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Welcome to the National Council for Metal Detecting

Promoting, Protecting and Encouraging Metal Detecting for over 40 years.
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Welcome to the NCMD

At the NCMD we love metal detecting! For over 40 years we have promoted, protected, and encouraged metal detecting for our members and the wider Metal Detecting Community.

We are formally recognised by the UK Government and play a vital role in representing members on the creation of any changes to legislation that may affect our great hobby.

Our introduction video is a great way to get to know us and learn what we are about.

Getting started with metal detecting

About us

Who we are and why we do it.

Why join?

Benefits of joining the NCMD

Detecting advice

Get advice and guidance on metal detecting

News

Catch up on our latest news

Major finds help

Our Major Finds Excavation Fund can help you with important finds

FAQ

Our FAQs can help with additional questions/advice

NCMD merchandise products

The NCMD Merchandise Shop

The NCMD Merchandise shop is where you can buy branded items such as caps, tshirts, hoodies and mugs.

You can also buy Gift Vouchers, great for those struggling to buy something for that metal detectorist in their life. The voucher gets sent straight to the recipient and they can use it to purchase anything from the merchandise shop.

Please Note: Vouchers cannot be used to purchase NCMD Membership.

Shop Merchandise

The NCMD app

Our free mobile app is a great tool for NCMD members to log the position of find spots, take pictures, as well as adding key notes about the find. This makes it easier if it’s a reportable find, as you can look back on the information when talking with the FLO (Finds Liaison Officer).

You can also backup and save your finds data to a secure server, which only you have access to. A great option should you change/lose your phone. (The NCMD does not have access to the server.)

Members can also chat with each other through the online community forum, great for asking questions and sharing knowledge. You also have instant access to your digital membership card.

Once you have purchased NCMD membership you can download the app from Apple or Google Store via the following links.

Download on the App Store
Download on the Play Store

Latest news

APPAG Inquiry on Archaeology and Metal-detecting

A recent inquiry into metal detecting, held at the House of Lords was done over two days and heard from a number of speakers. The NCMD was there to represent our members and the metal detecting community at large. The videos from inquiry are now available, you can view them below. If you have any questions or queries about them please contact us. We will let you know our thoughts and the actions we intend to take in the coming

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17 July 2025 No Comments

Clubs and Online Groups

Every week there are many digs and events being organised across the UK. Some are through Metal Detecting Clubs and some through Online Detecting Groups.* Introduction:Social media has facilitated the huge growth of online detecting groups, helping to fill the gap for those detectorists unable to join a traditional club or gain their own permissions. We recognise that in order to protect the interests of all parties, as well as the reputation of the hobby, we need to establish a

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11 July 2025 No Comments

May Finds Competition Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the May Finds Competition. Yet another month of fabulous entries. The winners and a selection of other notable finds are shown below. Note from the judges: Always put a min of two photos when entering coins, they must show the front and back of the coin. Don’t worry if you didn’t win this time, the current competition is still open for entries until midnight on 30th June. You can enter any coin or artefact found

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25 June 2025 No Comments

The importance of doing things right.

Britain’s largest recorded Iron Age gold coin hoard has been secured for Museum of Chelmsford. The hoard of 933 gold Iron Age coins, thought to be linked to Julius Caesar, has been acquired by the museum through a lottery grant.­ While this is a fabulous find, it has highlighted the importance of doing things right when metal detecting. Some of you may have seen the news around this amazing discovery. Unfortunately it has been marred by the metal detectorist who

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2 June 2025 No Comments

April Finds Competition Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the April Finds competition. Judging is anonymous, they don’t know what each other has voted until our monthly meeting, when they get to see the total scores. This time we have 3 golds taking the top places. Our winners are below along with a selection of other entries the judges thought worthy of a mention. Well done everyone who entered. The May Finds competition is still open until midnight 31st May, so get your finds in

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23 May 2025 No Comments

Join the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (SAFAP).

Would you like to play a vital role in the Treasure Trove system in Scotland?  SAFAP provides advice to the King’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer (KLTR) about archaeological items discovered in Scotland, recommending whether the artefacts should be acquired for the nation, where they should be allocated and if a payment should be made to the finder.  Scottish Ministers are seeking to appoint two members to the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (SAFAP).  They are looking for one professional member

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15 May 2025 No Comments

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