Wohoooo!!! Struck GOLD today, the most unexpected way....

Paul4x4

Sr. Member
Dec 31, 2007
343
2
Finland
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E-Trac/Pro-Pointer/Ace 250
Ok, so this isn't a detecting find, but it kinda required lotsa work and "digging" to achieve...

I was at work today, and I install ventilation duct systems for a living. Well, we are currently modernisating a congregation house built in the 60's, and today we were tearing down some old ventilation ducts with my work buddy. We had some hard time removing one piece that went through a wall, and after an hour and half worth of sweat, cuts & bruises and hard work, we managed to jerk the piece loose, and threw it out a window.

After that we took a break, and both of us just stand there exhausted. That's when my trained metal detectorist's hawk eyes spotted something shiny in the dirt on the floor. "A coin, a silver 1 markka coin" I said to my buddy and picked it up. "Oh, bummer, just a regular markka" I said after I saw the year 1984 on it. "But hey, there's another one, 10 marks from 1994!" And then I noticed something else in the corner of the room... "What the...It's a huge gold ring!!!" At that point my buddy was like :o , and I was like :o :o :o :o :o :o

A closer look on the ring revealed it being 18K men's wedding band, and there are signs of resizing in it. And that's just one huge ring, sadly I don't have a scale yet, so hard to say anything about the weight.

My buddy got some what excited of my finds, so he decided to crawl into that trash filled duct to see if there's more goodies, and he came back with a few toy cars and two markka coins. The duct is so long that he did go only half way into it, and thought of squeezing in there again tomorrow...

Ok, enough writing, here comes pictures for your pleasure :D

The inside the duct pic shows how filled with junk it is. Those smaller duct branches go up to the hall next floor, and they end there to the floor level, so that's why people have filled it with crap, and kids have stuffed their toys into it.
 

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Upvote 0

treasurefiend

Gold Member
Mar 17, 2008
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Chicago IL
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Great eyeball finds!!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 

jgas

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Apr 23, 2008
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Midwesterner
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Lotta vacant houses near my place...Good hunting in those crawl spaces..But be careful down there...Nice finds BTW...jgas
 

DrJoePrime

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Sep 9, 2007
1,535
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Long Beach, California
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Hey a Ring Find is a Ring Find! WTG :icon_sunny: :icon_sunny: :icon_sunny:

I drop things into my home vent on the floor...have retrieved coins and lots of odds and ends.

HH Joe
 

CowboyKolo

Full Member
Nov 11, 2007
226
0
Nebraska
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White Eagle Spectrum
ah yes....I always used to stick my GI Joe figures in the air ducts. Probably a few still in there at my parents place..

My mom once dropped a diamond bracelt down the ir duct in their room too, not long after we moved in. Stayed there for nearly 24 years when I convinced them to finally clean the vents out. The guy hired to do the job reached down in there and pulled it out before he even began cleaning lol.
 

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Paul4x4

Paul4x4

Sr. Member
Dec 31, 2007
343
2
Finland
Detector(s) used
E-Trac/Pro-Pointer/Ace 250
I just noticed that you can actually see my buddy's shoe in the first pic as he's crawling into the duct. LOL ;D
 

Born Free

Sr. Member
Oct 27, 2007
440
6
Davenport, IA
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Minelab Xterra 705
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Excellent. A reward for your hard work. And how do you suppose you were able to spot it among all the crud? Our MDing brains have been trained to spot perfectly round metal things. :happy3:

Nice surprise to find a gold ring when your not even out looking for treasure! Congrats!

Born Free
 

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Paul4x4

Paul4x4

Sr. Member
Dec 31, 2007
343
2
Finland
Detector(s) used
E-Trac/Pro-Pointer/Ace 250
Thank you guys, you're the greatest! :)

It sure was a surprise to find something that good without a detector, because I haven't even found any gold yet in the ground. :D

Yesterday was like a good day hunting. It's been almost three weeks since the last time I've got out hunting, so MD'ing god's rewarded me in a special way :icon_sunny:
 

mpostma

Bronze Member
Jul 21, 2008
1,269
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East Jordan, Michigan
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Hey Paul,
You better get out again soon. Isn't October "mud month" in Finnish?
Winter comes early in Finland! Hard to dig throug a meter of snow, and then the frozen ground looking for pull tabs!

Good Luck my friend!
Mark
 

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Paul4x4

Paul4x4

Sr. Member
Dec 31, 2007
343
2
Finland
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E-Trac/Pro-Pointer/Ace 250
mpostma said:
Hey Paul,
You better get out again soon. Isn't October "mud month" in Finnish?
Winter comes early in Finland! Hard to dig throug a meter of snow, and then the frozen ground looking for pull tabs!

Good Luck my friend!
Mark

Heh, well it kinda means mud month now that you pointed it out, never really thought of it that way. Seems like you speak better finnish than I do ;D

The past two winters, we had first snow in the middle of January, so I guess it doesn't come so early these days for some reason :P
 

pennyfarmer

Hero Member
Oct 12, 2006
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West Haven, UT
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I have gotten in abandoned houses before and torn down the ducts. Found silver spoons, silver nickels, wheats. Many cool old treasures.

Very cool.

Thanks for posting.
 

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Paul4x4

Paul4x4

Sr. Member
Dec 31, 2007
343
2
Finland
Detector(s) used
E-Trac/Pro-Pointer/Ace 250
pennyfarmer said:
I have gotten in abandoned houses before and torn down the ducts. Found silver spoons, silver nickels, wheats. Many cool old treasures.

Very cool.

Thanks for posting.

Thanks!

Yeah, I found also many spoons and knifes. No silver though :-\
 

mpostma

Bronze Member
Jul 21, 2008
1,269
14
East Jordan, Michigan
Detector(s) used
Minelab Etrac & Quattro
January for snow!? Not what I remember. We nearly always have snow here by mid November.

As for speaking Finnish. So rusty now, I'm not sure I could ask and find a restroom in time!

Good Luck Paul
Mark
 

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