From the (London, England) TIMES  comes hope for a good relationship between metal detectorists and archaeologists. Perhaps the archaeology community in the United States can learn from England's newfound benefits?

THE TIMES SATURDAY AUGUST 22, 1998

"...ARCHAEOLOGlSTS are reaping a golden harvest following a truce in their war with Britain's army of metal detectorists. After logging detectorists' finds in six trial areas for just under a year, they have recorded thousands of objects which previously would have vanished into private collections. These include artefacts which have rewritten the history of the British Isles, as well as mundane objects which reveal more about ordinary lives than any number of history hooks.

The scheme has been such a success there are now plans to extend it to six more counties this autumn and eventually to go nationwide. The attempt to make friends with the metal detectorists, previously dismissed by the archaeological establishment as vandals in hobble hats and anoraks, followed a change in the law on treasure trove last year. The new Treasure Act simplified rules which dated back to the Middle Ages and made it obligatory to declare a slightly wider range of objects to the authorities. But it did nothing to deal with the vast number of "portable antiquities" not considered "treasure" which do not have to be declared.

Official government estimates suggest that at least 40,000 objects are found each year by metal detectorists. Since the early 1980s, when archaeologists tried to persuade the government to ban them, detectorists have been reluctant to show off their finds for fear of being accused of looting the country's heritage. The change of approach came when archaeologists realised that objects would continue to be dug up, with or without their approval, and lack of proper recording meant they were losing a unique historical resource. They also began to accept that factors such as changes in agriculture are causing far more damage than metal detectorists. Kevin Leahy, one of the six new Finds Liaison Officers who covers North Lincolnshire, said: "The vast majority of items come from sites that have been damaged by ploughing. Responsible metal detectorists, far from damaging archaeological sites, are actually saving items that would otherwise be lost forever."

Among the objects brought to him since last September are nine bronze axes, a rare Bronze Age hammer and an Anglo-Saxon hanging bowl. One veteran detectorist produced 12,000 items found in just one parish on the banks of the River Humber over the past 20 years.

Mr leahy said: "I am seeing more new objects in a year than previous archaeologists saw in a carecr. There is an information explosion and finds by metal detectorists are rewriting the history books." Most of Britain's estimated 20,000 metal detectorists will never find that hoard of gold coins or a Middleham jewel. But enough spectacular finds are made each year to worry many archaeologists. Last weekend 260 metal detectorists travelled from as far as Scotland and paid up to £10 each to detect on a site in Wells, Somerset, recorded as the location of a prehistoric burial mound. The haul at the end of the event, which raised £2,000 for charity, included a Roman child's bracelet, a 4,000-year old axe, a Bronze Age spearhead and two small hoards of Georgian coins. But Steve Minnett, assistant museums officer for Somerset, accused the organisers of destroying the objects' archaeological value by failing to record them or log exactly where they were dug up. As long as the detectorists have the landowner's agreement and are not digging up a scheduled ancient site they can search where they like.

Roger Bland, the finds scheme's co-ordinator, based it on one in Norfolk where archaeologists see an average of 24,000 objects a year. Dr Bland, a curator in the coin department at the British Museum, said: "We have got off to an even better start than we'd hoped. Eventually we want to expand the scheme into a nationwide network."

Six counties now have specialist finds' archaeologists: Kent, Norfolk, Merseyside, Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, and the West Midlands. If an application to the lottety fund succeeds Hamshire, Suffolk, Somerset and Dorset, Wales and Northamtonshire will join the list.

Knowledge of Britain's coinage has been transformed by metal detectors because of the vast numbers being unearthed, Dr Bland says. Of 35 finds declared treasure trove in 1996 to 1997, 31 were coin hoards. They included 256 Celtic coins dug up near Alton, Hampshire, some bearing the name of a king called Tinco Marus. Until then he had been known incorrectly to historians as Tincomius because he was only recorded on incomplete inscriptions.

Since the new Treasure Act extended the definition to include hoards of base metal coins, the number of declared finds has increased fivefold. But that is only a tiny proportion of the archaeological items discovered. Archaeologist Ceinwen Payton, based at the Yorkshire Museum in York, has recorded 3,500 artefacts since making contact with local detectors. Miss Payton, 25, said: "The people I meet are genuinely interested in the history of the objects they find."

The archaeological bonanza is even attracting detectorists from America. Notices on the Internet advertise detecting holidays in "Merrie Olde England" where 5,000 years history is there for the finding!..."