A Darlington metal detectorist has discovered an extremely rare 400-year-old Tudor buckle.

Mark McMullan has been searching the fields around Darlington and County Durham for the last few years.

He has made some incredible finds from rare Roman coins to historic cannonballs.

This latest discovery is one of his "top five finds" of all time.

(Image: Mark McMullan) Mr McMullan described how it was a lovely morning searching a popular field with low expectations as it had been searched many times before.

He was amazed to find a "museum piece" Tudor buckle which would have been the Louis Vuitton of the time.

Mr McMullan said: "I had a lovely morning out on a 'done to death' medieval permission with the new detector (Minelab Equinox 900) and managed to winkle out a few more interesting items including this incredible 'museum piece' Tudor buckle

"I have found hundreds of buckles over the years but normally throw them in the scrap bucket. Indeed, I have only ever kept one buckle (another decorative medieval example) but this one is absolutely spectacular.

"This 450 year 'Spectacle buckle' sometimes called a figure of eight buckle was particularly popular during the Tudor Period (1485-1603) and would have been like a 'Louis Vuitton' item adorning the clothing of the elite during the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth 1.

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"This particular example which is made of a copper alloy is the size of a Pringle crisp and has an incredible patina. Given its condition, it is probably in my top five finds of all time!

"Indeed, a very similar example can be found in the Portable Antiquity Scheme (PAS) database and would take pride of place in any reputable museum.

"I know you might think this is only a bit of old metal but this is why I love this hobby. Just wow."