Giving my finds to people who really care about them

brianc053

Hero Member
Jan 27, 2015
972
3,359
Morris County, NJ
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
XP Deus 2
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hello everyone! This is a bit of a long story, so - buckle in.

For those who don't want to read the whole thing:
  • I was detecting at a park adjacent to a 1900 era mansion-turned-Catholic-school that I detected all throughout 2021
  • some women who were students in the 80's stopped by because the school is about to be demolished
  • I found a sterling silver religious medallion and gave it to one of the women
  • she was so moved that I drove home and got 10 more religious medallions I found at the site last year and gave them to the women, who plan to distribute them to their classmates who couldn't visit.
--------------------------------
And now for the rest of the story...

Last year I posted quite a few times about a field with a "sidewalk to nowhere"; one of my final posts about the site was here and links to others about the location: https://www.treasurenet.com/threads/another-9-yes-9-silver-coins-from-the-sidewalk-field.659944/

Background on the property
: the field is a 100 acre park that was part of a 110 acre estate. The estate included a 66,000 square foot mansion built in 1906 that became a convent and Catholic school in the 1920's and operated into the 1990's. My town bought the 110 acres in 2006, and recently sold off 10 acres - including the mansion - to a developer.

Yesterday I thought I'd try revisiting the park, and when I arrived I was shocked to see that at one end of the park, near the "private property" boundary signs associated with the developer's land, many trees had been cut down and some of the grassy/bushy areas had been cleared by some heavy machinery.
You know what that means: I now had access to some new ground! The area previously untouched was maybe 50' x 80', and over 2 hours I detected the whole area.

I'll talk about the finds from that area later, but I wanted to share a few really positive human experiences up front.

About an hour into my detecting - and just as I dug a plug with a good target in it - a group of woman (and one child) parked their cars up near the mansion and started walking around the estate grounds. They notice me and came over to talk. I learned from them that they were past students at the school, and they were visiting because the next day (today) the developer was beginning demolition of the mansion!
One of the women had their daughter with her, and since I had just dug a good target but not removed it from the plug yet I invited the kid to retrieve it. She said, "it's just a normal dime" but I asked what the year was and she said, "1953". I explained that the dime was 90% silver and that's why it was still shiny after all these years. I also said, "you can keep it if you want to." That put big a smile on her face.

The ladies returned to walking around the estate and I returned to detecting the new ground, and about 10 minutes later I got another silver signal. But this one turned out to be a sterling silver religious medallion, the kind that would be worn as a necklace. And then inspiration struck: I thought, "I should give this to one of those women who went to school here; maybe one will recognize it."
I walked over to the group of women and showed them the medallion. None of them recognized it, but they were super excited that I was giving it to them. I shared my thinking with them: the medallion means a lot more to them than it does to me, because of its and their connection to the school.
And then I remembered that in 2021 I found a bunch of these necklace medallions at the park, and (before really thinking about it) I said, "I have more of these at home - would you like to have them?" Of course they said yes, and I offered to run home (10-12 min drive) and meet them at a local tavern where they were going to grab a bite to eat.

When I got home I realized I also had four coat buttons with a distinctive religious image on them that I'd found at the school. It turns out these came from their uniforms, and when i headed over to the tavern I brought the buttons also.

As you'll see in the pictures below I ended up giving them eleven (11) different necklace medallions (a few were silver, most were other non-precious metals - but still "precious" to these ladies!) and the four buttons.
--------------------------
As for my finds, I didn't leave the park empty handed. In addition to the 1953 Roosevelt dime I also found a 1949 Washington Quarter (only 9 million of those minted), another Roosevelt (1954), a Mercury (1918) and only my second Barber dime ever (1902). Plus a bunch of wheat pennies.

And, most importantly, I left with a warm feeling in my heart, knowing that those medallions ended up with people who really care about them.

- Brian

PS - I left out the part about a police officer visiting (because the women were technically trespassing), so believe it or not I actually edited this story....

