Norwich Hoik Praised by Museum

It should have been properly
excavated or left alone

Norfolk is getting its PAS funding cut, one might suggest that when the PAS is not really doing its job, that's not such a bad thing. We seem to have another of the "You done Right" brigade up there, misinforming finders about best practice. This emerges from a (now disappeared) thread on a metal detecting forum near you: "Bronze Age Madness????", post by Thetford detectorist "Pifukas" (Sun Oct 25, 2015 12:50 am). Discussion is about an object pulled out from below plough level by said "Pifukas" (possible real name: Gintarius Krivickas):

I just can tell you all that I went to Norwich Castle museum with it to show it to Someone who could guide me for further actions. FLO works Monday-Friday. Guy from Museum was extremely interested and exited about it. We took pictures and sent it to email that I was given with all information needed. I was told that I'll be contacted first thing Monday morning. It wouldn't been found if not me and Farmer who offered to get digger there as it was impossible to find out what was the signal, cos hole was filling with watter everytime I tried to get to the signal. The reason why I insisted digging deep signal was that 3 pots of roman coins were found very very close by, otherwise I would have left it there. [...] I havent even checked the hole for any other signals. Only when I washed it and put middle section of it it reminded a shield, but When I asked what shoud I do with it he said to chuck it to the ditch. My brother in law said that he'd rather take a picture and post it on forum or somewhere to see what others think. Only then we realized that it could be bronze age shield.

I think what Pifukas with his broken English wanted to say was not that the "Someone in the museum" had said "chuck it in the ditch" but the farmer who'd brought a digger to find another "pot full of Roman coins" no doubt counting on a reward. But it does sound like the "someone in the museum" said something like "you done well M8, and it wouldn't have been found if you'd not hoiked it out".

It was found 1.5m down....