Nottinghamshire coroner Dr Nigel Chapman ruled on Tuesday the gold encrusted sword pyramid - part of a band that attaches a sword sheath to a belt - was an important treasure trove and should be on public display.
An arbitration committee will now decide its value. Unofficial reports suggest more than £10,000.
Its finder Mr Malcom Ellis (64) will be awarded the money, which he plans to share with the Collingham farmer who owns the land where it was found.
Mr Ellis of Sturton-by-Stow found the gold-covered copper pyramid ten minutes after the start of a charity metal detecting hunt. It dates back to the early 7th Century.
He said he was delighted the piece would go on display in a museum.
British Museum curator of early Anglo Saxon precious pieces and metal work Mrs Angela Evans said it was likely the pyramid would be exhibited with others like it at the museum.
She said similar pieces have been found in East Anglia, Kent and in Europe but this was only the second one of its kind to be found so far north; the other was in Scotland.
Said Mrs Evans: "A find of this quality is rare and has caused quite a stir.
"It has a very simple but very telling pattern and could be quite valuable but its greatest value is in its archaeological interest."
She said it was probable that the pyramid had been lost in battle. It could have belonged to a nobleman.