Some Questions and Answers

Where was the Hoard found?

It is not being revealed at this time for two principal reasons.

1. It is on private land
2. and the landowner does not wish it to be divulged.

Is the site protected?

The site has been thoroughly examined using specialist equipment provided by the Home Office and with support from the police’s Tactical Planning Unit, Staffordshire county council and Birmingham Archaeology. The site is now considered sterile, meaning experts are satisfied every item able to be recovered from the immediate area has now been found; it is now being monitored by the police.

Where is the Hoard?

All items recovered from the site are now in secure storage at the British Museum before the Valuation process begins.

A selection of items will be on display in the British Museum from the 3rd November 2009 for an indefinite period.

Who does the hoard belong to?

The whole framework for determining ownership is laid out in The Treasure Act 1996, which replaced the former common law relating to “treasure trove”.

Essentially today’s Inquest declared the Hoard to be treasure and vested ownership in the Crown. The hoard is now offered to museums to acquire, and Staffordshire County Council, Birmingham City Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council are working together towards this goal.

However the finder and land owner are entitled to a reward which is the full value of the treasure. If this is not forthcoming the treasure is considered ‘disclaimed’, and would likely revert to the ownership of the land owner and finder who could dispose of it (or keep it) as they see fit.

How much is the Hoard worth?

Artistically and historically is impossible to price.

However a Treasure Valuation Committee consisting of independent experts, will recommend a valuation to the Secretary of State. The Committee will commission valuations from leading auction houses and experts in the antiquities trade.

This will be a very difficult task given the unprecedented nature of the Hoard.

The Hoard contains approximately 5kg of gold and 1.3kg of silver, giving it a ‘scrap’ value of over £100,000 (by contrast the Sutton Hoo find contained 1.6kg of precious metals).

How long will the valuation take?

There is a target that rewards should be paid within 13 months of the find being handed over, but this can take longer in exceptional cases.