TWO brothers who discovered hundreds of precious artefacts buried on a riverbed have revealed the full extent of their stunning haul.

Gary and Trevor Bankhead unearthed more than 30 items belonging to former Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey, along with hundreds of other treasures, including Roman, Saxon and medieval items, at the bottom of the River Wear, only yards from Durham Cathedral.

Among the Ramsey treasures was a silver trowel from India, an 18-carat gold medallion and a 19th Century Russian icon.

Perhaps the most valuable item was a 24-carat gold coin celebrating the 60th renovation of the Grand Shrine of Ise and given to Mr Ramsey during a visit to Japan, which is said to be worth up to £10,000.

Surely the most bizarre of the other finds was a so-called brothel token – the first of its kind seen in the UK and featuring a woman’s legs.

There was also a brooch depicting Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh and a 13th Century seal.

These pictures, released to The Northern Echo yesterday, are the first time the world has seen many of the fascinating treasures.

The Bankhead brothers spent 15 years diving at exotic locations around the world before they began exploring the Wear in April 2007. Gary Bankhead, a 44-year-old firefighter, said: “It’s been a twoand- a-half-year voyage of discovery.

“It’s changed my life beyond belief. Diving was a hobby before, but this has become my passion.”

Mystery surrounds how Mr Ramsey’s possessions came to be in the river, although Mr Bankhead insists the precise locations support his theory that the ageing cleric, who retired to Durham, threw them into the water as a gift to the people of the city. The process of deciding the treasures’ ultimate home is likely to last years, but Mr Bankhead is confident he and his brother would eventually receive half of the value of the finds, with the remainder going to Durham Cathedral.

Mr Bankhead also revealed he is in talks with a view to the treasures remaining in Durham, is writing a novel based on Mr Ramsey’s early life and hopes to tour schools telling of his discoveries.