26th August 2010, 09:19 AM
The north is a particular area of both legit and non legit detecting. The hardest thing to get over is that it can't be both ways.. respect as legitimate and very useful technique for discovering new finds. AND an attitude of secrecy and closed activities that will only record what they feel they want to. They will have been bought from detectorists... on Ebay. I take it it is this one... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ANGLO-SAXON-GLASS-...ntiquities
Timeline Originals are one of the big sellers. At teh Portable antiquities conference earlier this year, there was a series of talks, one of which highlighted the Ebay seller. from individual to big business. They know the law, they know it well... and they stay just within it.
Interstingly, on the flip side of the coin... A detectorist I recently talked to on their forum (I go for talking with people on their own terms rather than sitting gloomey and cross armed at a distance
) and I was able to hitch them up with a specialist, who they visted and showed the find .. and so the record is enhanced... it was not that the detectoirst was 'bad' it was that they just not have the contacts ... so given the opportunity... they are our equals in passion and knowledge. The antiquites selling... hmmm... I have never liked it or can agree with it. but it is not illegal. (come to Scotland though 
where it is) It is important to make a distinction between detecting and antiquites trade. Yes there is an overlap, but it is an overlap.
Timeline Originals are one of the big sellers. At teh Portable antiquities conference earlier this year, there was a series of talks, one of which highlighted the Ebay seller. from individual to big business. They know the law, they know it well... and they stay just within it.
Interstingly, on the flip side of the coin... A detectorist I recently talked to on their forum (I go for talking with people on their own terms rather than sitting gloomey and cross armed at a distance
) and I was able to hitch them up with a specialist, who they visted and showed the find .. and so the record is enhanced... it was not that the detectoirst was 'bad' it was that they just not have the contacts ... so given the opportunity... they are our equals in passion and knowledge. The antiquites selling... hmmm... I have never liked it or can agree with it. but it is not illegal. (come to Scotland though where it is) It is important to make a distinction between detecting and antiquites trade. Yes there is an overlap, but it is an overlap.