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ISSUE 14All the latest news from the National Council for Metal Detecting
C O N T E N T S
Guest Speakers at the NCMDOGM, November 17 2013
CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP?’ Thepresentation touched on a varietyof topics from World War 2 to thepresent day, both English andforeign law and its possible futuredirection.
Finbarr Lordan from Minelab gavean equally interesting presentationon the involvement of Minelabwith other European countries andtheir efforts to promote responsible 3 issues for £9.35
only by Direct Debit see AD on page 15
Call 01778 392036 Email: subscriptions@
warnersgroup.co.uk
NCMD Newsletter Manager: Trevor AustinPublisher: Editor, Design & Layout: Harry Bain, Searcher Publications LtdTypesetting, Production and Repro: Tradeset LtdPrinted and Distributed by: Warners Midlands PLC, West Street, Bourne, Lincs, PE10 9PH.
metal detecting. Finbarr alsotouched on the success of‘Exchange 2’ its innovativeprogramme designed for, althoughnot exclusively to, the MinelabCTX3030 and its ability throughGoogle Maps to store both findsinformation generally and Geohuntthrough CTX3030.
Trevor Austin
N E W S
See your new NCMDcar sticker inside
At the NCMD meeting held on 17November Professor NormanPalmer QC CBE and FinbarrLordan Customer Service SupportOfficer Minelab attended themeeting.
Professor Palmer gave anextremely interesting talk andpresentation entitled ‘TreasureSeeking in a Global Context:ANTI-SOCIAL CONDUCT OR
The NCMD officers wish all our members A Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year
Are you receiving 2 copies of Digging Deep?Some of you have written to measking why you have received twocopies of Digging Deep.
Although we realise that there maybe two persons in the householdthat are NCMD members and alsothat one copy of the magazinewould normally suffice; there are
times when we may wish toinclude things in the magazinesuch as the car window sticker inthis issue, membership renewalforms or the membership cardwallet some time ago. It istherefore easier for us to include allmembers in the circulation rather
than alter the mailing list each timewe need to send out to all.
If you receive two copies but areonly in need of one, then pleasefeel free to pass the other copy tofriends or relatives.
Trevor Austin
P1-2 NCMD NewsP3 Robin and Karolyn Hatt
Memorial TrophyCompetition 2012Results
P4 Consultation on Review of Scotland Treasure Trove
P5 SARA AGMP6 ACPO at the Tower
of LondonP8-10 Rally reports P11 Membership renewal
formP12-15 Regional NewsP16 Book Review
2 www.ncmd.co.uk
What to do when you find – a gold ringI quite often get asked whether agold ring which someone hasfound is Treasure. So for those ofyou, who may be unsure, let’shave a look at why there may beconfusion among new members.
The Treasure Act states that 1.Any metallic object, other than acoin, provided that at least 10%by weight of metal is preciousmetal (that is, gold or silver) andthat it is at least 300 years oldwhen found. If the object is ofprehistoric date it will beTreasure provided any part of it isprecious metal. So for rings madepredominantly of either gold orsilver the question that needs to beanswered is whether the ring isover 300 years old?
I have heard it said by somedetector users that if the ring has ahallmark then it is not Treasure.However this is not strictly true asmakers marks have been used forover 300 years. Let us look at abrief history of hallmarking. In1300 King Edward I enacted astatute requiring that all silverarticles must meet the sterlingsilver standard (92.5% puresilver) and must be assayed in thisregard by 'guardians of the craft'who would then mark the itemwith a leopard's head.
In 1327 King Edward III granted a
charter to the WorshipfulCompany of Goldsmiths (morecommonly known as theGoldsmiths' Company), markingthe beginning of the Company'sformal existence. This entity washeadquartered in London atGoldsmiths' Hall from whence theEnglish term ‘hallmark’ is derived.Indeed, hallmarking is one of theoldest forms of consumerprotection.
In 1363, the maker’s mark wasadded to the hallmark. To beginwith, most of them were pictorialbut as literacy rates rose, thesystem of using the maker’sinitials was introduced.
Quite some time after, in 1478,the Wardens of Goldsmiths setthemselves up in Goldsmiths Halland paid a salaried assayer to testand mark items submitted tothem. This led to the introductionof the date letter in order to makesuccessive assayers accountablefor their work. Hallmarking ofprecious metals is still a legalrequirement in the UK andBirmingham Assay Office is thelargest Assay Office in the World,handling over 12 million articlesper year.
So as we can see the addition ofmarks on a ring does notnecessarily mean it is less than
300 years old. Admittedly, thehallmarking of rings in the MiddleAges was not a common practiceamong the general populous,mainly because of the cost ofassaying, and many rings fromthis period carry no marks at all.However, it is unwise to assume
that just because a ring carrieseither a makers mark or hallmarkthat it is less than 300 years old,either take the ring to your localFinds Liaison Officer or examinethe marks yourself with the aid ofa good hallmark book.
Trevor Austin
Hanging up hisheadphonesAfter 14 years with MinelabInternational, Des Dunne isstepping down from his role asField Application Specialist.
Many of you will know Des wellboth from his numerous articleswithin these pages and meetinghim at the numerous rally eventshe attended not only here in theUK but throughout Europereaching as far as Russia andSouth Africa.
