Good grief, can no one in Europe hold in to their valuable artifacts anymore?!....sheesh.
Britain does. When an item is found, and a museum can't afford to buy the item outright for its listed value, they let the item go up for auction, and if someone living outside the UK bids and wins the item, the government declares it treasure, and stops it from being exported.
One such instance was a turqoise ring owned by Jane Austin. The British Museum couldn't afford the amount to purchase it outright, so it went up for auction. American singer Kelly Clarkson won the bid. The UK government declared it treasure and banned it from being exported from the country. Eventually the museum came up with the auction amount and paid Clarkson for the ring. I'm sure she would have preferred having the ring, but she accepted the money, and the ring went to the British Museum. I think it's completely unfair for the UK government to pull this crap. If a museum, British resident, or the government itself can't afford to buy these relics once they go on the market, then banning its export after someone who doesn't live in the country wins it, seems thuggish to me. Congratulations!! You won the bid, but you can't have the item, because you don't live here.