Good answer already.

My addition from experience is that sometimes when you do something new **you** are the expert concerning it. I have over the years done several 'new' things, not World-changing stuff, just a new way of solving a problem, or identifying a problem and making a solution for it.

There was no point getting someone qualified in that field to check it over because in terms of the important parts they never knew it was possible and I deemed it a hard earned arrow to my personal quiver that I'm not about to give away for free. On some occassions I haven't seen much worth in a qualification if I can solve a problem the qualified people can't, or in a better way.

Also there is also always the danger of your discovery becoming someone else's, this is rife in many areas especially the groundbreaking ones.