Despite the pandemic and the parlous state of national finances, expensive reforms to the Treasure Act are imminent and the public is being misinformed about them.
Here are four true headlines and one truth:
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More Heritage Journal views on artefact collecting
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The Heritage Journal 
5 comments
23/01/2021 at 21:24
Hywel Smith
So the attack goes on how many skeletons are in museums locked in draws never to be reburied?
I’m guessing if and when we go to the pearly gates one of the questions is how would u like ur remains to be
A in the ground with the gifts and personal items never to be disturbed to rest in peace
B dug in the name of archeology put in a box the stored in a cuboard for how everlong I’m sure the likes of tutankhamun wanted to be put on display!?
We live in a world where good practice is rewarded and so it should as if we revert to the other side we revert to private collections ever growing and less historic knowledge going to the public back to the days when mummies we sold to who ever wanted the items yes that’s how the British museum got the items mentioned above!
The trouble is the process is to slow there are not enough FLO’s to deal with the items at the moment yet alone with the new rules.
People need to recognise the advantage of metal detectorists as they can lead to discoveries that wouldn’t be known. People need to work together not against otherwise it creates hate, unbiased views that are wrong and create voids in knowledge.
Imagine how much knowledge would have been found if developments had to have a survey with a detectorists not just at at higher level but local knowledge of when and where a town/village started!
Can we just get along stop spreading hate?????
24/01/2021 at 05:35
heritageaction
So, um, we must stop criticising the 94% of metal detectorists who won’t donate important finds to museums for free, and who instead insist on being paid, despite the awful financial plight of museums and the country, and the fact it’s a greedy, selfish, immoral and uncivilised thing to do?
You may be waiting some time. I take it you would be one of those with your hand out – in which case what are you doing on a conservation website rather than a grabbers’ one?
24/01/2021 at 10:12
Paul Barford (@PortantIssues)
Hywel Smith, quoting some ‘Pearly Gates’ might like to pay a little more attention to the eschatology to which that notion pertains regarding mortal remains. (And what ‘grave goods’ does he envisage taking through those gates?) I suspect few readers of this blog think he’s revealing something about “how the British museum got the items mentioned above!” (nor need informing that Tutankhamun’s tomb equipment is not in the BM, and his remains still rest in the Valley of the Kings).
If a policy cannot work because to make it work, we’d need more and more FLOs and there is no money for that, what does that tell us about the usefulness of such a “policy”? Obviously if its unworkable it needs to be scrapped and replaced. No?
“People need to recognise the advantage of metal detectorists”. What I think is needed is for people (the public whose heritage these people are pocketing) to be properly informed about both the “advantages” as well as “disadvantages” of current policies and then look at the balance. Do the number of “new discoveries” balance out the damage done in artefact hunting (not only in quantitative but especially qualitative terms)? If the answer is no, then these policies need scrapping and replacing.
So where do we see artefact hunters “working together” towards such an aim, when they all seem to be in denial? I commend Heritage Action for taking the broader view and informing the public of these issues. This is spreading information and not “fake news” or “hate”.
24/01/2021 at 12:39
Hywel Smith
So you are spreading fake news and hate with the baselessly info that everyone finds 100s of items every time they go out and 94% then don’t give freely.
I’m guessing every time you find money in the street you donate it to charity?
So on moral question should we have to pay these museums to view what as you say is our historic knowledge!
24/01/2021 at 13:22
heritageaction
“I’m guessing every time you find money in the street you donate it to charity?”
Yes. Moral imbecile.