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are their many of you who do Metal Detecting on here? Whats the best finds you have done on the Wirral? Ive been looking at a few places like ..

I haven't done any metal detecting but I've noticed quite a few people at different times on the beach at West Kirby and by the lighthouse at New Brighton doing it, I know it's not much help but it gives you a clue that people are about metal detecting.

yer i went to new brighton & meols is it?? beaches and found sod all, and i have been going to another place recently and been finding a few things there my first few coints gonna go back soon.........

No offence mate, but if you're going to do metal detecting do it responsibly and preferably with an organised club. Try contacting the West Kirby Metal Detecting Group. You'll learn more that way and at least anything found will get recorded. Otherwise, you're just pilferring our precious past.

It's also worth applying your interest to helping in a more constructive way like getting in touch with any local archaeology groups and offering to help them on excavations. They don't encourge 'night hawks', but would probably appreciate responsible metal detectorists helping them if supervised.

finders keepers
how can you pilfer somethiung that was lost many years ago or even recent if it was buried forget all the bloody do gooders its yours if you find it and if other people want one let them find there own bunch of grabbers.,

Point taken scary, but it's one thing digging up your own back garden and another thing if it's on someone else's land.

Like it or loath it it's the law, and when I say pilfer I don't really mean it like stealing from an individual (other than the land owner perhaps) I mean it robs us of our understanding of the past. Anyway, it's a bit different finding something by accident and deliberately setting out to dig somewhere up, especially if you know it's a historical site.

Just my opinion.

i'm totally different i think its a good thing to go digging and looking for (old things) on historic grounds. its very interesting. thats my opinion. and aslong as you have permission its not really stealing or anything.

Any how i have been in contact with a metal detecting club over the weekend that i am hoping to join and will be hopefully going to their next meeting ... id like to gain more experiance on how to do it properly without making a mess!

Unfortunately, it's that sort of attitude that's given metal detecting a bad reputation. Many important archaeological sites have been ruined by irresponsible metal detecting. If all you're after are old beer cans or the odd £1 coin then go for it. If, however, you're after valuable stuff, then you should be aware of The Treasure Act 1996.

The Treasure Act is a piece of legislation designed to deal with finds of treasure primarily those made by metal detectorists in England and Wales. It legally obliges finders of objects which constitute a legally defined term of treasure to report their find to their local coroner within fourteen days. An inquiry led by the coroner then determines whether the find constitutes treasure or not. If is declared to be treasure then the owner must offer the item for sale to a museum at a price set by an independent board of antiquities experts. Only if no museum expresses an interest in the item or is unable to purchase it can the owner retain it.

'Treasure' is defined as being:

- All coins from the same hoard. A hoard is defined as two or more coins, as long as they are at least 300 years old when found. If they contain less than 10% gold or silver there must be at least 10 in the hoard for it to qualify.
- Two or more prehistoric base metal objects in association with one another
- Any individual (non-coin) find that is at least 300 years old and contains at least 10% gold or silver.
- Associated finds: any object of any material found in the same place as (or which had previously been together with) another object which is deemed treasure.
- Objects substantially made from gold or silver but are less than 300 years old, that have been deliberately hidden with the intention of recovery and whose owners or heirs are unknown.

Under English law a landowner has sole title to any archaeological artefacts found on his or her property. Legitimate metal detectorists come to an agreement the owners of the land they detect on to share any proceeds from treasure sales. Those who detect illegally, either on Scheduled sites or without the landowners' permission cannot benefit from the Treasure Act.

Illegal detectorists have had their loot confiscated and can face fines and prison.

I was out Friday with Spider found two rounds as we call them. The local soil is so acid anything in the groung will rot to nothing if it is left.I am not a joiner, as such so I am not a memmber of a club.We always respect the law and the land we go on, and leave it sometimes cleaner than before we started. Like it or not there is law and rules you need to know before you start. You should at least know who your local finds officer is and why you need to know.I will catch up later on finds etc.I must agree with Geekus as I know he is comming from the heart. I am off out so have to dash.

That is probably spot on, i do respect the law and id never go on a land thats under the rule not to go on and heritage sites etc unless id have permission... i am however careful and look after places were i have been.

Fair enough mate. If you're in any doubt though, check out Liverpool Museum's web-site (particularly the bit about their portable antiquities scheme). Nobody's trying to stop you from enjoying yourself, but as Nightwalker says there are laws. I'm sure joining that club you've mentioned will make things much clearer.

yer i hope they do mate but archaeological people hate Metal Detectorists BUT wont admit it because 90% of things that have been found i think are by Metal Detectors.hmmmm true or not im not sure its just what i think and others have though simular

haha one mate of mine always says that laws & rules are their to be broken haha.... :S...

I wouldn't say archaeologists hate metal detectorists, they just don't like the ones who break the law or rob from sites they're investigating.

I disagree as well that 90% of artefacts are found by metal detector people. The archaeologists are interested in lots of things (not just metal objects), but sometimes sites get wrecked and valuable dating evidence is lost when people take things like coins from their original contexts. The history of a site is like a giant jigsaw and if someone comes along and takes away so much as one small piece it prevents everyone from seeing the bigger picture.

ahhh i think i have to totally agree with you there mate, yes i have been told that in the past like about the jigsaw, thats why every find we make we record it as best as we can!... and i hope to learn more when i join a club..

sorry if this comes out to blunt.but if i went to the shore and found coins or a gold bangle or summit. sorry but you aint getting your mits on it. if i went to a farmers field with his permition i would sell it and split it with the farmer.if i found a skeleton with a gold ring on it i would leave it as a mark of respect.but would all you archaeologists ile tell you the simple answer is no you would get your little trowel and tooth pick out remove it stick a bloody number on it take off the ring and put the bones in a bloody box on a shelf instead ov leaving it in its resting place and thats a fact !!!! i no ive gone off the point a little bit about metal detecting but if you found yourself in that position then what would you do ime speaking about hundreds of year old remains not recent so whats yout opinion on this !!!!!