Thinkin of starting a treasure hunting business/group

[smokeythecat]

What you are proposing is doable, but your question is kind of generic, it's like "I want a drink". A drink of what? Your location matters. A gold mine in Iowa makes no sense, but one in Georgia does. Shipwrecks? Buried hoards? I'd suggest you decide upfront what you want to go after and you will have to have a rock solid plan in writing before anyone will invest in it. Partners can be problematic, employees, not as much. It's a lot to consider. With a few notable exceptions, those guys make the news, most "treasure" is accidentally found. Like most of the Roman and Celtic hoards in the UK and some of the washed up shipwreck items in the US. The biggest gold nugget found in North Carolina was found outside somebody's house. The owner used it as a door stop, until they finally took it to have an expert look at it. Your will need an enormous amount of time and an even larger amount of money to hire people and look for treasure. I'm a realist, and have found two hoards and other good stuff by planning and being at the right place BEFORE anyone else got there. It has been a ton of work also.

 

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[Scrappy]

I think groups find themselves organically in most cases. There are exceptions like Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, bit even those all-stars would have made a single hit if it wasn’t for chemistry. I hope you have some luck with your endeavor.

 

[smokeythecat]

Mackaydon and scrappy have it correct. Investors will own you.

 

[mercinarie]

What you are proposing is doable, but your question is kind of generic, it's like "I want a drink". A drink of what? Your location matters. A gold mine in Iowa makes no sense, but one in Georgia does. Shipwrecks? Buried hoards? I'd suggest you decide upfront what you want to go after and you will have to have a rock solid plan in writing before anyone will invest in it. Partners can be problematic, employees, not as much. It's a lot to consider. With a few notable exceptions, those guys make the news, most "treasure" is accidentally found. Like most of the Roman and Celtic hoards in the UK and some of the washed up shipwreck items in the US. The biggest gold nugget found in North Carolina was found outside somebody's house. The owner used it as a door stop, until they finally took it to have an expert look at it. Your will need an enormous amount of time and an even larger amount of money to hire people and look for treasure. I'm a realist, and have found two hoards and other good stuff by planning and being at the right place BEFORE anyone else got there. It has been a ton of work also.

This is why I started this conversation because at the moment it is only an idea so this conversation should help me to understand what will be involved and try and find the best way to go about it. Probably won't use investors. The hoards you found, were they from specific legends/stories?

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/search.php?searchid=19428377

Works if I click on it, or are you saying the content doesn't work?

I think the link works just not the content it says Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

Write up a business plan. It will help you a lot if you do it right.

I have had friends all my life ask me to invest in their ideas and my response is always the same: Write up a business plan and lets see what this idea really looks like. In all but 2 cases, that was the end of them pestering me for money. In those 2 cases, they had already written up plans (and damn good ones too).

Guess which 2 of all those business ideas of my friends ever got off the ground. (and both succeeded so well they were bought out).

 

[Mackaydon]

First learn, then teach others in your eventual group that serious TH-ing expeditions/adventures consist of elements in (what I call) the Project Pie. That pie consists of many 'slices'. Expect each participant to negotiate (or demand) a bigger slice. Expect one or more particiipants to strongly suggest that their slice is more valuable to the venture than one or more other participant's contribution. The 'pies' that I have created in the past are divided into the following 'slices': Capital, Research, Equipment, Personnel (crew and lawyer), Permits and Target. As you develop your team, you will have to distribute your 'slices' (percentages) in a manner that each particiipant will accept; and you will have to 'defend' your allocations, "Believe me !" as our Pres so often says. Occasionally, you may have to remind your potential team participants that the 'pie' consists of only 100%.
Good luck,
Don...

 

[releventchair]

When you get a hot idea ,throw cold water on it; and see what is left when the steam clears.

As soon as a " group" is involved .......conflict becomes involved. Finding a partner or partners that look out for YOUR interests might be harder than recovering a treasure.

Proven leads through research are critical. Goose chases discourage all parties involved.

For my tastes ,one ( one!) Type A personality in charge. One with proven people skills though....Any more will result in conflict and reduced efficiency and morale.
With a diverse balance needed following in the group consisting of determined self sufficiency and skills if needed in the field, those other members need to be more aggressive than passive though. Meaning a balance that is not easy to blend from just any group of people.
When decisions need to be made right now beyond leaderships range ,they need to be sound ones.

More research that feet on the ground usually. A researcher,( or team) , that is not enthused about field work would be fine ,if accurate leads are the result and trusted feet are available for field work.

 

[bradyboy]

your working on or looking for funding?

 

[smokeythecat]

Mercenairie, they were found at a friend's house! They bought a property a year ago with no history to it except an old road ran through it. We were bored and decided to try the field and were finding Civil War items, then found a few loose silver coins. A couple trips later we found two small caches one about 34 coins and the other over 70, but they were everyday change, not someone's prized collection, so the value was basically melt value. It was a matter of being at the right place at the right time. No legends whatsoever.

 

[mercinarie]

Write up a business plan. It will help you a lot if you do it right.

I have had friends all my life ask me to invest in their ideas and my response is always the same: Write up a business plan and lets see what this idea really looks like. In all but 2 cases, that was the end of them pestering me for money. In those 2 cases, they had already written up plans (and damn good ones too).

