Welcome to the Portable Antiquities Scheme
The Portable Antiquities Scheme is a voluntary scheme to record archaeological objects found by members of the public in England and Wales. Every year many thousands of objects are discovered, many of these by metal-detector users, but also by people whilst out walking, gardening or going about their daily work. Such discoveries offer an important source for understanding our past.
This website provides background information on the Portable Antiquities Scheme, news articles, events listings and access to our database of objects and images.
The database holds records for 328955 objects within 218533 records. We now have 170858 images that can be used freely. Since the 1st January 2008, we have recorded 17150 objects within 13863 records. In 2007, we recorded 77602 objects within 49372 records.
The Treasure Act
All finders of gold and silver objects, and groups of coins from the same findspot, which are over 300 years old, have a legal obligation to report such items under the Treasure Act 1996. Now prehistoric base-metal assemblages found after 1st January 2003 also qualify as Treasure. This website provides further information for finders of potential Treasure.
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