W&ET Featured Monthly Article Vol. 34 June 2000

Hafted with asphaltum, indian point... preserved!

Rare Revolutionary War Officer's Button & Colonial Counterstamped Silver

"She" was a "He", and it didn't say Liberty

Feature

Vol. 34 - June 2000

Detecting Expeditions To England
By Peter D. Spencer

If your vacation itinerary won't permit a visit to the Continent, don't worry. Coins from many European nations end up in England. Who knows? You might even find old U.S. silver that's eluded you back home, such as the 1839-O dime included here.

Although I took up metal detecting only three years ago, I have found it to be an absolutely fascinating pastime and now take every opportunity to inform others about what I regard as the best hobby in the world. This short article, therefore, is aimed at spreading the word even wider- in particular, to those in the U.S. who may be considering a detecting trip here to England.

Coins from Ireland and Scotland often made their way to England in trade and now await discovery by detector-toting American visitors.

Organized Tours

Articles about organized detecting trips to England were published most recently in the February and June 1999 issues of W&ET. As these covered the subject fairly thoroughly, I will only mention the most important points that prospective visitors to England should keep in mind.

First, it is vital that tours/trips should only be booked through a reputable firm. Ask around and seek the advice of others, especially at the club and Federation level. Good news travels fast, but bad news moves even faster. After a few conversations, letters, and telephone calls, you should not only have found out who are the good guys, but also who is to be avoided at all costs.

The best tour operators will provide you with all the information you need to make your trip a happy and productive one. You should be given information about the U.K. Treasure Act; the locations of the sites available for detecting on; details of how your finds will be recorded; and, last but not least, the need for an official Export License for certain items. An Export License is required for any object more than 50 years old found in U.K. soil or territorial waters.

Reputable firms also arrange associate membership of the NCMD (National Council for Metal Detecting) for their clients, and each detectorist should be given a copy of the NCMD Code of Conduct. The very best tours lay on other activities besides detecting: visits to historic sites and locations, evening talks and lectures, and excursions through scenic countryside. This added bonus is particularly welcome for non-detecting members of a party. In fact, the best tours offer such an enticing itinerary that I wouldn't mind booking a place on one myself!

Dating from the 14-16th centuries, jettons (counter tokens) are relatively common but always interesting finds. Many were made in France and Germany, and imported to England.

Do-it-yourself Trips

Package tours are not to everyone's taste, of course. Some like to go it alone and make their own arrangements. Actually, this can be fairly easy, provided that a reasonable number of contacts have been made with English detectorists.

A good way to start making such contacts is to join the NCMD. Through the General Secretary of this organization you can obtain the names and addresses of numerous metal detecting clubs and federations dotted about England. Contact can then be made with individual clubs which are situated in areas of particular interest. Ask, in a letter to club secretaries, for the names and addresses of members who would be interested in corresponding with detectorists in the U.S. In this way you should soon be swapping mail with English enthusiasts.

Although Roman coins occasionally come out of the ground in superb condition (center), most are heavily oxidized or encrusted.

Once you have developed a few friendships with English detectorists in various parts of the country, then it should be possible to start planning a trip. Many clubs over here have outings every weekend. Additionally, individual detectorists, especially those who are retired from work (of whom there are many), often go out detecting on weekdays.

One thing I learned very quickly when I first took up metal detecting is that participants in the hobby are a very friendly bunch. They are always willing to pass on knowledge, tips, and advice; and many are even prepared to share their sites- provided, that is, that the landowner is also in agreement.

Assuming that friendships have been formed, and plans made well enough in advance, then a do-it-yourself detecting trip to England can be a sound alternative to an organized tour. Flights and accommodation would need to be arranged, but there are plenty of hotels in the provinces which, for the most part, are substantially cheaper than those in London. If you are really lucky, you may even get to stay with a detectorist or two.

Those who go it alone should bear in mind that they can't just detect anywhere, however. All land is owned by someone or something; so, permission from the landowner is a first priority before your search begins.

Counterfeit? Count on it! These forgeries may not look very convincing now, but when newly made and flashed with silver, they were readily accepted as the real thing by unsuspecting victims.

