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Message:: [QUOTE="KSW, post: 2247765, member: 8708"]Because a potentially 500 year old ring that could have told a story or been a vital part of a jigsaw puzzle has been nearly destroyed?Because a piece of history needs to be professionally assessed before being handed back as worthless?And because it might, just might, have been very special. If I was an assessor of archaeological finds that gave a damn and that item that *might* have been really special was handed in nearly destroyed I might weep!.It's not about how much it's worth in monetary value that means it's ok to damage it or not, it's also it's historical and sociological interest that gives value.It's the equivalent of melting down a gold hoard that you find. It's still gold, but melted down it has lost its historical value so just becomes gold. The ring damaged as such becomes just a ring. A while ago, there was a TV programme on the top 10 most important archaeological finds. Ahead of all the silver and gold were stone tablets ( or carved out of something similar I can't quite remember) with writing on them. It was the equivalent of a shopping list and lists of everyday life. It was voted the top find because of what it told us about life back then.[/QUOTE]