Treasure Act
From September 1997 this replaced the common law of Treasure Trove. It requires all finds of treasure to be reported to the Coroner for the district in which it is found either within 14 days of the day on which the find was made or within 14 days after the day on which you realised that the find might be treasure.
Treasure now consists of:
- Any object (other than a coin) provided that it contains at least 10% of gold or silver and is at least 300 years old.
- All coins from the same find provided they are at least 300 years old when found and the find consists of at least two coins. If the coins contain less than 10% of gold or silver there must be at least ten of them.
- Any object, of whatever composition, that is found in the same place as, or had previously been together with, another object that is treasure.
Recent recommendations extend the definition of Treasure to:
- One of at least two base metal objects of prehistoric date, from the same find.
- Any object of prehistoric date any part of which is precious metal.
With reference to metal detecting, permission must always be obtained from the landowner before detecting on any land. In the case of Scheduled Monuments, prior consent must be obtained from English Heritage and this is not normally given except for bona fide, non-destructive research purposes.
For further information, contact us or the Finds Liaison Officer at the Yorkshire Museum, York.
