bergie
Bronze Member
- Aug 2, 2004
- 1,815
- 1,147
Wow, what a day is all I can say. My best day ever. I have to give the whole story. I had Columbus Day off and wanted to hit a great site, not something where I'd be lucky to find something good, but a major hot spot. There's a spot that is off limits, where you could get in some big trouble, but unlikely you'd be caught. I usually don't go for spots like this, but I had to go for it and take the risk today. It was a major recreation area for thousands of people over the years back in the early part of the century. It is original land away from "civilization" so no development or change of land, just erosion over the years. I figured if I lose my $100 radio shack detector and have to pay a big fine, I'll take the chance. I figured I wouldn't end up in jail. Anyway, shouldn't everyone be arrested once in life? I am hoping not and I wasn't today. So, here goes, I get out to the site and it's a beautiful day. I figure if people have detected out here, they have probably gone over the easiest areas (flat lands) first, so I go to the cliff's edge, about 70 degree drop of about 25 to 30 feet and start carefully detecting the side hill figuring as time eroded the land coins would move down the hill. I see part of an old bottle and detect over it and get a great silver/copper signal (they are the same on my detector). I usually only dig these signals to cover the most area (though I know I miss gold and other goodies). I look down where the signal is and SEE, yes, SEE 1/3 of a BIG coin sticking out of the side of the hill with dirty STARS around the edge and I know it's a Barber and pull out this fantastic 1907 Barber 1/2 you see below. It's a beauty and my third ever. What a jolt! This is just 10 minutes into my hunt. Now I am fired up and start detecting the hill side more down the cliff, get another great signal, but more excitement than care, I lose my footing, fall on my back and I'm lying on the 70 degree slope starting to slide and figure I am going whether I like it or not, so I slide and land on the soft ground about 25 ft below, no harm. I climb back up to my detector and make a foothold this time and dig the signal--a 1900 Barber quarter!!! I scratched it a bit because of the difficult digging. Now I am nuts with happiness and excitement. I am going all around the place and I find a Buffalo nickel and a wheatie. Then, wow, this is great. I get a great signal and dig an 1897 Barber quarter and almost forget to recheck the hole, but did and got another great signal. Now I am fired up knowing this has to be a second old coin and it's ANOTHER Barber quarter, 1904, in the same hole! Then I keep going and find a 19?? date rubbed Barber dime. This has been about three hours and I have to go, but on the way out find a 1941 Merc! (These were the coin highlights. Not pictured I also got a seargent's metal uniform bars. A nice small thick green bottle fully intact. A silver spoon. Amazingly, I got all these great coins and only one penny. Go figure! There must be a ton of more stuff there...do I keep risking it? By the way, it's gov't land, not private. Thanks to Earthworks for taking the great photo.) The thing at the very bottom of photo looks like facing part of a ring or other item. I have to read it more carefully. Appears Latin and perhaps was for a college.
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But on the other hand I'd have to........................................ 
I'll go for the gray area.... have you been denied permission to go there or is it posted no detecting? If not, then you could always claim ignorance...but as the saying goes..ignorance of the law is no excuse. Myself, as tempting as this place would be, and I mean REAL tempting, I would ask permission and if denied, keep trying till I got it. Otherwise I would respect their rights as property owners and stay clear of it until I got permission(altough if it's government property, you didn;t say what kind...or what dept....theoretically the government and its property is owned by US the taxpayers..but that might not hold up in court if you get charged)....make a pest out of yourself until someone(try all the officials you can think of including your state rep. and Congressman) gives you permission..and get it in writing if you can.
Not me. I have never got a detention, 27 years driving never got a ticket,... just my cautious personality. 
