Focus on Metal Detecting: Conspiracy, conspiracy... "Dirty Tricks Incident" - NCMD

Of course the tekkie naysayers are now strutting their stuff over the Balkan brooch. On a metal detecting forum near you, "Omegamike" (8th November 2013, 10:47 am) wants to know by what right Dr Williams questions this metal detector find:

The burning question from me is the tests that were done by archaeologists? "Mr Williams said there was no evidence of traces of Oxfordshire downland soil in the grooves of the brooch." Now is this based on an assumption? or were proper tests carried out under laboratory conditions? and as for the other brooch - again were tests carried out on the 'plastic' or is he assuming plastic is what it was? assumptions carry no weight in my book unless proper tests are conducted to put things beyond doubt

Well, I am sure that in his article in "The Searcher", Dr Williams will be presenting to his metal detecting partners the results of his chemical and physical analyses in full. Further down the thread, "Remic", the NCMD Rep (8th November 2013, 11:58 am) notes cases of the planting of fake Roman and Celtic coins on sites and finders claiming to have found items that they have not:

I have seen that many times, but passing items to the FLO for recording is another matter and probably the result of someone, perhaps even an anti detecting archaeologists seeking to make mischief and discredit detectorists in general or the rally organisers in this instance. It all seems a bit like digging holes in a field and screaming nighthawks as we have seen the anti's doing in the past. This could equally be yet another dirty tricks incident.

That's a pretty astounding accusation, I'd like to see the NCMD's documentation for the instance (instances?) allegedly of opponents of current policies "digging holes in a field and screaming nighthawks" as if the whole concept of illegal artefact hunting taking place is just a myth.

So, this latest theory has an archaeologist buying an illegally dug and smuggled Balkan brooch on eBay, going out (with or without the landowner's permission?) to a 1000-acre search site, and burying it (just one or more?) just below the surface in a place where they know one of the 500 members of a rally will find it. But not just any finder, one who will later take the brooch to the FLO (not all finders do), and to an FLO who knows his Balkan brooches (I wonder how many have access to the literature in their local museum or library?). All this, allegedly is done  to "discredit detectorists in general". Frankly, I think detectorists do quite enough by themselves without any help from "anti-detecting archaeologists" to discredit the milieu. Thinking up wild conspiracy theories like this being one of them.

But I am sure that as a result of his research and analyses Dr Williams will present in his "Searcher" article, all the detailed proof needed to convince his "partner" detectorists - readers of the magazine - that no anti-detecting archaeologist was involved in this find being found in this field. Or will he?

Vignette: The official NCMD explanation of "nighthawking".