# What the Finder Was Paid for a Roman Silver Dish > A sixpence fine in 1735, 1,000 pounds in 1946 and 1.6 million pounds in 2009. Four finds in this archive show how English law priced a buried hoard, and who got the money. > The Study - 2026-11-09 > Canonical HTML: https://iconotheca.com/study/what-the-finder-was-paid-for-a-roman-silver-dish/ ## Key points - The same Roman silver dish was worth about 33 pounds as scrap in 1735 and cost the British Museum 1,858,000 pounds in 1993. The finder's family kept the first sum, and the court fined the father sixpence. - Before the Treasure Act 1996 an English finder's reward was set by the Crown after a coroner's inquest, and it was ex gratia. The Mildenhall finders were each given 1,000 pounds in 1946. - The Treasure Act 1996 turned the reward into a market valuation shared between finder and landowner. The Staffordshire Hoard was valued at 3.285 million pounds in 2009 and each received half. - Sutton Hoo in 1939 went the other way. The inquest found no intent to recover the burial goods, so they belonged to the landowner, who gave them away. ## Four finds in this archive were priced under three different legal regimes ## The Corbridge Lanx was sold for scrap value and then claimed by the lord of the manor ## At Sutton Hoo the inquest decided the landowner owned the burial ## The Mildenhall finders were rewarded and the man who hid the hoard was caught by a spoon ## The Staffordshire Hoard was priced by a committee and paid in two halves ## Water Newton shows the old system working on a find that had no argument Across four finds the price of buried silver was set by the law of the year and the character of the finder, and only in 2009 did it follow the value of the objects. ## Questions **How much was the Corbridge Lanx worth when it was found?** Its scrap value was about 33 pounds 6 shillings in 1735, at 4s. 6d. an ounce for 148 ounces. The British Museum paid 1,858,000 pounds for it in 1993. **How much did the Mildenhall finders get?** A reward of 2,000 pounds was set after the coroner's inquest of 1 July 1946 and split equally, 1,000 pounds to Sydney Ford and 1,000 pounds to Gordon Butcher. It was paid through their solicitor on 16 August 1946. **Who got the money for the Staffordshire Hoard?** The Treasure Valuation Committee valued the hoard at 3.285 million pounds on 25 November 2009. The finder Terry Herbert and the landowner Fred Johnson each received half under the Treasure Act 1996. **Why was Sutton Hoo not treasure trove?** The inquest of 14 August 1939 found no evidence that the goods had been buried with intent to recover them. They belonged to the landowner, Edith Pretty, who gave them to the nation. ## Sources - [1] H. Haverfield, 'Roman Silver in Northumberland', Journal of Roman Studies 4 (1914): the Cutter sales, the Court Leet fine and the Chancery proceedings of 1735 - [2] Art Fund, 'The Corbridge Lanx': Art Fund grant of 150,000 toward a total acquisition cost of 1,858,000 - [3] Wikipedia, 'Mildenhall Treasure': 1946 inquest and the 1,000 pounds awarded to each of the two finders - [4] Wikipedia, 'Staffordshire Hoard': 25 November 2009 valuation of 3.285 million pounds, equal shares under the Treasure Act 1996, appeal reached 23 March 2010