May 16 2008 by Sarah Miloudi, South Wales Echo
Treasure will sometimes only be of a historical value – providing previously unknown or unique information about a historical era – but in all cases, the original owner and its heirs will be presumed dead.
Treasure is defined differently depending on a country’s rule of law. In Britain, the Treasure Act 1996 says all artefacts more than 300 years old, or those single artefacts comprising more than 10% silver, are considered to be treasure. The Act allows these to be seized by courts on behalf of the Queen, and are usually given to local museums for safekeeping.