Cache'ing A Dream

Jamesbondaka

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Mar 18, 2010
378
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Who needs banks....right?


A couple contacted me about some valuable items that were apparently buried on land that they now owned.A family member that had amassed many items was ill and was supposed to show his longtime friend where these items were buried.Time went on and he never divulged where he supposedly buried the items in question.

One day when the family members came over, they found a dirty shovel in the living room, which was very unusual.They asked him about the shovel and he said he just forgot it there.They thought that was odd.Later, they also found out that there was a toolbox missing from the garage.Did he bury these items in the missing toolbox?

After his passing, the family purchased a metal detector to see if, in fact, he had actually buried the items they thought he still had.They knew there was no safety deposit box, as he had some problems with the bank years earlier and he did not trust them.They searched the property but came up empty.

Apparently the items in question were buried on about 4 acres of land.I hunted several times a week for about 3 weeks.I did find some old tools, some coins and a kid’s ring, but no luck on the "treasure".
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Perhaps this was just a tall tale and the treasure was spent long ago.No one knew for sure.

I found an overgrown spot near a tree, old stump and fence line of the property.I kept getting inconsistent signals from this one area.After 45 minutes of digging around, I realized that there was a barbed wire fence that was embedded in the ground.I cut through the fence and proceeded to probe around.Still inconsistent signals, but I was able to eliminate most of them by turning down my pinpointer.I was now getting a faint steady signal below the surface and not from the barbed wire fence.I knew something was there.

After changing my position, I proceeded to dig down again.After a few minutes of digging, my shovel blade hit the sweet sound of a metal container.After switching detectors, I was able to get a nice picture of the object in the ground through analysis imaging and it did confirm that this was a box of some kind.Could it truly be the toolbox with the alleged treasure???
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There is bad news and good news . . .
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The bad news . . . after unearthing a metal box, we realized that this IS NOT the metal toolbox that disappeared from the garage.

The good news . . . The box was FULL!!!I could hear objects moving about as I struggled to free the box from the clay earth.Could this be my lucky day???

After getting a large hammer from the garage, I broke the lock off the box and opened the lid.I instantly saw silver coins and as I peeled back some of the items then I saw the color of gold!!!A toolbox FULL of coins, jewelry and collectibles.
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I am truly blessed and it happened on my Mother’s birthday.About 5 years ago I found some silver on my Dad’s birthday.Call it divine intervention.Call it luck or just persistence.Whatever the case, you never know what you can find . . . unless you try!

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I will continue to detect, explore and enjoy this hobby, after not touching a metal detector for 30 years since I was a kid.Needless to say, this fun hobby has now turned into a profitable one!

I am very thankful, to say the least, but I wonder what happened to that other toolbox???

Thanks M&C/E&D
 

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sprailroad

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Jan 19, 2017
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Jul 25, 2016
252
283
Maryland
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:love10: :icon_salut: Wow! That is a once in a lifetime find! Great job and congratulations!
 

Tommybuckets

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Wowsers! Amazing! Now get out there and find that other box while the dirt is still freshly turned over lol
 

Kurios1

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I think I would have peed myself or fallen over upon seeing what's in the box. Mind blowing valuable treasure for certain. I hope you got a nice dinner at a five star restaurant for your efforts. I guess folks are still burying their valuables. I can't blame them. I'd rather have these goodies in my possession than in some bank vault. Well done mate.
 

against the wind

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Jul 27, 2015
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That is amazing, ,
In relationship to a window in the house. Which window gave you the best view of the spot where you dug up the box? Was it in front of or behind the house?
Very curious.
During the great depression, people didn't believe in putting money in any bank. They would sometimes bury cash in mason jars outside of the home to avoid it being stolen. The spot where it was buried was almost always within view from a window in the house. Usually a room where they spent most of their time.
Congrats on locating the Cache.
 

jalgier

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Jan 30, 2017
53
226
GA
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Outrageous. Beyond cool. Congrats
 

BuckleBoy

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Jun 12, 2006
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Where there's one cache--there's often MORE!
 

Discrimination Dave

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Sep 18, 2008
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So you took a picture of the spot BEFORE you even dug it/ hmmm, I guess you were pretty sure that you had found it.
 

Argentium

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Feb 2, 2008
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Couldn't have been cached too long ago - you have a lot of modern bullion bars , a ton of modern plastic ,some Ike dollars - in addition to the vintage costume jewelry , and silver dollars -
 

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Jamesbondaka

Jamesbondaka

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Mar 18, 2010
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Portland, Oregon/ I travel
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wonder what he buried in the box that was missing from the garage ?

We have looked some but no luck as of yet

Thanks!


When I can, I will put together a list. I still don't know what some items are...or what they are worth. I know that some of the items came from Asia. Family confirms that from military records.
 

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Jamesbondaka

Jamesbondaka

Sr. Member
Mar 18, 2010
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Portland, Oregon/ I travel
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Wow! amazing find! I"m guessing it had to go to the family? Hopefully you got something out of it!

Hi Debby,

Thank you! I still cant sleep at night....and when I do....I'm dreaming about the other box! This one will do in the mean time ;-)

The family couldn't be nicer. They actually thought it was a myth but since our paths crossed, they had nothing to lose. They were pretty sure I wouldn't find it. We laugh about it now! We have had several dinners and he is taking up metal detecting. He is hooked.

Before we started we set up a 50/50 split on major finds....I think this qualifies.
 

tinpan

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interesting?
 

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trdking

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Feb 28, 2015
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Definitely not in the ground long no moisture what so ever in the box in moist dirt rusty box. What sealed the contents? It looks like water would go right in!
 

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Jamesbondaka

Jamesbondaka

Sr. Member
Mar 18, 2010
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Portland, Oregon/ I travel
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Definitely not in the ground long no moisture what so ever in the box in moist dirt rusty box. What sealed the contents? It looks like water would go right in!

The lid of the box has the "seal" but it was not perfect or was damaged. Some of the items have been "cleaned" a bit and some have been left alone . Most were inside plastic bags in the inside another plastic container . A few wrapped in cloth or paper. Some of the containers and holder's have been discarded as they were damaged or not in good condition. Some have been re-holderd for organization,wrong info on the holder, cleanliness and to keep the coins in his best condition possible as some of the items will be split up and there's a lot to organize. I just didn't find this box and dump dirt and all on our desk. This is not all the items as well.
 

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tomhighland

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Sep 26, 2015
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Congratulations on the find. Strange that the box contained a bank bag after the old fellow had issues with them. He must have been a real character.
 

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Jamesbondaka

Jamesbondaka

Sr. Member
Mar 18, 2010
378
303
Portland, Oregon/ I travel
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V3i xlt dfx gmt mxt f75 Exp SE ace 150 Umax etrac goldmaster coinmaster Cz-5 Cz-3D Goldengate 3D BH 300 ctx 3030 jeohunter
Primary Interest:
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Congratulations on the find. Strange that the box contained a bank bag after the old fellow had issues with them. He must have been a real character.


A friend and me were discussing just that. How ironic! He must have liked the bag as it was well made and/or "I will show them to take my money". That Bank has been out of business for roughly 25 years. From what hear from the family....he was a character!

Thanks for your comments
 

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Silver Saver

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Mar 15, 2017
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Center of North America
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That is seriously incredible and you are truly blessed Mr bondaka. Congrats on your amazing treasure find.
 

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