Des would like to take thisopportunity to say a huge Thanksto all for the fantastic friendshipsbuilt up over the years and to all
the MInelab Customers to whomhe was readily available to offeradvice on any problems they werehaving and how best to set uptheir machines.
In particular, he would like to takethis opportunity to also thank thedealers with whom he has knownmany of you far longer than theyears spent with Minelab.
Perhaps we’ll cross paths with Desagain very soon at a rally in 2014,but as a participant this time!
The very best of luck to you!
From all at the NCMD
3www.ncmd.co.uk
The Robin & Karolyn Hatt Memorial Trophy CompetitionYet again the amazing quality of the entries was evident to see. As ever, voting was a long process.Your regional delegates found it difficult to come to a swift decision when faced with beautifulobjects of such quality.
The Coin section included aCoenwulf penny, 810-821, asilver denarius of Calpurnius,90bc-67 BC, a Harold I Saxonpenny 1035-1040 and a CharlesI double crown.
In the Artefact section were a goldMomento Mori ring, a Bronze-Agecopper-alloy looped socketedspear-head, a Roman bucklebrooch and a Viking gold ring.
This year there was one entry inthe Hoard section.
The group of Anglo-Saxon silversceattas was stunning, found bysix separate finders from theCrewe & Nantwich MDC North-West Region.
This was a very worthy winner, asfrom their photograph the coinslooked in excellent condition.
In second place, was theCoenwulf penny found by MikeEvans, Coventry Heritage DetectorSociety, Midlands Region.
The winning coin was the Harold ISaxon penny from the Down toEarth MDC found by BarryWilliams.
The other two coins tied in thirdplace.
The winning Artefact was theViking gold ring, found by the lateEddie Benniman of the SwaleSearch & Recovery Club, SouthernRegion.
In second place was the Bronze-Age spear-head found by ChrisBingham, South-Lancs & CheshireM.D.C.
Yet again, the other two artefactstied in third place.
As ever voting was a long process.Your regional delegates found itdifficult to come to a swift decisionwhen faced with beautiful objectsof such quality. I am sure many ofyou will already have decidedwhat you will enter in next year’scompetition.
There have been a lot of wonderfulfinds this year, boding well for2013. I look forward to it already!
Hilary FagenCompetition Manager
© Courtesy of PAS
Trevor Austin presenting Best Coin trophy to Barry Williams Harry Bain presenting Best Artefact trophy to Roger Minteyon behalf of Eddie Benniman
Harry Bain presenting Best Hoard trophy to John Rigby onbehalf of several finders from the Crew and Nantwich MDC
4 www.ncmd.co.uk
Chris Osborne Bernie’s ButtonsI must apologise for an omission in the last edition of DiggingDeep. The article ‘Bernie Buttons’ was from an original storyby Chris Osborne who is an Individual Member.
Consultation on Review of ‘Treasure Trovein Scotland, A Code Of Practice’ Between May and August 2013, aconsultation exercise was carriedout regarding proposals to reviewthe 2008 Code of Practice whichcurrently governs Scotland’sTreasure Trove system. Much ofthe review was concerned withmuseum procedures, e.g.,problems involving archaeologicalassemblages, allocations tomuseums, disclaimed items,excavated human remains, etc.but a significant part of the reviewalso focussed on metal detectingissues.
On 24 October 2013, in adeparture from normal practice,Scotland’s Treasure Trove PanelSAFAP (Scottish ArchaeologicalFinds Allocation Panel) met atStirling Castle (photo) with a smallnumber of invited guests includingLesley Sleith, Chair of the NCMDScottish Region. Dr Evelyn Silber,Chair of SAFAP, briefly highlightedsome of the responses to theconsultation exercise including theongoing success of the TreasureTrove Unit (TTU) OutreachProgramme, i.e., finds days atregional locations, visits to clubs,etc. This Programme has beensuccessful in increasing the numberof reported finds by almost 100%.
By the end of the Code of Practiceconsultation period, a total of 17 respondents had submittedcomments:
6 representing metal detectingbodies or individuals
1 representing an organisationundertaking organisedarchaeological fieldwork
5 representing a museum (ormuseum background)
5 representing and archaeologicalor other body
Details of all responses can befound at:
www.qltr.gov.uk/content/treasure-t r o v e - c o n s u l t a t i o n -responses#overlay-context=
The NCMD Scottish Regionsubmitted a detailed response tothis review amounting to c.4000words and a report on theconsultation review has now beenprepared and has been placed onthe website of the QLTR at:
www.qltr.gov.uk/content/treasure-trove-consultation-report
Many points were raised by theNCMD which are too numerous todetail in the space of thisnewsletter but the key issuesraised can be summarised asfollows:
1.The ex gratia award: TheNCMD argued that the valuationprocess should be consistentwith that operating elsewhere inthe UK. This however was notaccepted. The report merelyaffirmed that:
The TTU does not have abudget to fund independentvaluations and in most casesthe objects are common findswhich are easily paralleled onthe legal antiquities market. TheQLTR considers the proposal tointimate the range of valuationsto finders should enhancetransparency and it is for thefinder to consider whether tothen incur the costs themselvesof an independent valuation.
