Christmas message 2022

Looking back at 2022:

Covid

At the start of 2022 Covid was still rampant and in March, after attending a meeting of my detecting club, I caught a dose of it. Half a dozen other members also came down with it and I passed it on to my wife. Our symptoms weren’t of the worst kind and we were free of it after a week and a half but it left us very fatigued. The fatigue was quite severe and it took at least a couple of months to get back to normal. Covid hasn’t gone away but (thankfully) the mass immunisations have checked its progress and at Christmas of 2022 family gatherings will be much safer.

When Covid was at its height detecting was impossible for obvious reasons. When it eased it was possible for club outings and rallies to start up again and many outstanding finds have been reported during 2022. The Treasure Department at the British Museum, which had been closed due to Covid, has now been up and running for some time, with staff doing their best to reduce the backlog that had built up.

Cost of Living

The country seemed to be jogging along quite nicely at the start of the year but dark clouds then built up on the horizon. The cost of gas and electricity shot up, rampant inflation erupted and strikes or the threat of them became commonplace. Boris was removed and we gained a new Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer. The fresh measures that the new pair intended to pursue terrified not only the population of the UK but seemingly the entire world. This led to their removal and a new bunch taking over the reins in England. We still have high inflation, high energy bills and strikes and to those we can now add increased interest rates.

What impact will the increased cost of living have on our hobby? In the short term it could lead to an increase in participants, who hope to make money from the finds they unearth. However, due to the costs involved and the time and effort that need to be put in, many new comers might soon drop out when they realise that very few people manage to make a profit through metal detecting.

Queen Elizabeth II

Many, many people will be like me in that I could never imagine what it would be like without Queen Elizabeth II. She was the only member of the Royal Family that we could always rely on. I remember seeing a report on television about her meeting the new PM on Tuesday but two days later she died. The Queen I had known for my entire life was no longer with us. With millions of others I watched in silence from start to finish her televised funeral. Nowadays there are things we can’t seem to do well but spectacular pageantry most certainly isn’t one of them. We gave Queen Elizabeth II a send-off second to one.

Market for coins

When Covid was really bad many people were unable to do their normal jobs but they benefitted from the furlough scheme. Even though they couldn’t go to work they received an income. I thought this might lead to a drop in the price of ‘collectables’ but it didn’t. Some of those who couldn’t work also couldn’t go to places to spend money so this left them with surplus cash. The market for coins was very strong and during 2020 and 2021 some of the collections that came onto the market achieved spectacular prices.

The position today is markedly different. Now we have high energy bills, inflation, increased interest rates, strikes and the future looks bleak. The price of collectable coins, which has been strong for over 20 years, could now start to decline. If you are in need of cash and have no option but to sell some of your finds, if you take the auction route then make sure you pick a company that issues printed catalogues. Too many auctioneers charge high figures to both vendors and purchasers but have their auctions solely online. This saves them money, which isn’t passed on to vendors or purchasers. So, if the auctioneer you are considering is too tight fisted to issue printed sale catalogues then choose one that does.

Stolen finds in Lancashire and Cumbria

Most detectorists should be aware of the deeply disturbing news in regard to finds that had been handed over in Lancashire and Cumbria. A recent report stated that a large number of items were missing and that all the finders and landowners affected had been contacted and a police investigation was ongoing. I was informed on 20 December that an arrest has been made and stolen finds have been recovered. I’ve no doubt that more information will be available in due course. The arrest and recovery of finds will bring relief to the PAS authorities and the entire detecting world.

Thanks for your support

My thanks go to Paul, my son-in-law, who continues to do all the IT work on the website. As I’ve sad on previous occasions, computers are still a mystery to me and were it not for Paul there would be no website. We both send our thanks to all those who have given us their support throughout 2022. All that remains is for the pair of us to wish you all a very happy Christmas and the best of luck for 2023.