Detexpert Spotlight - Colin Ashcroft

MEET COLIN ASHCROFT – FROM CURIOSITY TO CONNECTION

What began as a simple father-and-son hobby quickly grew into a lifelong passion for Colin Ashcroft. After buying their first Minelab X-Terra 505 detectors together, Colin uncovered his very first hammered silver coin, a single signal that sparked a fascination with history and discovery that still drives him today.

Over the past seven years, that early curiosity has led Colin far beyond casual detecting. Living near Antwerp, Belgium, he now collaborates on archaeological excavations, contributes to historical research and continues to uncover finds that offer rare glimpses into the past. Each signal is not just a target, but a connection to people, stories and cultures that shaped the landscape he walks today.

In this Detexpert Spotlight, Colin shares the moments, experiences and discoveries that have defined his journey, from unforgettable artefacts to the powerful emotions behind returning lost history to the people it belongs to.

One of Colin’s most remarkable discoveries came during an archaeological excavation in Belgium. While assisting on the survey of a Roman settlement in 2019 with his EQUINOX 800, he uncovered a rare lightning-shaped Roman love-token fibula, an extraordinary find dating back to the 2nd century AD.

What makes this fibula exceptional is not just its beauty but its meaning. Designed in the form of a bolt of lightning, it symbolised passion - love striking the heart. Only 17 of this type are known worldwide and Colin’s was the first ever recorded in Belgium. Even more astonishing, its inscription is completely unique, believed to express one of two personal messages:

veni ocu(le) — “Come now, my love.”
veni oc(i)u(s) — “Come now, and quickly.”

To hold such a deeply personal message, written nearly 1,800 years ago from one individual to another, was a moment Colin will never forget.
“It felt magical,” he recalls. “To be the first person to hold it since the day it was lost set my imagination on fire.”

The find made national news in Belgium and inspired further academic research. Archaeologists have since produced a comparative study of similar fibulae across neighbouring countries, recognising Colin’s discovery as a crucial piece of the wider historical record.

For Colin, this find is more than an artefact. It is a moment that bridges lives, centuries apart, a reminder that metal detecting can reveal not just objects, but human stories waiting to be rediscovered.

This feature is part of our Detexpert Spotlight series, sharing the stories, experiences, and inspiration behind our global Detexpert community.