’s a great way to meet people,” said Mr Penny, who often takes the metal he collects to a local scrap yard. “We talk to many passers-by, who all thank us for cleaning up the environment.”

He posts about his finds a local magnet fishing groupand has no plans to stop so far.

“I’ll keep fishing,” Mr. Penny said. “Hopefully with permission to do that.”