Soon she learned that she had been prosecuted under the Treasure Act of 1996. The code of practice requires people turn in any treasure found within 14 days to the local coroner from where the artifact was found.
Failing to do so results in an offense against the person who found the treasure. The legally binding law affected no one until it affected Ms. Harding. She was the first British citizen to be arrested for the offense.
The Day She Found Out
Ms. Harding was especially surprised one day when the authorities showed up at her doorstep. A summons was issued, and it required her to appear at court.
She was shocked, surprised, and scared. How could she have done anything wrong? All she did was dig up a plaything as a child, and now the police were at her door.
Refusing to Surrender the Coin Brought Fateful Consequences
She was in deep trouble now. There was a law about discovering treasure that she had never heard of. If she had reported the find to the authorities, she would have been compensated for fair market value of the artifact. But the law says a person must report the artifact.
That said, only a numismatic would know the cryptic details of the 1996 law. She was no coin expert, British treasure trove laws were completely foreign to her, as any layperson. She was just a child who had found a shiny object in her backyard.
The Fine Print of the Treasure Act
The Treasure Act is very specific. It says that any object that is not a coin but made of at least 10% precious metals and is 300 years old or older must be reported to the coroner of the area in which it was found.
The finder has a 14-day window to report the treasure to the authorities. Ms. Harding had no idea about the Treasure Act of 1996. All of a sudden, she’s in deep trouble. How could she have known it would come to this?
Did She Really Do Something Wrong?
Saving the piedfort as a memento of her mum did not seem like a crime. The law that says she must report her finding did not even exist when she found it! Even if it did, how could she report it as a child?
On the other hand, she was advised to report the treasure, and kept it anyway. But was she really in the wrong?