I think the UK metal detecting rules are great.
Promotes folks out there searching for stuff.
Cool stuff gets found.
If it is not of interest to the government museums, the detectorist gets to keep it. I imagine they make a deal with the landowner first - or maybe there is a law on the split.
Hmm - what is the deal on public lands?
And, if the government thinks the find is historically of interest - they pay the detectorist a fair price.
My wife got me a decent metal detector years ago. It hasn’t received much use, except I did find a phone dropped in the woods by a friend. Most public parks and stuff you can’t use them.
I lot better then here where the government just steals the finds.
They would rather leave lay in the ground.
If it is gold, it always is of historical significance...
It’s goobermint grift.