It's a real problem olddude, not helped by the somewhat nonsensical laws of treasure trove the UK has. Recently we lost the Crosby Garrett helmet due to the fact it was not made of precious metal. The fact that it effectively makes no difference to the value of the helmet doesn't matter; it's been purchased by an undisclosed buyer and will not be on display at the museum in Cumbria where it belongs, so the public can view it and it's accessible to researchers. That it might have disappeared into the private collection of some rich individual or corporate buyer is too awful to bear thinking about. Le4t's hope the buyer is a person of substance and donates it back to the museum in Cumbria it was being displayed at.

Don't get me started on palaeontological specimens being sold too . . . I get really angry about that.