Found treasures or caches question

: Michael-Robert.

Bronze Member
Feb 2, 2013
1,421
1,983
Sovereign America
Detector(s) used
Many
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Loose lips sink ships!

As I sit here waiting for my new knee to heal up, this site has helped me keep my sanity, whats left of it anyway. Iv'e read a lot of threads and post about lost treasures and huge lost gold caches. My question to everyone is, Would you tell anyone if you found one? Me personally, would have to say no. I may be wrong and that's why I'm asking. It would seem to me that if I found a gold cache of $50000 in gold, people and agencies would be coming out of the wood work to claim it. Not that I have found one, this is all speculation. If it was on government land, lets say the in the swamps of South Carolina which is government land that allows public assess, Would the state have a claim to it? If I had written permission to hunt a private 200 acre farm and I found it, wouldn't the land owner has a claim to it? You just don't see or read much about these kinds of finds like you do ship wrecked where there are salvage rights and such. I have to believe that there are hundreds of large treasures to be found just from the stories of the lost Civil War payrolls. The old Treasure Hunter magazines where full of stories like this but I haven't heard of anything being found for years. I curious to see what the general consensus is on the subject.
 

Overseas

Jr. Member
Jun 28, 2016
72
69
Europe
Detector(s) used
Deephunter by Makro
Primary Interest:
Other
If I remember correctly it was 2016 that some boys stumbled upon some gold over in Germany. They did the right thing and contacted the authorities to find the owner. They were modern bars, so really it was kind of obvious they had an owner.

About a year later a guy came forward that could prove they were his. He said he messed up by being in a hurry and not hiding them deeply and better. Hopefully he rewarded the kids.

I know some places in the states have statuatory time limits of like 30 days or 6 months for the proper owner to come forward after you report it to authorities...if they do not then you get to keep it and the new tax bill free of guilt.
 

huntsman53

Gold Member
Jun 11, 2013
6,955
6,769
East Tennessee
Primary Interest:
Other
No, wouldn't say a word. How do you go about finding a reputable "fence" to offload the articles you never found?

If you know them, most Coin Dealers will purchase coins and sometimes other items without question. Even the one's that do ask, you can give them any story you want but the truth and make sure that you only sell off a few at a time. Also, at Coin Shows, you will likely find some Coin Dealers or Gold/Silver Buyers that will purchase from you without question. I know quite a few Con Dealers that have made it clear that if I stumble upon a large collection being sold and need the money to purchase it as long as it is a great deal, they can front me up to one million dollars and possibly more. They care less where the collection came from and I get paid 10 to 20% of the value of the collection for being the middle man.
 

Limitool

Gold Member
Jun 9, 2013
5,239
6,755
Middle TN. area
Detector(s) used
White XLT Spectrum E-Series
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Almost makes you wonder if they were...Advertising for future sales. I wonder if the attention and free advertising paid off in the end? Wonder how much more they were able to pull for some of those coins from the backstory and mystery.

Was just a thought since it seemed so wrong on how it was handled, almost too wrong, that it was done on purpose.

NO... They absolutely were THAT STUPID! They didn't research the possibilities of announcing their find. They just thought they'd be glorified for finding it... not held accountable for taxes.
 

Honest Samuel

Banned
Sep 23, 2015
8,814
4,969
Connecticut
Detector(s) used
Minelab
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Be smart and honest, sell your treasures through coins auctions and pay your state and federal income taxes.
 

GA_Boy

Bronze Member
Jul 30, 2006
1,433
1,579
Jefferson, Ga
Detector(s) used
BH LRP
1265X,
GoldBug II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I never tell what kind of treasure I find.....I don't want to meet all them relatives that I didn't know I have......:tongue3:
I, too, can't recall posting any finds.-------------------Ugh,well, maybe nails, bullets, and pull tabs, but nothing valuable.
Marvin
 

ECS

Banned
Mar 26, 2012
11,639
17,694
Ocala,Florida
Primary Interest:
Other
...I have to believe that there are hundreds of large treasures to be found just from the stories of the lost Civil War payrolls. The old Treasure Hunter magazines where full of stories like this but I haven't heard of anything being found for years. I curious to see what the general consensus is on the subject.
Most of those lost Civil War paymaster gold stories are just that, stories.
While Confederate paymasters did carry small amounts of gold coin for officers pay, the soldiers on both sides were paid mostly in script, if paid at all.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,712
40,789
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I probably wouldn't say anything, but it would depend on how big it was. On the other hand, I really doubt I'll hit the MD jackpot. Most of these huge caches seem to be long gone. Not all. Who knows.
 

Wrecka

Full Member
Jun 22, 2017
182
451
Gold Coast Queensland
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I wouldnt kid myself , im a good man but in some eyes not an honest man because i wouldnt tell , but i would make sure my family shared in the new found wealth , loose lipps sink ships. Here's a story from Australia on a Sovereign cache found by builders , if that was me i would of been filling my pockets

Builders dig up $500,000 in gold coins in Albany, Western Australian
 

dsdigger

Bronze Member
Jan 5, 2017
1,389
1,191
Shenandoah Valley, VA
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 600, Whites MX Sport, Whites Coinmaster, Minelab Explorer XS, Kellyco Vulcan 360, Lesche Digger, Rattler headphone, Park Ranger Bag by "Freeloader"
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Cache, what cache?!? Maybe some clad, little old sliver here and there, odd plated ring, but no cache! oldkoot, I like your approach there. And everyone stating loose lips sink ships, agreed!
 

Limitool

Gold Member
Jun 9, 2013
5,239
6,755
Middle TN. area
Detector(s) used
White XLT Spectrum E-Series
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Be smart and honest, sell your treasures through coins auctions and pay your state and federal income taxes.

WHY...??? If you didn't earn it, work for it or but actually just found it... WHY, would you give any of the monetary value to anyone else...? With that logic... if you moved a stone or two and found some gold coins would you just call the IRS? And if so... why after 150+ years of being forgotten would you tell someone?
 

Limitool

Gold Member
Jun 9, 2013
5,239
6,755
Middle TN. area
Detector(s) used
White XLT Spectrum E-Series
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Be Honest and pay your income taxes or off the jail you may go.

Hell jail would be the least of my worries. Jail doesn't even hit my radar screen... it's all the a-holes who'd come out of the woodwork claiming a good large found cache. And if that happens it's all YOUR fault!
 

releventchair

Gold Member
May 9, 2012
22,359
70,496
Primary Interest:
Other
Be Honest and pay your income taxes or off the jail you may go.

Yes. And with hundreds of billions owed....you won't be alone. If delinquent accounts all result in jail time.
Though they are threatening to revoke travel privileges / passport use if you owe beyond a certain amount. Must be so you can't skip out?

If putting people in jail was the answer , it is not hard to find examples. So why are they not in jail? http:// http://www.ct.gov/drs/cwp/view.asp?a=1453&q=328618
 

Msbeepbeep

Gold Member
Jun 24, 2012
15,787
24,131
MA
Detector(s) used
M-6, pro pointer, pistol probe
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I wouldn't be looking for fame, just fortune.
I doubt i will have that problem.

Sent from my VS810PP using Tapatalk
 

Kansas_Jayhawk

Full Member
Mar 11, 2017
151
175
Colorado
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75 and Tesoro Silver uMicromax
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Absolutely not. First taxes - sorry but our government needs to make changes before I willingly donate money. Second, there is that law related to archeology - don't remember the name of it. I understand the purpose but personally I don't think it is a good law. Person does the work to find something and then it is taken away from you with you getting nothing. Even the Fenn treasure if found could create headaches based on what Fenn said.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top