Pictures:
- the medallions and buttons I gave to the women who were students once upon a time at the school
- me and these women (holding their treasures) at the tavern
- The mansion/convent/school (before it's demolished)
- the dime that I gave away (1953)
- The Barber came out of the same hole as the Mercury (just peeking through the dirt)
- the finds I took home.

IMG_1267.jpeg

IMG_1268.jpeg

IMG_1264.jpeg

IMG_1263.jpeg

IMG_1261.jpeg

IMG_1276.jpeg
 

Upvote 33

Florida Finder

Bronze Member
Dec 17, 2020
1,718
5,321
Southern States of America
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
AT Max
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Hello everyone! This is a bit of a long story, so - buckle in.

For those who don't want to read the whole thing:
  • I was detecting at a park adjacent to a 1900 era mansion-turned-Catholic-school that I detected all throughout 2021
  • some women who were students in the 80's stopped by because the school is about to be demolished
  • I found a sterling silver religious medallion and gave it to one of the women
  • she was so moved that I drove home and got 10 more religious medallions I found at the site last year and gave them to the women, who plan to distribute them to their classmates who couldn't visit.
--------------------------------
And now for the rest of the story...

Last year I posted quite a few times about a field with a "sidewalk to nowhere"; one of my final posts about the site was here and links to others about the location: https://www.treasurenet.com/threads/another-9-yes-9-silver-coins-from-the-sidewalk-field.659944/

Background on the property: the field is a 100 acre park that was part of a 110 acre estate. The estate included a 66,000 square foot mansion built in 1906 that became a convent and Catholic school in the 1920's and operated into the 1990's. My town bought the 110 acres in 2006, and recently sold off 10 acres - including the mansion - to a developer.

Yesterday I thought I'd try revisiting the park, and when I arrived I was shocked to see that at one end of the park, near the "private property" boundary signs associated with the developer's land, many trees had been cut down and some of the grassy/bushy areas had been cleared by some heavy machinery.
You know what that means: I now had access to some new ground! The area previously untouched was maybe 50' x 80', and over 2 hours I detected the whole area.

I'll talk about the finds from that area later, but I wanted to share a few really positive human experiences up front.

About an hour into my detecting - and just as I dug a plug with a good target in it - a group of woman (and one child) parked their cars up near the mansion and started walking around the estate grounds. They notice me and came over to talk. I learned from them that they were past students at the school, and they were visiting because the next day (today) the developer was beginning demolition of the mansion!
One of the women had their daughter with her, and since I had just dug a good target but not removed it from the plug yet I invited the kid to retrieve it. She said, "it's just a normal dime" but I asked what the year was and she said, "1953". I explained that the dime was 90% silver and that's why it was still shiny after all these years. I also said, "you can keep it if you want to." That put big a smile on her face.

The ladies returned to walking around the estate and I returned to detecting the new ground, and about 10 minutes later I got another silver signal. But this one turned out to be a sterling silver religious medallion, the kind that would be worn as a necklace. And then inspiration struck: I thought, "I should give this to one of those women who went to school here; maybe one will recognize it."
I walked over to the group of women and showed them the medallion. None of them recognized it, but they were super excited that I was giving it to them. I shared my thinking with them: the medallion means a lot more to them than it does to me, because of its and their connection to the school.
And then I remembered that in 2021 I found a bunch of these necklace medallions at the park, and (before really thinking about it) I said, "I have more of these at home - would you like to have them?" Of course they said yes, and I offered to run home (10-12 min drive) and meet them at a local tavern where they were going to grab a bite to eat.

When I got home I realized I also had four coat buttons with a distinctive religious image on them that I'd found at the school. It turns out these came from their uniforms, and when i headed over to the tavern I brought the buttons also.

As you'll see in the pictures below I ended up giving them eleven (11) different necklace medallions (a few were silver, most were other non-precious metals - but still "precious" to these ladies!) and the four buttons.
--------------------------
As for my finds, I didn't leave the park empty handed. In addition to the 1953 Roosevelt dime I also found a 1949 Washington Quarter (only 9 million of those minted), another Roosevelt (1954), a Mercury (1918) and only my second Barber dime ever (1902). Plus a bunch of wheat pennies.

