Detectorists frustrated after treasures go missing

Article excerpt

Metal detectorists across England report that treasures they've handed over to authorities have vanished without explanation or compensation. Hobbyists who discover artifacts are legally required to report finds to local museums or the Portable Antiquities Scheme, a system designed to protect cultural heritage. But some say their items have disappeared into bureaucratic limbo, never catalogued, never returned, never explained. The detectorists, frustrated after spending years hunting for historical objects only to surrender them, now question whether the system works as promised and worry about the fate of Britain's archaeological record.