Posted on 09/24/2009 4:10:21 AM PDT by csvset
I would have wanted to keep it for the historical and collector’s value. I’d have even been willing to loan it out to museums for long term display, but I’d have wanted to retain ownership of it, had I been the property owner.
Oh me too. Forced sales are always at most a necessary evil.
At least in the case of treasure this old, the Treasure Trove Act enhances the value of finds. 1.5 kg of Gold is worth X money. But 1.5 Kg of Gold + accredited provenance from experts can double the value of the find.
And of course there is a value to the country in preserving the ‘archaeological’ value of these finds - meaning that the treasure gets examined by experts, minutely cataloged and its provenance preserved. And you know the stuff is going to be properly cleaned.
I wish the sales weren’t forced, but I can see the point of the Act.
According to the BBC website - This gold strip carries the Latin inscription: “Rise up O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face.” It has two sources, the Book of Numbers or Psalm 67, taken from the Vulgate, the Bible used by the Saxons.
Yes! Thanks for the confirmation.
Ah, but it turns out the letters on the gold strip are in a sans-serif font with automated kerning.
It couldn’t have been created in the 7th Century: it’s a clumsy forgery from Kinko’s.
Great Britain has a very fair law regarding treasure, the crown gets first shot at the treasure, a third party, entirely independent of the government, appraises the objects, the price is set the government must meet that price, if they cannot, or will not, the treasure then becomes the property of the finder. I think something similar is in force here. However, I do believe that if someone finds stuff like this it should belong to the land owner and the guy who finds it, the government should only get it if the finders decide to sell it to them.
(grin!)
Well the first 'edition' did not http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/staffordshire/8272058.stm @ 10:33 GMT. It had this under the picture of the gold band... This gold strip with a Biblical inscription is one of 1,500 items in the hoard
But at a later 'edition' at 12:29 GMT has been updated to included what you posted under the picture. Reason why I asked the initial question about what the inscription quoted.
No problem - It had occurred to me that must have been the case.
We can only hope that discovering this gold inscription at this moment in history is prophetic.
> Think I’d have kept my mouth shut about it. It didn’t belong to the Crown when the owner was alive, so why the hell should it belong to them now?
Because it is the stuff and essence of History. It does not “belong” to the finder. There are some things that should never find their way onto e-Bay and be sold to the highest bidder.
If, for example, an original copy of the Declaration of Independence were to be “found” somewhere, that should never be allowed to be sold to, say, a conglomerate of hi-value ChiCom investors and relocated offshore. It is a part of America’s History. It belongs to America, not to whoever “found” it. Sure, the finder should get a fair finder’s fee, but that’s all.
I believe that major military medals ought to be treated the same way: the Victoria Cross, the Medal of Honor, &tc. They should belong to the country that awards them, and be granted a lease in perpetuity to the recipients and their decendents for as long as they want them, ultimately reverting back to the state.
A couple years ago, Charles Upham’s VC with Bar was going to be put onto the open market by his surviving daughters. It is a one-of-a-kind medal, as only one has ever been awarded to a combat soldier, and it is a huge part of New Zealand military history. Had it found its way into a private collection, we would never have seen it again, ever.
Fortunately for NZ, the Imperial War Museum bought the medal, and then leased it back to New Zealand in perpetuity.
However, in my opinion, it should never have been the daughter’s property to sell in the first place. It is a national treasure, not a trinket to be bought-and-sold.
Same with this Saxon hoard. “Finders-keepers-losers-weepers” doesn’t work when it comes to national treasures.
You know, you’re probably right. Not everyone would treat it with the proper respect it deserves, and Lord knows, family tends to sell things off and see dollar signs. It’s disgraceful. After thinking about it, I could just see someone melting it down and selling it for scrap gold.
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Thanks csvset & Red Badger! There have been a bunch of recent finds in the UK:To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. |
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We can only hope. Now if Charles Martel would just summon the French...
My paternal grandmother’s maiden name was Saxon. That gold is probably ours.
I wonder if I should get a lawyer?
I have found most of my really neat artifacts visually but have started to use electronics. Yup, I got a metal detector for my birthday and never even hinted that I wanted one. My wife has told me to be careful, she can read my mind:)
WOW!I’d say that qualifies as a “kings ransom”.As usual-thnx for the ping:)
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