What Counts as Treasure in the UK? Treasure Act & 2023 Change

Treasure is a legal word, not a price tag. A worn silver penny can be Treasure. A valuable Victorian gold ring usually isn’t. What matters is age, metal, how many objects were found together and, since 2023, how much a find tells us about the past.

Key facts

Where it applies: England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own system
Core age rule: Over 300 years old when found
2023 class: Any metal object over 200 years old of exceptional significance
In force: 30 July 2023, for finds made from that date
Deadline to report: 14 days from finding it, or realising it might be Treasure
Penalty for not reporting: Unlimited fine or up to 3 months in prison

From the Treasure Act 1996, the Treasure (Designation) Orders 2002 and 2023, the Treasure Act Code of Practice (3rd revision, 2023) and GOV.UK. Sources at the end.

These rules cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has a separate system. See our guide to metal detecting in Scotland.

The short version

The Treasure Act 1996 sets out the categories. Two Designation Orders, from 2002 and 2023, add more. A find is Treasure if it fits at least one:

What you found	Age when found	Treasure?
A non-coin object with at least 10% gold or silver by weight	Over 300 years	Yes
Two or more coins from the same find, each at least 10% gold or silver	Over 300 years	Yes
Ten or more coins of any metal from the same find	Over 300 years	Yes
A prehistoric object any part of which is gold or silver	Iron Age or earlier	Yes, no 10% minimum
Two or more prehistoric base-metal objects from the same find	Iron Age or earlier	Yes
Gold or silver (over 50%) hidden to be recovered later, owner unknown	Any age	Yes (old “treasure trove”)
Any object partly made of metal that gives an exceptional insight into history	200 years or more	Yes, since 30 July 2023
Any object found with Treasure, in the same find	–	Yes, as an associated object
A single coin	Any	Not on its own, unless it meets the 2023 test

“Prehistoric” here means Iron Age or earlier. That is the definition in the 2002 Order.

What changed in 2023

The Treasure (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2023 (SI 2023/404) was made on 30 March 2023 and came into force on 30 July 2023.

It added a new class. In plain words, Treasure now also includes any object, any part of which is metal, that gives “exceptional insight into an aspect of national or regional history, archaeology or culture” because of one or more of these:

Rarity. It is a rare example of its type found in the UK.
Location. Where it was found, in a region or part of the UK.
Connection. Its link with a particular person or event.

A group can qualify together, even if no single piece would.

The age limit for this class is 200 years, not 300. The Code of Practice spells out what that means in practice: gold and silver finds between 200 and 300 years old can now be Treasure if they meet the test. Single coins can too.

Fig. 1Age thresholds for a find made in 2026, from the Treasure Act and the 2023 Order. Age counts back from the date of the find.

What it doesn’t change

The order doesn’t apply to anything found before 30 July 2023. A find made earlier won’t become Treasure retrospectively under the new class.

It also leaves out objects under the Church of England’s faculty jurisdiction found on church land, and anything found in or under a cathedral or its precinct.

And “exceptional” is a high bar. The Code says an object can be rare without being Treasure, if its rarity tells us nothing new. Most metal finds over 200 years old won’t qualify. Your Finds Liaison Officer will advise.

The fine print that catches people

The Code of Practice answers most of the awkward cases. A few matter to detectorists more than others.

Gilded or plated objects. Not normally Treasure. The 10% is by weight, and a thin coat of gilt rarely gets there.
Coins made into jewellery. A coin turned into a pendant or brooch counts as an object, not a coin. So one gold coin mounted as a pendant, over 300 years old, can be Treasure.
Tokens and jettons. “Coin” includes tokens used as money. It excludes jettons and reckoning counters, iron currency bars and ring-money, though these could fall into the 2023 class.
Scattered hoards. Coins don’t have to be found in one hole. A series of single coins from the same field can be a dispersed hoard, and so part of the same find. Different finders can contribute to the same find.
Natural objects. Unworked natural objects and minerals are not Treasure, even if found with Treasure.
Wreck. Material from a wreck is dealt with under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. Report it to the Receiver of Wreck.