2.Finders’ representative: TheNCMD suggested that a ‘finders’representative’ should beappointed to the Treasure TrovePanel. The response was:
The Scottish Government iscontent that the issues raised areaddressed by the continuedinvolvement of the ScottishGovernment throughout therecruitment process; this willensure that the process used is fairand transparent. ScottishMinisters will continue to have arole in approving therecommendations made by theChair and to appoint the Chair andlay member. All Ministerialappointments will continue to betime limited and this will ensurethat the Panel regularly benefitsfrom new members.
3.Crediting finders: There wasagreement that museumsshould credit finders whoseitems they claim so that if anitem is put on display, thefinder’s name can also bedisplayed. This would beentirely voluntary since somefinders may wish to remainanonymous.
4.Levels of reporting of treasure
trove in Scotland: The NCMDwent to considerable lengths todispel the widely held view thatthere is serious under-reportingof finds in Scotland.Disappointingly, our views weredisregarded. It was suggestedthat a research project shouldbe funded to investigate thematter, and this was simplynoted as follows:
That would not require achange to the Code and woulddepend on the availability ofresources (staff and funding).
Overall, it seems fair to say thatthe review has not resulted in anyimportant changes to proceduresand practices as far as dealingwith metal detecting finds areconcerned (and in the currenteconomic climate, this wasperhaps predictable) but it doesalso seem to have been a lostopportunity to address a numberof issues that continue to concernmany of us in the hobby.
Alastair Hacket
G E T I N T O U C HFor membership enquiriescontact the MembershipSecretary: John Rigby6 Arkholme AvenueBlackpool, Lancs, FY1 6QJ
Tel: 01253 [email protected]
For all other enquiries pleasecontact the General Secretary:Trevor Austin51 Hilltop GardensDenaby, Doncaster, DN12 4SA
Tel: 01709 [email protected]
5www.ncmd.co.uk
Sports and Recreation Alliance (SARA) AGMThe meeting took place on 9 July2013; Brian Pollard attended onbehalf of the NCMD as yourrepresentative to the OutdoorPursuits Division of SARA. Themeeting was held at St JamesPalace, London.
The meeting was chaired by HRHthe Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward,who is the President of SARA. Hetook over the presidency in 2012from his father Prince Philip, Dukeof Edinburgh, who wasinstrumental in the formation ofthe organisation in the late1940’s, under its original name ofThe Central Council for PhysicalRecreation (CCPR).
The object of the organisation is toact as a link between sport andleisure with politics, and to give
advice and support to its membergoverning/advisory bodies. Themeeting took the normal form ofreports from the officers of theactivities and workings plus theannual accounts, the appointmentof directors etc. This was followedby a number of sponsoredpresentations to clubs andindividuals who have madeoutstanding efforts andcontributions to the promotionupkeep and general managementof their particular sport, pastime orleisure activity.
The meeting was followed by apleasant buffet lunch with a glassof wine and a chance to meet andtalk to HRH about our hobby. Thisthen allowed me the chance tocirculate and meet with and talk to
representatives of otherorganisations and guests, whocould possibly have a positiveinfluence on our hobby, or assist,
with our fight of the negatives.
Brian Pollard, Midlands Region.NCMD Representative toCCPR/SARA
What do you do withyour horseshoes? Some are just thrown away, some are kept for good luck and some arecollected. One idea, submitted by member William May, suggests thatthey could form the part of a useful garden ornament.
William belongs to the South Lancs and Cheshire MDC and hascollected a number of horseshoes over the years. He then takes them toa local blacksmith (or you may own your own welding gear) who weldsthe horseshoes together to form a decorative plant holder.
The shoes are mounted on four hoops or bars of steel, lined with somewire mesh and filled with plants, in this case petunias.
I think you will agree from the photo that it beats hanging them on thefence. We thank William for his contribution.
Trevor AustinFrom an idea by William May, SL&CMDC
6 www.ncmd.co.uk
ACPO at the Tower of LondonAt around 10.15 on the morningof 18 November tourists visitingthe Tower of London had theunusual sight of a stream of menand women in suits apparentlysearching for the new Armouriesbuilding. This was the venue foran event staged by ACPO (theAssociation of Chief PoliceOfficers) the purpose of which wasto launch the ‘National StrategicAssessment of Heritage andCultural Crime’ initiative and inparticular to promote it to thenational press.
After grabbing a coffee andregistering, I followed the 58 otherdelegates into the very dimly litconference room, where we wereall provided with a 32 page glossyhand out. This was entitled‘Heritage and Cultural PropertyCrime National Policing StrategicAssessment 2013’. I was thererepresenting the NCMD.
Andy Bliss, the Chief Constable ofHertfordshire, resplendent in hisuniform, kicked off proceedings.Heritage and Cultural PropertyCrime is defined as any offenceinvolving damage or loss to thehistoric environment, including alloffences involving culturalproperty.
Many in the audience wereprobably becoming somewhatbemused by all these technicalterms and definitions but heexplained that the originaldefinition of Heritage Crime byEnglish Heritage had been concisebut had focused mainly on the
‘historic environment’ withinEngland and had taken littleaccount of cultural property suchas art, literature and jewellery.
