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Metal detectorist unhappy with valuation
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nigelswift
8112 posts

Re: Metal detectorist unhappy with valuation
Apr 14, 2014, 20:49
The behaviour of politicians isn't relevant - we're all better than them! But for what it's worth Ed Vaizey says detectorists are heroes so he's unlikely to be behind a scam to fiddle them. Indeed, nor are the Treasure Valuation Committee who are prominent people, professor, dealers and a detectorist, whose minutes are now published, which is more than EH's mostly are.

I dunno why the discrepancy but most detectorists are saying 550 is too low but also that Walker's figure is crazy. Funny business valuation, I did it for 30 years and I bet anythiing if and when their thinking and comparable evidence is published in a sober manner they won't look like crooks out to fiddle anyone. It might be on the low side but in an inexact science sometimes it happens.

About 8% 0f finders or landowners renounce their rewards and in most countries the reward is far less, sometimes 10% or nothing. Both of those affect my view of it I suppose. Also, the "reward" has to come from a local museum, always skint, and often after a public appeal in which old ladies and schoolkids donate money and ...... this always drives me nutz .... the press story always says stuff like: ten thousand needed to save treasure for Leicester - when "save" means to stop someone being able to flog the thing legally on EBay.

I can remember as kids we'd find stuff in the fields and take it to school and then to the museum because "that's where it belongs". I can't adjust to the modern habit of harvesting history for personal benefit. It's kind of Thatcherite, uncivilised, anti-society.
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