Best find you threw away?

FriscoT06

Hero Member
May 2, 2011
600
650
Hatteras Island, NC
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excalibur II (retired), Minelab X-Terra 505
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
I was detecting a field once, in tall grass, and got one of those hard-baked enamel coated road signs. It was of the older style CA highway signs, in a shape/design that hadn't been used in decades (1930s ?). It was about 2 or 3 ft. across/around in size. I leaned it against a nearby tree, thinking "I'll pick this up when I'm done detecting, to take home". But then forgot to pick it up. Oh well, it's only a curious piece of junk afterall, eh ?

Years later, I was eating in a restaurant where the proprietor had his entire place decorated in all sorts of vintage signs. You know, like old gas station emblem signs, old Coca-cola signs, old road signs, etc.... I recalled the earlier sign , from years earlier, that I'd failed to cart out of the field. I described it to the fellow, and he immediately knew what it was. Told me it would fetch $300. Doh! That was the mid to late 1980s at that time of talking to him. So I'm assuming that by now, it might fetch much more ?
 

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FriscoT06

FriscoT06

Hero Member
May 2, 2011
600
650
Hatteras Island, NC
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excalibur II (retired), Minelab X-Terra 505
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks
Well... At least we got the fun of finding it!
 

KangaWoo

Full Member
Jun 6, 2016
186
185
Aus
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Gold
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
When I first started detecting, I was doing the site of an old 1800's homestead, and I found three little brass cylinder things, with a little tube thing sticking out from the side. I threw them away.

A few weeks later I came across a thread (on this site I think) and it was then I learned about pinfire bullets :BangHead:

Not a big loss, but over time I have found a few more, although none of that particular kind. I have been back to that site many times, but have never found the ones I threw away.
 

G.I.B.

Gold Member
Feb 23, 2007
7,187
8,537
North Central Florida
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030 / GTI 2500 / Infinium LS / Tesoro Sand Shark / 1 Garrett Pro-pointer / 1 Carrot / Vibra Probe 580 (out on loan) / Lesche M85 / Mark1 MOD1 EyeBall
Primary Interest:
Other
How could I possibly know that?

I threw it away-
 

fistfulladirt

Gold Member
Feb 21, 2008
12,200
4,902
Great Lakes State
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
dirtfishing
Primary Interest:
Other
Smooth 1758 spanish silver I tossed into the recycle box 'cause I thought it was an electric panel knock-out.
 

Back-of-the-boat

Gold Member
Apr 18, 2013
6,872
8,470
California
Detector(s) used
AT GOLD/Garrett /C.Scope cs4PI/Garrett(carrot) pro pointer/ 5x8 double d coil and sniper coil/Lesche digger/Lesche "T" handle shovel.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Well I didn't do the throwing my wife did by accident.A 14k small mans gold band I had found two days before, it fit loose on her and while we were picnicking at a water spot I like, she was cleaning the table area and shook out a rag and that's when I figure she threw it off her hand, went back but others had used the site and must have found it.Oh well easy come easy go.She was quite upset but I told her not to be.
 

Tnmountains

Super Moderator
Staff member
Jan 27, 2009
18,701
11,663
South East Tennessee on Ga, Ala line
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Conquistador freq shift
Fisher F75
Garrett AT-Pro
Garet carrot
Neodymium magnets
5' Probe
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I am the most guilty on this one.
A perfectly round ceremonial green stone platter I picked up and skipped across the river not even thinking. Saw one example published a year later. I also threw away reworked points,scrapers and stone tools and bases to arrowheads. Now I collect the tools for study.
Also a metal butt plate from a confederate musket thought it was newer because it had tar or pitch on it.Kept it awhile and wondered why I was keeping it. When I first started detecting I chunked all flat buttons no shanks ,toe taps and a couple of bat wings and Knap sack Hooks before I knew not what they were. I hunted alone and did not have any way to learn. I knew old bottles though and kept way to many.
Now I keep buckets of everything and what is its and from learning on this site have pulled out of it and enfield wrench and a ladder sited I restored. I am guilty of some bad mistakes but feel I have and am making up for it. I keep decent old axe heads now and just re- hafted a Wisconsin on a fawns foot for timer cutting.
Learn from you guys all the time.
 

seekerGH

Hero Member
Jan 25, 2016
887
570
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
2 things come to mind.

First one, all the dredging up in central and northern California, tossed all of the "lead", not knowing it was probably Palladium/platinum.

Second was turning down a group that needed engineering on a warehouse to open business. No money and offered me 20% of the company, but I turned them down. Turns out it was the first Price Club/Costco to open. That percentage would have been worth about $6 BILLION.
 

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