From Heritage
The British Museum has revealed that public finds have hit record levels based on a study of declared discoveries across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland from 2019
Treasure is defined as items substantially made of gold, silver, or prehistoric metalwork that are more than 300 years old. This includes coins where an individual coin has at least 10% gold or silver, any object or material found in the same place that is classed as associated finds and gold or silver less than 300 years old that has been deliberately hidden with the intention of recovery.
Treasure is protected by the 1996 Treasure Act that legally obliges finders of objects (which constitutes treasure) to report their find within 14 days of the date of discovery. Items that do not qualify under the act fall under the remit of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), a voluntary programme to record the increasing numbers of small finds of archaeological interest.
A total of 81,602 finds were recorded with the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) in 2019, where almost 90% of these archaeological items were discovered by metal detectorists.
One of the most significant recent treasure finds include a beautifully preserved 1,100-year-old medieval brooch, unearthed in Norfolk after a tipper truck delivered spoil to a new location. The brooch is a rare type for this period and is intricately decorated with plants and animals in the ‘Trewhiddle’ style.
Image Credit : British Museum
Another find is a well-used Iron Age drinking set, including a 2,000-year-old bucket adorned with mythical creatures and an unusual humanoid face.........MORE
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