The Act covers finds on land, in buildings, in rivers and lakes and on the foreshore. Our beach detecting guide explains who owns the foreshore.

How to report Treasure

You must report it within 14 days. The Code says the period starts the day after the find or, if later, the day after you realise it might be Treasure.

England. Your local Finds Liaison Officer.
Wales. Your FLO, or the curators at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales ([email protected]).
Northern Ireland. National Museums NI, who pass details to the coroner.

GOV.UK sets the penalty for not reporting: an unlimited fine or up to three months in prison.

After that, the process runs like this:

The FLO or curator records the find, gives you a receipt and writes a report. Museums can say they’re interested.
The coroner holds an inquest. You, the landowner and the occupier may be invited.
If a museum wants it, the Treasure Valuation Committee gets an expert valuation. You can comment, ask for a review, send your own valuation or appeal to DCMS.
If it isn’t Treasure, or no museum wants it, it comes back. The landowner and occupier get 28 days to object.

Who gets the reward

GOV.UK lists who may share it: the finder, if they had permission and acted in good faith; the freeholder; and a tenant occupier. Trespass or hiding a find can cut the reward or remove it.

The Code says the Committee normally recommends 50% to the landowner and 50% shared between the finders. It takes any finder–landowner agreement into account, but isn’t bound by it. Late reporting and detecting on a scheduled monument without consent are both listed as reasons to reduce a reward.

So put the split in writing before you start. Our free permission letter and finds agreement does that.

Not Treasure? Record it anyway

Most finds aren’t Treasure. In England and Wales you are encouraged to record them with the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Northern Ireland is stricter: all archaeological objects must be reported within 14 days. Our Northern Ireland guide explains why.

FAQ

Is a single gold coin Treasure?

Not usually. A single coin, gold or not, is not Treasure unless it was turned into an object such as a pendant, was found with other Treasure, or meets the 2023 significance test. Since 30 July 2023 a single coin over 200 years old can be Treasure if it gives an exceptional insight into national or regional history.

What changed in the Treasure Act in 2023?

The Treasure (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2023 added a new class: any object at least partly made of metal, at least 200 years old, that gives an exceptional insight into national or regional history, archaeology or culture because of its rarity, where it was found, or its link to a particular person or event. It came into force on 30 July 2023 and does not apply to earlier finds.

Is it still a 300-year rule?

Partly. The main categories, gold and silver objects and groups of coins, still need to be over 300 years old. The 2023 significance class only needs 200 years. Hoards of gold or silver hidden with the intention of recovery, like buried sovereigns, have no age limit at all.

How long do I have to report Treasure?

14 days. The clock starts the day after you find it or, if later, the day after you realise it might be Treasure. In England you report to your local Finds Liaison Officer, in Wales to the FLO or Amgueddfa Cymru, and in Northern Ireland to National Museums NI.

Who gets the reward?

The Treasure Valuation Committee normally recommends 50% to the landowner and 50% shared between the finders. It takes any written agreement into account but is not bound by it. Finders who trespassed or hid a find can get a reduced reward or none. Archaeologists on a planned excavation get nothing; the landowner can still claim.

Sources

Every figure in this guide comes from one of these. We checked each one on 1 November 2026.

Treasure Act 1996, section 1 (meaning of treasure). www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/24/section/1
Treasure Act 1996, section 8 (duty of finder to notify coroner). www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/24/section/8
The Treasure (Designation) Order 2002 (SI 2002/2666). www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/2666/contents/made
The Treasure (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2023 (SI 2023/404), with explanatory note. www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/404/made
DCMS, The Treasure Act 1996 Code of Practice (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), 3rd revision, 2023. www.gov.uk/government/publications/treasure-act-1996-code-of-practice-3rd-revision
GOV.UK, “Report treasure”. www.gov.uk/treasure
Communities NI, “Advice for finders of treasure in Northern Ireland”. www.communities-ni.gov.uk/articles/advice-finders-treasure-northern-ireland