Question: If I find treasure, who gets to keep it?

Answer: Treasure is defined by the Treasure Act 1996 and updated in 2023 and includes any find that is over 300 years old and contains more than 10% gold or silver, or is part of a group of two or more coins, or is a prehistoric object where any part is made of precious metal. Other items found alongside a declared treasure are also considered treasure, along with objects of outstanding historical importance discovered since July 2023.  A single coin will not normally be considered treasure because it is not part of a group.  Similarly, if you found a Roman coin, a medieval coin and a modern coin in the same field, they don't form a group.  If you found a pot full of coins or a golden torc, that would be treasure, and museums have the right to buy your find at a fair price, which will probably need to be shared with the landowner.

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If it is not treasure, you generally get to keep it. Legally, ownership is split between the landowner and the finder, but because of the arrangement South East Searchers has with the landowner, you can keep any find worth less than £750 without sharing it. If you found something worth more than that, the landowner is entitled to 50%, so you might have to sell the object or come up with cash.

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Question: What is the best metal detector?

Answer: There is no single best machine, but detectorists will argue for hours about the best detector.  If you are just starting out, you will want something fairly simple to use but better than the very cheap Chinese-made detectors that you see all over eBay and Amazon. For a beginner, consider going with a reputable maker such as Minelab (American), XP (French), Nokta (Turkish), or Garrett (American). All of these manufacturers have detectors at different price points and different levels of complexity. Some detectors are heavier than others, and if that is a concern, the XP ORX is the lightest detector currently on the market.

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Question: Do I need to fill in holes that I dig?

Answer: YES! If you are on ploughed soil, you can just leave it flat, and that is fine, but on pasture, you need to leave the field looking like you were never there. Try to dig a neat plug that can go back in place without being obvious. You can find advice on how to do this on any dig.

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Question: Why do I keep digging iron?

Answer: Practice with your machine can help you to avoid being fooled by iron, but iron objects with a hole in them give a very similar signal to a good target next to iron. If you aren't digging any iron, you are likely to be missing targets. Also, if there is iron, there have been people active in the area. Some iron is a good sign.

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Question: What makes South East Searchers the best?

Answer: Modesty forbids us from answering, but who else arranges farm land for you to detect on, spending weekends and evenings making sure that you have fun, organising everything, and even providing drinks and snacks on the day? We love the hobby as much as you do, and we don't just do it for the money.  We do several charity events each year!