When did you first realize that you were a treasure hunter?

[thrillathahunt]

For me, it must have been 1964. I was 8 years old then. I remember sitting in my mom's car downtown waiting for her to come out of the store. Of course I got bored, so I got out and started playing around the parking meters. Well, as I was swinging on one of them I happened to look down at the base in the grass and saw something shiny. It was a dime.... a Mercury dime! I still remember the feeling.......wow!!! So I started looking around the base of every parking meter on that whole block. Eureka! I ended up with a whole hand full of silver dimes in those few minutes! What a rush!

It was at THAT very moment that I realized that I was a "treasure hunter".

Now, let's hear your story.

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[GopherDaGold]

I was in the sixth grade at St. Thomas Aquinas in Wichita, Kansas and had gotten detention (my first ever) for some silly infraction. I called my mom for a ride but being the evil witch she'd always been, (yeah it's true and I have the scars to prove it ) she told me to walk the thirteen miles home.
I got within a mile or so from home, my head hanging down, fearful of what was in store for me when I spotted a folded twenty dollar bill on the ground. Just as I picked it up my dad pulled up to drive me the rest of the way home. I've had my head down ever since.

[Truffleshuffle]

For me it was when I was a very young kid in the early to late 80's My grandfather Had a metal detecter and we would go searhing around his land because outlaws hid out and lived around the area and supposidly had hidden loot they had stolen. We also would look for arrow heads and stuff. I have always wanted to get back into doing that ever since then but never had the chance until now. Got my first detector this week and should be here monday

[ThTx]

I've been hunting treasure as long as I can remember. (Some days that's not very long and others it is more than five decades.) But I didn't realize I was a treasure hunter until about fifteen or sixteen years ago. That's when I realized that "reading all those old history books" was really "research"!

[Produce Guy]

When I was in the 5th grade a friend of mine got a cheap metal detector for his birthday and him and I went out in the woods were an old house use to be,we dug up every time we herd a beep,we found all kinds of old German coin and spoons and forks.Later I asked for a metal detector for my birthday and I got a Mustang? detector and went back to that old site and found some more coins and other trash,ever since than I always look for treasure whereever I can.

[fyrffytr1]

I was 12, in 1962-63, when a family friend bought a house down the street form us and hired me to clean out the basement. I could keep anything I wanted. The previous owner was a packrat and had passed away leaving piles of trash. I can still remember throwing paper sacks full of walnut shells away.
But, I did find some keepers. Old games from the late 1800s, early 1900s and several Almanacs from the mid 1800s. I still have them!
I made one goof though. I found a sword and scabbard but made the mistake of showing it to the new owner and he took it from me! He was afraid I might hurt myslf or someone else with it.

[thrillathahunt]

GREAT stories guys!

[colorado14ers]

when i was like 5, i would walk around and pick up everything! then i started to pick up only coins and stuff. always had a great eye for thoes thing! I want to be a treasure hunter

[nova]

I would always have dreams as kid of jars full of coins.

[m bryan]

I have always been a an avid arrowhead hunter. Got hooked on it about thirty five years ago......A guy gave me a metal detector(Garrett Treasure Ace 300). It stayed in my garage for a few years. Got it out and put new batteries in it about a year ago. Googled metal detecting forms and this site came up. Need I say more? lol..........

[Old Town]

At about age 5 or 6 I found a pile of broken auto glass in a vacant lot with a pal from next door. We thought we'd found diamonds. Filled our pockets and brought them home. We'd found diamonds but our parents probably found they'd raised idiots.

OT

[Iron Patch]

When I was very young I'd go to my grandmother's house and play with three things.... old dishes, old watches and old coins. The interest in pottery didn't last long, and I remember wanting a pocket watch or stop watch and it didn't matter A little later on I had a small collection of old coins and a good pile of foreign coins my father got me. That's what planted the seed, then when I was maybe 13 I seen my friend's father at the park with a detector. I did know what he was doing, but was the first person I had ever seen. I soon made attempts with a cheapy but being so young not really having anyone to help me out the odds were greatly against so I gave up. Wasn't until age 28 I really started and still like coins and watches to this day but never regained an interest in pottery.

[Adventure Wolf]

I realized I was a treasure hunter when I started rock hunting in nearby creeks when I was about six years old.