He emphasised the importance ofthis new initiative. Careercriminals now realise that bankrobberies and other traditionalcrimes are becoming harder tocommit. Heritage Crime, inparticular metal theft, is relativelyeasy to commit. There was anadditional factor to consider. Incommercial theft the victim losesexactly the same amount as thethief makes away with. In the caseof metal theft of cultural objectsthe equations do not balance. 70tons of lead stolen from a churchroof would net the thieves maybe£70,000 but would probably costthe church far more than that interms of structural damageincluding damage caused by aleaking roof. Henry Moore’s‘Sundial’ sculpture was asignificant art work worth£500,000 but the thieves whostole it sold it to a scrap dealer for£46.50!
Bliss pointed out that new andsustained use could be made oflegislation. The Scrap MetalDealers Act of 2013 states thatafter 1 October 2013 noindividual can transact scrapmetal for cash. Advances intechnology such as the use ofpermanent metal marking on leadroofs would also militate againstHeritage and Cultural PropertyCrime.
Chief Constable Bliss broke offbriefly to mention the presence ofthe press at the event. There were59 names on the delegate list butover 70 in the room; the excessprobably representing the press.The event was not, however,covered by radio or TV. Four otherVIPs sat at the top table facing us:they were Mike Harlow (EnglishHeritage), DS Claire Hutcheon(Met Police Art and AntiquesUnit), William Brown (NationalSecurity Adviser, Arts CouncilEngland) and Mark Harrison(National Policing and CrimeAdvisor, English Heritage).
Chief Constable Bliss explainedhow the police were linking othertypes of criminal activity to‘Heritage and Cultural Crime’.
Criminals have recently targetednational treasures and works of artdisplayed in museums, libraries,archives and private collections.‘Operation Shrewd’ is a nationalpolice investigation into the theftof rhino horn, jade and Chineseartefacts (mainly from the earlyMing and Quing Dynasties) fromprovincial museums and privatecollections in the UK and Europe.
Mike Harlow, Legal andGovernance Director, EnglishHeritage, then addressed themeeting. He pointed out thatARCH (the Alliance to ReduceCrime against Heritage) now had200 members (including theNCMD) and that English Heritagewas pleased that ARCH, whichwas merely an alliance of like
7www.ncmd.co.uk
minded organisations, hadspawned a major police initiative.
Vernon Rapley, speaking on behalfof the National Museum SecurityGroup, reminded the delegates thatfamous art works could sell for over£100m and that theft of art workswas still regarded by many as “a bitof a caper”. A more realistic attitudeto the place of art in society couldhopefully militate against peoplewanting to acquire stolen paintingsand sculptures via the black market.Museum security was expensiveand used up money that couldideally be used for other purposes.
A brief question and answer sessionfollowed. Delegates from localauthorities, the police, the BritishLibrary, the War Memorials Trustand the Church Buildings Councilall spoke showing that the fightagainst Heritage Crime was beingwaged by many diverse groupings.
Between 11.30-12.00 weenjoyed some informal discussion.I spoke with William Brown (ArtsCouncil) Dr. Michael Lewis (PAS)
and Mark Harrison, who wasbriefing a group of journalists. Hemade it clear that appearing in‘Digging Deep’ meant as much tohim as being featured in anynational newspaper.
I also spoke with Professor LordRenfrew, who is the Chairman ofthe Treasure Valuation Committee.He told me that the TVC had beenvery pleased that Trevor Austin,NCMD General Secretary, hadbeen able to serve on thecommittee for so long and that thepresence of a successor from ourhobby would be muchappreciated. The DCMS are shortof resources and the position hasnot yet been advertised.
At mid-day we all had to leave and went outside for somephotographs. Only a few yardsaway from us was a long coppercannon, which had been made inTurkey in 1501. It was later takenon an expedition to India, to driveout the Portugese colonialists.Captain H. Smith of HMS Volage
had stolen it at Aden in 1839. Ithad been at the Tower of Londonsince 1844. Was this an earlyexample of Heritage Crime, I askedAndy Bliss and Mark Harrison,who both replied that it probablywas. Mark added that he refusedto comment on the Elgin Marbles!
The next day Danielle Sheridanreported on the event in The Timeswith the headline ‘Police targetRhino Horn gangs as art theft hits£500m’. The event had clearlybeen a success.
It was quite remarkable that theevolutionary process that hadcreated this major police initiativehad begun in 2000 with aninformal meeting between DavidBarwell, my predecessor in theNCMD Southern Region, and theChief Constable of Kent to discusshow detectorists could keep a lookout for any crime, or any evidenceof criminal activity includingnighthawking, on farms. Thingshave indeed moved on.
Roger Mintey
Congratulations to Tony Maz!Many of you will know Tony Maz; he has attended many rallies over theyears and also supplied detector users with various accessories.
Tony has just completed a two year course at The University ofGlamorgan, and gained his cap and gown (PGCE/PCE) and is now afully qualified Lecturer and Teacher of Art.
Tony along with his wife Elaine are well known personalities in thedetecting world through the company they both run called 'MAZ', thatmanufacture headphones, box covers and a variety of products fordetecting. He also is a well-established artist in South Wales and isplanning to teach on a part time basis in Further Education.
