There is only one thing worse than someone removing artefacts to keep them like a squirrel's hoard, it's someone removing them to sell them for personal gain. At least the former person has an interest in the history, and there is a chance that in the future the items will end up in a public collection of some sort. When all someone is interested in is making a few quid, you end up with artefacts plastered in modern paints and preservatives, looking utterly unlike anything they ever resembled in the "real" world, and when bought it creates an incentive to go out and collect more, again and again. 😞