‘A detectorist who stole an estimated £3m worth of Viking treasure has been sentenced to a further five years and three months in prison after failing to pay back over £600,000.’
Crown Prosecution Service, 12th September 2024
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
‘A metal detectorist who pretended he had found medieval silver Crusader coins in a field in Herefordshire has been cleared of fraud by false representation.’
BBC News, 11th March 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘One might say that if the law of Treasure has slumbered throughout most of its long history it has now had a rude awakening. Its obscure origins in Anglo-Norman common law had nothing to do with preserving items of cultural interest and probably everything to do with a source of revenue for the Crown, albeit in the past it must have been a very modest and haphazard privilege. In the nineteenth century one can at least trace a growing awareness that it could play a significant role in preserving objects of interest from the past. Nevertheless, as late as 1981 the Court of Appeal was still wrestling with the issue of how high a content of gold or silver was required to bring coins within the scope of the old law of Treasure Trove. The 1996 Act was the first attempt to offer a detailed statutory definition and, just as importantly, for the first time set out a statutory Code of Practice to guide the practical application of the new law.’
The Institute of Art & Law, 14th April 2023
Source: ial.uk.com
‘Two metal detector enthusiasts who conspired to illegally sell a cache of Anglo Saxon coins which help change our understanding of Alfred the Great have been jailed for more than five years.’
BBC News, 4th May 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Two metal detectorists have been convicted of conspiring to sell criminal property and being in the possession of criminal property after attempting to sell Anglo-Saxon coins from a Viking hoard worth £766,000.’
Crown Prosecution Service, 28th April 2023
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
‘A medieval gold ring, 17th Century silver coins and the fragment of a Bronze Age ring found in north Wales have been declared treasure.’
BBC News, 21st March 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The Government has announced forthcoming changes to the Treasure Act 1996, as amended. The Act applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under its terms, newly-discovered artefacts defined as “treasure” are the property of the Crown, and a person who finds an object that he or she believes to be treasure must notify the relevant authorities within 14 days. The Act currently applies to objects that are more than 300 years old and are made of precious metal or are part of a collection of valuable objects or artefacts.’
Law & Religion UK, 24th February 2023
Source: lawandreligionuk.com
‘The Government has announced forthcoming changes to the Treasure Act 1996, as amended. The Act applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under its terms, newly-discovered artefacts defined as “treasure” are the property of the Crown, and a person who finds an object that he or she believes to be treasure must notify the relevant authorities within 14 days. The Act currently applies to objects that are more than 300 years old and are made of precious metal or are part of a collection of valuable objects or artefacts.’
Law & Religion UK, 24th February 2023
Source: lawandreligionuk.com
‘A rise in the number of detectorists unearthing historical artefacts has prompted an effort to broaden the legal definition of treasure to help museums to acquire important items.’
The Guardian, 18th February 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Two metal detectorists have been convicted of stealing a £3 million Viking hoard of coins and jewellery – much of which is still missing.’
Daily Telegraph, 21st November 2019
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“A Shropshire woman is the first in the UK to be convicted of failing to report treasure, say West Mercia police.”
BBC News, 26th February 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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