[dogpound]

as a kid i started collecting old corktop bottles (there was an old bottle dump along side my grandparents farm), from there i used to bottle hunt a lot of old properties and then in my early 20's got a detector, that started the coin collecting.

[ivan salis]

when I was a 8 year old kid my father owned a bicycle and lawn mower repair shop * during the summer break --my "job" at the shop was to take off sharpen and balance and replace the riding lawn mowers blades when they wanted it done -- afterwards to see that they cut correctly -- there was a huge vacant weed filled lot next door to the shop -- I had to ride the mowers over and see how they cut and see if anything needed "adjustment" --- while doing so one day -- lo and behold --- TREASURE !!!

I had found a coin collectors book just laying in the high weeds of the feild -- a three ring binder type with lots of plastic holder pages with some coins still in it (besides it on the ground was a large amount of paper type coin holders that had been punched out --clearly some one ripped off a coin collection and stripped out all the american silver coins and other american coins )

I gathered everything up and took them to my dad --saying look what I found -- he of course said --son these were clearly stolen , we must turn them in to the police -- which we did -- but after awhile --when no one claimed them --they became mine ! --it was the start of my coin collection and the start of life long treasure hunting

heres my "neck coin" -- found in that first treasure hoard I found at 8 * (they left the foreign coins ) - a foreign silver 90% er --25 grams --- 1911 5 bolivar from venezula and another 50% silver british 1922 one florin they left behind as well as some coppers -- 2 british big penny --one 1916 the other 1920 and a chile 1883 2 centavo

[deepskyal]

Im guessing it was around the time I was 8 or 9 when my little brother and I took my sisters jewlrey box and burried it under a bridge, like a pirates treasure.
We had added bottle caps and I think some baseball cards. That was 1963/64 ish. That box is still there as far as I know.

I tried looking for it again 7 or 8 years ago. Couldn't remember which support we buried it at or which bridge...there are 2 side by side, and they had over the years replaced the concrete on it and left all the chunks of rebar laden concrete pile against some of the supports.

Costume jewelry, bottle caps and baseball cards from the 60's. Wonder what it'd be worth today?

Al

[dogpound]

Im guessing it was around the time I was 8 or 9 when my little brother and I took my sisters jewlrey box and burried it under a bridge, like a pirates treasure.
We had added bottle caps and I think some baseball cards. That was 1963/64 ish. That box is still there as far as I know.

I tried looking for it again 7 or 8 years ago. Couldn't remember which support we buried it at or which bridge...there are 2 side by side, and they had over the years replaced the concrete on it and left all the chunks of rebar laden concrete pile against some of the supports.

Costume jewelry, bottle caps and baseball cards from the 60's. Wonder what it'd be worth today?

Al

just hope your sister doesn't read that post

[Old Town]

Im guessing it was around the time I was 8 or 9 when my little brother and I took my sisters jewlrey box and burried it under a bridge, like a pirates treasure.
We had added bottle caps and I think some baseball cards. That was 1963/64 ish. That box is still there as far as I know.

I tried looking for it again 7 or 8 years ago. Couldn't remember which support we buried it at or which bridge...there are 2 side by side, and they had over the years replaced the concrete on it and left all the chunks of rebar laden concrete pile against some of the supports.

Costume jewelry, bottle caps and baseball cards from the 60's. Wonder what it'd be worth today?

Al

Now this man was once a real kid. I love this story.

OT

[White Feather]

Summer, 1957! I was swimming at my grandfather's house and saw something glitter on the bottom. I dove down about 5 or 6 feet and recovered a gold coin. I took it to Grandpop and he told me stories of treasure, pirates and hurricanes. I was hooked from that day on. My grandparents lived in the Keys. That was over 53 years ago and I still have not grown up. I hope I never do!

[Old Town]

Summer, 1957! I was swimming at my grandfather's house and saw something glitter on the bottom. I dove down about 5 or 6 feet and recovered a gold coin. I took it to Grandpop and he told me stories of treasure, pirates and hurricanes. I was hooked from that day on. My grandparents lived in the Keys. That was over 53 years ago and I still have not grown up. I hope I never do!

Are you Travis McGee on the "Busted Flush"? I like your avatar photo.

Where in the Keys were the grandparents located?

OT