And, most importantly, I left with a warm feeling in my heart, knowing that those medallions ended up with people who really care about them.

- Brian

PS - I left out the part about a police officer visiting (because the women were technically trespassing), so believe it or not I actually edited this story....

Pictures:
- the medallions and buttons I gave to the women who were students once upon a time at the school
- me and these women (holding their treasures) at the tavern
- The mansion/convent/school (before it's demolished)
- the dime that I gave away (1953)
- The Barber came out of the same hole as the Mercury (just peeking through the dirt)
- the finds I took home.

View attachment 2019374
View attachment 2019375
View attachment 2019376
View attachment 2019377
View attachment 2019378
View attachment 2019379
I can see those ladies really appreciated your act of kindness!
 

Jose The Goon

Hero Member
Apr 1, 2017
566
1,501
East Coast
Detector(s) used
Whites 6000D, 6000Di, Eagle, & PI 1000
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Great finds, great story & great pictures "brianc053".
Thanks for sharing with us. There has to be more goodies around that old mansion. I hate to see these old buildings being demolished. There might be a cornerstone with some coins & relics there. Nice solid built buildings with the great roofs. You can see the copper gutters in one of them. Probably lots of good stuff to salvage on the inside & around the outside too. Hope you get some more time to scrounge around before everything disappears forever. CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!
 

OP
OP
brianc053

brianc053

Hero Member
Jan 27, 2015
972
3,359
Morris County, NJ
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
XP Deus 2
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Thank you for the kind words everyone! I slept well last night.
- Brian
 

watercolor

Silver Member
Feb 3, 2007
4,112
1,351
Arlington Heights, IL
Detector(s) used
V3i, MXT-All Pro and Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Wonderful recoveries Brian! And what you did with those recoveries is above and beyond.
Well done.
 

xr7ator

Gold Member
Sep 2, 2011
5,164
7,137
Denver, Colorado
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, AT Gold, ATX, MH7 (oldie!) Minelab Explorer SE Pro, EQ800
Great post. Thanks for the share and congratulations on the keepers and memories.
 

birdman

Gold Member
Jan 28, 2005
7,458
2,393
Choctaw Beach Florida
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800 and ORX, tesoro Cibola with garret,whites and minelab pinpointers
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Well done! You made those ladies very happy.
 

Peyton Manning

Gold Member
Dec 19, 2012
14,517
18,625
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
MXT-PRO
Sandshark
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I appreciate gold!
 

Lanny in AB

Gold Member
Apr 2, 2003
5,651
6,342
Alberta
Detector(s) used
Various Minelabs(5000, 2100, X-Terra 705, Equinox 800, Gold Monster), Falcon MD20, Tesoro Sand Shark, Gold Bug Pro, Makro Gold Racer.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
What an incredibly generous thing to do!

I'm sure those finds you gave away will be talked about for many years by the recipients. Plus, you've generated some great PR for all detectorists, and that is always a good thing for the community.

Nicely done, and all the best,

Lanny
 

JeffInMass

Silver Member
Jan 14, 2006
4,678
7,095
Cape Cod
Detector(s) used
Minelab Manticore, Minelab Equinox 600, Minelab Explorer SE Pro, Explorer XS, Fisher CZ6A
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Strong work and excellent story and pics. Congrats for a job very well done!
 

Hunk-a-lead

Bronze Member
Dec 20, 2020
2,091
3,252
Kansas City
Detector(s) used
Nokta Legend, Predator Phoenix Shovel
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hello everyone! This is a bit of a long story, so - buckle in.

For those who don't want to read the whole thing:
  • I was detecting at a park adjacent to a 1900 era mansion-turned-Catholic-school that I detected all throughout 2021
  • some women who were students in the 80's stopped by because the school is about to be demolished
  • I found a sterling silver religious medallion and gave it to one of the women
  • she was so moved that I drove home and got 10 more religious medallions I found at the site last year and gave them to the women, who plan to distribute them to their classmates who couldn't visit.
--------------------------------
And now for the rest of the story...

