The British Museum announced today that 2024 was a record year for archeological discoveries made in the UK by members of the public, with 79,616 finds recorded. Of those, 1540 were “treasure” as defined by the UK’s 1996 Treasure Act, the highest number ever recorded for a single year. The announcement was first reported by the Independent.

According to the British Museum, 2024 was the third consecutive record-breaking year, with numbers steadily increasing each year. Ninety-four percent of the discoveries were made by metal detectorists, reflecting the hobby’s increasing popularity in the UK.