Full Story
Prince Edward Island’s cultural affairs minister is planning to introduce legislation to make it harder to sell Island artifacts, after learning that they have been turning up on an online auction site.

Island historians and archaeologists complained to Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Elmer MacFadyen when they discovered that hundreds of small items from P.E.I.’s past – including tools, coins, arrowheads, buttons and shards of pottery – were being sold on eBay.

According to archaeologist Scott Buchanan, hobbyists are using metal detectors to mine the Island’s fields and waterways. And some of them have moved past hunting for treasure and are selling their findings online.

“They’re crossing a line for financial gain, and it’s our Island heritage that’s being sold on the international commodities market,” Buchanan said.

“We’re losing the best part of 12,000 years of history in the process,” he added.

Posted: 04|13|06 at 7:31 am. Filed under: Auction News.