26th November 2008, 04:34 PM
My limited experience of "treasure" items is working next to someone who found a gold ring (which probably didn't qualify as "treasure" under the old act as, from the context, it was lost rather than deposited with the intention of later recovery) was a gold ring find - it came off the site as a small find, (although not lobbed in the finds tray for later sorting) and was reported back to the unit who afaik reported it and took it off site to keep in the safe (along with the other bullion - Lord Mayors Gold Plated Coach etc - it was in London)until such time as the coroner made a decision on it.
Most archaeologists, as various others have said, will never find items of precious metal. Rarely will small hoards be found (I know of one buried in a trackway bank in W Lancs)but from what I know of hoards they tend to be buried a little bit away from settlements and most excavations concentrate on the settlement sites. And there are probably vastly more settlements with no hoards than with them in general so the excavation record is in favour of hoardless sites.
Most archaeologists, as various others have said, will never find items of precious metal. Rarely will small hoards be found (I know of one buried in a trackway bank in W Lancs)but from what I know of hoards they tend to be buried a little bit away from settlements and most excavations concentrate on the settlement sites. And there are probably vastly more settlements with no hoards than with them in general so the excavation record is in favour of hoardless sites.