Sunday 19 February 2023

Kirsty Takes Part in Commercial Looting

    Birmingham Mail/Go Detecting    


Kirsty Bosley, a freelance journalist decided to give commercial artefact hunting events organizers "Go Detecting Midlands" some free advertising, and Birmingham Mail was pleased to oblige ('I tried out metal detecting on a local farm and found something more precious than buried treasure 17 Feb 2023. Spoiler: what she found was "solid gold peace of mind". Now there's not many countries in the world where individuals (called looters if they have brown skins) taking spades to the archaeological record to hoik out something collectable while trashing the site could claim that. But then, not every country has journalists like Ms Bosley writing earnestly and soothingly of it. The Solihul-based company "Go Detecting" is apparently that run by Lawrence von Sorgenfrei and Christine Bloy, who in Companies House services describes their activities as "93290 - Other amusement and recreation activities not elsewhere classified". The artefact hunting rally attended by Ms Bosley was at Evesham. As she said:
I'd had a metal detector in my hand for about 30 seconds when I heard my first bleep, not a full step away from where Simon Hall had been showing me how to master the bit of kit he was so kindly lending me.
Coincidence no doubt. But the company gets a good review from her after that.
There were around 50 of us searching, spread over three peaceful pastures, soaked in February sun. The Go Detecting Midlands guys had set up a table with coffee and tea and detectorists that were taking a break from the search were leaning on the backs of their cars, snaffling sandwiches and wearing wellies. As well as the detector on my arm and the pin pointer detector in my pocket, I was armed with a shovel and my gardening gloves. A simple set-up, but all I needed to make a start.
So no GPS then, to record the findspots. The bit about (as a "responsible detectorist") her first meeting with the FLO did not make it to the final version, shame that.
There's laws to digging, and that's why being out with Simon had been a good decision. You need permissions to dig and insurance. As well as feeling that Go Detecting Midlands could solve any problems I might find myself getting into (say, keeping a horde [sic!] of coins I'd have no right keeping), it was also nice to just be around others who could help identify what I dug up.
So, no need for the FLO then.

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