A treasure trove may be described as valuable items that were hidden in the ground for substantially long periods of time. Such a treasure may be undiscovered for centuries or even millennia, and therefore it is often difficult to establish its owner or heir. Therefore, the person or organization that discovers such a treasure can have some percentage of the treasure’s worth as a finder’s fee.
Property can be classified as possessions or collections of items that belong to a person or organization and often have a legal foundation or approval. In my opinion, the war chest found in the movie National Treasure should belong to the government and not the finder (Benjamin Franklin Gates). The treasure troves found in the film should be the government’s property because the land where the treasure was found belongs to the country. In addition, according to laws, the findings should be reviewed by the officials, and if the owner cannot be found, they should become the property of the government (Trivedi, 2018). However, in my opinion, the person who made a discovery should also be significantly compensated for their efforts. Therefore, the fee that was given to the main character in the movie is reasonable, and the chest should become the property of the country.
The article discussed a case of Gujarat’s bags that contained treasure troves. According to the article, in 1894, a person in Gujarat found two bags that had valuable rings and currency on their land (Trivedi, 2018). The finder’s petition to establish the rights to the treasure was declined since the evidence that confirmed the ownership was not provided (Trivedi, 2018). As a result, the treasure troves became the government’s property (Trivedi, 2018). I agree with the outcome because the evidence was not discovered, and the treasure was most likely present in the ground long before the person established ownership of the land.
Reference
Trivedi, M. (2018). On taking from others: History and sensibility in archaeologists’ arguments for treasure trove legislations.Public Archaeology, 17(2-3), 110-136. Web.