Key people in the Treasure process

The Treasure Valuation Committee

The Treasure Valuation Committee meets at the British Museum because that is where treasure finds are held for safe keeping during valuation in normal times. The Committee is however independent from the Museum and its members are unpaid.

The Committee's terms of reference are to recommend to the Secretary of State valuations for the items brought before it which correspond as closely as possible, taking account of all relevant factors, to what may be paid for the object(s) in a sale on the open market between a willing seller and a willing buyer; and to provide advice to the Secretary of State in cases where there may be grounds for either no reward to be paid to the finder, or for a reduced reward to be paid, or where there is a dispute as to the apportionment of the reward between the finder and the occupier/owner of the land or between the occupier and a person having a superior interest.

The Committee is made up of individuals who have been appointed either because of their knowledge and experience in antiquities and/or because they represent a group particularly involved with Treasure finds. Those that sit on the panel are:

• Chair - Professor Roger Bland, OBE. Former Keeper of Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory at British Museum. President of the British Numismatic Society and Vice-President of the Royal Numismatic Society.
• Marian Campbell, Former Senior Curator of Metalwork at the Victoria and Albert Museum
• Christopher Martin, Proprietor and Managing director of CJ Martin Coins and Ancient Art, Ltd., and St. James Ancient Art. Chairman of British Numismatic Trade Association and Antiquities Dealers Association.
• Dr Megan Gooch Head of the Centre for Digital Scholarship and Digital Humanities Support, Oxford University. Expert in numismatics.
• Hetty Gleave, Partner at Fladgate LLP and an expert in Cultural Property Law
• Harry Bain, Editor of The Searcher magazine; finders' representative
• Gail Boyle, Senior Curator at Bristol City Museum, Chair of the Society of Museum Archaeologists
• Lucinda Orr, Barrister with Enyo Law, with extensive knowledge of antiquities collections and particular expertise in Medieval coins and jewellery

The Committee's Secretariat maintains a register of the Committee members' interests which is updated periodically. For access to this information, please contact the Department of Portable Antiquities & Treasure at the British Museum at or by phoning 020 7323 8611.

The Provisional Valuers

Provisional Valuers are independent expert advisers and the Treasure Valuation Committee request their advice in report format in order to ensure the widest possible confidence in treasure valuations. The TVC currently requests advice from:

Coins:

Tom Eden, Morton & Eden
David Guest, CNG Coins
David Miller, Independent
James Morton, Morton & Eden
Peter Spencer, Independent
Christopher Webb, DNW
Paul Wood, Morton & Eden
Mark Rasmussen, RAS coins

Objects:

Georgiana Aitken, Independent
Emily Barber, Bonhams
John Bourdon-Smith, JH Bourdon-Smith Ltd
Mark Bowis, Rosebery's
Barry Clayden, Independent
Peter Clayton, Independent
James Ede, Charles Ede Ltd
Richard Falkiner, Independent
Brett Hammond, TimeLine Auctions
Richard Linenthal, Independent
David Miller, Independent
Judith Nugee, Hornsby+ Nugee
Madeleine Perridge, Bonhams
Laura Smith, DNW
Peter Spencer, Independent
Joanna van der Lande, Independent
Harry Williams-Bulkeley, Christies