You've dug something up that might be important: a gold ring, a hoard of coins, a piece of worked metal you can't identify. What do you do now? The answer depends heavily on where you are. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland there's a legal deadline and a set route through a local Finds Liaison Officer and the coroner. Scotland runs a separate system. In the United States there's no national treasure law at all, and what you must do depends on who owns the land.
This guide gives you the reporting steps for each. If you need the background on permission, landowner agreements and good detecting practice, read our UK metal detecting and Treasure Act guide as well.
Whichever country you're in, these steps protect the find and your position:
Under the Treasure Act 1996, "treasure" broadly includes:
You don't have to be sure. If it might be treasure, report it. The experts decide, not you. The Portable Antiquities Scheme publishes a treasure advice summary if you want to check.
The legal duty is to notify the coroner within 14 days of finding the object, or within 14 days of realising it might be treasure if that comes later. In practice in England you meet this duty by contacting your local FLO, who reports the find to the coroner on your behalf. You'll find your FLO on the Portable Antiquities Scheme contacts page. Many councils also have a "report a treasure find" page that lists the FLO for the county.
When you get in touch, have ready:
The FLO or a museum curator will contact you about how and where you made the find. You'll normally fill in and sign a treasure form and arrange to hand the object over. You'll be given a receipt. The find is also logged with the British Museum's Treasure Registry and gets a treasure reference number. Keep it: that number follows the find through the whole process.
An expert writes a report on the find, and museums can say whether they're interested in acquiring it. The coroner then holds an inquest to decide whether it legally counts as treasure. You may be invited to attend. If no museum wants it, the coroner may not need to hold an inquest, and the find is usually returned or "disclaimed" back to you and the landowner.
If a museum wants to acquire the find, the independent Treasure Valuation Committee arranges an expert valuation at full market value. The museum pays that amount as a reward, which is normally split between the finder and the landowner. A 50/50 split is common, but what you agreed with the landowner beforehand matters, which is why it's worth agreeing it in writing. Rewards can be reduced or refused if the finder trespassed, didn't report the find promptly, or damaged the findspot.
Report it anyway, and do it straight away. Failing to report treasure without a reasonable excuse is a criminal offence, punishable by an unlimited fine or up to 3 months in prison. Coming forward late is far better than not coming forward at all.
The Treasure Act applies in Wales in the same way, including the 14-day deadline. You can report to your local FLO or contact National Museum Wales curators directly, who will help you report to the coroner:
Finds that aren't treasure can be recorded voluntarily through the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Wales.
The Treasure Act also covers Northern Ireland, including the 2023 significance rule. Report a possible treasure find to National Museums NI within 14 days of realising it might be treasure. They'll pass the details to the coroner. If you're unsure, email treasure@nationalmuseumsni.org with photos.
One important difference: in Northern Ireland you need a licence from the Historic Environment Division (HED) to dig in search of archaeological objects, and that includes metal detecting. Licences are only issued for archaeological projects, so read the Department for Communities' advice for finders before you detect there.
Scotland doesn't use the Treasure Act. Under Scots law, any ownerless object of archaeological or historical interest belongs to the Crown and may be claimed as Treasure Trove. It doesn't need to be gold or silver, and there's no 300-year cut-off. A medieval pottery sherd or a Roman brooch counts just as much as a coin hoard.
Report promptly. Historic Environment Scotland's guidance says to report within one month. If the Crown claims the find, it's allocated to a Scottish museum, and the finder is normally offered an ex gratia reward based on market value. In Scotland that reward is discretionary, not a legal right. If the find isn't claimed, it's returned to you with a certificate. Modern objects and natural items such as fossils don't need reporting. A Treasure Trove Code of Practice was published in March 2026, so check the current version before you report.
Keep the records that reporting relies on: findspot, GPS, depth, photos, site permissions and landowner agreements, all logged as you go. It's an offline app with no subscription.
See FindVault Pro: £15 →The US has no equivalent of the Treasure Act, no Finds Liaison Officers and no national reporting duty for detectorists. Instead, who owns the land decides everything: whether you can detect there at all, whether you can keep what you find, and who you should tell.
On federal public land and tribal land, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA) makes it illegal to dig up, remove or damage archaeological resources (generally, material remains of human activity at least 100 years old) without a permit. Permits are issued for scientific research, not hobby detecting. There's a narrow exception for coins collected for personal use that aren't in an archaeological context, but don't rely on it near any historic site. Penalties can include fines, prison and seizure of your equipment.
If you find something old on federal land: don't remove it. Photograph it, record the location, and report it to the managing agency, such as a ranger station or the local Forest Service or BLM office, which can put you in touch with its archaeologist.
Most states have their own antiquities laws for state-owned land, and some go further. Oregon, for example, requires a permit to excavate archaeological objects more than 75 years old, even on private land. Each state has a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and many have a state archaeologist. They're the right people to report a significant find to and to ask what's allowed.
On private land you need the owner's permission to detect. Who keeps what you find is a matter of state law, which usually sorts finds into categories:
The safest approach is a written agreement with the landowner before you search that says how finds are split. If you find something of historical significance, the SHPO will usually welcome a report, even when you're not legally required to make one.
If you find bones that might be human, stop and call the police or the county coroner or medical examiner. On federal and tribal land, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) also applies, and the land managing agency must be notified. On state and private land, state burial laws apply, and in many states unmarked graves are protected no matter who owns the land.
Under the Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987, title to most abandoned shipwrecks embedded in state waters passes to the state. Contact the state's historic preservation or underwater archaeology office rather than recovering material yourself.
Usually not. In England you contact your Finds Liaison Officer, who notifies the coroner for you. In Wales you can go through your FLO or National Museum Wales, and in Northern Ireland through National Museums NI. In Scotland there's no coroner involved: you report to the Treasure Trove Unit.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, if a museum wants it you receive a share of the market-value reward instead of the object. If no museum wants it, it's usually returned to you, subject to your agreement with the landowner. In Scotland, unclaimed finds are returned to the finder. In the US, it depends on the land and the state, as explained above.
Under the older UK rules, no: single coins were excluded. But since 30 July 2023, a single coin over 200 years old can be treasure if it's of outstanding historical, archaeological or cultural significance. If you've found a single early gold coin, report it to your FLO to be safe.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it's a criminal offence, with an unlimited fine or up to 3 months in prison, and you lose any claim to a reward.
Not legally in England and Wales, though voluntary recording with the Portable Antiquities Scheme is encouraged. In Scotland, any find of archaeological or historical interest should be reported, whatever it's made of.