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

[tinpan]

Hi Greed will tempt many men .There is no honor against thieves and there is even less honor in betrayals . Sorry I was taught never to snitch on lesser crime . Its forbidden where I come from. What happens in others countries legal systems is for their people to decide . Anyway the British Museum gave back Australian Traditional Land Owners back many ancient artifacts as promised. Much of their vast collections travels the world for all too see . Clearly if there was no laws plenty would take more than their share lost forever . TP

 

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[Bum Luck]

Has absolutely nothing to do with fugitive slave law, England has the right to set their laws on their antiquities. The same reason we cant detect on National Seashores, National Parks and National Battlefields, it's the law. If you do it and get caught you can expect to pay a price.

England is England. They are a sovereign nation, and thereby can make their own laws. They do. They even talk funny, and there's nothing we can do about that either.

All other countries make their own laws too. We may not like them, but we don't get to change them like we do here in America. Russia, Ethiopia, Iran, Libya, Germany, India, China, Vietnam, Latvia and on and on; all very different. Governments are really a function of the peoples in them, for better or worse.

England is much more populated than we are and so the laws reflect that.

Here's a UK detector forum, much like (but of course not as good as) TNet. Metal Detecting - The Complete Guide For Beginners in 2020

Here's an article in the Guardian, a well known UK paper: https://www.theguardian.com/science...truce-between-detectorists-and-archaeologists

"the UK has the lightest regulation of metal detecting of any western European country; (emphasis mine) in most cases, only the permission of the land owner is required – but in other countries and other contexts, what is perfectly legal in the UK would be considered as looting.

Cooperation and engagement has now been the accepted position of the archaeological community towards metal detecting in the UK for over twenty years, paving the way for the 1996 Treasure Act and the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which records detector finds across the country and makes the data available to researchers. Many metal detecting clubs enjoy close and mutually beneficial relationships with their local archaeology units, sharing information and sometimes working together in the field. "

This is still an uneasy truce, but it is a truce.

Furthermore, in my opinion, British archaeologists are far more "progressive" than the American version. They use mechanized methods at times, they work with detectorists, they pioneered drones, remote sensing, and are much more open minded and a lot less dogmatic than ours. I've met and worked with both.

The Staffordshire Hoard: On 25 November 2009, the hoard was valued by the Treasure Valuation Committee at £3.285 million, which, under the provisions of the 1996 Treasure Act, is the sum that must be paid as a reward to the finder and landowner, to be shared equally, by any museum that wishes to acquire the hoard.

I suppose you could carp about only getting half of $4.3 million, and I guess that's your right. As a matter of fact, Terry Herbert, the finder of the hoard, and Fred Johnson, the farmer on whose land the hoard was found have lost their friendship over their good fortune. I don't know if they complain about "only" getting $2.15 million apiece, but I couldn't find that. Terry was unemployed when he found the hoard, and Fred lived in an old house and drove an old tractor.

Such is the human condition.

 

[CRUSADER]

England is England. They are a sovereign nation, and thereby can make their own laws. They do. They even talk funny, and there's nothing we can do about that either.

All other countries make their own laws too. We may not like them, but we don't get to change them like we do here in America. Russia, Ethiopia, Iran, Libya, Germany, India, China, Vietnam, Latvia and on and on; all very different. Governments are really a function of the peoples in them, for better or worse.

England is much more populated than we are and so the laws reflect that.

Here's a UK detector forum, much like (but of course not as good as) TNet. Metal Detecting - The Complete Guide For Beginners in 2020

Here's an article in the Guardian, a well known UK paper: https://www.theguardian.com/science...truce-between-detectorists-and-archaeologists

"the UK has the lightest regulation of metal detecting of any western European country; (emphasis mine) in most cases, only the permission of the land owner is required – but in other countries and other contexts, what is perfectly legal in the UK would be considered as looting.

Cooperation and engagement has now been the accepted position of the archaeological community towards metal detecting in the UK for over twenty years, paving the way for the 1996 Treasure Act and the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which records detector finds across the country and makes the data available to researchers. Many metal detecting clubs enjoy close and mutually beneficial relationships with their local archaeology units, sharing information and sometimes working together in the field. "

This is still an uneasy truce, but it is a truce.

Furthermore, in my opinion, British archaeologists are far more "progressive" than the American version. They use mechanized methods at times, they work with detectorists, they pioneered drones, remote sensing, and are much more open minded and a lot less dogmatic than ours. I've met and worked with both.

The Staffordshire Hoard: On 25 November 2009, the hoard was valued by the Treasure Valuation Committee at £3.285 million, which, under the provisions of the 1996 Treasure Act, is the sum that must be paid as a reward to the finder and landowner, to be shared equally, by any museum that wishes to acquire the hoard.

I suppose you could carp about only getting half of $4.3 million, and I guess that's your right. As a matter of fact, Terry Herbert, the finder of the hoard, and Fred Johnson, the farmer on whose land the hoard was found have lost their friendship over their good fortune. I don't know if they complain about "only" getting $2.15 million apiece, but I couldn't find that. Terry was unemployed when he found the hoard, and Fred lived in an old house and drove an old tractor.

Such is the human condition.

You are right we have the fairest Laws on detecting in the whole of Europe, no-one would argue otherwise.

The facts as I know them. They had permission from the Land-Owner, so no reason to hide that fact, as some do it without permission.
I have an indirect link to the case, as I know a mate, whose daughter booked the person who got caught into an a appointment with a top London Auction house. This middle-man/fencer was so dumb & unbelievable the Police where rang straight away. He then gave up the rest of the individuals involved.
All they needed to do is hand it in & in about 1.5 years collect a cheque for their share of £3M. Who needs more than 1M for doing their hobby they enjoy, it would be enough for me to give up work & detect more often. Like to see how they will detect in Prison.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

You are right we have the fairest Laws on detecting in the whole of Europe, no-one would argue otherwise.

The facts as I know them. They had permission from the Land-Owner, so no reason to hide that fact, as some do it without permission.
I have an indirect link to the case, as I know a mate, whose daughter booked the person who got caught into an a appointment with a top London Auction house. This middle-man/fencer was so dumb & unbelievable the Police where rang straight away. He then gave up the rest of the individuals involved.
All they needed to do is hand it in & in about 1.5 years collect a cheque for their share of £3M. Who needs more than 1M for doing their hobby they enjoy, it would be enough for me to give up work & detect more often. Like to see how they will detect in Prison.

Thanks for your input crusader, it is nice to get it from someone who actually lives in UK, knows the laws and detects regularly.