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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Valentinian, post: 2880592, member: 44316&quot;]Here is a quote from that article: &quot;Bulk lots of ancient coins with the dirt still on them, or lots marketed as “metal detector finds,” are loot. They come from one or more archaeological sites and represent significant damage and loss of information. Buying such objects rewards those who loot or who deal with looters, encouraging them to do more of it.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>I wonder about &quot;significant damage and loss of information.&quot;&nbsp; Anyone detecting in England can tell you that most sites where groups of coins are found were not pre-existing archaeological sites. They became archaeological sites only because of the detecting and we learned from them because of England&#039;s rational Treasure Trove law. The major cause of loss of information is not collecting, it is laws that encourage people to <b>not</b> report finds.</p><p><br /></p><p>It seems archaeologists have decided it is easier to fight collectors than governments, even though it is clear a government&#039;s change in policy to one like England&#039;s would</p><p>1)&nbsp; actually work</p><p>2)&nbsp; yield far more information of the sort archaeologists claim to want</p><p>3)&nbsp; encourage both factions who love antiquity to work together, instead of fighting each other</p><p><br /></p><p>Of course, there would be a cost. Governments would have to give up claims to all those valuable hoards they never find out about anyway, because what fool would report them? There is governmental greed, like a king&#039;s right to claim everything found in the soil. Are we still in the age of kings? </p><p><br /></p><p>In some respects, yes. Governments behave like kings (It&#039;s mine! Mine! Mine!) and have archaeologists so cowed that they would rather fight their natural allies than speak the truth about coin finds and governmental policies.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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