Metal Detecting's Boom: Record Treasure Finds in the Social Media Age
Detecting has gone from a quiet weekend pastime to a hobby with billions of views online, and the number of reported Treasure finds keeps climbing.
Provisional government figures show 1,540 Treasure finds were reported in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2024, the highest since records began, and 95% of 2023's finds were made by metal detecting. The BBC asked on 18 October 2026 why the hobby is booming in the age of social media.
A hobby that keeps growing
On 18 October 2026 the BBC published a feature asking why metal detecting is booming in the age of social media and AI. The official numbers show the trend clearly. Government statistics published on 6 November 2025 put the provisional total of reported Treasure finds for 2024 at 1,540, the highest since records began, up from a final figure of 1,343 for 2023.
Detectorists are behind almost all of it. Of the 2023 Treasure finds, 1,274, or 95%, were made by metal detecting, according to the same release. Archaeological excavations accounted for 4%, with a handful of chance finds and finds made mudlarking on river foreshores.
The social media effect
The Telegraph reported in 2024 that there were an estimated 40,000 detectorists in the UK, and that detecting videos had built up almost three billion views on TikTok and Instagram. Finds that once went unseen in a club newsletter now reach large audiences within hours, and new detectorists arrive having watched other people dig up coins and rings on their phones.
That attention cuts both ways. A video can encourage good practice, but it can also tempt people onto land without permission or into keeping quiet about a find that should be reported.
The rules every finder should know
Permission. Always have the landowner's permission before detecting, and agree in writing how any finds will be shared.
Reporting. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, possible Treasure must be reported within 14 days of finding it, or of realising it might be Treasure, usually through a local Finds Liaison Officer. GOV.UK says a finder who trespassed or concealed a find can see their share of any reward reduced or removed. Scotland runs a separate system, Treasure Trove.
Recording. Finds that are not Treasure can still be recorded voluntarily with the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which builds the national picture of what lies in the ground.
The Mozeris view
Most detecting finds are personal objects: rings, buckles, coins and buttons. Their interest depends on what they are, when they were made, the metal and their condition. Do not clean or polish a find before it has been examined, keep a record of where and when it was found, and make sure ownership with the landowner is settled before you think about selling.
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- GOV.UK, Reported Treasure Finds 2023 and 2024: statistical release, 6 Nov 2025
- GOV.UK, Report treasure
- The Telegraph (syndicated), "How detectorists thrashed archaeologists at their own game", March 2024
Figures as published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and The Telegraph. Mozeris Fine Antiques is not connected with the BBC, the British Museum or the Portable Antiquities Scheme. This article is general information, not legal advice.
