If you find a treasure find on a site... should the reward be shared?

[garybrun]

i've never seen the fine print of a contract between a unit and a developer, but i assume there will be clauses about ownership of finds...however, the average digger's contract with their employer probably doesn't mention any such thing about signing away their rights, and i think it could lead to some expensive court cases if pursued vigorously enough..

I have assisted on archaeological digs and the first thing that it given to me is a disclaimer to sign on anything found and that I surrender my rights to finds.

[Davidh]

So you should. I can't see anything wrong with that at all.

[garybrun]

And neither do I.

[PeterM]

There should, perhaps, be a distinction between "archaeologists" working on site and finding something and an off duty archaeologist walking along the footpath across a Staffordshire field who chances upon a find lying on the surface.

Drunky, the law in Scotland is that all finds from the soil accrue to the Crown where in England and Wales its only treasure items. And technically, as far as I know, the payment to finders of treasure items across the UK is "ex gratia" - no one is actually ENTITLED to anything.

[garybrun]

Its funny you should say that Peter as I do know of one case of that happening and the said person being paid for the ring in Milton Keynes.
No one is entitled to anything... its a reward for doing the right thing but many detectorists dont understand that part though. Everyone thinks they are automatically ENTITLED to a reward.

[Mattymooface]

If someone found something 'off duty' which was classed as a treasure item,(whats the definitions of that) but there where loads of other examples about so no museam is interested in it as a disply item,

i know it would still have to be handed in but would the person still get money for it, or would they get to keep it even though it fell in to the treasure item group

[garybrun]

The archaeologist got money for the item.
The treasure law is very specific on what is treasure and what is not.
Are archaeologists ever of duty.
Are you an archaeologist or are you not... should be the question.
Now if archaeologists were charted there would be no problems with the definition of when, whom and where.

[Mattymooface]

Right i've just ben on the PAS website, and that cleared somethings up, i was just wondering what happens to this treasure if its not of national importance it just goes into a local museum celler, or to a distance national measum, the details and the location have been recorded so the archaeological record been enhanced, so why can't the person who found it keep to do as they wish?.

Preservation in record?

[BAJR Host]

Been discussing this with MAggie.. and this may just be me..

But even if I found the Staffordshire treasure - I would not take a reward. I am an archaeologist.

Now you could say.. ah... but think of what you could do with 1.6 million... you could set up a field school.... etc... Well.. that as may be. but at the end of the day I am an archaeologist.

And before you say.. ah.. but what if... I can say.. I have. And I did not.

[Mattymooface]

What if i gave you 1.6 million from a reward i got, hyperthetically that is