DaytonaDemon t1_ix93oww wrote
Reply to comment by l_C00KiE_l in Man Discovers Rare Medieval Wedding Ring Worth an Estimated $47,000 While Using His Metal Detector by EyeWantItThatWay
It's uplifting because the finder's now got money to get his grody teeth fixed. Maybe.
Longshot_45 t1_ix9ayqe wrote
In England you don't get to keep most antiquities you find.
DaytonaDemon t1_ix9bsgb wrote
It was a little joke, but OK, if you want to get serious:
At one time, anything you found was the property of the National Trust and they could, and did, take found artifacts from the finder without compensation. Then one treasure hunter found a silver, jewel-encrusted chalice buried in a farmer’s field. The news of this treasure hunter finding the valuable chalice was printed in some British newspapers, and shortly thereafter, the National Trust knocked on the treasure hunter’s door and demanded possession of the item...offering no compensation. The treasure hunter took the National Trust to court charging that the National Trust exceeds its authority when it confiscates an item without compensation. The court agreed. Its decision was that the National Trust has the right to confiscate a found item that it deems to be of national historic value but that the organization is now required to pay the finder for the fair market value of the item.
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