UK: While digging in backyard man unearths hoard of 20,000 Roman coins.

BBC On-Line ^ | Thursday, 11 March, 2004 | staff writer

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Now a coroner must decide if Ken Allen, who made the discovery, can keep the treasure.

Maaybe I'm a cynic...alright, I'm a cynic...but how do you suppose THAT decision will go.

Kiss the coins goodbye Ken. You can visit them in the museum. Maybe.

[rogueleader]

I don't know who will get to keep the treasure, but I can tell you one thing for sure. This is every property law professor's wet dream of a case.

Possible angles include:

* Who owns the coins under Roman law? Would Roman law apply?

* Would the intervening years between the Roman Empire and the Norman conquest of England in 1066 have any legal effect on the coins?

* If the English law courts find that the coins belong to the crown, could the landowner maintain an action for unjust enrichment against the crown, seeing that it was the landowner who performed the important and valuable service of finding the coins?

* and so on ad infinitum

[ffusco]

Finders-keepers!

[scan58]

Interesting. Thanks!

[Winniesboy]

This is every property law professor's wet dream of a case.

No, The ancient law of Treasure Trove (which is why a Coroner is involved) makes these questions very clear. Treasure Trove laws precede 'government' (in the modern sense) by centuries.

[EagleMamaMT]

From what I've heard about him, he was a pretty closed-mouthed ol' boy, but he did have a wife and 9 kids. I've always wondered if one of the kids bragged to another kid about what their father had discovered. I don't remember this relative too well. He was my great-uncle but he died when I was young. I do remember he was a pretty grim ol' codger and never had too much to say to anyone. Maybe he was grim from losing all that money? :)

[Charles Henrickson]

A lotta good those coins would do him. What's he gonna do with the darn things? Where's he gonna find a vending machine that will accept Roman coins? "Oh, I think I'll pop down to the vending machine and buy myself a Chariot Cola, by jove!"

[rogueleader]

I did not know that. Thank you.

I guess the guy will get compensation after all.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,774664,00.html

[itsahoot]

A spokeswoman for Bristol Coroner's Court said that even though the coins were found on Mr Allen's property they could still be ruled as being property of the state.

You can count on it.

[pau1f0rd]

I saw this and thought of this post. I think it shows that the treasure trove system in the UK is reasonably fair. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1130782/posts

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

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