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Detectorists in Nottinghamshire found more than a dozen treasures last year, new figures show

The Institute of Detectorists said many people picked up the hobby during the coronavirus pandemic, likely leading to the surge in treasure finds.

The Treasure Act, introduced in 1997, defines treasure as discoveries older than 300 years. It includes coins, prehistoric metallic objects and artefacts that are at least 10 per cent precious metal such as gold or silver.

Ministry of Justice figures show 17 treasure finds were reported last year to Nottinghamshire Coroner’s Court, which is responsible for holding treasure inquests, in line with the number of treasure finds in 2021. Over the past decade, 114 finds were reported in the area.

Figures from the Ministry of Justice show 17 treasure finds were reported last year to Nottinghamshire Coroner's Court, which is responsible for holding treasure inquests.

Keith Westcott, IoD founder, said: “It was definitely the lockdown periods that brought the idea and interest of metal detecting to a lot of people who were sat at home, all day indoors thinking of what would give them a reason to get outdoors.”

However, Mr Westcott said the growing interest in detecting must also be met with awareness of the hobby’s responsibilities.

He said: “Probably as little as 10 per cent of what’s found is recorded, so a dramatic improvement in that is needed if interest continues to grow.

“People see these finds as objects of interest, but in reality it is part of an archeologic record of the area it was found in. So there has to be an understanding of the context around whatever is found.”

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Across England and Wales, 2022 saw a 20 per cent increase in treasure finds on the year before with 1,087 reported, the highest number of discoveries since records began in 1997 and including 114 in the East Midlands.

The MoJ said the number of finds reported steadily increased from 1997 to 2017, but since 2018 the number has been “more volatile”.

A spokesman said: “There has been a big surge in metal detecting during and since the pandemic.”

The increase in finds comes as the Government plans to introduce a new definition of treasure later this year, updating the definition of objects of historical importance to those more than 200 years old. Additionally, objects can be of importance regardless of the metal they are made from, as long as they provide an important insight into the country’s heritage.

More than a dozen treasure discoveries in Nottinghamshire last year