A 2,000-year-old fertility figure unearthed by a Manningtree metal detectorist has gone under the hammer at auction for £3,000. 

Bob Jemmett, 75, found the Celtic bronze figure, which measures just 37mm by 10mm, in a ploughed field in Little Chishill, Cambridgeshire.

He discovered the artefact, which resembles the famous naked Cerne Abbas Giant hill figure, on an organised rally in September 2018.

Bob kept the figure, which he nicknamed Nobby, for years but decided to sell him after a recent burglary.

The lot had a pre-auction estimate of up to £1,500 but went under the hammer for a whopping £3,000 at Noonan’s Mayfair on Thursday.

Mr Jemmett said: “It was really exciting watching the sale, but I am quite sad to see Nobby go.

“I hope that he brings the new finder as much fun as he’s brought me and my friends over the years.”

Bob spoke of the day he found the figure, saying: “The weather was appalling with the rain lashing down, but I persevered and received a lovely signal from my Minelab 3030 detector.

“Digging down four inches, I uncovered a small, bronze, nude, male figure like the Cerne Abbas Giant that is carved into a hill in Dorset.

“The figure was identified as a Celtic fertility figure, and published on the Portable Antiquities website.

"It was subsequently used as a logo by the rally organisers in their promotions.

“As a result, detectorists from all over Europe at rallies would ask me if they could see Nobby, who I always keep in my pocket as a constant companion.”

Noonans artefact expert Nigel Mills said: “This unique figure dates from the first century BC.

"He has an oversized bald head with deep sockets for eyes, wedges for arms and short legs.”

Bob has been metal detecting for almost 30 years and is married, with two daughters and eight grandchildren.

He plans to use money from the sale of the figure on home improvements.