I agree. And too, many items are ruined by diggers who don't understand preservation. In the long run with all things considered, the archeologist are right. Most (not all) lost items are best left lost until the day comes when tecnology and funding is where they can be extracted and properly preserved.
Now, lets talk "real world." In the "real world" I want to dig cool stuff that hopefully also has a big ticket value. As I've stated many times over the past 45 years, the hobby is at best on the shady side. Probably not one THer in a hundred always gains honest permission before hunting a location. It's just the way things are. Too little time and energy to spend several years doing research to figure out who owns what.
What has happened since Ken White started pumping out his treasure finder machines is this movement to make our activity some sort of work of the Saints when actually it's more like the work of mostly good but imperfect people who love treasure. Tons of things about everything in life are questionable. Part of what makes life cool is the questionable factor. If everything were perfect life would be super boring.
What all so-called "reality" shows do is exaggerate. They're actors who either were trained or they're naturals who make a bigger than life deal out of normal stuff. Then too they fake a lot to keep things interesting. It's the wonderful and often nutty world of entertainment.
