Buried Treasure Goes to Farmer, Court Rules
An Irish farmer who found a $7.1-million hoard of buried treasure with a metal detector Wednesday won a court battle with the country’s National Museum over the find.
A judge ruled that Tipperary farmer Michael Webb could either take the money or keep the gold and silver treasure, discovered near ruins of a 5th-Century church on another farmer’s land. He has not decided which option to choose.
A spokesman for the National Museum said it will appeal, arguing that the judgment meant that anyone who trespassed on someone else’s land and unlawfully excavated on an archeological site should be compensated.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