We wish him well in his future career.
Trevor Austin
Mark Harrison
8 www.ncmd.co.uk
A personal view of the Central Searchers Alford Rally By © Roving Rally Reports 2013 - John Maloney
Running a rally is hard work.Planning far in advance when youare relying on weather, crops andpeople is nigh on impossible. As ahobby we must be grateful thatsome people are willing to put theirheads over the parapet to organiseevents where we can meet up withfellow detectorists and friends atvenues across the country.
The amount of abuse,insinuations and downright liesthat have been bandied aroundabout those willing to do the jobvia forums and social media hasbeen sickening and as individuals,we really need to stop, think andconsider the work being put in forus before criticizing those on thevarious social media outletsavailable.
Equally some people should take acold, hard look in the mirror as totheir behaviour at rallies. Across thecountry the same old moans appear… with the same old answers!
● “Nothing in these fields” … wellno if your racing across a field atvery fast walking pace with yourcoil 8” off the ground therewon’t be!
● “Not filling holes … I’m notcoming back” … no you won’tbe because farmers won’t let us.
● “Leaving scrap in/by holes”…bone idle lazy.
It’s reaching the stage where rallieswill become invitation only and lotsof people will miss out due to theirown lazy, ignorant behaviour.
Having put the soapbox away itwas time for me to actually getaway from organising and actuallyputting in some hours of ‘coil tothe soil at the rally’. A steady twohour trundle from Leicester sawme on site at midday Friday, asever the event was well organisedwith a large marquee on site fortrade stands and evening events.Who could miss the Prize Bingo or
the Pub Quiz?
Despite a last minute let downRichard had made multiplejourneys from home to the site toensure catering was in place. Asthe majority of people attendinghad traditional caravan/campingcooking facilities it’s always usefulto have a backup food source! The‘usual crew’ of marshals were onsite and in the field to help, directand keep an eye on the attendees,special thanks to all the backupteam that helped the event gosmoothly.
Having registered at the marqueeand got my wristband it was timeto set up ‘Base Camp’ for theweekend. Everything sorted it wasoff to the Friday fields for a fewhours, it was tough going with drydisc soil and a vast area to searchbut it was nice to be out in thefresh air and sunshine.
Personally I had little to report
from the field but others weremore successful with a Richard IInoble, a Roman siliqua and atleast three or four hammered.Friday night was spent hiding fromsome ‘slight precipitation’ whichfrom a detecting view was nothingbut good news but didn’t do muchfor alfresco ale supping!
Saturday dawned and I was up at5.30am in the drizzle for a strollaround the area and scoping theavailable vast fields. Saturday’s fieldwas immense with a few interestingridges and bumps. I also bumpedinto Richard planting tokens for theMinelab token hunt later in the day.As far as I know some 30/40 tokensremain scattered across the fieldwhich proves how much of a fieldcan be missed even with largenumbers of searchers. If thosetokens were hammered coins theywould still remain unfound!
Saturdays digging started with awell drilled ‘funnel system’ guiding
9www.ncmd.co.uk
people onto the field which againwas vast, somewhere in the regionof 150 acres (judged by eye ratherthan measured) but as alwaysmany had ‘done it’ by lunchtimeso two new fields were hastilyopened ... if you add in Friday’sfields we already had about 400+acres available!
I was lucky enough to snag ascruffy voided long cross amongstvarious hammered others werefinding as well as sovereign andaxes ... some were lucky othersweren’t. Saturday night was bingoin the marquee … and drinking ...and socialising until the wee smallhours.
Sunday saw yet more land added(550+ acres now) and the arrivalof additional entertainment in theshape of the ‘Tractor of Doom’ ...not Alton Towers latest ride butJames’s big Claas tractor and haytrailer limousine for transport tothe new fields, all proceeds goingto the local Air Ambulance ... welldone James who gave up his bankholiday weekend to help out usand a great cause.
Sunday’s fields were equally largeand much more active my firstdecent find although what my agedlump of bronze is anyone’s guess
... early medieval skillet handleseems the most apt! Plenty moretargets were turning up buckles,lead etc. and all the backgroundnoise that had seemed missingfrom the first 1.5 days. I ended upwith two definite and one dubiousRoman bronze radiates.
It was nice too see other clubmembers there and during thecourse of Sunday two lost theirhammered virginity in the shape oftwo Lizzie I’s, Andy P had foundan Eddy penny, Canterbury mintand Andy Plumber found apilgrims ampulla. My neighboureven tripped over a gorgeousgilded, Anglo Saxon pin headwhich looked as clean and crispas the day it was made.
Sunday night was quiz night in themarquee … and drinking .. andsocialising until the wee smallhours. Monday saw more newfields added bringing the acreageup to about 700 acres and anextension to the length of theTractor of Doom ride … nobodydied and it was great service!
One of Monday’s fields is knownas the Rifle Field … I think weknow why now … if you couldn’tfind a non-ferrous target in therethen sell your machine and find
another hobby! Mixed amongst therange of militaria were a few morehammered and rumours of a goldand sapphire ring. I turned up an1873 halfpenny pierced, maybeas a lucky token, for a traineesoldier and not far away a 1943threepenny bit ... separated by 70years but possibly from the pocketsof young men training for duty thatmay never see them return.
