Do you keep most of your find? or trash them when you get home.

[rfloyd5]

I original started MDing for coins. Having gone out deeper into some wooded lands I come across more Iron items. Things that look like garbage I bring back out of the woods and trash in a dumpster.
If I found a coin of any date I would keep it, but lets say I found a very old door Knob way down deep in the mud. Would you trash it? or keep?

I just find it hard what to trash and what to keep. I would love to here thought on how other people take care of there finds.

Thanks

 

[cactusman]

I'm always careful with what I throw out, as there were people in Gold Basin years ago tossing what they thought were worthless hot rocks aside while nugget hunting and those rocks turned out to be meteorites. The same goes for relics -- many times what first appears to be trash can be treasure, far more valuable than coins.

Treasure exists in many forms and many a "treasure hunter" has tossed out things that are worth a small fortune. -- Research is the key, and that's just what I would do on the door knob or anything else that I am unsure of. Better safe than sorry!

 

[WhiteTornado]

If it's obviously trash, I toss it away. If there's any doubt at all, I take it home and try to clean it up and do a bit of research on it. As cactusman said, better safe than sorry.

 

[Stone]

I usually keep what ever looks interesting even if most would consider it trash. I'm not in this hobby for the value of my finds, I just enjoy it.

 

[Escape]

I have collected a lot of junk jewelry. Mostly rings and earrings. Should I bring it back to the beach, scatter it in a small area and make a junk jewelry honey hole for someone else?

 

[pinenut]

I'm new to this diggin' stuff. I've been taking gallon size ziploc baggies along with when I go out. When the two pockets on my apron get filled, all dug up stuff goes into the ziplocs, then I go back and fill the apron pockets again... When I get home, I look through it all, remark on what slobs most people are, then trash all the crap. Last time out, my wife also picked two big kitchen bags full of surface trash. We live in within national forrest, and hate seeing our area trashed. ^_^

 

[SusanMN]

I keep the interesting or useful bits - an old cupboard latch, for example, or an old lock, or jewelry but the unidentifiable bits go immediately in the trash. I just don't have an appreciation of rusty pieces of iron I guess.

 

[WhiteTornado]

I keep the interesting or useful bits - an old cupboard latch, for example, or an old lock, or jewelry but the unidentifiable bits go immediately in the trash. I just don't have an appreciation of rusty pieces of iron I guess.

Not only that, but I also don't have the space to start my own junkyard

 

[SusanMN]

Sorry, in my earlier post, I didn't address your door knob item. Old house or furniture hardware, like a doorknob, latches, hinges etc, especially those made of brass, are items I would always keep. They clean up beautifully, can be reused, and have a market value.

 

[ARC]

I collect bottlecaps and pulltabs...

So I throw all the gold and silver in the trash.

:P

Nah... I keep the good stuff / coins and dispose of the trash.
Coins get spent eventually IF spendable.
IF collectable I keep em.

But ALL Metals get recycled.