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In the event of the Police failing to locate the owner they will probably return the object to the finder.
If, however, the owner makes a claim for the object at a later date, the finder must return the item to
the owner. If the owner is not located the finder has the best rights to ownership, provided that the
object was not found on private property, in which case the owner of the land has a better right than
the finder. The solution here, of course, is to obtain permission beforehand and to come to some
agreement with the landowner with regards to the division of any finds.
If on the other hand, the find of gold or silver can be proved to have been deliberately concealed,
with a view to recovery at a later date, the find comes under the law of the Treasure Trove. If the
objects cannot be proved to have been deliberately concealed, the find cannot be declared Treasure
Trove.
Usually this point centres around the quantity of coins in a hoard, or whether the find is in a container.
Obviously, if there are a hundred coins in a pot, they were almost certainly deliberately concealed. If,
however, there are only one or two coins, it is more likely that they were lost accidentally.
If the objects are declared Treasure Trove, the finder has no need to worry, for he is usually
rewarded with a cash settlement to the full market value of the find.
When the objects are not declared Treasure Trove, the owner of the land on which the find was
made usually has a better claim to ownership than the finder.
In Scotland all newly discovered ancient objects of all metals, whether deliberately concealed or not
are subject to the same procedure as Treasure Trove finds in England.
CODE OF CONDUCT FOR METAL DETECTOR USERS
1. Do not trespass. Ask permission before venturing on to any private land.
2. Respect the Country Code. Do not leave gates open when crossing fields, and do not damage
crops or frighten animals.
3. Do not leave a mess. It is simple to extract a coin or other small objects buried a few inches
under the ground without digging a great hole. Use a sharpened trowel or knife to cut a neat
circle or triangle (do not remove the plug of earth entirely from the ground); extract the object;
replace the soil and grass carefully and even you will have difficulty in finding the spot again.
4. Help to keep Britain tidy - and help yourself. Bottle tops, silver paper and tin cans are the last
thing you should throw away. You could well be digging them up again next year. Do yourself
and the community a favour by taking the rusty iron and junk you find to the nearest litter bin.
5. If you discover any live ammunition or any lethal objects such as an unexploded bomb or mine,
do not touch it. Mark the site carefully and report the find to the local police.
6. Report all unusual historical finds to the landowner.
7. Familiarise yourself with the law relating to archaeological sites. Remember it is illegal for anyone
to use a metal detector on a scheduled ancient monument unless permission has been obtained
Summary of Contents for CS4ZX
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