SH Archive Independent Excavation

[Archive]

I want to discuss independent excavations such as metal-detecting and anything similar to that.

As an example, let's look at Killerton, England, a tourist attraction park owned by National Trust open to the public

Killerton
National Trust

The trust owns 200 historic houses that are open to the public.

Since 2009, the curator has been David Taylor, who has approved photos of the trust's 12,567 oil paintings...

The National Trust is the largest private landowner in the United Kingdom. The trust's land holdings account for more than 610,000 acres (250,000 ha), or 985 square miles (2,550 km2), mostly of countryside, and covering nearly 1.5% of the total land mass of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The National Trust Acts grant the Trust the unique statutory power to declare land inalienable.

National Trust does not allow metal-detecting on its land and anything found should be reported to them otherwise its illegal.

...when finds are taken out of context we lose a piece of the jigsaw, making it harder for us to care for our archaeology and tell the stories of our places.

All finds, with the exception of ‘treasure’, remain the property of the National Trust.

As you can see the regulations for non-archaeological professional projects are very limited. What are your thoughts on this?

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[KD Archive]

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Username: KorbenDallas
Date: 2019-07-12 19:11:53
Reaction Score: 2

I would guess private lands would be your best bet.

 

[Archive]

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Username: Raviolli
Date: 2019-07-12 19:17:27
Reaction Score: 0

Yes many people choose to ask farm owners for permission to metal-detect but a good reputation is needed and a popular way is to join a metal-detecting club where you pay subscription and then if you find something you must take it to the club for discussion and usually it is sent to a a 'charity' such as National Trust but do correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not an expert.

But of course farm land is not the only option so yes private land is a good alternative.

 

[trismegistus]

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Username: trismegistus
Date: 2019-07-12 19:28:36
Reaction Score: 5

The file is too large to upload directly, but here is a map of all federal lands and reservations in the USA (PDF download warning).

Pretty much anything colored in is off limits to independent excavation - - likely hundreds of thousands if not millions of square miles, comfortably a third of the entire country if not more. Convenient that most of this land are areas where we see a lot of evidence of past civilizations that hasn't been built over by our civilization, at least to the extent it built on the coasts.

 

[Archive]

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Username: Schism
Date: 2019-07-12 20:24:49
Reaction Score: 0

What are your thoughts on this?

Definitely looks like a hot spot, but obviously very illegal on several levels. Sometimes places like that actually get searched, and sometimes more than once. Metal detecting clubs, etc, sometimes manage to get into places like that, but everything is done in a legit professional manner, and all artifacts handed over, which usually end up behind glass, or somewhere secure.

There's always the die hard risk takers too. A lot of the higher end metal detectors have a LCD screen, which can be illuminated and dimmed to near black for night time use. I've done this at least once, but never at a place that meant prison time if I got caught.

I can only imagine the finds at the places above, especially if you were the first to ever search there, but a lot of good stuff ends up being found in places that nothing exists on the surface anymore.

Metal detecting is a fun hobby, but it's been around long enough that the majority of the obvious and not so obvious spots have been searched countless times already. I found old local maps to be helpful locating old structures, etc, that may be in the middle of a feild now, along a river, along an old railway, etc.

Sometimes getting into one hot spot via permission may lead to getting into another spot to. I've been through all this before. Many people won't even let you search because they are to old school to understand, or afraid of you. Sometimes you get lucky though.

A lot of excellent info, tips, metal detecting porn, etc, in the link below...

TreasureNet

 

[KD Archive]

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Username: KorbenDallas
Date: 2019-07-12 22:32:54
Reaction Score: 1

I have Garrett Ace 400. Tried it out a few times in Washington State, but the areas I tried were unfortunately littered with our contemporary junk like soda caps.

 

[Archive]

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Username: Schism
Date: 2019-07-13 00:19:57
Reaction Score: 1

I have Garrett Ace 400.

Nice

I'm still using a White's DFX. It's not their flagship model anymore, but it's still a high end detector. I have multiple search coils to. I can search trashy areas better with a smaller coil, and detect deeper with a bigger coil. Generally running the stock coil tho. I have all the typical detecting gear... pinpointer, etc.

Whites DFX Metal Detector Reviews

Best places I've ever got access to were old huge homes on a lake in town with a lot of history that predated the home's. Coins, jewelry, various civil war relics, etc. I about sh*t when I seen an old cannon on a bi-wheeled mount poking out of the erosion under a concrete boat ramp at one of these homes. It was partially embedded into the concrete. North Central Florida...

 

[Archive]

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Username: Ice Nine
Date: 2019-07-13 17:19:28
Reaction Score: 0

I have a Garret Ace 350. The best thing I have found and in my own side yard, is a 1917 Canadian King George V large penny. And an old metal doorknob and a little lead bulldog.

I've gone to various abandoned townsites but they have been so messed up by logging and what have you, it's hard to find anything, just junk metal etc....

 

[Archive]

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Username: Raviolli
Date: 2019-07-13 19:58:06
Reaction Score: 3

I've found plenty of 'Roman' coins but whether they're fake or real I am not sure. I've been searching in empty fields and I'll check out some places in Scotland soon. I usually just pick a random area on google maps and research it

 

[Archive]

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Username: Schism
Date: 2019-07-13 21:56:00
Reaction Score: 1

I have a Garret Ace 350.

Nice

I've found plenty of 'Roman' coins but whether they're fake or real I am not sure. I've been searching in empty fields and I'll check out some places in Scotland soon. I usually just pick a random area on google maps and research it

Excellent finds. They are likely real. The info regarding verifying your finds should easily be found online, in an inexpensive book, or perhaps on the website I attached previously. I've definitely read many posts on that site from people in your area finding similar stuff. I am a member there BTW.

Sounds like you have quite a bit of experience already. No doubt you've already heard of some of the amazing finds that have been found in fields, etc, in your part if the world, throughout Europe, etc.

Amateur treasure hunter finds Roman gold hoard

UK treasure hunters make archeologists see red | DW | 05.09.2013

Hoard of more than 550 rare gold and silver 14th century coins worth an estimated £150,000 are dug up by a group of amateur metal detectorists

Oh my...

What is Treasure Trove and What Happens If You Find Buried Treasure?

Waki's input...

List of hoards in Great Britain - Wikipedia

And from the US... No detector involved tho.

Who Buried the $10 Million in Coins Found by a California Couple—and Why?

Good luck uncovering some stolen history

 

[Archive]

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Username: Ice Nine
Date: 2019-07-14 13:59:14
Reaction Score: 1

I've found plenty of 'Roman' coins but whether they're fake or real I am not sure. I've been searching in empty fields and I'll check out some places in Scotland soon. I usually just pick a random area on google maps and research it

View attachment 25568View attachment 25569

Oh you lucky Duck. I'm always watching something about the hoards found in the UK and even Time Team is pretty interesting. There seems to be no end of things to find in Great Britain.