Having left the museum and leaving behind her innocent attempt to find out what her coin was, she thought that was the end of it. She was sorely wrong.
Letters arrived. Phone calls came in. All in request of her piedfort. And they kept coming. She ignored the calls and letters.
The Museum Advised Ms. Harding on What To Do
The Ludlow museum wanted the piedfort, and they had a right to it. They explained to Ms. Harding that she must go to the South Shropshire coroner and relinquish the piedfort.
This was the law according to the Treasure Act. Any applicable object more than 300 years old is considered treasure, and thereby owned by the state.
“No”
Ms. Harding walked out of the museum with her piedfort in hand and did not look back.
If she could not hand over an important childhood memory for £2,000, she was not going to hand it over for nothing. She decided to keep it.
The Authorities Get Involved
The museum officials were not going to be ignored. In the case of the 1322 French piedfort, the staff took it to the next level. Ms. Harding would soon figure this out.
To that end, the South Shropshire coroner, Anthony Sibcy, was informed of her refusal to hand it over.
The Day She Found Out
Ms. Harding was especially surprised one day when the authorities showed up at her doorstep. A summons was issued, and it required her to appear at court.
She was shocked, surprised, and scared. How could she have done anything wrong? All she did was dig up a plaything as a child, and now the police were at her door.