The Treasure Act
All finders of gold and silver objects, and groups of coins from the same finds, over 300 years old, have a legal obligation to report such items under the Treasure Act 1996. Prehistoric base-metal assemblages found after 1st January 2003 also qualify as Treasure. See 'The Definition of Treasure' in the menu on the left for more detailed information on the type of artefacts and coins which need to be reported as potential Treasure.
If you need advice on the Treasure Act, or reporting items of potential treasure, the regional Finds Liaison Officers will be happy to help.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme does not operate in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
The laws regarding Portable Antiquities in Scotland are very different than those in England and Wales. Whereas in England and Wales the recording of all non-Treasure finds is voluntary, all archaeological objects found in Scotland should be reported under Treasure Trove. Therefore our focus, since we are a voluntary recording Scheme, is upon people finding archaeological objects in England and Wales.
For more information on the law in Scotland see http://www.treasuretrovescotland.co.uk or write to:
Treasure Trove Secretariat,
National Museums of Scotland,
Chambers Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1JF.
For more information on the law in Northern Ireland, see http://www.ehsni.gov.uk or write to:
Department of the Environment
5-33 Hill Street
Belfast
BT1 2LA
Tel: 028 9054 3001
Fax: 028 9054 3111
Property found in the sea or the seashore could be from a ship and is known technically as 'wreck'. Wreck is not treasure. All wreck must be reported to the Receiver of Wreck. This can be done by downloading a form from the Receiver's website. The address of the Receiver of Wreck is:
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Bay 1/05,
Spring Place
105 Commercial Road
Southampton
Hampshire
S015 1EG
Tel: 02380 329474
Website: http://www.mcga.gov
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The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. T: +44(0) 20 73238618 E: info@finds.org.uk