PAS Judge Partner's Coin "Nation's Third Best Find", Now it's Up For Auction

This is like some bad joke. A coin dug up on an archaeological site in a field in Bedfordshire by an artefact hunter was awarded third place in "The Nation’s Greatest Find 2010" competition but is now one of the star lots in a London auction of ancient and world coins and medals.

The coin, a silver miliarensis from the reign of the Roman emperor Constantius II (AD 337-361 [...] is expected to sell for £600-800 in the auction, which is organised by specialist auctioneers Morton & Eden in association with Sotheby’s. [...] The competition, which took place at the government’s Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure, is organised annually by The Searcher, a specialist magazine for detectorists and treasure hunters. Culture Minister Ed Vaizey paid a visit during the judging. 

The man who found it has "asked not to be named". Not surprising really, they're supposedly "only in it fer th' 'istry mate" so when another breaks ranks and sells his own link with his past to a stranger, he'd probably want to remain anonymous. I'll call him Baz Thugwit. Bazza says "Despite its age, it was in remarkably good condition and none the worse for being in the ground for so long”. So much for the dealers' glib suggestion that all the coins worth collecting are from hoards, while single site finds are never in a collectable state.

Discovered on the same secret Bedfordshire site was a gold solidus from the reign of the emperor Honorius (AD 393-423) [...] The coin is estimated at £300-350. A gold stater from the reign of the late Iron Age Celtic ruler Addedomaros (c. 45-25 B.C.) found on the same site by another detectorist is estimated at £700-900. [...]  All three coins were reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, as required by law, and the money raised by their sale will be divided between the respective finders and the landowner. 

Hmm, maybe all three were "reported", but if they were, it is notable that only one of them (BM-45DD17  from "Bletsoe")  is found by searching the database.  And of course, unless we are not being told of a hoard, Messers Morton and Eaton who wrote the article for the coiney magazine in which this story appeared should by now jolly well know that reporting is not by any means "required by law". On the other hand, since they are coin dealers, perhaps it would be expecting a little too much to assume they know the law about archaeological finds in different countries. Anyway, you can buy Mr Thugwit's piece of the past if so desirous at the Sotheby’s auction of "Ancient, Islamic, British and World Coins and Medals", July 3-4 2012. Or you could give it a miss and instead pen a letter to the Portable Antiquities Scheme to ask them what they think about this and what they think they are up to getting involved with sellers like Mr Thugwit and Mr Sykes-Luter who found the Addedomarus artefact.

Source: Morton and Eden, 'Ancient Coins Found by Metal Detectorists in Bedfor[d]shire Star in London Auction', Coin Week June 22, 2012

Vignette: The archaeological sites of Bedfordshire: within convenient travelling distance from the London auction houses and PAS competitions.