Loot Rules Questions/Clarifications

From the Release 51 Draft post:

One issue I can see with the threshold mode is that many desirable items are either zero value, or extremely low compare to their rarity. For example, the last time I saw some Artifacts, they were only 5-10 gold (like the attunement rings). Thats been a while, so they may have changed.

Should all worthwhile items now have an appropriate value, or can we get a flag to exclude some items (like quest items and artifacts)?

 

I came here to ask this same question. Will artifacts be set above a certain value now even if their durability is low? How long will the lot timer be from the time the item is picked up until it auto drops into someones inventory if someone does not lot or pass?