After 45+ targets in a bit over anhour I was bordering onexhaustion so returned toSunday’s field en route to basewhen a lovely firm tone turned upa cracking Edward penny,Canterbury mint. The cherry hadlanded on my cake it was time to
pack up and head back for a bath,shave and a comfy bed!
A fantastic weekend for some; it was well-organised, well-marshalled, great socialambience, great area and greatweather. Targets dug were around130, items recorded on site five,one more to do at home as Imissed taking it in to ‘Kevin andCo’ although I’m sure an EasternEuropean resident will skew thosefigures to suit their own agenda.
Thanks to Rich, Gill and family, theteam and James also the NCMDstalwarts Trevor and John, Des andFinbarr of Minelab and Laura andNick from Detecnicks … next timeinvite only … as long as I get one!
10 www.ncmd.co.uk
Weekend Wanderers Rally ReportMyself, John Rigby and my wifeSue attended the WeekendWanderers rally on the weekend ofthe 7-8 September. I would like totake this opportunity to expressmy thanks to the organiser PeterWelch for the excellentorganisation of the event.
Many rally organisers get criticisedfor their lack of amenities or otherorganisational skills, so it isrefreshing to be able to give suchpositive feedback to our members.
The number of finds that turnedup was not earth shattering, butas we all should know, that’sdetecting; you cannot guarantee
what finds will turn up. In myopinion, people should treat ralliesas just another day out detecting;anything you find is a bonus andenjoy the experience. I know thatthere will be people who disagreewith me on this and feel thatspending around £60 for aweekend detecting shouldguarantee some decent finds.
I did not detect myself, attendingthe NCMD stall kept me busythroughout the weekend, but whatI did see of the events organisationand the finds that were reported tothe FLO table, was excellent.
Trevor Austin
11www.ncmd.co.uk
NATIONALCOUNCILFORMETAL DETECTING
Dear Individual Member
Your membership of the National Council for Metal Detecting expires on the 31 March 2014. We hope that you have receivedprompt attention throughout the past year and thank you for your continued support of the hobby.
Subscription for 2014/15 for Individual members on the Central Register: £8-00.(Please note subscription for individual members of a NCMD region may vary and individual members are advised to contact their Regional Secretary)
If you have not yet renewed your membership, please complete the attached form and return with your subscription.
All cheques should be made payable to the National Council for Metal Detecting and returned to the address below.
Alternatively you may wish to pay online at www.ncmd.co.uk/membership.htm by either PayPal or Debit/Credit card.
Please ensure that all information we hold on record is correct. If you have already sent your subscription for theforthcoming year, please ignore this reminder.
Trevor Austin General Secretary
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Name.......................................................................................................................................................................
Address ....................................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................................................
E-Mail ......................................................................................................................................................................
Membership Number 2013/14 ...................................................................................................................................
Subscription Enclosed. £8.00 .............................................Signature ..........................................................................
John Rigby6 Arkholme Ave, Blackpool, Lancs, FY1 6QJ
Tel. 01253 692313E-mail. [email protected]
MEMBER OF: SPORT AND RECREATION ALLIANCE
✄
12 www.ncmd.co.uk
Midlands Federation of Metal DetectorClubs Activities 2013
M I D L A N D R E G I O N
The Midlands Federation of metal detector clubs, not content withorganising one rally this year, managed to fit in two in rapid succession.The first was the Federation’s traditional national annual rally which thisyear was in aid of the Shakespeare Hospice based in Stratford uponAvon. The second was a mini event with a maximum attendance of onehundred from local clubs at a farm in Barnacle, Warwickshire. This wasin aid of Rotary International. Fortunately the weather was good for bothevents and the farmers concerned had both done an excellent job ofpreparing the land. The fields were very flat and ideal for detecting.
One of the Barnacle fields
Field view at Bishopton Hill
A cheque for £1,446 presented at Barnacle to the Chairman and Treasurer of the local Rotary Club.
The Stratford event didn’t produce as much in the way of finds as mightbe anticipated in such an historical area, but the Barnacle event cameup trumps with plenty of good finds. Notable finds from Stratfordincluded a sovereign and a half sovereign. Also worthy of mention wasan Elizabeth I coin which was double headed! This could have just beena striking error at the mint, but one has to wonder if this coin wasdeliberately manufactured to give the owner an advantage in cointossing games?
Many hammered coins were found at Barnacle, the finest example wasa Henry VIII groat in very good condition.
Also found was a stater.
The charities benefited with netreceipts of £2,800 for theShakespeare Rally and £1,446 forthe Barnacle event. Both figuresinclude proceeds from the rafflesand catering provision. That’s atotal of £4,246 raised by JohnWell’s and his team within thespace of a month.
Presentations of cheques took place on the farms concerned. Thesewere attended by the farmers, representatives from the charitiesconcerned and members of the Midlands Federation Committee.
A Garret Probe was just one of the manyraffle prizes on offer.
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At Bishopton Hill the representative from Shakespeare Hospice receives a giant cheque for £2,800.
