To Share...........OR............Not to Share

[McIntosh]

If multiple folks are Metal Detecting a site and one of them finds a "cash cache", should they HAVE TO share or not share their find(s)?

A buddy of mine says a group of folks should share. I personally don't agree. Everyone was invited to the site and "working" their own area of interest. He believes that everyone should share ALL their finds when out in a group.

What's everyone think?

Share? or Not Share?

[Dirt fishing Wolf]

The finder of the cashe should make the call

[Treasure_Hunter]

Just my personal opinion, but someone should not be forced to share unless ALL agree ahead of time. If 6 people are hunting and 5 of the 6 want to share then those 5 share their finds, and the 6th hunter keeps all they find, but does not share in any of the finds made by the others. Only exception I can see is if permission to hunt was given to a certain member, and he invited other hunters with the understanding all finds are shared.

We regularly hunt beaches with partners, but we do not split the finds. If hunter A finds 6 gold rings and hunters B and C find 1 ring each, B and C go home with one ring each and A goes home with 6.......

(Unless it is a huge Diamond and Sapphires ring found by MT Pockets, then they he should share it with me... )

[DigginThePast]

I think there are some answers that need to be decided while planning a group hunt and sharing is one of them. How do you share? Would everything be appraised, sold and the money divided up or divide up items by relative value? What if there was four hunters with one twenty dollar gold piece and 2 wheat cents found?

One way to decide is that if someone makes a find that could be presumed to have a value over a certain dollar amount then that item would have to be sold and the money divided up with the person that found it having the right of first refusal on its purchase.

Personally I feel like its the lottery. If I'm in line buying tickets with a buddy and he wins I have no claim to that prize nor would he if the tables were turned. If going on a hunt and a friend makes a great find, well then good for them, they were lucky to hit that spot first.

I have seen this sort of thing strain friendships. There is a fellow I know that made some pretty great finds while another friend got skunked. The friend that got skunked was the one that found and organised things. He was also the one that drove and paid for gas (he was also having financial difficulties). I wasn't there but did congratulate both of them, adding that the proceeds from selling some of the finds could really help the one friend with bills. He still got nothing.

[BuckleBoy]

Here's my take on it. That's something that must be decided ahead of time. If it is someone else's site besides the one who finds the cache--then the person whose site it is should split with the finder IMO. If it was a "chance" cache find--and the group wasn't out there specifically to find the cache, then something should've been decided in advance. I have an understanding with the folks that I dig with that whoever finds the first piece of a relic gets to keep the rest of it, regardless of who finds the rest. I will not stand to have one relic in three different collections. It just isn't right.

I also think in regards to the cache--that if it took more than one person to help recover it, it should be divided up.

Folks also have to agree in advance on what a cache is. I think we're talking more than a pocket spill here.



Best Wishes,


Buckles

[Tom_in_CA]

Well, compare this to deer hunting, for instance: As you know, game hunters will go out possibly multiple times (or perhaps an entire hunting season), w/o bagging a buck. But when they DO, it's a lot of meat for a single kill. So I've heard that the rule of thumb, is that if one person in your hunting party gets a score, he ....... of course ...... will share some of the venison with his hunting partners.

So my friends and I apply this sort of principle to if a cache were found md'ing: 2/3 goes to the finder, and the rest equally split the 1/3. I have yet to apply this (no caches so far on our hunts), but we do rehearse it when we're on our way for *just in case*

The 2/3 - 1/3 rule still leaves some stuff open to interpretation. For example, what about a singular coin that is worth $10k? (some super rare mintmark or something). Does that count as a "cache"? Or how do you determine value? Does the item have to be parted out, sold, and the resultant cash distributed? I wish I could say I've had opportunity to hash that out

[Sandman]

This should be decided on before the hunt. Normally everyone takes home what they found without dibs on anyone else finds.

When You go fishing with friends, it is not normal to share the catch. You catch it, it's yours. Let the unlucky or unskillful one do without till next time when they might get lucky. Wanting a share of the finds sounds like sour grapes to me.

[treasurehound]

I feel if you are talking about coin spills then its finders keepers. I invite several people to hunt with me and I always get excited when they find something. Now if you are hunting for a lost gold shipment or something like that then I am sure everyone would have already agreed as to how to divide before the hunt ever began. I would never take a guest's finds or even ask. If they found it then it is theirs no matter what it is.

[Butler]

If it was decided before hand yes. But otherwise there is no sharing in MD'ing! IMO this should not even be a gray area!

[Tank69]

#1 another great example why I hunt alone .

#2 you find it you keep it , each hunter keeps their own finds, there is no splitting anything ,if 5 of you go out an only 1 person finds an old glass jar what are ya gonna do break it so everyone gets a shard , totaly absurd.

#3 if we are hunt together an I find 10 things an you only find 3 great for me , if you find 10 an I only find 3 hey great for you ..


.................it's about the finds an search for em folks not the childish games of he has more than I do...

