Under the Treasure Act 1996, all gold and silver finds, prehistoric metal objects and collections of coins over 300-years-old must be reported to local coroners, but a growing number of them are now ending up for sale over the internet.

Experts from the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) will now monitor all antiquities sales on eBay, reporting any illegal activity to the Metropolitan Police Art and Antiques Unit.

British Museum head of portable antiquities, Dr Roger Bland, said: “Our experience is that most people who buy and sell UK archaeological finds do so without being aware that they may be breaking the law if items have not been reported. We will be contacting sellers to ensure that they have reported items and have appropriate documentation.”

British Museum and eBay experts have also drawn up a new guide to selling antiques and antiquities online as part of the new memorandum of understanding.

Posted: 11|17|06 at 8:51 am. Filed under: UK News.