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In recent months there has been an increased interest in discussing artefact hunting issues. The author of the Portable Antiquities Collecting and Heritage Issues Blog which has become a bit of an informal focus for views dissenting from the official line in the UK has several times been asked whether he would accept guest posts from people who felt constrained to write something on the issues connected with metal detecting, but were busy in other walks of life and did not want the bother of running their own blog. While appreciating the value of the idea and the gesture of support, for several reasons I did not feel this was what I wanted to do. I therefore decided to set up a separate blog, for guest contributions. I have contacted those who wanted to write something on the PACHI blog with an invitation to add them to the list of contributors. So far Brian (who tells me he is an architect from Shrewsbury, UK) and Nigel Swift of Heritage Action (needs no introduction to readers of their excellent blog) have been the first to agree to take part in the experiment, I am hoping to hear from the others in due course. Anyone who wishes to participate and feels they are eligible (see the next post) is invited to contact the owner (Paul Barford) either by email or through the comments section here or the PACHI blog [in the latter eventuality, please indicate whether the comment is intended for publication or not].
There are many, many websites, forums, discussion lists to discuss artefact hunting and metal detecting. Most of them are run by metal detectorists for metal detectorists. That is not what this blog is for. The hope here is that the authors of this blog will look a little more deeply below the façade that artefact hunting and collecting have created at the fundamental issues concerning its effect on the preservation of the archaeological record. Each poster is requested to put their name at the bottom of their post.
[by Paul Barford]
In recent months there has been an increased interest in discussing artefact hunting issues. The author of the Portable Antiquities Collecting and Heritage Issues Blog which has become a bit of an informal focus for views dissenting from the official line in the UK has several times been asked whether he would accept guest posts from people who felt constrained to write something on the issues connected with metal detecting, but were busy in other walks of life and did not want the bother of running their own blog. While appreciating the value of the idea and the gesture of support, for several reasons I did not feel this was what I wanted to do. I therefore decided to set up a separate blog, for guest contributions. I have contacted those who wanted to write something on the PACHI blog with an invitation to add them to the list of contributors. So far Brian (who tells me he is an architect from Shrewsbury, UK) and Nigel Swift of Heritage Action (needs no introduction to readers of their excellent blog) have been the first to agree to take part in the experiment, I am hoping to hear from the others in due course. Anyone who wishes to participate and feels they are eligible (see the next post) is invited to contact the owner (Paul Barford) either by email or through the comments section here or the PACHI blog [in the latter eventuality, please indicate whether the comment is intended for publication or not].
There are many, many websites, forums, discussion lists to discuss artefact hunting and metal detecting. Most of them are run by metal detectorists for metal detectorists. That is not what this blog is for. The hope here is that the authors of this blog will look a little more deeply below the façade that artefact hunting and collecting have created at the fundamental issues concerning its effect on the preservation of the archaeological record. Each poster is requested to put their name at the bottom of their post.
[by Paul Barford]
Where's me comment like, you kept me up all night looking for prowlers and you don't have the decency to let other responsible, lawful,lucky, educated, affluent detectorists know how I'm feeling.You came highly recommended by the NCMD, they said you were the champion of all decent detectorists, they said you'd help with getting the scouts and guides on board.I guess they were wrong, we are poles apart me and you.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry I've bookmarked you and I'll pass this link on to all the young detectorists who I am recruiting very successfully ATM, they'll be glad to comment on your blog.It'll do wonders for there young minds to debate about this hobby and help spread the word to the next generation of hoard Hunters.
ReplyDeleteHello, I'm interested in how much looting is going on under the guise of detectoring. I've noticed for instance that a lot of ancient British coins - or that's what they are purported to be, not fakes, forgeries or replicas - are being sold through the likes of Ebay from abroad, Poland figures quite highly. Now these are either fakes or replicas or they are the genuine article. If the latter, how are they arriving in Poland in such numbers that they are being sold in? If these coins are genuine, they must have been found in hoards, probably in the UK and smuggled abroad to be sold. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteHi, as you can see, this blog never really got off the ground, my main blog is still the place to go with queries of this type: https://paul-barford.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where these coins are being sold from, can you give me a few links to go on with? I've not really noticed them. Of course dodgy sellers would not have much problem shifting them across borders in the EU, but with Brexit, that will change. Please can you supply more specifics?
Most of these are continental issues, but I cannot see many sold specifically by Polish dealers: https://www.ebay.pl/sch/Monety-celtyckie/4741/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=moneta
ReplyDeleteI will sort this out tomorrow for you but searching for specific British coins will yield results. Here's one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANGLO-SAXON-Kings-of-Mercia-Offa-757-796-AR-Penny/164023559068?_trkparms=aid%3D1110001%26algo%3DSPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20190212102350%26meid%3Ddd368989a8fa4b82b77aef9e83d460af%26pid%3D100012%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D333452717225%26itm%3D164023559068%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100012.m1985
DeleteAnother: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANGLO-SAXON-Anglo-Viking-Danish-Northumbria-Cnut-Siefred-AR-Penny/164024838314?_trkparms=aid%3D1110001%26algo%3DSPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20190212102350%26meid%3Ddd368989a8fa4b82b77aef9e83d460af%26pid%3D100012%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D333452717225%26itm%3D164024838314%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100012.m1985
DeleteAnd another: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANGLO-SAXON-Kings-of-East-Anglia-Ethelstan-I-Circa-827-845-AR-Penny/392630410218?_trkparms=aid%3D1110001%26algo%3DSPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20190212102350%26meid%3Ddd368989a8fa4b82b77aef9e83d460af%26pid%3D100012%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D333452717225%26itm%3D392630410218%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100012.m1985
DeleteOK, these three coins turn out to be among a dozen or so being sold from two small places, right next to each other in southern Poland, each of them by a different seller, most of them with feedback of '0'. They have Early Medieval silver coins both of Britain (East Anglia, Wessex, Northumbria) and Carolingian issues. The first three had me going for a short while until I looked closer. I think they are struck, though the surface of two of them looks as if casting might have been involved (in making the dies?). Stylistically, they are rather 'spindly' and the die punches more carelessly-placed than on the originals. The patina (and its distressing in particular) are not at all convincing either. I think these are fakes, and interestingly, it looks at first glance like this might be a Polish factory as on a quick look I cannot see anything similar in style from UK sellers or elsewhere in the EU. So if that is so, that's OK then, just stupid collectors getting ripped off. If these items really had been found in the UK, then a PAS number should be adequate guarantee that the object has been looked at by people who know what's what and passed by them. If these had been from hoards, chances are that they would be illegally obtained. So it pays to check all the details of the collecting history. Thanks for letting me know. But as I say, this blog really is not going anywhere, please see the other one (Portable Antiquities Collecting and Heritage Issues)
ReplyDelete