[Michigan Badger]

Like stated many times, everything and anything possible should be understood and agreed upon BEFORE the hunt.

In any group situation there has to be one main dominate person who watches over the group. This person will make or break the entire group. This should also be agreed to before any hunting even starts.

A nice buckle or reale is one thing--a large pot full of Double Eagles, another.

Badger

[Cachefinder]

*Our rules*


When just out MDing ** u keep what u find**

When cache hunting **split 50/50**

When prospecting......... well

[Woodland Detectors]

Here's my take on it. That's something that must be decided ahead of time. If it is someone else's site besides the one who finds the cache--then the person whose site it is should split with the finder IMO. If it was a "chance" cache find--and the group wasn't out there specifically to find the cache, then something should've been decided in advance. I have an understanding with the folks that I dig with that whoever finds the first piece of a relic gets to keep the rest of it, regardless of who finds the rest. I will not stand to have one relic in three different collections. It just isn't right.

I also think in regards to the cache--that if it took more than one person to help recover it, it should be divided up.

Folks also have to agree in advance on what a cache is. I think we're talking more than a pocket spill here.



Best Wishes,


Buckles

I like this reply best. I had this happen to me. Normally, I choose to detect alone but took a risk last year by taking someone I met from Treasure-Net to one of my sites.
They found something of significance.
They sold it promising me to buy a detector from me.
They disappeared then called me 2 weeks later asking in dork voice "Hey Mike, You got any new sites we can hunt?' I think I made him travel 2 hours my way. I took him to the most soda top infested park i knew of and let him have at it. I haven't heard from him since. Good riidins.


Now, if chose to detect with someone I set out on the line that if we detect together, and something is found of significance and they chose to sell over collect or donate.....Then a bone will be thrown to your buddy.
Something.

[Iron Patch]

Nope! Sharing and deals in detecting just amount to problems. The guys I hunt with it's very clear, if you dug it, it's yours, where as our competition sell most of what they find, have deals made, and the drama never stops.

PS... I'll add this, but has nothing to do with my opinion on this because it never bothered me for one second. In 2002 I met someone for a hunt on his site and said (as I had said to my regular digging buds many times before) "keep the buttons split the plate?" My friend said sure, and we both laughed, then 20 minutes later I walked over to him with a $4,000 Rev War cartridge plate in my hand. My share of the cash is long gone but it's one of my favourite memories.

[Woodland Detectors]

Nope! Sharing and deals in detecting just amount to problems. The guys I hunt with it's very clear, if you dug it, it's yours, where as our competition sell most of what they find, have deals made, and the drama never stops.

PS... I'll add this, but has nothing to do with my opinion on this because it never bothered me for one second. In 2002 I met someone for a hunt on his site and said (as I had said to my regular digging buds many times before) "keep the buttons split the plate?" My friend said sure, and we both laughed, then 20 minutes later I walked over to him with a $4,000 Rev War cartridge plate in my hand. My share of the cash is long gone but it's one of my favourite memories.

I agree but maaan.
Wouldn't you think it would just be courteous to offer?
And hope they say no. J/K

[Iron Patch]

Nope! Sharing and deals in detecting just amount to problems. The guys I hunt with it's very clear, if you dug it, it's yours, where as our competition sell most of what they find, have deals made, and the drama never stops.

PS... I'll add this, but has nothing to do with my opinion on this because it never bothered me for one second. In 2002 I met someone for a hunt on his site and said (as I had said to my regular digging buds many times before) "keep the buttons split the plate?" My friend said sure, and we both laughed, then 20 minutes later I walked over to him with a $4,000 Rev War cartridge plate in my hand. My share of the cash is long gone but it's one of my favourite memories.

I agree but maaan.
Wouldn't you think it would just be courteous to offer?
And hope they say no. J/K

Nope! No offers of any kind except for maybe a coffee or beer.

First off we don't sell much of what we find so that alone is enough to not bother trying to sort out deals. I had a couple guests a few years back and they had a 50/50 deal on good finds. One dug a great button and it was either sell and split, or pay his friend $500 so he could keep it. Not wanting to be out money from detecting he had to sell it. I hunt with quite a few different guys, most I've known quite a while, and the thought to offer anything because of a good find never comes up and never will.

[mainer]

I wouldnt exspect anyone I'm hunting with to share anything with me, what they do with there finds is up to them. Unless its IP and I'll split the plate with ya.

[Iron Patch]

I wouldnt exspect anyone I'm hunting with to share anything with me, what they do with there finds is up to them. Unless its IP and I'll split the plate with ya.

I should have said that last year! But or course if that was the case I probably would have dug it.... maybe not a bad idea!

[mainer]

Nope never would have dug it had you said that, just how it goes.

[Iron Patch]

Nope never would have dug it had you said that, just how it goes.

Read my post above. I said it, and dug it, and within minutes! That is probably in the range of a find of a lifetime for many so it's pretty freaky I said it and it happened.