Post by minime on Dec 5, 2020 18:13:45 GMT -5
My long comments here are regarding Rick & Marty's opinion of England's treasure law. They refer to it as being an "enlightened law" where the finders of the treasure are given a 50% cash settlement of the monetary value as it is determined by the state. Consider the fact, the treasure hunter is the only party that put in the time & resources towards recovering the treasure. In addition, Rick & Marty opine that equal to or sometimes even more valuable then the treasure is the story behind the treasure. Therefor, it is important that the State take charge of a treasure so that the history of it can be properly presented to the public.
While some aspects of this may be true, there are certainly many, many treasure finds whose past & historic relevance will never be known. Rick & Marty also said that those treasure finders who try to cash-in on their finds by any other means are doing so because of greed. There may also be some truth in that judgement, but without knowing the individuals circumstances, who's to say. I suggest that it is much easier to make such those types of judgments when you have very deep pockets. Therefore, forfeiting 50% to a government doesn't really effect you that much. I imagine that, many treasure seekers are not people of means & making a great find becomes a troubling dilemma for them when they are told by law to turn it over to the government & wait for them to give you 50% of what they say it is worth. I personally, would not fault anyone that tries to strike a better deal for themselves.
I also do not believe that being a treasure hunter makes you or obligates you to being the history teller of the treasure. Maybe someday there will be another "enlightened law" that will require all treasure hunters to also be individually wealthy as well as certified archaeologists for the stories sake. Everyone else, if you find something, just kick the dirt right back over it & keep on walking.
While some aspects of this may be true, there are certainly many, many treasure finds whose past & historic relevance will never be known. Rick & Marty also said that those treasure finders who try to cash-in on their finds by any other means are doing so because of greed. There may also be some truth in that judgement, but without knowing the individuals circumstances, who's to say. I suggest that it is much easier to make such those types of judgments when you have very deep pockets. Therefore, forfeiting 50% to a government doesn't really effect you that much. I imagine that, many treasure seekers are not people of means & making a great find becomes a troubling dilemma for them when they are told by law to turn it over to the government & wait for them to give you 50% of what they say it is worth. I personally, would not fault anyone that tries to strike a better deal for themselves.
I also do not believe that being a treasure hunter makes you or obligates you to being the history teller of the treasure. Maybe someday there will be another "enlightened law" that will require all treasure hunters to also be individually wealthy as well as certified archaeologists for the stories sake. Everyone else, if you find something, just kick the dirt right back over it & keep on walking.