In 2024 a detectorist found some gold coins in Suffolk. The discovery was declared legally treasure. If a museum wanted the coins, the finder would have been rewarded with a sum equivalent to their market value, but none did, so he’s selling them, at an auction estimate of £20,000 to £26,000.

Here’s the problem. It costs a lot of public money to record detected antiquities

Here’s the problem. It costs a lot of public money to record detected antiquities

You might think everyone would be happy. Archaeologists have learnt something new. The detectorist will pocket a sum from his hobby, which he will share with the landowner. And he’s promised to donate a portion of the proceedings towards local research. But some archaeologists are decidedly unhappy. When you hear their objections, you might find yourself agreeing with them.

Tens of thousands of detector finds are reported every year, many of historic importance. A few are very valuable. This particular find has raised the archaeological ire, because of who made it. Tom Licence has been metal detecting since he was a boy, and writes for a detecting magazine. But in his day job he’s professor of medieval history and literature at the University of East Anglia, the author of a book about Victorian rubbish dumps, and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. In other words, for archaeologists, he’s one of them. And archaeologists do not sell the past.

Licence made his discovery near the........

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