By Scott Bevan

I’m pretty sure that all of us at some point in our lives, have passed by a field & noticed a solitary figure standing out somewhere in the middle. Not to be mistaken for a strategically placed farmers scarecrow, of course, I’m talking about metal detectorists. To a lot of people, those of us within the hobby are considered geeks & anoraks. To the misinformed, we’re all just a bunch of treasure hunters desperately trying to find the next Staffordshire hoard. But the truth is, the majority of us are ordinary people who’ve discovered the perfect way of combining a passion for history, friendship & the countryside to help find some peace & balance in life. I began metal detecting a little over 5 years ago & my adventures have taken me all around England & Wales. I’ve made some absolutely amazing friends, I’ve seen some truly spectacular places & I’ve been lucky enough to have found some wonderful coins & artefacts from almost every period spanning the past 2,000 years. From silver Roman denarii & bronze fibula brooches, to medieval pennies. From Tudor coins & buckles, to Georgian shillings. My oldest find to date is a Bronze Age axe head which is over 4,000 years old. But it doesn’t have to be ancient to be special. I found a trench art ring made in Anzio during WWII & I think that’s extremely poignant. Two ends of a 4,000 year spectrum & a hobby that never ceases to amaze. Recently, there’s been an increase in people taking up the hobby & as such, not everybody has taken the time to research how to detect responsibly which has resulted in criticism from some quarters. So as a local metal detectorist here’s a few things to consider if ever you decide to see what all the fuss is about.

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The first thing to remember is that everywhere is owned by somebody & you must have the landowners permission before detecting. Some beaches you can detect on (not all of them), but living in the Midlands, that really doesn’t help very much. When you’re out detecting, remember to use a gps app to note the find location of your discoveries for when you record them with your Finds Liaison Officer (FLO) at the Birmingham museum. It’s best to show the FLO everything you find & let them decide what needs recording and what doesn’t. Although recording finds is not a legal requirement at this moment in time, it’s the correct & responsible thing to do, otherwise all context of the finds are lost. Also, as an added bonus, once recorded, the FLO will tell you exactly what every item is & its estimated age. Treasure finds however, must be reported to the coroner within 14 days of discovery. For a full breakdown on what constitutes treasure, visit the Portable Antiquities Scheme website at www.finds.org.uk. There are other things to consider, but these are the main points. 

If you’d like to follow my detecting adventures or would like any help or advice about starting up in the hobby, 

I’m more than happy to help. You can find me on Twitter @scottylar