Urgggh...it's even worse for 2023...

1343 Treasure finds, 50 were donated or offered at a reduced rate to museums...

53 were archaeologically found which suggests at least 3 archaeologically found items of treasure weren't donated.

So, what does this mean?

Treasure found on digs not being donated? Unlikely...

Private digs (see 'dodecahedron Norton Disney' type sites for example?) not donating? Hmmm.

Either way it looks like almost no detectorist found treasure is being donated to museums & it's getting less & less... 😭

https://bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/04/22/private-finds-and-image-rights-and-wrongs/

#Archaeology 🏺 #Treasure #Detecting

Something I missed previously:

2022 Treasure figures.

- 1377 cases.
- 64 cases donated or given at reduced cost to museums.
- 53 of those cases were archaeological finds...

>>> detectorists actually only donated 11 cases (0.8%) out of the 1377 treasure finds recorded in 2022.

Urrghhh...

#Archaeology 🏺 #Treasure #Detecting

Detecting AV1-encoded videos with Python

https://alexwlchan.net/2025/detecting-av1-videos/

#HackerNews #Detecting #AV1-encoded #videos #with #Python #AV1 #Python #VideoEncoding #VideoProcessing

Everything I've written about detecting, Treasure, private ownership, image rights etc can be found here:

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

#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting #Treasure

The most expensive treasure find ever - cost us all £4.3 million to buy it last year & now an extra £1 million to display it.

Dug without archaeological supervision & taken to the British Museum in a washing up bowl:
https://youtu.be/nKHgiQPYEs4?si=OQ8sujuhok7NzMB3

So wrong!

#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting #Treasure

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c623g74zj6vo?app-referrer=deep-link

Something a lot of people don't realise is that, if something is illegally detected (so detected where finder doesn't have permission from landowner), the landowner still gets the 'reward' money from the find - in fact sometimes 100% of 'reward' money!

So in the case of the infamous Leominster hoard, where detectorists were sent to jail for theft, the landowner (whose permission had not been sought) received £776,250 - the museum had to find the money to pay the landowner or the finds would still have been sold...

https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2022/08/herefordshire-council-buys-medieval-treasures/

#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting #Treasure

7th October 2025
289 Detected Iron Age coins.

"as the years move on, I feel it is time to pass on part of this collection to fellow enthusiasts, collectors & historians."

AKA flogging them to highest bidder to do what they want with...

#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting

https://www.noonans.co.uk/archive/special-collections/1413/foreword/

"The coins were auctioned off in 57 lots by Noonans Mayfair on Wednesday, November 12, attracting global bidders from the UK, USA, Europe and New Zealand."

Honestly, it's relentless...

If you want to know more: https://bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/19/going-going-gone-overseas/

#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting #Treasure #Coins

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/25628113.cache-roman-coins-found-dorset-field-sells-16-625/

My latest piece of writing - looking at Export Licences, detecting tourism, etc and pulling together some of the earlier figures.

We really are in a mess...

#Archaeology #Detecting 🏺 #Gold #Treasure

https://bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/19/going-going-gone-overseas/

Several minute piece on the BBC.
Lots of detectorists.
No archaeologists.
No-one from PAS.
No-one from museums.
No discussion of the costs or responsibilities involved.

😡

#Archaeology #Detecting #Treasure #BBC #News

1446 #Treasure cases in 2024. Up from 1266 in 2023 - that's a c.14% rise.

How much will end up in museums? At what cost? Where will rest go? Private collections? eBay?

If previous years are to go by, less than 1/2 will find a safe place...

#Archaeology #Detecting 🏺

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly90nl202go

“We are so grateful to our supporters who donated funds allowing us to purchase this ring. We do not have many things in the collection either from this part of Mid Devon, or from that time period.”

Annnnnnnnd again...

#Archaeology #Detecting #Treasure

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/300-year-old-gold-ring-10638708

"...as the threat of a public sale loomed."

AKA the finder/landowner ransomed our shared heritage until we coughed up. 😡

Again, and again, and again, and again... it's relentless.

#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting #Unpatriotic

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdrz46y4636o?app-referrer=deep-link

A guest blog, which adds more detail to the narrative of detecting in England & Wales.

Thank you to my anonymous colleague for writing this important piece & for allowing me to host it on the Big Book of Torcs! 😊

#Archaeology #Detecting #Torcs #gold #Treasure

https://bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/08/who-pays-for-the-hobby-metal-detecting-in-england-and-wales/

"A spokesperson said funds had to be raised by April 2026 and they needed the public's help to secure it."

AKA You give us your hard earned cash & we'll give it to two people.

BTW £3.5 million is c.100 curator salaries.

#Archaeology #Detecting

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0920nerq0o?app-referrer=deep-link#:~:text=The%20British%20Museum%20is%20appealing,according%20to%20the%20British%20Museum.

Honestly. We all need to read this. The amount of money apparently being spent, which could instead be being invested in our museum services is horrific.

Next figures from DCMS/PAS are due in the next month or two. How bad will they be?

#Archaeology 🏺 #Torcs #Detecting

https://bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/04/looking-for-treasure/

Following on from last week's blog on Treasure 'rewards', I've been trying to dig deeper into the numbers.

Although very preliminary, what I've found does not make for happy reading...

#Archaeology 🏺 #Detecting #Treasure

https://bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/11/04/looking-for-treasure/

The piece where I get to say everything that's bugging me about the world of detecting & archaeology & ask - why are we not more concerned about this?

(Thank you to everyone who read through drafts & offered thoughts, advice and ideas.)

#Archaeology #Detecting 🏺

https://bigbookoftorcs.com/2025/10/27/the-system-is-broken-so-why-are-we-not-more-concerned/

It Looks Like a School #VapeDetector. A Teen #Hacker Showed It Could Become an #AudioBug

…he was intrigued to learn that the #Halo3C goes beyond #detecting smoke & #vaping —including a distinct feature for discerning #THC vaping in particular. It also has a #microphone for listening out for “aggression,” gunshots, & keywords such as someone calling for help, a feature that to Vasquez-Garcia immediately raised concerns of more intrusive #surveillance.
#privacy #security

https://www.404media.co/it-looks-like-a-school-vape-detector-a-teen-hacker-showed-it-could-become-an-audio-bug/

#Science and #medical #editors, check out the topics @ElisabethBik / @elisabethbik.bsky.social‬ covers in the summer 2025 Science Integrity Digest: #research #integrity sleuths, #questionable #quality of #scientific #papers, #detecting #fraud, & more. https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2025/07/25/science-integrity-digest-summer-2025/