Got permission to hunt my first Old Historic site! Updated: AVI movie added.

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Darod

Guest
Got permission to hunt my first "old" site yesterday. I am extremely excited to say the least!

I contacted the Property manager for the doctor that is going to build and he told me that the deal they made with the city was finally ironed out. It turns out that in order to build on the location the doctor has to dedicate the first floor of his new building to the city as a museum. There have been at least 2 archaeological digs that I know of on the site already that have turned up many artifacts. The museum will house all the finds from the location which already include some Indian artifacts and so on. I asked the Property manager if there has been any metal detecting done on the location and his reply was, "Not to his knowledge". Which could mean 2 things: (1) He knows there hasn't been any legal (permission granted) detecting done on the location, or (2) There has been detecting done on the property but not legally. I'm hoping for earlier.

The location is steeped with history! I've been reading on my local area and the history of these parts and have found tons of information on this particular site in many historical references!

Well, as it turns out, the doctor granted me access to the site under these conditions:

1. I can hunt anywhere I like on the property and dig all I want.

2. If I find anything of historical value to the city he would like me to donate it to the museum along with all the information/knowledge I have on the item.

3. In return for donating the item/items to the museum, the item will be displayed with the information I provide along with my name as the finder and source for th information.

4. Any coinage I find I can keep. --On this point I intend to keep only what is not truly historical,.....I haven't decided what that really means yet :) I guess I just might give it all to the museum. I'm not in it for the monetary value of items, I'm in it for the excitement of the hunt and find! I like the idea of contributing to the local community and having credit for the finds. You know, my name there forever as a contributer to the community :) kinda cool I think :) 8)

The site had a new structure (1960's) removed about a 1.5 years ago. It's been sitting ever since waiting for the new owner to cut through some red tape to construct a new museum and doctor's office on the location. Over the past few years I have driven past the area to go to work and never seen a detectorist on the site,....not once.

I made it out to the site yesterday for about an hour after work. And within the first 2 mins, right next to the main road adjacent to the property, I found a 1925 wheaty! That happens to be the oldest coin I've found to date. The significance of the find is that maybe, just maybe, the site is un-hunted. I have to be realistic on this however, the site could have easily been hunted years ago before all the attention was on it. HOWEVER, if it was hunted that long ago the equipment used would be far inferior to what I am using today! This fact and the fact that I found that wheaty so close to the road (could have easily been detected off the sidewalk) gives me hope of what might be waiting for me.

The adventure begins! Whatever I find I will post here for all to see.
Any suggestions on technique on covering the ground correct as to not loss any spots, is greatly appreciated!

I'll add a pic of the penny later this evening when I get home and photograph it.

Thanks everyone,.....wish me luck :)

Rod


Almost forgot! What is everyone's feelings on this one? Should I dig every signal and hunt in all metal? or should I disc out the metal and foil, loosing some relic chances? What do you guys think would be the way to go?
 

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rvbvetter

Guest
Just a guess but the lead you found might of been from the counter weights they used for sliding windows back then. May have been a fire. Sorry about the first place, better luck on the next one.
 

JARMAN

Bronze Member
Jun 10, 2004
1,613
9
Sorry for the turn of luck Rod.Sad part is you know that the place holds so much.HH
 

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Darod

Guest
Jarman,

You hit the nail right on the head with that comment! :-\

That's what has upset me the most. I waited too long to ask permission. The site has been leveled for about 1.5 years. It figures that I would ask permission a week before construct begins :'(

Your absolutely correct in that statement. I know there are plenty of relics and coins there! And now they will all be covered,....forever lost. Man, I get pissed off just thinking about it!

I'm going to have to let it go and concentrate on the next site. Hard to do! Even HARDER to do because I drive by the site EVERYDAY on the way home from work! URGHH!!!!!

Rod
 

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Copper

Guest
Rod said:
I'm going to have to let it go and concentrate on the next site.?

Rod

If it makes you feel any better Rod, a lot of us have done the same thing. Not 8 miles from our house I passed up a chance to hunt a store building spot that dated to the 1870's.

At least you tried to hunt your site. You were just a little late.

Treasure is out there for those who have the guts to pursue it.

THANKS for the video! Please do more of this. Get some shots of you and the kids digging loot.

Copper
 

JARMAN

Bronze Member
Jun 10, 2004
1,613
9
:'( So sorry for your turn of luck Rod,You did get some nice finds,sad part is you know a lot of good things will be lost forever.Heads up and on to more great finds.HH
 

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Darod

Guest
Dale,

Send me another money request for that coin.

