February 2025's Fluff Media Article on the Pleasures of Looting the Archaeology in UK

 North Cornwall Metal Detecting Group dig (Picture: Warren Wilkins)

Despite the Portable Antiquities Scheme being there to do "outreach" on the "importance of context" (which they don't in fact do in any meaningful way) in Britain "metal detecting" (Collection-driven trashing of the Archaeological Record) has seen a surge in popularity in recent times. "Reporter Warren Wilkins went to find out what its all about (Warren Wilkins, 'Metal detectorists dig up treasure trove of finds' Voice Saturday 8th February 2025). But failed.

The usual unoriginal stuff.... "first to hold an artefact that hasn’t been touched for hundreds or even thousands of years".... "what a pleasant pastime it is".... "quest to find buried treasure"... "The first thing I discovered wasn’t buried treasure but how much more difficult metal detecting is than you might think"... "I saw a glint of something but my eager anticipation was soon replaced by disappointment as I realised-- it was a piece of foil".... [yawn, youve read one of these "clueless journo promoting looting" texts, you've read them all] (wot, no mention of Andy and Lance?).

North Cornwall Metal Detecting Group has 1,500 members and attracts around 40 to 50 people on an organised dig. Yet Mr Warren cant make the mental effort to step aside from the "glittering prizes" to asking what effect thgis is having on the archaeological record of the place they're searching, or the actual ethical issues of people pocketing Cornwall's common heritage. Not a word of it in this feelgood text.

Adrian said: “Every bit of land is owned by someone, and you must get permission to metal detect on their land. [...] “I normally I have to knock on the door of 30 farms to get permission to metal detect on their land. “The farmer will receive a fee for allowing the group on their fields for the day. “Anything that is sold for over £1,000 the farmer and the person who found it receives a 50/50 share of the value of the item that is classed as treasure.”

That's unclear, they split 50/50 all sales over a thousand quid, or just the Treasure ones? What if a finder takes home a misceellany of items (say George V gold sovereign in good condition, some large flan medieval and early modern hammered coins found [he says] at opposite ends of a farm, an inscribed brass heraldic ring and a few other items that when he sells them off individuially over the course of the next few weeks or months come to a total of £1,128, does the landowner get a cheque for over £564? Because the value of thew items removed from a field is NOT the single high value find, but the cumulative value of all the objects removed. A glance at the 'finds valuation' page of the main metal detecting magazines shows that even relatively common artefacts could be worth 1-200 quid each. If you take a pocket full, that's potentially over £1,000 - and there's "around 40 to 50 people on an organised dig". Did the farmer get a fee of £40,000 to let the looters on? If not, how does he know he's not been cheated? Did the landowner sign off on EVERY item removed to show the finder has their permission to remove that item? If nbot, when it is sold, how can it be determined that an object is not from Nighthawking? Mr Warren seems unaware of any of these issues.

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