I've sometimes wondered why many in our hobby relate to pirates and use the pirate logo to symbolize their activity. I've also heard folks use the term "looter" to describe those hunting primarily on beaches. If we consult Webster, neither of those two describe our hobby in my mind:
Pirate:
a person who robs or commits illegal violence at sea or on the shores of the sea.
any plunderer, predator, etc.: confidence men, slumlords, and other pirates.
That's certainly doesn't describe the folks I know in this hobby!
Loot/Looter
anything taken by dishonesty, force, stealth, etc.: a burglar's loot.
to carry off or take (something) as loot: to loot a nation's art treasures.
to despoil by taking loot; plunder or pillage (a city, house, etc.), as in war.
to take loot; plunder
This doesn't fit either does it? We're not dishonest plunderers.
So neither fits or describes what we do.
Now a word that comes close but not quite is Scavenger
a person who searches through and collects items from discarded material.
But then the items we collect aren't really "discarded" are they? For the most part, they're lost
So my simple soldier mind says that we are simply....Treasure Hunters
Treasure Hunter:
One who searches for anything of value or that which is highly prized.
Yes, It's cold outside and our beaches aren't filled with depositors so I confess to being somewhat bored and have time on my hands right now but hey....I'm fully retired and therefore authorized to such free time, thoughts and wonderments!
Soldier on....
Pirate:
a person who robs or commits illegal violence at sea or on the shores of the sea.
any plunderer, predator, etc.: confidence men, slumlords, and other pirates.
That's certainly doesn't describe the folks I know in this hobby!
Loot/Looter
anything taken by dishonesty, force, stealth, etc.: a burglar's loot.
to carry off or take (something) as loot: to loot a nation's art treasures.
to despoil by taking loot; plunder or pillage (a city, house, etc.), as in war.
to take loot; plunder
This doesn't fit either does it? We're not dishonest plunderers.
So neither fits or describes what we do.
Now a word that comes close but not quite is Scavenger
a person who searches through and collects items from discarded material.
But then the items we collect aren't really "discarded" are they? For the most part, they're lost
So my simple soldier mind says that we are simply....Treasure Hunters
Treasure Hunter:
One who searches for anything of value or that which is highly prized.
Yes, It's cold outside and our beaches aren't filled with depositors so I confess to being somewhat bored and have time on my hands right now but hey....I'm fully retired and therefore authorized to such free time, thoughts and wonderments!
Soldier on....
