People in the music industry... we all need a bit of solitude and quiet out of the public eye and this is the

way I enjoy it.
- Bill Wyman

The recent discovery of the 'Staffordshire Hoard' in a field has been hitting the headlines. The

collection of 1,500 gold and silver pieces could fetch a 'seven figure sum', say experts. Suddenly metal detecting doesn't

look like such a sad, lonely pastime, does it? With such rewards still obviously within our grasp it may be time to take up

Bill Wyman's favourite hobby!

Is treasure hunting a genuinely worthwhile contribution to historical fact finding, or is it just playing the lottery in a

muddy field?

• Are you into metal detecting? If so, is it for relaxation, profit or just archaelogical curiosity?

• Have you, or any friends or family ever found something either fascinating or incredibly valuable?

• If you are an amateur archaeologist, do you fear the predictable upswing in the number of
  
  hunters, following the discovery of the hoard?

• Do the odds actually justify the outlay on a lovely new metal detector?

• Are you a professional academic archaelogist? What do you think of amateur treasure hounds?