Finds identification, Portable Antiquities and the Treasure Act

People have been living on the Isle of Wight for several hundred thousand years and an enormous number of tools and other artefacts must have been discarded or lost during this period. It is hardly surprising that these can still be found within the soil both in the countryside and within the towns.

Study of this material, which includes worked flint tools, pottery, coins and metalwork, tells us how people lived on our Island and who was doing what when and where. It is a valuable educational resource which can lead us to a better understanding of our past. Such material is frequently observed in the ground by farmers, builders or gardeners during their work.

The staff of the Archaeology and Historic Environment Service are always pleased to have the opportunity to examine material and identify it for the finder. Although they will not need to keep the finds they will need to know precisely where they were found. If more than two or three items are found together, this might indicate a ‘site’ and it is better that the archaeologists should be called out to examine the place before the objects are removed from the ground.

Although the Archaeology and Historic Environment Service has been providing a finds identification service for many years, the Isle of Wight has recently entered the Portable Antiquities Scheme. This is a nationwide voluntary scheme for the recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public. The Scheme was established to promote the recording of chance finds – not just metal objects - and to broaden public awareness of the importance of such objects for understanding our past.

The increased popularity of metal detectors in recent years has resulted in large quantities of ancient coins and metalwork being found and reported. This in turn has led to a much better understanding of the history of the Isle of Wight.

Under the Treasure Act 1996 finders must report all finds of Treasure to the coroner within 14 days, see here for advice about Treasure Finds


Although such finds rarely fall within the definition of ‘Treasure’, the staff of the Archaeology and Historic Environment Service are very keen to examine and record all such finds. In some cases it may be necessary for items to be sent to a national museum or a specialist for formal identification, but this does not normally take more than a few weeks and the depositor will be issued with a receipt. Finds and their locations are handled in confidence and are not revealed to other detectorists.