4 Men Face Years In Prison for Metal Detecting Viking Coins and Not Reporting Them

[MiddenMonster]

They made many mistakes here. First, they didn't notify the owner of the field in which they were detecting. The article doesn't say if they had permission to be there. Second, they must have jabbered a bit too much because it was the metal detecting community that snitched them out. Now they are going to prison for terms ranging from 5 to 8.5 years. If you click the link, the Washington Post will block you and tell you to turn off private browsing or subscribe if you are using an ad blocker. But if you stop the page from loading as soon as the scroll bar appears on the right you should get access to the article:

They found Viking coins worth millions using metal detectors — but their discovery led to prison

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

They knew the law and chose to ignore it, now they have to pay the piper.

 

[MiddenMonster]

They knew the law and chose to ignore it, now they have to pay the piper.

Well, I totally disagree with any law that mandates someone who finds treasure on private land to report it to the government, which can then claim it. To that end, I wouldn't report it either. For me the problem begins with whether or not they had permission to metal detect on the farmer's land. If they didn't, then they deserve to be punished. If they did, they still need to be punished for not sharing it with the farmer. They were also stupid for taking their finds to the National Museum of Wales, i.e. the government, and antiques dealers, who risked their businesses if they bought the coins and didn't report them. Ironically, there is also something in the article which I disagree with and runs contra to the existing law:

"While the law applies across Britain, Scotland allows for finders to keep all of their rewards without splitting it with the property owner..."

The land owner should always have at least a 50% interest in anything found, unless otherwise agreed to before metal detecting begins. One or more detectors get/split 50%, and the land owner gets the other half.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

It is still the law and they knew it was the law.

 

[T.C.]

It is still the law and they knew it was the law.

I don't agree with the law, but it's the law. They were greedy and gambled and lost!

 

[MiddenMonster]

It is still the law and they knew it was the law.

I don't agree with the law, but it's the law. They were greedy and gambled and lost!

The Fugitive Slave Act was once the law, as well. Yes, the 4 men were greedy; There is no excuse for not telling the landowner about what they found. But it's wrong for government to be able to claim what is found on private land. Fortunately, that's not the case in the United States...yet.

 

[Ryano]

4 Men Face Years In Prison for Metal Detecting Viking Coins and Not Reporting...

oops

 

[trdking]

Loose lips sink ships

 

[Kray Gelder]

I'm thinking the sentences were too harsh. Sure, they're liars and according to the law, thieves, but come on. No weapons or threats, or bodily harm. The landowner deserves restitution. Maybe a short sentence, followed by a really long garnishment of wages, payable to the land owner, not the state, from all guilty.

 

[chub]

Loose lips sink ships

the end
chub

 

[Jason in Enid]

I'm thinking the sentences were too harsh. Sure, they're liars and according to the law, thieves, but come on. No weapons or threats, or bodily harm. The landowner deserves restitution. Maybe a short sentence, followed by a really long garnishment of wages, payable to the land owner, not the state, from all guilty.

Why shouldnt the land owner still get his cut? If he had no knowledge of the finds, he should still be due his part of the valuation. Except that the truth of it is that the govt believes the treasure is theirs by default so they dont owe anyone anything. Which goes back to my previous post ( on an earlier thread), dont cheat the govt, thieves hate competition.

 

[Samanthy]

All they had to do was keep their mouths shut and be discreet disposing of the coins !

 

[MiddenMonster]

All they had to do was keep their mouths shut

That's one phrase that is true for so many situations in life...

 

[Honest Samuel]

They fought the law, and the law won.

 

[villagenut]

I think that if I found something that was considered to be a national treasure and by notifying the proper authorities I would stand to receive monetary compensation, credit for finding it and the good feeling of sharing it with the nation........then it would be a no brainer, and I would not be paranoid of being caught.

 

[ccj_colorado]

I wouldn't have reported it either. Would have moved it out of the country asap. No evidence, no crime. Also, to the ones who turned them in, why turn in someone just because they chose to not to report? People think it's up to them to administer justice. The treasure was open to anyone to find and they found it. People are just jealous so they turn them in.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

Cant really play the "it's the law" card. That's lame.
Too be fair i remember laws where Japanese Americans lost everything and were put in internment camps because they were considered a threat.
Blacks rode in the back of the bus.
Women couldn't vote.


"Its easier to fool people than to convince them they've been fooled" -Mark Twain

 

[nomad 11]

so now they have proof the vikings were through Britain at some point. ok these guys are heroes. the found more proof. so lets not punish them. lets reward them. put everything they found in a museum and give them a nice bounty. eh ! cheers.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

No sympathy here, they broke the law and they also tried to rob the land owner of his share too. Turned it in they would have earned millions, instead they tried to steal it and they earned prison time.

 

[MiddenMonster]

so now they have proof the vikings were through Britain at some point. ok these guys are heroes. the found more proof. so lets not punish them. lets reward them. put everything they found in a museum and give them a nice bounty. eh ! cheers.

How funny would it be if Norway or Sweden pulled a Spain and demanded that England return this treasure to its rightful place of origin? That's what I'm expecting Mexico to do when I find the Lost Aztec Gold in Texas and announce that I'm keeping it.

Turned it in they would have earned millions, instead they tried to steal it and they earned prison time.

Well, not so fast. They would have earned whatever the British government decided they should get. Might have been millions. Might have been a few hundred thousand.