A metal detectorist found a Roman cavalry helmet in a Cumbrian field, a private buyer paid £2.3 million after the local museum dropped out at £1.7 million, and Parliament changed the law

In May 2010 a metal detectorist in his twenties found a Roman cavalry parade helmet with a face mask near Crosby Garrett, Cumbria. It was in about 67 fragments. The British Museum called it an outstandingly important find. Under the Treasure Act 1996, a single object of base metal was not treasure, so the finder and landowner could sell it freely. Christie's restored it and offered it in London on 7 October 2010 with an estimate of £200,000 to £300,000. Tullie House Museum in Carlisle raised money for a bid of up to £1.7 million and dropped out at that level. An anonymous private buyer paid about £2.3 million. The owner later lent it to the Royal Academy, Tullie House and the British Museum. Excavation at the findspot found a Romano-British farming settlement. In 2019 the government consulted on changing the law, citing the helmet. A 2021 report for the government noted that the museum had been outbid. In February 2023 the government announced a new class of treasure: metal objects over 200 years old of exceptional significance, whatever the metal. The change applies only to finds made after 30 July 2023^†. The helmet is in private hands.