A gold pendant thought to date from the 9th Century AD and found by a North Yorkshire villager using a metal detector has officially been declared treasure.

The amazing discovery was made by Robin Sykes in a field at Sutton-on-the-Forest, near Eas-ingwold, and declared treasure at a inquest into its finding under the Treasure Trove Act of 1996.

The piece, which was found in April last year, was described as a pendant or fitting in the shape of an animal's head which was 90 per cent gold and thought to be Anglo-Saxon.

Mr Sykes, of Huby, told the Evening Press that he had never found anything like it before in his life and described it as a "one in a million" discovery.

He was searching a field at Sutton-on-the-Forest with the permission of the landowner on the understanding that the proceeds of any finds were shared equally.

Mr Sykes said: "It's extremely unusual and extremely rare. It's one of those one-in-a-million finds.

"It's a miracle that it was totally undamaged. To say that it survived for all that time with all the farming machinery that's been used on the field is amazing."

During the inquest, a statement was read from Craig Barclay, adviser on treasure at the Yorkshire Museum, who examined the object.

He said that the item was of "high quality", an assertion supported by evidence from the British Museum.

Examination at the British Museum provided the theory that the object was Anglo-Saxon and more than 1,000 years old.

Its exact properties were said to be 90 per cent gold, four per cent silver and six per cent copper.

North Yorkshire (East) Coroner Michael Oakley said he would not reveal exactly where in Sutton-on-the-Forest the object was found as it would lead to people "crawling all over the area."

The pendant, which is smaller than a ten pence piece, is currently with the British Museum in London. It will be valued by the independent Treasure Valuation Committee - a process which will take months - and the Yorkshire Museum will be given the chance to buy it.

If the museum can raise the money, the pendant will become part of the museum's collection and the finder will receive a reward. The landowner may also be eligible for a reward.

If the pendant is not bought it will be returned to the finder and landowner.

Elizabeth Hartley, at the Yorkshire Museum, said the museum had already expressed its interest. "It's a fine piece. We don't know what it is part of and we would like to know more about it," she said.

Updated: 11:18 Wednesday, April 25, 2001