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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

Annual Finds Competition 2025 – Winners

What a fantastic first year we’ve had since launching our monthly Finds Competition. A big THANK YOU to all the members who entered their finds. Plus a huge THANK YOU to our judges who have given up their time throughout the year to help with the competition. While they have loved seeing the variety of finds each month, it has really tested their resolve, making it a very tough job to pick a winner each month. The Annual winners have

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29 November 2025 No Comments

Changes to Treasure Trove Scotland

Dave Crisp – NCMD Communications Officer, recently interviewed Emily Freeman – Treasure Trove Manager about the changes and improvements to Treasure Trove Scotland. Watch the interview to see what this will mean for anyone metal detecting in Scotland.

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28 November 2025 No Comments

October Finds Competition Winners

Congratulations to the winners of October’s Find Competition. Yet another stressful month for the judges, trying to pick a winner from all the amazing entries. Our Judges meeting video is available to watch below. The judges are now busy picking this year’s overall winner with a prize pot of £500 for each category. The November comp is still open until midnight on 30th Nov, so why not get your entry in and you could be our next winner. Enter via

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14 November 2025 No Comments

Treasure Trove Scotland – Annual Report

The Annual Report 2024/25 on the work of the Treasure Trove Unit (TTU) and the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (SAFAP) has recently been published. Extract taken from forward by the Chair of SAFAP: Overall, 2024/25 was a demanding but very positive year for the work of SAFAP and the TTU. The benefits of the time and effort of the past 3 years, particularly in addressing the COVID-19 backlog, have been realised and I am looking forward to exciting developments

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30 October 2025 No Comments

September Finds Competition Winners

Congratulations to the winners of last month’s Finds competition. What a fabulous collection of entries, these have had the judges struggling to pick a winner. Winners below along with a selection of finds the judges thought worthy of a mention.You still have until midnight on 31st October to enter the October competition and a chance to win £100+plaque for best coin or artefact. **PLUS** October is also the last month to enter for the 2025 Annual Finds competition. Monthly winners

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28 October 2025 No Comments

August Finds Competition Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the August Finds competition. Yet again our members are impressing the judges with some fabulous entries. 😀👍 See winners below and a selection of finds the judges thought worthy of a mention.You still have until midnight tonight to enter September’s competition and a chance to win £100+plaque for best coin or artefact. **PLUS** all monthly winners go into the end of year competition. Judges will vote for the best overall winner in each category, which

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30 September 2025 No Comments