Our Museums

What have I found?

Many important objects are found by people who are not archaeologists.

If you think you have found something of interest, please let us know by following these guidelines. We can discover more about the past by keeping a record of these finds. While we will try our best to identify your object, it is not our job to decide how much it is worth.

If you are interested in knowing more about the monuments people built in the past consult the DFC Historic Environment Division (HED) website. HED records, protects, conserves and promotes Northern Ireland’s historic environment. You can access information on thousands of historic monuments/ archaeological sites and on maps via their website.

Reporting your find

The law requires people to promptly report all archaeological objects they find to the Museum. For more details, see in particular Part III of the Historic Monuments & Archaeological Objects Order (Northern Ireland) 1995.

If you can, please contact Greer Ramsey and Niamh Baker with a photograph of your find and provide as much detail as possible:

  • your contact phone number
  • your name and address
  • when and where you found the object
  • the size of the object (or a scale in the photograph)
  • a description of the object, including what it is made from (if you can tell)

We will contact you when we have read your email and performed some preliminary research. Please do not bring the find into the museum, there may be no one on hand to help you.

What happens to my find?

Unless the object classifies as Treasure (see below), the museum will return your find to you after it has been recorded. You may be asked if you wish to donate the object to us. 

Treasure

Certain finds reported to the museum may be ‘Treasure’ as defined under the 1996 Treasure Act which was updated in 2023. Treasure objects are provided with a specific level of protection.

Treasure finds are;

  • Mostly gold or silver objects that are over 300 years old; 
  • Objects made from other types of metal from prehistoric hoards and 
  • Metal objects over 200 years old of ‘special significance’. 

Please note that individual gold and silver coins are not normally treasure. 

Potential Treasure finds must be left into the Museum and cannot be kept by the finder or landowner. The Coroner will be informed of your discovery. If your find is indeed treasure, as declared by the Coroner, you should be entitled to a finder’s reward, shared with the owner of the land where the item was found. 

As with all finds, treasure or not, they should be reported to Greer Ramsey or Niamh Baker or email treasure@nationalmuseumsni.org

More details regarding the Treasure Act can be found in the Code of Practice (2023), particularly section E -‘Reporting and depositing finds in Northern Ireland’.

The Code of Practice is a detailed account or working manual which explains how the process works.

We understand that Treasure legislation can sound complicated so if you have any queries or doubts as to whether objects classify as Treasure please contact us and we can explain the process to you.