Guess which 2 of all those business ideas of my friends ever got off the ground. (and both succeeded so well they were bought out).

Business plan is a good idea even if it is just for me to see the overall picture

First learn, then teach others in your eventual group that serious TH-ing expeditions/adventures consist of elements in (what I call) the Project Pie. That pie consists of many 'slices'. Expect each participant to negotiate (or demand) a bigger slice. Expect one or more particiipants to strongly suggest that their slice is more valuable to the venture than one or more other participant's contribution. The 'pies' that I have created in the past are divided into the following 'slices': Capital, Research, Equipment, Personnel (crew and lawyer), Permits and Target. As you develop your team, you will have to distribute your 'slices' (percentages) in a manner that each particiipant will accept; and you will have to 'defend' your allocations, "Believe me !" as our Pres so often says. Occasionally, you may have to remind your potential team participants that the 'pie' consists of only 100%.
Good luck,
Don...

Very good info there that will definitely help if I have a group

how good are pies

When you get a hot idea ,throw cold water on it; and see what is left when the steam clears.

As soon as a " group" is involved .......conflict becomes involved. Finding a partner or partners that look out for YOUR interests might be harder than recovering a treasure.

Proven leads through research are critical. Goose chases discourage all parties involved.

For my tastes ,one ( one!) Type A personality in charge. One with proven people skills though....Any more will result in conflict and reduced efficiency and morale.
With a diverse balance needed following in the group consisting of determined self sufficiency and skills if needed in the field, those other members need to be more aggressive than passive though. Meaning a balance that is not easy to blend from just any group of people.
When decisions need to be made right now beyond leaderships range ,they need to be sound ones.

More research that feet on the ground usually. A researcher,( or team) , that is not enthused about field work would be fine ,if accurate leads are the result and trusted feet are available for field work.

I was thinking of getting a researcher first and getting a lot of research done before I start looking for people for my group either that or just start with me and a researcher and then go from there.

your working on or looking for funding?

At the moment i will probably just be self-funded.


This is great advice lads i really appreciate it.

 

[mercinarie]

Maybee, i should just start with a researcher and make a massive database of all the treasure stories, legends, and tales. Then organize them into location (country and state) and type of treasure eg. (Lost, Sunk, Buried, Stolen,)

Then maybe figure out a way to rank them, Then do some more intensive research starting from the top of the list.

Thoughts anyone

 

[Simon1]

Seems like I had a similar idea and it literally was driving me crazy. There are hundreds even thousands of stories and for each story you have tens or even hundreds of versions. So then you have to decide how to rank each of those versions. Then you have to search each version to see which ones have merit and which ones do not. After awhile you start going crazy because so many end up as not being credible. And items that are "Fact" are more than likely already found because they were a "Fact". I have always wanted to see the Flor de la Mar found, but some experts say it doesn't exist, ( or the treasure at least ).

 

[Mackaydon]

If you can allocate about ten years for your research, go for it in the manner you expressed.
If you want to hunt treasure; find ONE good story, research it till you either find the treasure nor not; then go on to the next story that has merit.
Don....

 

[mercinarie]

The flor de la mar is a bit out of my experience and would need a huge amont of funding, but maybee we can have a look later on

i have just finished reading this book has anyone read this. Some great stories in there.

He found a good group with a great researcher. That is basically the idea I had, have a researcher and a small group.

 

[perdidogringo]

The flor de la mar is a bit out of my experience and would need a huge amont of funding, but maybee we can have a look later on

i have just finished reading this book View attachment 1538609 has anyone read this. Some great stories in there.

He found a good group with a great researcher. That is basically the idea I had, have a researcher and a small group.

I love Jameson's books, however, I have read in numerous forums that most, if not all, of his stories are pure fiction.

 

[mercinarie]

I love Jameson's books, however, I have read in numerous forums that most, if not all, of his stories are pure fiction.

I was wondering about that, i guess there is not really a way of verifying these stories unless he takes a video camera to the cache sites.

 

[perdidogringo]

I was wondering about that, i guess there is not really a way of verifying these stories unless he takes a video camera to the cache sites.

Yes, and if he really did find any of that treasure, he is wise to not reveal too much of the details, as certain governments and individuals would most certianly come after him for a piece or all of it.

 

[mercinarie]

Ok how about this then, I emulate what he does in his book. I get a researcher who works in Mexico in the old churches and where ever else and he finds the old letters and documents for any leads for any lost gold or silver mines and then go out and look for them.

Thoughts ?

 

[perdidogringo]

Ok how about this then, I emulate what he does in his book. I get a researcher who works in Mexico in the old churches and where ever else and he finds the old letters and documents for any leads for any lost gold or silver mines and then go out and look for them.

Thoughts ?

If you can afford a good researcher, why not? Just watch your ass as you look for said treasure in Mexico.

I had a chat with Jameson via Facebook a couple of years ago since he has a page there. Super nice guy. I told him about some of my adventures in Latin America and he was quick to suggest that I write about them. His books have been his treasure.

 

[GA_Boy]

What the OP is writing about, I do by myself, with the aid of Maps, Libraries and court records.
No coordination with others and I can proceed at my own pace.
BTW, Did anyone besides me catch the TV program today about searching for The
Sundance Kid's buried treasure?
Marvin