Thanks,
Rod
 

Lowbatts

Gold Member
Jul 1, 2003
6,573
67
Elgin
Detector(s) used
Fishers 1235X-8" CZ-20/21-8" F-70-11"DD GC1023
Hey Rod, Got 4 hours to hunt a an old home/turn of the century canning factory before the dozers hit once. ?Got tons of goodies out of there before the rest was crushed and turned to landfill. ?Local bureaucrats, historians or what ever can only sit on their hands and wait for the "return" from the developers. ?It's up to us to do what can be done. ?Good job!
 

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Darod

Guest
I'm with ya Lowbatts.

I just wish I had better timing. If I'd have been into detecting all of last year I would have been able to really get some digging time on the site. My timing is just terrible :(
I'll be OK,......with a little time in morning :)

It's just the loss of history,....you know what I mean.

Rod
 

treasurekidd

Bronze Member
Nov 20, 2004
1,381
256
Rhode Island
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Rod, that's tough luck man, sorry to hear about it. Keep your chin up, you still found a few wonderful coins!! You ought to send them a bill for all the cleanup work you did. Isin't lead a hazardous substance, lol! I'm with the other guys who suggestd black clothing and a flashlight! Good luck buddy!
 

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Darod

Guest
I'll be honest with everyone,......I'm concidering the night hunting ;)

Rod
 

Lowbatts

Gold Member
Jul 1, 2003
6,573
67
Elgin
Detector(s) used
Fishers 1235X-8" CZ-20/21-8" F-70-11"DD GC1023
Nope, just not worth it. Not just a monetary value but a sense of self worth. Violating other's property rights does not find justification in any simple monetary return. If you are going to break the law, do it like anything else you want to commit to, don't leave it at some little half-measure like detecting someone lese's property at night. Go kill someone for money! Pays a lot better and you won't end up all muddy unless that's your style! Bullets vs. Batteries. Cost effectiveness study forthcoming....

Oh yeah, and be sure to let those little guys know that what Daddy does not cannot justify whatever they become in life. I'm sure they'll understand that!
 

Lowbatts

Gold Member
Jul 1, 2003
6,573
67
Elgin
Detector(s) used
Fishers 1235X-8" CZ-20/21-8" F-70-11"DD GC1023
Yeah but hey, we like Rod and don't want him to go trespassing and end up with a nickname like Celly, ya know!? Saw that article about the guy up in Wisconisin who found 850,000 in tax dollars the other day and returned it for the 200 dollar reward.? Hmm, now there is a moral dilemma, not whether or not to return a class ring or jump a fence, those are easy ones.? But finding tax money and returning it to the government?? Hmmm, think I'm drawing a line.

Stay legal Rod! Still waiting for the movie to load, been a couple days now!
 

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Darod

Guest
If I'm one thing,...that would be "a moral guy". I don't intend to night hunt the area. There are plenty of other areas to find goodies at "legally".

On the second commment you made concerning the download. Still waiting!.....days! It shouldn't take that long Lowbatts. It is 37.7 mb but if your on a dialup it still shouldn't take more than an hour or so at worst. If you have a download manager type program installed I would cancel the download and restart it. The download manager software should cache the previous amount of the download and pick up where you left off.

Let me know if you get it or not. If you really want it I can make a few more vid's and mail them to you on a CD for viewing,...I don't mind doing that at all! :)

Let me know,
Rod
 

Bavaria Mike

Gold Member
Feb 7, 2005
8,340
177
Bavaria Germany
Detector(s) used
Minelab XT70, Fisher 1280, Garrett Ace 250 and MH5
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hey Rod, keep an eye out while they are doing the construction. They might start hauling dirt away from the lot, if they do, try to find where they are dumping it. Last year I was at a Roman fort sight seeing and right in the middle they were digging a huge hole and hauling the dirt away by the dump truck load. I asked where they were taking it and the truck driver told me I could follow him if I wanted as I had the detector ready in the car. Got to the dump site, had to park the car due to mud and bad terrain, walked up a muddy hill only to discover they were dumping it into a ravine along with many other trucks coming from all over. A total non starter, LOL! HH and good luck. Mike
 

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Darod

Guest
Mike,

That's a very good point! I will do just that. It should be easy for me since I drive directly by the site everyday on the way home from work.

Thanks for the idea!

Rod
 

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