The museum staff tried to inform her that her find is so historically valuable that she does not have a right to it. Any personal sentiment she held was not relevant to those in the official position of preserving history.
The authorities were on their side.
The Piedfort's Monetary Value
Finally, she learned how much it was worth. The precious object that held so much value to her in her heart now had a price tag.
The staff informed her it was worth £2,000. It was a lot of money!
Should She Sell It or Keep It?
Knowing how much she could get for it, brought her to the point where she would have to make a decision. It was worth a lot of money, but sentimentally it was worth even more to her.
“It’s something I remember playing with alongside my mum and it just reminds me of her,” she couldn’t help thinking.
A Tug-of-war
While Ms. Harding thought she needed to make a decision about selling or keeping the relic, the folks at the Ludlow museum were not offering any options. The staff was ready to pay her for the piedfort so that it could be a part of the museum’s holdings.
She explained that it meant a lot to her, how she found it alongside her mum, but it wasn’t altering the staff’s claim that the authorities have the right to remove it from her possession.
The Museum Advised Ms. Harding on What To Do
The Ludlow museum wanted the piedfort, and they had a right to it. They explained to Ms. Harding that she must go to the South Shropshire coroner and relinquish the piedfort.
This was the law according to the Treasure Act. Any applicable object more than 300 years old is considered treasure, and thereby owned by the state.