Questions you would ask

[Roxy]

Hi All

I have the chance to do some cache hunting on a large piece of property and home. Family history has it that the owner buried several cans of old silver coins in cans in the the twenties. I have the chance to talk to the daughter of the person who buried the coins. I was wondering what kind of questions you would ask her to figure out where he might have buried these cans of coins. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Roxy

[ArkieGold]

Well Roxy. I looked at your profile having seen the name and waddya know! My wife is also a police dispatcher. Roxy is our county police drug expert

Doubts the daughter will be of much help or they would be finding! If you get to look, look in all the usual locations. Look for items that might work as landmarks, between things, out in the chicken coop, under the tree swing, directly under a nail or spike sticking out of a tree limb, under the fence posts or holes where there were fence posts, under and around rocks, around the old well. Cellars are good too.

[Kentucky Kache]

The questions I would ask would depend on the particulars of the story. If I didn't know the whole story, I would ask her if she could tell me the whole story, and then ask my question accordingly.
I would focus on finding out how true the story is. If you believe it's true, then see if you can make a deal that gives you sole rights to hunt for it.

[SusanMN]

First question I'd ask is whether there have been any buildings, such as an outhouse, barn or workshed that had removed since the 20's and where they were located. Then I'd ask if she knows where the gardens and flower beds were. She if she can draw a map for you of where each of the buildings were in relation to the others. Also walking paths, shortcuts, fences etc.

[GrayCloud]

I would ask ( Mam, where did your Dad bury the cans? ).

[petersra]

When I was a kid, my parents bought an old farm house. The seller said that the previous owner had died and when he did $20,000 was known to be missing from his estate and was never found. It was thought that he buried it somewhere on the 6 acre property. I thought I found it twice. Once I was in the basement of the barn. I notice that the floor joists of the hay loft above sat on the concrete block foundation wall leaving a pocket on top of the wall between each joist. Between all the joists, except one. that one was flush with the inside wall. Curious, I moved a barrel over to the wall to stand on and with my pocket knife i removed a flush front drawer from between the two joists. Alas it was empty. I was sure I found it. Then another time our dog killed a rabbit and left it on the back steps as a present. My mom told me to go bury it deep in the garden so the dog would not dig it up again. I was down about a foot deep and hit a piece of orangeberg clay sewer pipe. I thought, what is this doing here, the septic system is on the other side of the house, so I dug along the pipe till I got to the end and there was a flat rock. I then dug to the other end of the pipe which was about 18 inches long and there was another flat rock. Boy, I knew I had found it this time. But alas, this too was empty. Who knows how many places the old man had to hide stuff in but these clearly were two of them that i found by accident. The barn hiding place was right in the open, but made to look obscure. It didn't exactly make logical sense that it would be like that, so look for the obvious but illogical. The buried pipe was in the garden which was previously suggested in another post. I guess the thing about a garden is that signs of digging would not have been suspicious. If I lived near the old home I would go back and use a metal detector, but that is a long way away from where I live now. Good luck with your hunt.

[Scott (Mich)]

Hi Roxy,

One question I would ask is "do you have any old pictures or an old family photo album?" Pictures sometimes work better then memories. If her parents did not own a camera way back when, maybe a relative did.

Good Luck,

Scott (MI)

[Kentucky Kache]

This might be a good place for a thermal imaging camera...only a few thousand dollars.

[savant365]

I would ask where he spent most of his time while outdoors. Barn, chicken coop, work shop, woods, etc... Find out if he had any hobbies like woodworking, hunting orfishing. Try to figure out what he liked to do and where he liked to do it. I think most people hid things somewhere they were familiar with and comfortable with. If he liked to tinker with cars or tractors and machinery I would concentrate on where his shop was. Pay attention to everything about the man himself. Clues about his habits and lifestyle will lead you in the right direction. HH Charlie

[Kentucky Kache]

Pay attention to everything about the man himself. Clues about his habits and lifestyle will lead you in the right direction. HH Charlie

Absolutely. That's partly what I meant when I mentioned getting the whole story. The way I see it, a cache lead is not only about location. Sure, that's the ultimate goal, but to get there you need to learn as much as you can about the person/people involved. Then there is the events leading up to, during, and after the treasure was cached. Learn all you can. As you learn more, you'll find new questions to ask.

[TXPIRATE]

I AGREE Chicken coups, dog pens were there was something that makes alo of noise. Also do you know which way his bedroom faced. A lot of caches have been found within sight of a bedroom window.

[simonds]

Chicken coops were always a good place to hide a cache.
When I was a young boy I dropped my chewing gum in the chicken coop and I thought I found it three times.
Good luck to you!

[sailrunner]

Chicken coops were always a good place to hide a cache.
When I was a young boy I dropped my chewing gum in the chicken coop and I thought I found it three times.
Good luck to you!

Now thats funny..I dont care where your from

[CWnut]

I would ask her where the barn was along with any other outbuilding where one could spend time without attracting curiosity.

I would want to know the age and physical condition of her father at the time the coins were supposedly buried.

His occupation. (Was he accustomed to physical labor?)

Was her father mechanically inclined? (could he build or modify?)

His hobbies.

His vices? drinking or gambling will deplete money quickly.

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

Hi Roxy,

One question I would ask is "do you have any old pictures or an old family photo album?" Pictures sometimes work better then memories. If her parents did not own a camera way back when, maybe a relative did.

Good Luck,

Scott (MI)

BINGO PAYDIRT


have a good un........
SHERMANVILLE

[OPUS1]

Take your time and hunt everywhere. Use the great advice givin by these wonderful people on TNET.

Good Luck

[boogeyman]

Roxy,

In your profession, you know all the questions to ask. Find all you can about the man, likes, dislikes, beliefs, etc. Are there any neighbors still living by the property? Nosey neighbors or desendents could be a wealth of information for you.

After you have a pretty good picture of him, try looking at the property from "his" point of view.