Looking for Lost

bigscoop

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Looking for Lost


It's what we do, we go to the beach looking for items that have been lost. Gold and silver are usually our targets of desire. Rings, bracelets, chains, earrings, pendents, these are the usual items that comprise this group of modern treasures and it's always a special moment when we find one of them glistening in the bottom of our scoop. During a full day of hunting we might cover a great deal of beach, sometimes more then one beach, an assortment of crusty coins and other trinkets collecting in our pouches along the way. At the end of the hunt, if we were lucky, we closely examine our glittering prizes then we empty our pouch full crusty coins and various other crap. And that's when we finally discover that rare 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century coin or item in our pouch. In fact, it's so rare to our usual hunting territories we're suddenly more intrigued by it then the glistening modern treasures we brought home. And then the reality sets in, “Where, exactly, did I find this item?” Even before we ask the question we're already fully aware that we haven't the foggiest clue. And then the second question comes barreling in, “I wonder if there was more of these out there?” And it's at this point when looking for lost takes a drastic turn for many of us.



Call it a fascination, a curiosity, and in some cases even an obsession, but there is certainly something consuming and inspiring when we finally get to hold a rare and ancient discovery loaded with history in our hands. Modern treasures have a pretty short and standard story attached to them, it was purchased, worn, and then lost. Not much of a mystery there, not much history either, and unless it's something that's been handcrafted around a canary yellow diamond it probably can't even be called rare. But that ancient item you just discovered somewhere out there, well, it's not only rare and valuable but it also has a long history attached to it, not to mention the mystery now surrounding it. Could there possibly be more of them? Well, only one way to find out, however, in many cases gaining that knowledge is going to require some sacrifice.



And here is that potential sacrifice, “Are we willing to sacrifice the usual modern jewelry finds in order to dedicate the time required to research and search for the possible source of our ancient discovery?” I ask this because in many cases the two are entirely differently games, often placing you in entirely different locations. So when that erosion finally starts to take place are we going to be able to give up the near certainty of finding that modern glitter for a chance of discovering the source of that ancient item, or perhaps, even more ancient items? Believe me, it is a very tough thing to do, but as is often the case, it is also necessary. Question is, could we actually make that sacrifice?



I thought this might be an interesting topic to explore given that there are so many people dreaming of finding that ancient piece, yet I don't think many realize the hard sacrifices that some hunters make, or have made, just to be able to have the opportunity of finding those ancient items.
 

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Terry Soloman

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This post reminds me I'm getting low on whiskey. Gotta get out to the liquor store later - Thanks Big! :occasion14:
 

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bigscoop

bigscoop

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Scenario:
The erosion has finally come, the passing of a strong northeaster leaving behind deep cuts and holes all along the coast. There is no doubt that the popular modern beaches are going to produce a lot of gold, in fact hunters are already posting pictures of their glittering spoils on Tnet and other treasure hunting websites. The beaches you usually hunt are prime for the taking, targets are going to be abundant and gold and silver are going to be somewhat common prizes now. You know this with certainty because you've lived it, your personal experience always allowing you to capitalize on these special days when the sand has finally been stripped away leaving behind a lot of those deeper prizes. So why are you hunting a section of little used beach that hasn't produced much of anything in two full days of hunting? Will you come back to the same general area again the next day, or the day after that? Or will you abandon your current effort and return to those popular beaches that have delivered all those modern goodies in the past, just as they are again today?
 

Sandman

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bigscoop

bigscoop

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I guess my point to this post is that observation seems to present an obvious conclusion, that being that those who are finding "old" (1600 - 1700) are seldom hunting those popular modern beaches, even though they've had great luck with the modern glitter in the past at these locations. In essence, at some point in time they've decided to sacrifice a constant for something that was so uncertain. I know a couple of hunters who are doing this now and they'll continue to do it all winter whether they find anything or not, even though they know they can cash in on those popular modern beaches. I find their dedication to be interesting.
 

Terry Soloman

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Just depends what you are looking for Big. I hunt dirt sites for 1700s coins, not the beach. That doesn't mean they aren't there, just a lot more rare in my neck of the woods than they are back in the woods. If you want to spend hours walking along forgotten beaches God Bless. Gary Drayton does it, Craig in Bidgeport, CT. does as well. They love the old crap they find. I have yet to find Spanish Silver - but I will, probably not on the beach though. Modern Gold? Yep, that is why I hit the beaches where millions go each summer. To me, that is the thrill of beach hunting.
 

