"The Gang of Seven" In Bed with Bazza Thugwit

The aggro of the past couple of days by the self-proclaimed 'Gang of Seven' has, I think, several positive aspects. The fact that it is out in the open in the public eye serves to show that artefact hunters and collectors are by no means wholly the homogeneous group of studious, altruistic people out to enlarge the public's knowledge and understanding of the past of their own propaganda and PAS pro-collecting spin. In their number is clearly a more noticeable group of aggressively uncouth sociopaths chipping away at that positive façade from within.The second thing which is of interest is in this  'Gang of Seven' we find for the first time metal detectorists (relic hunters) and coin collectors. Coineys (who 'win' their items in auctions of by cultivating a relationship with "reputable dealers") have in the past tried to establish themselves as some kind of elite in the collecting world, disassociated from those disreputable folk who grub in the earth and loot sites for collectables.  Metal detectorists on the other hand strongly resent being represented (as in this blog) alongside disreputable folk who grub in the earth and loot sites for collectables - mainly because they can find no arguement to differentiate the two groups except for claiming about what they do: "it's legal, innit?". So, it is interesting to see Messers Sayles, Tompa and his alter-ego 'Arthur Houghton', now entering a working relationship with the likes of Dick Stout, Bazza Thugwit, Steve Taylor and John Howland, the mix is magical.

Vignette: One of the few clear photos of the normally secretive Baza Thugwit in action.