Hey, good for you, CRUSADER. I did a lot of pacing back and forth before I called them, myself. I was really unsure if I'd be welcome to keep the stuff I'd found. And I had some pretty strong feelings about what would happen to the stuff if I did have to give it up.
For instance, I didn't want it all to sit in a pull-out drawer somewhere hundreds of miles from where it was found, hidden from public view, on the one hand (almost no better than remaining in the ground). On the other hand, I knew it wasn't even close to good enough for a museum to consider for display. At the very least, having grown up here and having family and friends here and being involved with nephews and other kids, I thought I could introduce many more people (who would not otherwise have a means or inclination to make it to the museums) to local history, archaeology, etc., by sharing these finds with them in their homes and what-not. Of course, I wouldn't want to carelessly hoard things I couldn't properly care for, either.
So yeah, I did a lot of pacing back and forth, literally, before I called them. I knew that, ultimately, if I made the call, I might have to give it all up. What a relief it was to hear the guy from the state's archaeology department almost immediately say that I was welcome to keep my finds if I wished.
I know you guys from England oftentimes have to give up your finds of great antiquity. I respect that policy and the self-control you, yourselves, have not to hoard the things. A lot of countries are having their history expatriated to far-away places in the hands of unscrupulous collectors and merchants. I shudder to think of what we all are losing in the current wars in the Middle East. And I mean that on all ends. It's destroying our civilization through its moral bankruptcy and it's robbing us of many of the most ancient sites and artifacts known and unknown to the civilized world--robbing us all of our future and our past all at once.
Sorry, this all ties together with stuff I feel very strongly about.
I hope my attitude would be as good as yours, CRUSADER, if I did have to hand it over. Well done, sir.