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surfnturf

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Just floated my barrel of Rum!:occasion14:
I prefer a gold ring over most old silver coins! Its all about the old gold jewelry.... It has history and a tale to tell you if you do some follow up research!
When finding the older gold the other old stuff shows up too! And vice versa!



SnT
 

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bigscoop

bigscoop

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I think there is a big difference between "random finds" and actually "targeting period specific items." Sure, you're going to pluck some random older stuff while cruising those places that have attracted a lot of people over the years, that's a given, but if you had your choice between those long-time popular locations or those undeveloped stretches of beach that see very little activity, and this was during prime hunting conditions, I think most are going to stick to those popular locations. I think this is one of the big reasons why some hunters experience some measure of consistent success when it comes to finding these older, period specific items. These hunters are knowingly sacrificing the modern stuff, and in many cases, in the face of even worse odds. I admire their dedication to that pursuit.
 

seeker41

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depends on which itch needs scratched more!!! which whispering voice you choose to listen to!!!
presently, I choose to hunt the old stuff even though the voice tells me .....

"youre gonna miss a boatload of modern gold, you know you wont find anything old....hunt the modern gold, its just laying on the surface, easy pickins!!!!"

stupid voice!!!!!!:laughing9:

chuck.
 

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bigscoop

bigscoop

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depends on which itch needs scratched more!!! which whispering voice you choose to listen to!!!
presently, I choose to hunt the old stuff even though the voice tells me .....

"youre gonna miss a boatload of modern gold, you know you wont find anything old....hunt the modern gold, its just laying on the surface, easy pickins!!!!"

stupid voice!!!!!!:laughing9:

chuck.

And it is like that. Little voice keeps trying to get you to second guess yourself and your purpose. :laughing7:
 

lookindown

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I got gold fever...if that modern gold was easy pickens Id be on it.
 

s1u2r3f4

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Good topic Scoop! I'm wondering...with the wind and seas high on Wed.& Thurs. here and on the Wreck beaches, is it worth it to leave here. It's been a miserable summer for modern finds. So, take a chance down south in foreign territory in the hopes of scoring some history. That would be so cool. Either way, we're lucky to be able to go :icon_thumright:
 

Sandman

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I got gold fever...if that modern gold was easy pickens Id be on it.

If gold rings had no value, I would be out looking for them just because. I went out purposely to look for earring backs and studs just because there was something to look for.
 

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bigscoop

bigscoop

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If gold rings had no value, I would be out looking for them just because. I went out purposely to look for earring backs and studs just because there was something to look for.

I did that for small chains a couple of times, didn't really care what kind, I just had something in mind and I wanted to see if I could actually target them. One thing I learned, the smaller/finer ones will often roll with the current until they either ball up into a more centralized mass or until they become trapped/snagged in some way. Of course, if they have a fairly dense pendent they'll get anchored sooner, but if it's just the chain then they tend to roll/drift about the bottom a lot like a feather in the breeze.
 

sponge

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I did that for small chains a couple of times, didn't really care what kind, I just had something in mind and I wanted to see if I could actually target them. One thing I learned, the smaller/finer ones will often roll with the current until they either ball up into a more centralized mass or until they become trapped/snagged in some way. Of course, if they have a fairly dense pendent they'll get anchored sooner, but if it's just the chain then they tend to roll/drift about the bottom a lot like a feather in the breeze.

I want to find some feathers.
 

Fletch88

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Me too sponge. I'll take a pin feather right now. Haven't been to the beach in 3 weeks. It's killing me!
 

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bigscoop

bigscoop

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I want to find some feathers.

Just about all of the "real ones", (small/fine chains) I've found have been with the small coil and max sensitivity settings and they are seldom good repeatable tones unless they are balled up, and even then those responses are very faint/small. Usually these chains are just broken chirps, sometimes whipping the coil quickly back and forth over them will often produce somewhat repeated responses, but not always. Sometimes, when in disc mode, I'll get a very faint threshold break that can be easily mistaken for an iron null. For this reason I almost always go through the process of double checking those very faint nulls, especially if the threshold returns with something other then that low iron growl. Nearly all of the small/fine gold chains that I have found have come this way.
 

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