Many of us have criticized the onerous restrictions on trading ancient coins. That said, the need to preserve the cultural history of an area is also important. Britain’s Portable Antiquities Act attempts to balance the need for cultural preservation with the “collector spirit” by providing guidelines: “In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, all finders of gold and silver objects, and groups of coins from the same finds, over 300 years old, have a legal obligation to report such items under the Treasure Act 1996.” https://finds.org.uk/treasure#:~:text=In England, Wales and Northern,under the Treasure Act 1996. One extreme is the “free-for-all” that exists in Hungary today: “Treasure hunters are digging up coins, statues, and gold objects, taking everything that can be moved, experts warn. The more valuable pieces are either sold in Budapest or taken to Vienna, largely recognized as the center of the Eastern European and Balkan illegal art and antiquities market. Almost a decade ago, you could even buy a Roman-era sarcophagus online. Anyone can buy a metal detector in Hungary, but the law practically prohibits its use -- but almost no one obeys the law, and the authorities have bigger worries than hunting down illegal metal detectors.“ "Wherever we went, we scouted the terrain well beforehand using satellite images and maps, and we always tried to work in such a way as not to be seen. If a car came by, we watched from a distance, [and] we always told each other on walkie-talkies if we saw any suspicious movement while we were digging. We always hid our car so that if there was trouble and we had to run, we could reach it before they caught us. We left the car in the village and walked out into the field or the forest," he explained. “If it continues like this, in 10 to 15 years the top 20 to 30 centimeters of the soil will be vacuumed up in Hungary.” Obviously, there needs to be a balance between collectors and the need for cultural preservation. Hungary’s example is not one to be emulated. https://www.rferl.org/a/hungary-treasure-hunters-looting-heritage-archaeological/32072122.html
