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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Hrefn, post: 8130979, member: 115171&quot;][USER=128351]@GinoLR[/USER] , I also lament the loss of provenance and historical information which occurs with the undocumented dispersal of hoards.&nbsp; The UK laws are an attempt to balance the competing interests of the discoverer, the landowner, and the public.&nbsp; The laws seems to me to work fairly well.&nbsp; There will always be some individuals who will avoid reporting their discoveries in an attempt to maximize their own gains, and will risk the penalties in the law to do so.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>My quarrel is more with the countries who regard every discovered coin as part of their “patrimony.”&nbsp; They confiscate the findings with no real compensation to the finder or landowner.&nbsp; These policies encourage secrecy as regards findspots, hoard contents, and archeological context.&nbsp; The finder knows he will never realize the market value of the coins, because there is no legal market in his country.&nbsp; He may even decide it is prudent to melt the coins, which is rather horrifying to us collectors.&nbsp;&nbsp; Otherwise, they are smuggled into the coin trade lacking valuable historical context. The Draconian laws achieve the exact opposite of their intention. </p><p><br /></p><p>Many countries are very corrupt, and it is doubtful every discovery confiscated by state officials ever reaches a museum.&nbsp; If it does, it may languish in a drawer in the basement for the next century, until liberated by war, revolution, or theft. </p><p><br /></p><p>I believe most serious collectors who possess the bulk of the ancient coins on the market are excellent custodians of their treasures.&nbsp; It is not immediately obvious to me that governments do a better job.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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