View 1 of the Great Hall at St Mary’s
View 2 of the Great Hall at St Mary’s The Midlands Federation & Coventry Heritage Detector Society display.
A view inside the Draper’s Room at St Mary’s
John, who is president of the National Council for Metal Detecting andChairman of the Midlands Federation has had a very busy time recentlyas not only was he involved with the two charity events, he alsoorganised an exhibition of metal detecting finds at the Prestigiousmedieval St Mary’s Hall in Coventry as a part of the National Heritageweekend. The exhibition attracted 2206 visitors over the course of the
weekend and was heralded a major success, so much so that theFederation has already been invited back to next years event.
And it is hoped even more midland clubs will participate.
A few weeks later, following an invitation from Warwick County Council’sHistorical Environment Record office, The Midlands Federation,represented by John and two committee members from CoventryHeritage Detector Society, attended an event at the Historic WarwickSchool. This event wasn’t open to the general public, but attractedrepresentatives from various archaeological and historical Societies.
There were several interesting displays as well as talks given throughoutthe day. One of the talks, given by Kevin Watson of CADAS, (Coventry
Kevin Watson speaking at Warwick
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Times are changing and whetheryou agree with this policy or notwe have to accept, adapt andfollow good practise as membersof the National Council for MetalDetecting (NCMD) and as Clubmembers or individuals we mustall be responsible metaldetectorists.
Background – The NationalCouncil for Metal Detecting has forsome time been a member of theAlliance to Reduce Crime againstHeritage (ARCH). The ARCHinitiative was developed as a directresponse to the alarming increasein heritage crime of varying types,from theft of metal from churchesand other historic buildings tovandalism, theft or damage tohistoric monuments or the illicituse of metal detectors. The leadbody for ARCH is English Heritageand the programme is led by aformer Police Chief Inspector,Mark Harrison appointed as theirNational Policing and Crimeadvisor. ARCH is made upprimarily of those organisationswhich have legislative orenforcement powers to deal withheritage crime issues andsupported by other interestedgroups including the NCMD. Allhave an agreement to worktowards a common aim of seekingto reduce the problems of heritagecrime and ensure that prevention
and if necessary prosecution isundertaken at every opportunity.
Illicit Metal Detecting - is a verysmall part of the overall HeritageCrime burden, but is consideredby the NCMD and all responsiblemetal detectorists, to be theft andso needs to be tackled head onwith the same vigour as with otheraspects of Heritage Crime. Using ametal detector in a protected placeis an offence whilst using one onprivate land without thepermission of the landowner istheft and is considered by thePolice as going equipped to steal.
Actions – after discussionsbetween NCMD Officers and MarkHarrison, the following action andprocedures against illicit metaldetecting have been suggested.Initially this will take the form ofreporting incidents of unauthorisedmetal detecting, taking place onprotected or private land, to thePolice and where possible to thelandowners. Not all detectorists aremembers of the NCMD, but it hasbeen agreed that anyone convictedof illicit metal detecting will beexpelled from the NCMD.
Heritage Crime Officers –Representatives from most PoliceForces now have dedicatedHeritage Crime Officers. Thecurrent advice is to dial 999 for on-going incidents where people are
seen detecting on land for which itis known that they do not havepermission to be on, or using the101 number services to reportevidence where illicit detecting hastaken place. As with most crimeenforcement strategies, intelligencegathering plays a major role and itis vital that the relevant PoliceOfficers are contacted whenresponsible detectorists becomeaware of an illicit detecting incidenttaking place or has recentlyoccurred, particularly on landwhere they have permission to be.This approach has resulted in thearrest and conviction of severalcriminals who used metal detectorsas a tool of their trade to raidarchaeological sites or private land.Most of these incidents haveinvolved attacks on ScheduledMonuments, archaeologicalexcavations or private land duringthe night, but incidents ofindividuals targeting non protectedsites or farmland during daylighthours have been noted. Tacklingthe latter incidents has in mostcases been due to the vigilance oflandowners or their employees andalso metal detectorists who havepermission to detect the area,coming across the trespassers andreporting their actions to the Police.
The Grantham Search Club – As agroup of responsible metaldetectorists and active members of
the NCMD, will make every effortto tackle these issues inconjunction with landowners andfarmers. All members are chargedwith reporting any illegal activitiesor incidents they observe to thePolice rather than seek tochallenge any trespassers.Generally this is a low keyproblem within this area ofLincolnshire, but other parts haveseen increased activity in recentmonths. There is a generalagreement that responsibledetectorists, with permission, areoften best placed to act as adeterrent for illicit detecting as wellas being extra eyes for spottingother criminal activities such ashare coursing and fly tipping.
A recent article, by the PC JonRadcliffe Country Watch Officerfrom the Hampshire Constabulary,in the NCMD Digging Deepmagazine issue 11, brings homewith clarity the severity of beingsuspected of detecting illegallyand the consequences that follow:arrested and locked in a policecell, whilst a warrant to searchyour house is executed, yourdetecting equipment, finds andvehicles seized, with the endresult being a court appearance.He concludes with a very tellingstatement – is it worth it.
