Rob Henke — A field guide to metal detecting: coil | robhenke.com
Permission to search and the duty to report are two separate questions, and the answers change at every border.
Ireland: metal detecting requires a separate licence from the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Searching for objects more than 200 years old without one is an offence — the licence is not a formality, it is the difference between a hobby and a prosecution.
England and Wales: an archaeological find over 200 years old must be reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme within 14 days of digging it up. The clock starts at recovery, so the find goes into a labelled bag with the date and the spot, not loose in a pocket.
Scotland: a separate treasure system applies, with its own reporting duty for archaeological objects. Confirm the current rules with the national museum before searching — do not assume the English 14-day rule is the whole story.
On narrow screens, swipe or scroll the plate sideways.
Northern Ireland: detecting is licensed separately from the rest of the UK. Check with the responsible authority before searching, and treat any old find as reportable until told otherwise.
Everywhere: the landowner's permission is the first licence of all. A reporting duty can attach to a find even where searching itself was lawful, so keep a written note of where each object came up.
The 200-year line runs through all of this. Objects younger than that are usually a matter between you and the landowner; objects older than that can carry legal duties in every jurisdiction covered here.
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