Ladies and germs,

Its early morning, and like most days i come across somethings interesting at the CAB ( citizens advice bureau ).l temporarily working on the IT system, anyway.

So i came across these two clauses, dealing with some pretty interesting things that we never knew had rules about, or if so, then WHAT THE HECK DO WE DO? when we find treasure, or swim to the bottom of the ocean and find a wreckage with all of Titanics mysteries.

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{ Treasure }

Treasure is the property of the Crown. An object is generally only treasure if it is at least 300 years old and:-

?it is an object other than a coin of which at least 10% in weight is gold or silver; or

?it is a coin and was found with at least one other coin and is at least 10% in weight in gold or silver; or

?it is a coin and contains less than 10% in weight in gold or silver but was found with at least nine other coins; or

?it is a single coin or another object that is found (or would have been, if they had been found at the same time) with other objects that are treasure.

In rare circumstances, an object less than 300 years old can be classed as treasure. To be classed as treasure, the object would have to be made substantially of gold or silver, have been deliberately hidden with the intention of recovery and the owners or their heirs would be unknown.

Anyone who finds treasure should report this directly to the coroner for the district where the object was found within 14 days of the find (or of first having reason to believe the object may be treasure). The report can be made in person, by letter, telephone or fax. The coroner will normally direct the finder to take the find to a local museum or an officially recognised archaeological service. If, in the opinion of the museum or archaeologist, the find is likely to be treasure and a museum wishes to acquire it, the coroner will hold an inquest to determine whether it is treasure and, if so, who the finder was. If no museum wishes to acquire a find (regardless of whether it is treasure or not), it will be returned by the coroner. A finder who fails to report a discovery of treasure without a reasonable excuse will be committing a criminal offence.
When an object has been declared treasure and it, or any part of it, is kept for a museum, the finder is paid a sum equal to the market value of what is kept.

The market value is assessed by an independent reviewing committee appointed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and payment is made through this body. The finder will receive the reward if s/he had permission to be on the land where s/he made the find. However, the reward can be shared if the landowner or occupier and the finder had a prior agreement to do this. If the finder has committed an offence in relation to the find or has trespassed, it is likely that s/he will receive no reward or a reduced one. In this case, a landowner or occupier will remain eligible for a reward.
33It is to the finder's advantage to report the find at once. The finder will either get the find back, or its market value as an ex-gratia reward.

A finder should generally receive a reward within twelve months of having delivered the find. If the find is disclaimed because no museum wants to acquire it, this should happen within six months or within three months if the find is a single object.
34If the coroner decides that the object is not treasure, the object belongs either to the finder or to the owner of the land where the object was found. It can be difficult to decide this in some circumstances. The coroner will not make any decision as to whether the finder or the owner should have the goods. If there is a dispute over ownership, it would have to be settled in the county court.


{Goods found in the sea or on the seashore}

Property found in the sea or on the seashore could be from a ship and is known technically as wreck. Wreck cannot be treasure because it will not have been buried with the intention to recover it.
All wrecks must be reported to the Receiver of Wreck, whose address is:-

Receiver of Wreck
Bay 1/05
Spring Place
105 Commercial Road
Southampton
Hampshire
SO1 1EG

Tel: 02380 329474
Website: mcga.gov.uk

The finder of any wreck must complete forms which can be obtained from the Receiver of Wreck, local coastguard stations or HM Revenue and Customs offices at most sea ports. The form can also be downloaded from the website of the Receiver of Wreck (see above). The completed forms must then be sent to the Receiver of Wreck. If the wreck is an item which it is illegal to import, for example, explosives, it will be seized by HM Revenue and Customs and not returned.
The Receiver of Wreck may allow the finder to keep the wreck. Otherwise, the wreck is held by the Receiver of Wreck for one year from the date it was reported, and the finder cannot sell or dispose of the wreck. During this period the Receiver of Wreck will try and find the owner of the goods.
If at the end of the year no owner has been traced, the goods will be disposed of. The wreck will usually be auctioned and some or all of the proceeds of the sale, less any expenses, will be given to the finder as a salvage reward. The Receiver of Wreck decides on the amount of the salvage reward. If the finder wants to keep the wreck, s/he will have to bid for it at the auction.
In some circumstances, the Receiver of Wreck will sell the wreck before the end of one year. In this situation the salvage reward will not be made until the end of the twelve month period.
if the original owner of the wreck claims the goods before the year has elapsed, the finder will be entitled to a salvage reward. The owner of the wreck will have to pay a salvage reward and any expenses incurred by the Receiver of Wreck or the finder, for example, storage charges or necessary repairs to keep a boat seaworthy. The amount of the salvage reward has to be agreed by the finder and owner of the wreck, and neither the Receiver of Wreck nor Customs and Excise can advise on the amount. If the finder and owner cannot agree on the size of the reward, they would have to go to court for a ruling.
If the client is both the owner and the finder of wreck, s/he must report it to the Receiver of Wreck with any proof that s/he is the owner of the wreck. If any customs charges are owed on the wreck, the client will have to pay these.

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