Múlaþing: byggðasögurit Austurlands - 01.01.2011, Qupperneq 20

Múlaþing
Fvlgiskial 1
Ár 1997, fimmtudaginn 3. júlí, varádómþingi Héraðsdóms Reykjavíkur í málinu nr. E-1915/1996: EddaKr.
Björnsdóttir og Hlynur Halldórsson gegn Vilhjálmi Emi Vilhjálmssyni og Þjóðminjasafni íslands kveðinn
upp svofelldur
Dómur
Mál þetta, sem dómtekið var hinn 16. júní sl., er höfðað fyrir Héraðsdómi Reykjavíkur af Eddu Kr. Bjöms-
dóttur, kt. 290451-2219 og Hlyni Halldórssyni, kt. 120150-2350, Miðhúsum, Egilsstaðahreppi, Suður-
Múlasýslu gegn Vilhjálmi Erni Vilhjálmssyni, kt. 220760-2439, fomleifafræðingi, Neshaga 15. Reykjavík
og Þjóðminjaráði f.h. Þjóðminjasafns íslands, kt. 710269-2389, Suðurgötu 41, Reykjavík, með stefnu sem
þingfest var 11. apríl 1996.
Dómkröfur stefnenda eru þessar:
1. Að eftirtalin ummæli í bréfi stefnda Þjóðminjasafns íslands dags. 27. febrúar 1994 til dr. James Graham
Campell, undirrituðu af stefnda Vilhjálmi Erni Vilhjálmssyni, verði dæmd ómerk:
a) „Of course I very much doubt all these explanations the couple are presenting now, especially when the
woman announced that according to Kristján Eldjám the finding of silver hoards in Iceland was no big deal.“
b) „Although I never said anything about a possible forgery to them she mentions this in her letter."
c) „She was also choked when 1 told her that some of the 3 little bits of animal bones she claims she collected
2-3 m. away from the very spot of the hoard, and never gave to the archaeologists, could be radiocarbon dated.“
d) „The most astonishing part of her letter is when she argues that she only got 10.000 Icelandic Kr. for the
find and that she will defmitely not advice other people to hand over a hoard if they find one.“
e) „I have also collected all media information on the find and very interesting is a television interview,
which the Icelandic broadcasting service (RUV) had with the finders. People who have seen that again are
easier to convince that something is wrong. There the couple are trying to hide the fact that the husband is
trained as a silver smith.“
f) „The circumstances of the fmd is strange to say the least, and the description of the couple at Miðhús makes
it even stranger. When the woman phoned nte she told me that she had waited a while to tell the National
Museums about it but.(sic) After having contacted somebody she decided to phone Þór Magnússon. In 1980
the story was different. They than (sic) told the press they phoned Þór the same evening they found the hoard
and that Kristján Eldjám and Þór arrived the day after. Kristján was on a holiday at Egilsstaðir, a village 2
km. away from Miðhús.----What a Coincidence.“
g) „The man who found the silver is a silversmith and has af firm(Eik-Þjóðlegt handverk/Oak national
handicraft) which specializes in metalwork.“
h) „His father, who also lives at Miðhús, was an art/handicraft teacher at a graduate school in E-Iceland. As
such he got his school to buy all necessary tools for fme smithing. When he left the school he took all the
tools and machinery with them(sic). They are probably still using them at Miðhús."
2. Að stefndu verði in solidum dæmdir til að greiða stefnendum sameiginlegakr. 3.000.000 með dráttarvöxtum
samkvæmt III. kafla vaxtalaga nr. 25/1987 frá þingfestingardegi máls þessa til greiðsludags.
3. Að stefndu verði in solidum dæmdir til að greiða stefnendum kr. 200.000 til að standast kostnað af birtingu
dóms 1 heild í opinberum blöðum.
4. Að stefndu verði dæmdir in solidum til að greiða stefnendum málskostnað að skaðlausu auk virðisaukaskatts.
Dómkröfur stefnda Vilhjálms Amar Vilhjálmssonar eru þær að hann verði sýknaður af öllum kröfum stefnenda
og að stefnendur verði dæmdir til greiðslu alls málskostnaðar stefhda, þ.m.t. virðisaukaskatt af málflutnings-
þóknun að mati dómsins.
Dómkröfur stefnda Þjóðminjasafns íslands eru þær að sýknað verði af öllum fjárkröfum stefnenda en ekki
er tekið til vama gegn ómerkingarkröfum. Krafist er málskostnaðar úr hendi stefnenda að rnati dómsins.
Með úrskurði, uppkveðnum 31. janúar 1997, var frávísunarkröfu stefnda Þjóðminjasafns íslands hafnað.
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