450,000 artefacts from the HS2 excavations *alone*.

So the next time detectorists tell you they find everything archaeologically important - they don't. 😝

#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting #Treasure

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93v21q5xdvo?app-referrer=search

Treasures found on HS2 route stored in secret warehouse

Archaeological finds from the planned HS2 train line have been shown exclusively to the BBC.

BBC News

The v4.0 firmware release for the Deus II is out. I'm waiting until I get the stereo headphones. Maybe 4.1 will be out by then.

#metaldetecting #detecting #relics

The PAS report for 2024 is out. 79,616 finds were reported (up 7% from 2023's 74,506) 1540 Treasure finds (up 12% from 2023's 1358) So... numbers are still rising at alarming rates.

https://finds.org.uk/documents/annualreports/2024.pdf

Only 4238 finders are reporting to PAS (up from 2023's 3877... but considering the huge boom in the numbers of those detecting, this is still only 1-10% of the number of detectorists in UK). AKA we're still in a mess and it's only getting worse...

Interestingly, there is *NO INFO* in the 2024 PAS report (unlike the 2023 report) regarding numbers of finds being exported!! Why is that?? Hmmmm...

TLDR All numbers are still increasing and the picture I've been highlighting over the last few months isn't getting any better...

https://bigbookoftorcs.com/who-owns-torcs/

#Archaeology #Detecting #Treasure

If anyone's feeling brave, this will be on tonight.

In case you don't know of Detectival, it's an annual metal detecting rally where 1000 detectorists, from 37 countries (their info for 2025), take part and which results in hundreds of finds, many of which are exported...

PAS (understandably) won't attend, so instead a commercial artefact recording organisation is paid to.

Not entirely sure why this would be something to celebrate on prime-time TV, but we shall see how they cover it...

#Archaeology #Detecting #Treasure

FOI requests show that, in 2024/2025, payments to individual finders & landowners for 'Treasure' rewards cost us £7,280,321.26

That's £7.3 million that could have been spent on curators, museums & heritage...

It's time to reduce rewards & regulate detecting. Our shared history requires nothing less.

#Archaeology #Treasure #Detecting 🏺

https://bigbookoftorcs.com/2026/01/11/that-belongs-in-a-museum-the-true-cost-of-detecting-in-england-and-wales/

‘That belongs in a museum’: The true ‘cost’ of detecting in England and Wales.

By Tess Machling [A download/print PDF version can be found at the end of the paper] ‘My members don’t want to be quasi-archaeologists, they want to go out on a Sunday, dig around, get dirty, find …

The Big Book of Torcs

I sometimes wonder how often this happens- unless it's something really obvious, how would we know?

...and the current financial motive certainly makes it more likely.

#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting #Treasure

BBC News - Detectorist faked 'Roman brooch' he bought on eBay
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly544d1eg1o

Detectorist who 'dug up Roman brooch' actually bought it on eBay

Funeral director Jason Price "deceived thousands" of people by planting the Leasingham horse brooch.

BBC News

The latest Treasure Valuation Committee minutes for 2024: £4,285,000 was recommended in 'reward' payments to finders/landowners for detected 'Treasure' artefacts in 2024.

When you add in the costs of administrating PAS, FLO costs, museum time, etc, this is an awful lot of cash going from the public purse (via DCMS, crowdfunding, grants etc) directly into the pockets of individual finders and landowners.

Reminder: the detecting community contributes nothing financially.

#Archaeology #Gold #Treasure #Detecting

Stoke Row community effort to bring treasure hoard on display

The early medieval hoard contains 21 complete and fragmentary silver pennies.

BBC News

Gold & silver prices have more than doubled in the last 5 years.

This has an impact on the value of our nation's historic gold & silver artefacts (& their security 😔)...

...and the price we'll all be paying for 'treasure' rewards in the coming years!

#Archaeology #Treasure #Detecting 🏺
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp393nz95y5o

Gold and silver see rollercoaster end to blockbuster year

The price of gold soared by more than 60% this year to hit a record high of more than $4,549.

BBC News
Honey’s Dieselgate: Detecting and Tricking Testers - Home

MegaLag’s December 2024 video introduced 18 million viewers to serious questions about Honey, the widely-used browser shopping plug-in—in particular, whether Honey abides by the rules set by affiliate networks and merchants, and whether Honey takes commissions that should flow to other affiliates. I wrote in January that I thought Honey was out of line. In

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