There were previous rules enacted by the Treasury in the 20th C, and also Common Law dating back at least 1000 years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_tro

There were previous rules enacted by the Treasury in the 20th C, and also Common Law dating back at least 1000 years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_trove#England_and_Wales_common_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_trove#England_and_Wal... Also people pay attention to the act as the police will prosecute: (sorry for Daily Mail link) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1253991/Woman-coin-worth-2-000-garden-prosecuted-reporting-treasure.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1253991/Woman-coin-w...