The Treasure Act 1996 free PDF

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A lot of puzzlement exists by Metal detectorists, and those looking into the the subject from the outside, concerning what is classed as treasure and what the laws are surrounding the finding, and thereafter the reporting of treasure in the UK.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme have produced a PDF regarding all information concerning the treasure act in the UK.

The Treasure Act 1996 is an Act of Parliament designed to deal with finds of treasure in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It legally obliges finders of objects which constitute a legally defined term of treasure to report their find to their local coroner within 14 days. An inquest led by the coroner then determines whether the find constitutes treasure or not. If it is declared to be treasure then the finder must offer the item for sale to a museum at a price set by an independent board of antiquities experts known as the Treasure Valuation Committee. Only if a museum expresses no interest in the item, or is unable to purchase it, can the finder retain it.

'Treasure' is defined as being:

All coins from the same hoard. A hoard is defined as two or more coins, as long as they are at least 300 years old when found. If they contain less than 10% gold or silver there must be at least 10 in the hoard for it to qualify.

Two or more prehistoric base metal objects in association with one another

Any individual (non-coin) find that is at least 300 years old and contains at least 10% gold or silver.

Associated finds: any object of any material found in the same place as (or which had previously been together with) another object which is deemed treasure.
Objects substantially made from gold or silver but are less than 300 years old, that have been deliberately hidden with the intention of recovery and whose owners or heirs are unknown.

The Treasure Act allows for a reward up to the market value of the treasure to be shared among the finder and the tenants and/or owner of the land on which the treasure was found. The amount of the reward and how it is divided among the claimants is determined by the Treasure Valuation Committee.

Successful cases involving the Treasure Act include that of the Ringlemere gold cup. Non-treasure finds are the remit of the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

Click here for the full pdf:  https://finds.org.uk/documents/treasure_act.pdf