Archaeologist George Eogan, in his study of Bronze Age gold-working, noted that very few  Bronze Age gold artefacts had been discovered through "controlled archaeological investigation", with the majority instead having been unearthed "by chance", as a result of "agricultural activities or peat-cutting".  In the 21st century, metal detectorists have become important, for example with the important Shropshire bulla, found in 2018.