As enthusiasm for pile dwellings increased, the demand for original finds for museums, private collections, the antiquitites market and also for teaching material at universities and schools increased. Exhibitions were looking for the most meaningful sets of finds possible and therefore exchanged individual items with each other. For some, “pile dwelling fishing” using boats became a regular and profitable side job. Unteruhldingen was considered particularly rich with finds and was an inviting spot to hunt for treasure. In 1865, the city of Meersburg pointed out to the neighboring municipality of Unteruhldingen that fishermen from Switzerland were digging for finds at the lake and thus destroying the fishing grounds. But soon digging through the sites no longer yielded enough results. The first fakes appeared. Awls, chisels and decorative needles were made from simple pieces of bone. Sheet copper – cut with tin snips – was used to make pendants and amulets. The “pile dwellings” of Bodman and Wangen were known for their forgeries. Antique dealers from the island of Reichenau, from Steckborn in Switzerland and from Überlingen were reported to the authorities. The large museums, such as the British Museum in London, or pile-dwelling experts from Switzerland warned against purchasing from dubious sources and certain collectors. They demanded precise examinations and certificates of authenticity. At the instigation of the local history and history associations, the governments issued bans on excavations (Thurgau 1861, Bern 1873, Baden 1905).

„To the mayor’s office in Unteruhldingen, June 1865:

We ask you to please inform us as soon as possible whether dredging has been carried out on the lake platform along the local area by foreigners, especially by the Swiss, for the purpose of finding or excavating pile dwellings and whether, in the opinion of the local fishermen, the implementation of this dredging is harmful to the fish population, in particular to their reproduction. In the latter case, we intend to obtain a police ban on dredging, as has already been issued in the district of Constance.“