Places To Search

Roughly speaking, the areas most productive in the widest range of finds are the southern and central regions of England, and eastern coastal regions up to just north of the river Humber. This is because more people have lived and worked there over a greater period in time than in other parts of the land.

Tour operators usually try to find land in the areas which are expected to be more productive in finds. While this approach often does lead to a wide range of coins and artifacts being found, that is certainly not always the case.

From various sources, we now know a great deal about human activity in England during past ages. However, there is much yet to learn- particularly about the Celtic, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon periods. Our knowledge of the activities, settlement, and movement of our ancestors is constantly being expanded through work done by historians and archaeologists, often based on new evidence unearthed by detectorists.

In a land of such long and diverse history, all kinds of artifacts are likely to surface. This assortment includes examples from Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, and later eras.

The point I wish to make is that although there is a better chance of making finds in certain parts of England, do not be put off searching areas where there is supposed to be little chance of finding anything. For example, I have searched a site in Yorkshire on three occasions which is close to a stately home, a ruined abbey, and a Norman castle... and found nothing of note. In contrast, another site in Yorkshire, miles away from the nearest town, has produced an exceptional range of finds from Celtic times onward.

High on most English searchers' wish lists are Anglo-Saxon coins. The two largest in this group are silver pennies of Aethelred II and Cnut.

Recoveries & Records

Roman coins and artifacts can be found just about anywhere- but, of course, in greater quantities in some places than others. Anglo-Saxon material is much scarcer. This is due to the shift away from a cash economy and the less ostentatious culture and society of the Anglo-Saxons. Far more artifacts than coins are found dating from the late Saxon period up to the last quarter of the 12th century. During the latter period there was a definite shift toward a cash economy, and finds of coins from this time onwards are just as common as artifacts.

Newcomers to detecting are often surprised by some of their coin-related finds. Jettons dating from Medieval times to the Stuart period are often unearthed. These are usually classed as reckoning counters (for adding up sums on a counting board) but have been discovered in such quantities that some scholars believe they must have been used as currency. Foreign coins, dating from the medieval period to quite modern times are often unearthed. These made up for shortages of native small change during times past. Irish and Scottish coins also circulated in England. Then there are forgeries, the early ones being quite scarce, but those dating from the early 19th century being very common indeed.

Visitors, therefore may be surprised not only by where they find things, but what they find, too. Nevertheless, don't be disappointed if you don't find anything special. Some English detectorists have been searching for years and have yet to unearth a truly rare coin.

Up to fairly recently, it was often difficult for detectorists to find a person or institution who would record their finds. However, this situation was remedied when the Treasure Act came into force in 1997. A number of regions then appointed Finds Liaison Officers whose job it is to record finds. These officers, who are mostly trained archaeologists, also offer valuable help in the identification and dating of coins and artifacts. This scheme has worked well, is expanding all the time, and is helping in no small way to expand our knowledge of the past.

The best tour operators work in conjunction with the Finds Liaison Officers, thereby ensuring that an accurate record is made of any significant find. It is worth mentioning here that visitors should have all their finds examined by an expert. Something which appears to be nothing special may, in fact, turn out to be quite important.

Helpful Contacts

When considering a tour operator, seek recommendations from others before making a firm booking. If you decide to go it alone, then start making contacts and developing relationships well in advance.

The best tour operators will tell you all about the Treasure Act and provide you with application forms for Export Licenses. Visitors from the U.S. who wish to eventually take possession of finds made in England must have an Export License. Those attempting to export goods without a valid license risk confiscation of their finds and prosecution.

Bear all these points in mind, and your detecting expedition to England will be trouble free and, hopefully, productive in finds.

First contact for NCMD: Trevor Austin, NCMD General Secretary, 51, Hilltop Gardens, Denaby, Doncaster DN12 4SA, England. Phone 01709 868521.

For Export License applications: Mrs. Margaret Cates, Export Licensing Unit, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2-4, Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5DH. Phone 0171 211 6166 or 6164 or 6168. A booklet about the Treasure Act is also available from this address.

Hammered silver coins are avidly sought by British detectorists, and these from England and Scotland were among the author's finds in 1999.

For advice about detecting tours to England: David Barwell, Barnwell, Front Street, Ringwould, Deal, Kent CT14 8HP. Phone 01304 366365.

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