Revealed: The treasure trove no-one wants

The latest Treasure Trove report, a list of the valuable finds made by members of the public in 2009-10, was published yesterday, detailing discoveries including jewellery, weapons and carved stones.

But with local authorities under severe financial constraint, some items are not attracting any bidders to put them on public display.

The report outlines discoveries made by treasure hunters between April 2009 and March 2010. Under Scots law, the Crown has the right to all lost and abandoned property which is not otherwise owned.

The Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer (QLTR) Catherine Dyer is responsible for claiming objects, placing them with museums and paying rewards to finders.

Over the course of the year rewards of just under 11,000 were paid out, ranging from 10 to 2,500.

Ms Dyer, who was appointed to her role in February last year, said the report "highlights the hundreds of members of the public who report their finds and in doing so assist in preserving the history of our great nation for all of us to enjoy in museum collections".

But the report also contains concerns from Professor Ian Ralston, chairman of the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel, about the number of items not going to a museum. Out of 148 items claimed by the Crown and allocated to museums, 18 attracted no bids.

Mr Ralston said: "This is mainly lower-profile stuff that does not attract rewards, items that are found in archaeological fieldwork that tend to be bulky.

"Increasingly museums are reluctant to take all that material and there has to be a concern that it is not getting into public museums. Museums have to find a proportion of the ex gratia payment, and even though the sums are relatively minor they are struggling to raise the money as they are part of a local authority and are under financial pressure. In a perfect world they would all end up in museums, but in some cases it is not possible to find a repository. It's a growing problem."