Last year I posted quite a few times about a field with a "sidewalk to nowhere"; one of my final posts about the site was here and links to others about the location: https://www.treasurenet.com/threads/another-9-yes-9-silver-coins-from-the-sidewalk-field.659944/

Background on the property: the field is a 100 acre park that was part of a 110 acre estate. The estate included a 66,000 square foot mansion built in 1906 that became a convent and Catholic school in the 1920's and operated into the 1990's. My town bought the 110 acres in 2006, and recently sold off 10 acres - including the mansion - to a developer.

Yesterday I thought I'd try revisiting the park, and when I arrived I was shocked to see that at one end of the park, near the "private property" boundary signs associated with the developer's land, many trees had been cut down and some of the grassy/bushy areas had been cleared by some heavy machinery.
You know what that means: I now had access to some new ground! The area previously untouched was maybe 50' x 80', and over 2 hours I detected the whole area.

I'll talk about the finds from that area later, but I wanted to share a few really positive human experiences up front.

About an hour into my detecting - and just as I dug a plug with a good target in it - a group of woman (and one child) parked their cars up near the mansion and started walking around the estate grounds. They notice me and came over to talk. I learned from them that they were past students at the school, and they were visiting because the next day (today) the developer was beginning demolition of the mansion!
One of the women had their daughter with her, and since I had just dug a good target but not removed it from the plug yet I invited the kid to retrieve it. She said, "it's just a normal dime" but I asked what the year was and she said, "1953". I explained that the dime was 90% silver and that's why it was still shiny after all these years. I also said, "you can keep it if you want to." That put big a smile on her face.

The ladies returned to walking around the estate and I returned to detecting the new ground, and about 10 minutes later I got another silver signal. But this one turned out to be a sterling silver religious medallion, the kind that would be worn as a necklace. And then inspiration struck: I thought, "I should give this to one of those women who went to school here; maybe one will recognize it."
I walked over to the group of women and showed them the medallion. None of them recognized it, but they were super excited that I was giving it to them. I shared my thinking with them: the medallion means a lot more to them than it does to me, because of its and their connection to the school.
And then I remembered that in 2021 I found a bunch of these necklace medallions at the park, and (before really thinking about it) I said, "I have more of these at home - would you like to have them?" Of course they said yes, and I offered to run home (10-12 min drive) and meet them at a local tavern where they were going to grab a bite to eat.

When I got home I realized I also had four coat buttons with a distinctive religious image on them that I'd found at the school. It turns out these came from their uniforms, and when i headed over to the tavern I brought the buttons also.

As you'll see in the pictures below I ended up giving them eleven (11) different necklace medallions (a few were silver, most were other non-precious metals - but still "precious" to these ladies!) and the four buttons.
--------------------------
As for my finds, I didn't leave the park empty handed. In addition to the 1953 Roosevelt dime I also found a 1949 Washington Quarter (only 9 million of those minted), another Roosevelt (1954), a Mercury (1918) and only my second Barber dime ever (1902). Plus a bunch of wheat pennies.

And, most importantly, I left with a warm feeling in my heart, knowing that those medallions ended up with people who really care about them.

- Brian

PS - I left out the part about a police officer visiting (because the women were technically trespassing), so believe it or not I actually edited this story....

Pictures:
- the medallions and buttons I gave to the women who were students once upon a time at the school
- me and these women (holding their treasures) at the tavern
- The mansion/convent/school (before it's demolished)
- the dime that I gave away (1953)
- The Barber came out of the same hole as the Mercury (just peeking through the dirt)
- the finds I took home.

