Most finds require no procedure at all: a button, a bottle cap, a coin lost last century. But occasionally something comes out of the ground that is clearly older and more complicated — and then the first minute decides everything.
That minute is not the time to improvise. Below is the sequence that protects both the find and you. This is educational material, not a substitute for legal status and regional rules.
1. Stop
Literally: hands off. Don't wrench the object out, and certainly don't clean it where you stand.
Read the situation. Does this look like a complex — several related objects together? Are there signs of a burial? Are you on a heritage site you didn't spot on the map?
2. Record the place
While you haven't disturbed anything, the spot still carries information. Five minutes of digging and it won't.
- Coordinates and a pin.
- Landmarks on the ground: a tree, a boundary, the corner of a foundation.
- Depth and orientation — flat, vertical, in a cluster.
- Which historical map layer was open, if any.
3. Shoot it in situ
A wide shot so the surroundings are visible. A close-up before removal, if removal is legal and safe at all. A scale — a ruler, or any object of known size, in frame.
These photographs are the only thing that later separates "I found it in a field" from a documented find with context. And yes: exact coordinates of valuable complexes don't get published.
4. Notify, where required
If there are signs of a protected site, or a duty to report, contact your local heritage body or museum under the rules of your jurisdiction.
- UK: recording through PAS plus the separate Treasure rules.
- Poland, Germany and others: see the regional overview.
- Russia and CIS: cultural-layer provisions and article 243.2 — from the official texts only, with a lawyer if needed.
5. Ordnance: walk away
Shells, mines, grenades: move away, mark it, call the services. Don't touch it, don't lift it, don't take it home. More in safety.
6. Document
In the find card: photos, the map layer, a note of what you reported and to whom. The app is an archive of your actions, not a permission to remove anything, and that distinction matters.
Leave the cleaning for later — at home, calmly, following the guide for that metal.
If you're asked to wait
Sometimes the heritage body will ask you to leave the find in place or wait for an inspection. Follow the instruction.
At that point the diary works as a log: times, photographs, who you contacted, what they said. It is not proof of ownership — it is proof that you acted in good faith, and in a contested situation that turns out to matter more.
Checklist
- Stopped, nothing cleaned.
- Spot and depth recorded.
- In-situ photographs taken.
- The legal step for your region is clear.
- The precise pin stays unpublished.