TV shows inspire a new golden era for treasure hunters
‘Improved technology means old sites that you last went to 30 years ago suddenly come back to life’
METAL detector finds are on the rise, new government figures show, as the popularity of television programmes such as Time Team and Detectorists tempts more people to take up treasure hunting.
Statistics released by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport show that the number of finds rose to 1,121 in 2016, up from 1,005 in 2015.
Experts say series such as Detectorists, a BBC sitcom starring Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones which began airing in 2014, have tempted more amateur searchers to try out the hobby.
Julian Evan-hart, editor of Treasure Hunting magazine, said the publication had experienced a rise in subscriptions and had added extra pages to report on the increase in finds.
He said that actor and director Crook was a keen and successful treasure hunter, and that other cast members had also discovered a passion for the hobby through being on the programme.
“On all accounts the find rate is phenomenal,” he said. “You could have an influx of new starters due to the programmes like Detectorists, that will create an instant flash in the hobby and then it dies down. A lot of people coming into the hobby on a new starter basis have dreams of finding treasure.”
The programme follows two members of a metal detecting club as they search for archaeological treasure. Its third and final series is due to finish on Dec 13. The popularity of archaeology shows such as Time Team is also thought to have contributed to the rise.
Earlier this year, Dr Rhianydd Biebrach, of the National Museum Wales, said the amount of treasure found in areas such as Monmouthshire, Wrexham and southern Pembrokeshire had risen.
In 2016, the largest number of objects were found in Norfolk, the source of 130 discoveries, with Suffolk recording 81 finds. Most finds are from the early modern era, with 341 items and 32 coin hoards found in 2015 and 2016 dating from the period between the medieval era and the 18th century.
Improved technology which allows hunters to find items which were buried deeper, or identify certain types of metals, was also leading to higher success rates, Mr Evan-hart added.
“Improved technology means old sites that you last went to 30 years ago suddenly come back to life,” he said.
“Primarily it’s the depth – they now go down deeper.
“Early machines had no discrimination, so couldn’t tell you whether it was a precious metal or a mundane metal.
“Now you can pretty much select down to the type of
metal.” The figures showed that the majority of finds in 2015 were “object cases”, which are any -thing other than coins. 82 per cent fell into this category, while 18 per cent were coins. The majority were discovered through metal detecting, with a small number found by chance and others found through archaeological digs.
A longer-term rise has also been attributed to the introduction in 1997 of the Treasure Act, which sets out rules for amateur searchers who find treasure, and the 1996 Portable Antiques
Scheme, which aims to record findings in a database so historians know what has been found.
Mr Evan-hart warned that amateurs should be aware of the rules before they start searching for treasure.
“There are obviously rules and regulations – you can’t just go and look anywhere
you want. Join a club, do your research, or buy a starter book,” he said.
Hunters must get permission from landowners before exploring a site and take extra care around protected areas such as those which are a site of special scientific interest.