Grantham Search Club
Illicit Metal DetectingA suggested approach to dealing with the problem by a metal detecting club
The aerial photograph showing the enclosure at Broadwell.
and District Archaeological Society) was on a Romano British site atBroadwell in Warwickshire.
A Lottery funded team was established by CADAS members followingthe appearance of a crop mark on an aerial photograph taken in 1966.The team is known as BAIT (Broadwell Archaeological InvestigationTeam). The aerial photograph outlined an area which it is believed wasa Roman animal enclosure, but as several items of Roman Pottery,tessera and roof tiles have subsequently been found by BAIT team fieldwalkers it seems likely that a high status building may have existed closeby. The talk given by Kevin Watson was of special interest to theCoventry Heritage Detector Society as they were privileged recently to beinvited by BAIT to carry out metal detecting searches on the site.
The searches which are ongoing have revealed Roman coins andbrooches as well as other items of interest. This is a good example ofhow archaeologists and metal detecting enthusiasts can successfullywork together to mutual advantage and it is hoped that more suchinitiatives can work in the same way in the future.
Of course, it goes without saying that these events don’t just organisethemselves and John and his team are to be congratulated on achievingsuch a good outcome, not only in terms of the money raised for worthycharities, but also for the good publicity that is gained for the hobbygenerally. There are many it seems who believe that metal detectorenthusiasts are merely mercenary treasure hunters plundering our
national heritage. Sadly, the only detector finds reported in the nationalpress concentrate on the monetary value of finds rather than the hugecontribution that metal detector enthusiasts make to the betterunderstanding of our nation’s history.
Alan CharlishCoventry Heritage Detector Society
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S C O T T I S H R E G I O N
Reporting Hammered Coins In ScotlandLesley Sleith, Chair of the NCMDScottish Region has been indiscussion with Dr NatashaFerguson of the TTU regarding thepossibility of online recording ofthe more common hammeredcoins which tend to turn up sothat the assessment process canbe speeded up.
Dr Ferguson has agreed that it willbe possible to record somecategories of coins remotely, suchas the more common Edward
pennies and Elizabeth I coins,provided the quality of the photo isgood. There is no formal processagreed but finders can send animage via email to the TTU [email protected] it will then be examined. Aswith any other find however, theTTU may require to take a closerlook at the coin and in such cases,they will therefore ask for it to bedeposited with them for detailedassessment.
If sending an image, it isimportant to have a neutralbackground and some kind ofscale or reference. The TTUcannot accept dark or blurredphotos for recording purposes and
in terms of image size, they wouldbe looking for 500kb – 1Mb.Anything greater or lesser than thisrange will be unsuitable.
NCMD Scottish Region
Next NCMD meeting will be on the 16th February 2014
M E E T I N G D A T E
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Disclaimer: “The views expressed in this Newsletter are those of its correspondents and contributors, views which are not necessarily agreed to by officers of the NCMD or the organisations as a whole. Such views orcomment cannot be taken in any way to represent NCMD policy on any particular issue or topic unless stated. It is deemed by the NCMD that the responsibility for the accuracy and content of any articles submitted,either by individual members or clubs remains with their authors. Where possible the Newsletter manager will check the accuracy of statements and their content and reserves the right to edit or amend content whichis deemed unsuitable for publication.”
This book by Sam Moorhead has been eagerlyawaited, based on the series of 22 articleswritten by Sam in Treasure Hunting magazinebetween 2008 and 2011.
The book is A4 in size and contains some1600 colour photographs of coins, bothobverse and reverse. There are also 30 mapsshowing the distribution of coins in the UK.The book illustrates the Roman coinage ofBritain from the Republican period of 300BC tothe 5th Century AD.
Chapter one covers the importance of recordingRoman coinage, even the ‘grots’ that most of ushave found over the years and which help tobuild up the distribution pattern throughout theUK. One of the most interesting chapters(Chapter II) explains the Roman currencysystem and explains the denominations usedduring specific periods of Roman history. Thisis followed by a list of emperors and thechapters where they can be found. Mostemperors and empresses are covered in thebook and I cannot stress enough the quality ofthe extremely good coin photographs thataccompany them.
For most emperors or dynasty a distributionmap of where their coins were found isincluded, and this provides some interestingcomparisons of find spots recorded with thePAS. During the period 275-285 we find manyof the barbarous radiates that so frequentlyturn up on Roman sites in the UK and a goodsample are illustrated here. Of particularinterest to me was the chapter on the BritannicEmpire of Carausius and Allectus. Many of thecoins have become familiar to me over theyears particularly of Allectus, which seem toturn up most frequently on one of my sites.
This is a book that you can delve into time andtime again when coins of specific dynasties oremperors turn up, and is certainly not a bookthat is used purely for identification; rather itprovides the reader with an insight into eachperiod of Roman history and its monetarysystem, something not normally found in
A History of RomanCoinage in Britain By Sam MoorheadPrice £25.00
Available from Greenlight Publishing
B O O K R E V I E W
Roman coin books. In short it is a book that notonly provides the reader with the information toevaluate a coin, but is also an informative read.
An excellent book; and with Christmas coming
up, a great present for anyone interested inRoman currency and history I can thoroughlyrecommend.
Trevor Austin
