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Recommendations for Metal Detectorists |
The following information is brought to you by the hobby of Metal Detecting to promote recording, best practice & law awareness;
History is precious and the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) want to record your finds (over 300 yrs old) so that the information they can provide can pass into the historical record, help us understand our past and is not lost for all time .
The Portable Antiquities Scheme website can be found at http://www.finds.org.uk
Email [email protected] or Telephone 020 7323 8611.
Record your find spots accurately using an Ordnance Survey map or GPS device, b ag finds individually & record the National Grid Reference on the bag.
Show your finds to your nearest PAS Finds Liaison Officer who will help identify them and advise you on good practice.
see http:// www.finds.org.uk/involved/ contacts.php
Abide by the provisions of the Treasure Act and Treasure Act Code of Practice at
http:// www.finds.org.uk/ treasure
and export licensing; http:// www.culture.gov.uk/cultural_property/export_licencing.htm
For advice on conserving your finds see http:// www . finds.org.uk/conservation.
Consider joining a Club and seeking membership of National Council for Metal Detecting (NCMD) at
http:// www.ncmd.co.uk
or the Federation of Independent Detectorists (FID) at http:// www.fid.newbury.netwho can provide insurance and hobby news.
Avoid protected sites or land in their near vicinity, because areas of archaeological sensitivity & scheduling boundaries may not always correspond. For the location of Scheduled Monuments and SSSI’s see http://www.magic.gov.uk/website/magic/
Do not trespass, all land including beaches, parks, commons & sea bed has an owner. Obtain permission, preferably in writing before detecting. Avoid pasture land which has not before been ploughed. Respect the country code, close all gates, do not damage crops or frighten animals & dispose of your litter properly. Fill in all the holes you have dug.
Seek expert help if you find something large , a concentration of finds, unusual material or wreck remains.
For wreck law see
http:// www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-environmental/mcga-receiver_of_wreck.htm
Call the Police or HM Coastguard and inform the Landowner if you find any live explosives. Do not move them or use a detector or mobile phone nearby. Call the Police & notify the Coroner if you find traces of human remains.
For detecting issues see
http:// www.ukdetectornet.co.uk ,
http://www.minelabowners.com&
http://www.ourpasthistory.com
For detector sales see
http://www.detector-distribution.co.uk
Finds can be recorded with PAS at rallies using the Find Recording Card below
Print both pages of the attachment here – back to back and cut here, fill in the details and hand to the PASFinds Liaison Officer
Recording your finds with PAS via Email
The Portable Antiquities Scheme has approved the use of the following forms, available in Word document format, which can be completed and emailed together with a map (optional) and images of your find, to your Finds Liaison Officer, contact details at
http:// www.finds.org.uk/documents/PAS_contacts.pdf
The form is at
http:// www.finds.org.uk/documents/email_template.doc
A completed example can be found at
http:// www.finds.org.uk/documents/email_example.doc
Make sure that when you are submitting images, that they have a scale, and that all angles are photographed. Images must be a minimum of 400 x 400 pixels and be at least 300dpi. They must be emailed as a separate attachment to the form and not embedded into it.
You should include your own finds record number and name your images with the same number to make the FLO’s life a bit easier i.e: record number 006, attachment: 006.jpg. You may wish to save a copy of the above for your own records.
Conserving & Storing your finds
Finds are precious, they can reveal so much about the past & need to be treated with the utmost respect. If the find is wet, let it dry out slowly indoors on a tray lined with kitchen roll, speeding up the drying process can cause the find to crack. Washing the find can also cause damage by introducing moisture which can cause corrosion.
Do not clean Treasure finds. Cleaning any find can damage it and decrease it’s value and the information it can give. If you must clean the find, first make sure it isn’t an important archaeological object, do not use barrelling, wire brushes or chemicals, use sharpened plastic or wooden points such as cocktail sticks. Practice first on scrap objects to gain experience as much skill is needed to get good results.
Many ancient objects made from copper alloy will have developed a patina which adds value and beauty to the object. Removing this patina could seriously damage and devalue the object and lose valuable information.
Place the find in a grip top polythene bag & record the find spot on the bag with a permanent marker pen so it will never fade.
The bag should be perforated to stop harmful condensation from forming & finds should be individually bagged.
Store finds in an airtight polythene ‘Dry Box’ with Silica Gel to protect them from further corrosion and Bronze disease. Keep direct handling to a minimum as the salts and oils from your skin can contaminate your finds.
A professional conservator might not charge as much as you think. You can find an accredited private conservator through the Conservation Register at
http:// www.conservationregister.com or through your local museum.
For more information visit the Portable Antiquities Scheme at http://www.finds.org.uk/conservation
Thank you for recording with PAS and good luck
