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Friday, 23rd November 2007 (2985 views)

The discovery of a number of precious coins and artefacts made of gold and other precious metals were highlighted at a press briefing for the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), according to Bloomberg.

During the ten years of the scheme, PAS has noted around 300,000 archaeological discoveries, the majority of which were made by amateur metal-detector enthusiasts.

A further quarter of the finds were made by people who happened upon items of historical significance by chance during walks, in gardens or ploughing.

According to British Museum coin specialist Roger Bland, the head of PAS, all finds over 300 years old that are thought to be made of gold or another precious metal are considered "treasure" and must be reported under the 1996 Treasure Act.

He said around 58,000 objects were reported to be found in the past year.

Last year, members of PAS held a roadshow at the British Museum, where members of the public were invited to bring in their discoveries for analysis by a group of archaeological experts.

 

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