The Aims of the Scheme

The Portable Antiquities Scheme works to the following five aims:

To advance knowledge of the history and archaeology of England and Wales by systematically recording archaeological objects found by the public.
To raise awareness among the public of the educational value of archaeological finds in their context and facilitate research in them.
To increase opportunities for active public involvement in archaeology and strengthen links between metal-detector users and archaeologists.
To encourage all those who find archaeological objects to make them available for recording and to promote best practice by finders.
To define the nature and scope of a scheme for recording portable antiquities in the longer term, to access the likely costs and to identify resources to enable it to be put into practice.