He probably has to pay some taxes on it when he sells it. The only issue that might arise is where he found it(who owns the property).

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WOW. That's a lot of coins, and right on my doorstep. It would be interesting to know the exact location when they can release it. Also, there is a law about treasure and archaeological finds so I think it will depend on who owns the land as well as the discoverer. And I think that they can't negotiate the price. i.e no ripping off museums.

EDIT: It's not the first time coinage has been found here in Suffolk either. Next to your article they have a link to the largest hoard of Roman coins ever found http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/4791274.stm

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I don't know how it is in the UK, but here in Belgium half is for the finder, half for the owner of the property. There could be one more problem. In the article it says he found the treasure with a metal detector... Again, I don't know about the UK, but here if you go look for it, whatever you find is for the state. Treasury finding is not the same thing as treasure seeking.
I wonder how that turns out. (yeah, that's what law school does to you... keep away, kids )

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I think if it's large enough to be classed as treasure then they will be compensated for it's value. The legality of using a metal detector is that you MUST have the permission of the landowner to scan on his land. Without this, the finder will get bugger all.

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Funny that you say so. I am going to one after university. Yep, another blood-sucking lawyer. A family tradition y'know. So, is there anyone from UK around here who might know what is done with treasure according to UK laws?

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I live in Suffolk where the treasure has been found. I think that they Govt. take the treasure ad compensate the finder and the owner of the land with the value of the treasure. However the metal detector has to have had the permission of the owner to search on his land and agreed who gets what. I think that's how it works, but no guarantee.

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Blood? That's what happens when you live with those old family traditions, you don't stay up to date.
We only suck money nowadays

(btw: I'm still studying myself and the organisation in continental Europe is a bit different. I say law school, but in my case that means studying law at the university.)

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Mmh thats strange I always heard that old coins werent put under treasure but under an archeoligic find and that belongs to the government although I think you get a finders fee but you are the lawyer-in-spe so I am not going for a discussion I cannot dare to hope to win :d

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It's been a while but basically the law is that if the find is determined to have been deliberatley hidden then it is classed as 'Treasure Trove' and the government has the right to it and will pay the 'owner; the nominal value of the find.

If the find is determined to have been accidentally dropped then the 'owner' is entitled to sell it off, though the gov may still buy it in.

The 'owner' is determined as either the owner of the land or, if the finder was smart, split between them and the owner according to previous agreement.

So if doing metal-detecting in the UK, very wise move to get permission of the land-owner and agree on the division of any finds made before starting

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The Crown has a right to Treasure Trove. It is exercised by the QLTR whose local representative for this purpose is the Procurator Fiscal. There is no statutory definition of Treasure Trove, but it may be described as a "portable antiquity" - and can cover virtually anything (stone, wood, metal, woven material) which has been taken out of the ground and which is thought, on the basis of its age or rarity, worth preserving for the nation.

Since a delay in reporting a find of TT may result in damage or loss to the item, and since the evidence of condition at discovering may be significant, any find of possible TT should be reported as soon as possible to Treasure Trove Unit (TTU), c/o the National Museums of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, the local Procurator Fiscal or to the QLTR, Crown Office, Edinburgh (Failure to report a find promptly and hand it over for assessment may result in prosecution for theft or reset). (QLTR's postal address is : Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer Unit, Crown Office, Unit 5, 14a South St. Andrews Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2AZ.)

The finder of TT has no legal claim to a reward, but in practice the QLTR will arrange for payment of one, up to full market value. The reward will be withheld if the finder does not promptly report the discovery and hand over the item found, having treated it with care while it was under his control. The TTAP (which was set up in 1969 to advise the QLTR) recommends whether any item reported as TT should be disclaimed - in which case it is returned to the finder - and when claimed, to which museum the item of TT is to be allocated. The TTAP also recommends the amount of each reward, having investigated the current market value.

Where Procurators Fiscal are involved in matters of Treasure Trove, they should ensure that full details of the find and of the finder are taken, so that the reward can in due course be paid, or, if the Crown waives its right to the find, so that the item can be returned to the finder (to keep or dispose of as he or she chooses).

There is a useful website which explains the law and procedures on Treasure Trove -
http://www.treasuretrovescotland.co.uk

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This is a statement of the law in Scotland. Suffolk is in England, where the law is not the same.

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wow...crappy laws. i dont think i've ever heard of anything like that in the US. if you own a piece of land, you own everything buried in it too...

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