How Long Can this go on? PAS: "Record Increase for Treasure Finds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland"

Norfolk not emptied yet... [and the Independent needs to employ some better editors] 

Charlotte McLaughlin 'Record Increase for treasure finds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland' The Independent 11.02.2025 ("3 min read" if you read slowly)

A record number of treasure finds have been reported in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a report has found. There were 1,377 cases of treasure in 2022, an increase of 305 on the previous year, and 74 more than 2019, the year that had previously seen the most treasure reported. Norfolk continues to hold the title of the most treasure finds with 95 discoveries, including more than 170 objects being reported, according to the Treasure Act 1996 Annual Report 2022.

OK, so it keeps going up, which means increasing depletion of the archaeological record, year after year. Why are the numbers going up? Is it because of the new criterium of definition of what "Treasure" now is? (Actually no, because it came in in 2023, and it seems the new definition has so far been [see below] invoked only once, but in 2024). Is the number/frequency of people going out increasing? Are metal detectors getting better, or are people getting better at metal detecting? These are questions the PAS does not have any answers to as their "liaison officers" in fact do nothing of the kind.

There's more PAS-iness in that article:

The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) [something - report? PMB], published on Tuesday, saw 74,506 archaeological items reported in the UK (sic) in 2023, a sharp increase on 2022’s figures of 53,490. The report said most of the objects were found by people metal-detecting at 95% and in agricultural regions, where they could have been lost to ploughing and farm activity if not discovered. Michael Lewis, head of Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and Treasure at the British Museum, said: “2023 was an incredibly successful year for the Portable Antiquities Scheme and it is great to see such a high number of finders, showing us their discoveries to advance our knowledge of Britain’s past.

Whoopee. What advances our knowledge is those objects in context, not loose in a pile on the FLO's table. As for the echoing the two-decade old tekkie mantra: "in agricultural regions, where they could have been lost to ploughing and farm activity if not discovered", what can one say? Maybe all those sharp minds in Bloomsbury could come up after all this time and "liaising" with some better argument points to support looting than the old, old ones we've heard so many times before.

 And once again, detectorists get a pat on the back from good ol' tekkie pal Mike Lewis, who DOES NOT then say to Independent's readers how many thieving bastards are going out with spades and the landowner's permission and all that, but simply pocketing all they find (with the exception of what is declarable by law). This year too it is probably higher than last year...
COUNTER AS A REMINDER OF WHAT THEY ARE NOT TELLING YOU. 

A picture
OK, PAS show a VERY odd looking coin of "Guthrum" in the article, from "Near Thetford" (Breckland District, Norfolk) - but recorded not by the local FLO but "PAS" PAS-D68238 . And in its record the PAS goes on and on and on about the typology of this bit of stamped metal with the odd style (really reminiscent of a certain eastern European school of fakers to my eye, but what do I know, eh?). And, lo and behold:

"This coin is of considerable historical and numismatic significance. It is being submitted as potential Treasure as it meets the requirements of the Treasure (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2023 by being more than 200 years old at the time of discovery, being made of metal, and providing ‘a significant insight into an aspect of national history’. It meets these latter criteria under the following two categories: Historical significance, Treasure Act 1996 Code of Practice, section B.36 (connected to a person or event). [...]

Here we go... Reading the long text about what this loose artefact tells us that we did not actually know... I wonder what a coroner will make of it - indeed on what grounds are they to assess to what degree that is the case, or not? [Treasure case tracking number: 2024T380].