Joan Allen Detectors: Funny Idea of "Responsible" [UPDATED] Withholding the Treasure Reward in Cases like THIS Would Soon Teach Better Practice

 Joan Allen Detectors logos all over this display of "responsiveness" (sic)

Clueless: "Filming areselfs doin' it by th' book, in't we?"

Joan Allen Detectors@JoanAllenDetect 26th July
It's been quite a day today with A HUGE FIND of coins Worek pieniędzy STAY TUNED for tomorrow when we get the archeological team in! What an end to the week! Hats off to the lucky team: Luke Mahoney, Daniel Hunt and Matthew Brown #joanallenmetaldetectors

What a day for the Joan Allen Team! Roman Hoard?...coins...gold...and more! 😲😲 #joanallenmetaldetecting #findinggold #treasurehunting pic.twitter.com/zT8K8bNoch

— Joan Allen Detectors (@JoanAllenDetect) July 26, 2020

Oh yeah, what a pandemic to go metal detecting in. I have some questions for these numpties:

How can you claim to be "doing it by the book" as you do in the film when you've already dug a huge hole right into it, and you are not plotting the positions of and bagging separately the coins from the scatter? Is this "responsible detecting"? How would you define that term in a case like this? Why have you got a "buckit" and not individual finds bags? Where's the GPS? Why can't you just fill the hole in with a GPS fix and wait? How will you ensure social distancing for the team that arrive? Is it not irresponsible to go metal detecting while there is still a pandemic? Who is your FLO? I can't see how they can work safely in a hole that size because excavating and documenting this is not something one person should be asked to do single-handedly, and you are putting your archaeologist in danger. Whose insurance covers them for work-related injuries if they contract CV through contact with metal detectorists, the PAS, or the third party insurance of the landowner, or detectorists? They should refuse to work in unsafe conditions. Tough, you'll just have to wait a bit longer for the Treasure ransom. Or perhaps it should not be awarded this time.

Update  28th July 2020

Piles of coins, DIY arkyology?:

Joan Allen Detectors@JoanAllenDetect·1 g.
UPDATE! Coin count and information coming at midday today... #joanallenmetaldetectors #questmetaldetectors #minelabmetaldetectors Aparat z lampą błyskową Luke Mahoney, Dan Hunt and Matt Brown

Do we get to see the plans and sections of the feature the coins were deposited in, and a plan showing its landscape and site context too? Or just the loose coins you've hoiked out?

Update updated:

Joan Allen Detectors @JoanAllenDetect · 7 min
GOING LIVE @ 12:30 with the main man Luke Mahoney to announce the winner of the coin guess... (Live feed will be shared on twitter as well) BIGGGG PRIZE! You don't want to miss it!
[emoticon] #winnerwinnerchickendinner

Meanwhile Mike Lewis in London confirms (pers. comm.) the FLO went out to this and praises his staff for their ability to work "in tricky conditions". Sort of like potential-viral-infection tricky, he means. Unbelievable.

1028 coins individually plotted, bagged and numbered in the field in just a few hours work. The internal structure of the hoard fully explored and documented. Now the "archaeological team", who "stayed alert", are sitting at home, wondering if they got coronavirus as a result of answering the Treasure hunters' call. I hope not.

If I was the FLO though, I certainly would walk away and not allow myself to be placed in a situation that might compromise my own health and that of members of my family that I live with just because these Treasure hunters cannot be reasonable. As would be within my rights as a local government employee.

The film shows the Joan Allen metal detectorists finding multiple coins before digging that hole. “Best practice”, and “responsible detecting” should clearly and unequivocally dictate what happens in such a course of events, and 23+ years of PAS “outreach” seems not to have sufficiently got the message through that digging a socking big hole that then has to be dealt with is not one of them.

If these blokes can’t get a GPS fix on the spot and walk away with the four or five coins to report and wait, let them dig it up if they want to. But PAS and local government archaeology services/museums should not allow their staff to endanger themselves to suit the whim of these Treasure Hunters. But then there should be a firm refusal to pay the Treasure Ransom to either finder or landowner (who has given permission for this).

The PAS will counter this with playing the victim and saying “it’s easy to criticise”, but I do not think I am alone in seeing that this is the kind of outreach that still needs doing. If PAS cajoling and head-patting don’t work (if this is in Kent, this is the county where the FLO said ”you done well” to a bloke that trashed an early Medieval grave), why can't the PAS get tough with irresponsible behaviour? Especially when it concerns Treasure which the finders are obliged by law to report what they’ve done (and get locked up – Leominster - if they don’t). Why is being firm in any way controversial? Beats me.