Treasure Act 1996: what actually qualifies as Treasure

The Treasure Act 1996 governs which UK detector finds must legally be reported. It also confuses a great many detectorists, because the criteria are more specific than “old and shiny”. A single silver coin in isolation is not normally Treasure, even if it’s Elizabethan, even if it’s gold. Here’s what the Act actually says.

What actually qualifies as Treasure

Under the 1996 Act (as amended), a find is Treasure if it meets one of the following criteria:

1. Two or more precious-metal coins from the same find

Two coins or more, from the same site, that are at least 300 years old and contain at least 10% gold or silver. This is the most important rule to internalise: a single precious-metal coin in isolation is not Treasure.

2. Ten or more base-metal coins from the same find

Ten coins or more, from the same site, that are at least 300 years old. The base-metal threshold exists to capture Roman coin hoards of antoniniani, nummi and similar.

3. Non-coin objects with significant precious-metal content

Any non-coin object that is at least 300 years old and contains at least 10% gold or silver by weight. This covers brooches, rings, seal-matrices, mounts, harness fittings, ingots and so on.

4. Prehistoric base-metal assemblages

Any prehistoric base-metal assemblage of two or more objects from the same find. Bronze Age axe hoards, Iron Age torcs, that sort of thing.

5. Designated significant single finds (2023 expansion)

The 2023 update to the Act added a Designated category for archaeologically or historically significant single finds — even ones that don’t meet the coin / metal / age thresholds above. This is interpreted relatively narrowly in practice. If a single find is unusual enough that you suspect it might qualify, ask your FLO.

What is NOT Treasure

Crucially, the following are not Treasure under the 1996 Act:

• A single silver Tudor coin in isolation.
• A single Roman gold coin in isolation.
• A single medieval silver penny in isolation.
• A handful of base-metal Roman coins (fewer than ten) from the same site.
• A non-coin object that’s old but less than 10% gold or silver (most copper-alloy brooches, buckles and strap-ends).
• Anything from Scotland — different system applies (Treasure Trove, Crown bona vacantia).

If your find IS Treasure

If your find meets one of the criteria above, you are required to report it within 14 days of either finding it or realising it might qualify. The reporting goes to your local Coroner (in practice via your local Finds Liaison Officer, who acts as intermediary).

1. Stop detecting at that spot.Don’t dig around looking for “more” until an archaeologist has had a chance to examine the find-spot.
2. Record the exact location— GPS coordinates or a precise grid reference.
3. Photograph in-situ if possible, before removal.
4. Contact your Finds Liaison Officer— not the police, not a museum directly. The FLO will guide you through the formal process.
5. Don’t clean the find. Aggressive cleaning can destroy diagnostic information that affects valuation. Rinse mud off in plain water if you must; nothing more.
6. Discuss with the landowner.Treasure Act finds are valued and the ex gratia payment is normally shared between finder and landowner. Establish how that’s being handled before formal reporting if you can.

If your find is NOT Treasure

You have no legal obligation to report it. You can:

• Keep it. (Assuming you have landowner permission to retain finds.)
• Sell it, with the landowner’s agreement under whatever revenue-split you’ve agreed.
• Voluntarily record it with the Portable Antiquities Scheme at finds.org.uk. This is free, low-effort, and builds the national archaeological record. We strongly recommend it for any find you’re proud of.

How the valuation process works (when Treasure applies)

If your find is reported as Treasure and the Crown decides to acquire it for a museum, an independent Treasure Valuation Committee determines the market value. The Crown then pays an ex gratia reward equal to that value, normally split between finder and landowner. If no museum wishes to acquire it, the find is disclaimed and returned to the finder (and landowner).

Common misconception: the State does not “keep” your find without paying for it. The reward is meant to match the market value, although valuations are sometimes disputed.

PAS recording — do it

Whether your find is Treasure or not, voluntary recording with PAS is hugely worth doing for any UK detector find of historical interest. The corpus of recorded finds at finds.org.uk underpins most British numismatic and archaeological research published over the last twenty years. A productive site, recorded properly across seasons, can quietly reshape the picture of an entire region.

Recording is free, takes about ten minutes per find, and gives you a permanent reference number for your own records. Your local FLO is paid to help you do this.