View attachment 2019374
View attachment 2019375
View attachment 2019376
View attachment 2019377
View attachment 2019378
View attachment 2019379
super finds and even better story, thanks for posting
 

Centsless Detecting

Bronze Member
Aug 13, 2017
1,290
3,735
Milwaukee WI
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
-Minelab Equinox 800 with 11" and 6" coils - Garett ACE 250 - Garett AT Pinpointer-
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
What a great story that you and the ladies will tell forever. I have to say Brian you look like Hawkeye from the Avengers in that tavern pic. lol
 

OP
OP
brianc053

brianc053

Hero Member
Jan 27, 2015
972
3,359
Morris County, NJ
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
XP Deus 2
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
What a great story that you and the ladies will tell forever. I have to say Brian you look like Hawkeye from the Avengers in that tavern pic. lol
Centsless - thank you for the shocking compliment! (My wife doesn't fully agree with the Hawkeye identification, and said something sassy like "more like Hawkeye from MASH...in the last season.")
 

Centsless Detecting

Bronze Member
Aug 13, 2017
1,290
3,735
Milwaukee WI
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
-Minelab Equinox 800 with 11" and 6" coils - Garett ACE 250 - Garett AT Pinpointer-
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Centsless - thank you for the shocking compliment! (My wife doesn't fully agree with the Hawkeye identification, and said something sassy like "more like Hawkeye from MASH...in the last season.")
Lol you are welcome. Well my wife agrees with me. Keep up the good work.
 

CRUSADER

Gold Member
May 25, 2007
40,820
45,226
ENGLAND
🥇 Banner finds
27
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II v0.6 with 11" Coil
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
When I 'sacrifice', as I call it, my finds to people it really helps me if they have a real interest in it. So I know where your coming from. Makes both parties happy.
(Monetary value to me is at the bottom of the list of considerations)
CONGRATS
 

HCW

Bronze Member
Feb 5, 2007
1,228
784
Metro west ,Boston
Detector(s) used
Minelab equinox 800, Whites MXT "retired"
Hello everyone! This is a bit of a long story, so - buckle in.

For those who don't want to read the whole thing:
  • I was detecting at a park adjacent to a 1900 era mansion-turned-Catholic-school that I detected all throughout 2021
  • some women who were students in the 80's stopped by because the school is about to be demolished
  • I found a sterling silver religious medallion and gave it to one of the women
  • she was so moved that I drove home and got 10 more religious medallions I found at the site last year and gave them to the women, who plan to distribute them to their classmates who couldn't visit.
--------------------------------
And now for the rest of the story...

Last year I posted quite a few times about a field with a "sidewalk to nowhere"; one of my final posts about the site was here and links to others about the location: https://www.treasurenet.com/threads/another-9-yes-9-silver-coins-from-the-sidewalk-field.659944/

Background on the property: the field is a 100 acre park that was part of a 110 acre estate. The estate included a 66,000 square foot mansion built in 1906 that became a convent and Catholic school in the 1920's and operated into the 1990's. My town bought the 110 acres in 2006, and recently sold off 10 acres - including the mansion - to a developer.

Yesterday I thought I'd try revisiting the park, and when I arrived I was shocked to see that at one end of the park, near the "private property" boundary signs associated with the developer's land, many trees had been cut down and some of the grassy/bushy areas had been cleared by some heavy machinery.
You know what that means: I now had access to some new ground! The area previously untouched was maybe 50' x 80', and over 2 hours I detected the whole area.

I'll talk about the finds from that area later, but I wanted to share a few really positive human experiences up front.

About an hour into my detecting - and just as I dug a plug with a good target in it - a group of woman (and one child) parked their cars up near the mansion and started walking around the estate grounds. They notice me and came over to talk. I learned from them that they were past students at the school, and they were visiting because the next day (today) the developer was beginning demolition of the mansion!
One of the women had their daughter with her, and since I had just dug a good target but not removed it from the plug yet I invited the kid to retrieve it. She said, "it's just a normal dime" but I asked what the year was and she said, "1953". I explained that the dime was 90% silver and that's why it was still shiny after all these years. I also said, "you can keep it if you want to." That put big a smile on her face.

The ladies returned to walking around the estate and I returned to detecting the new ground, and about 10 minutes later I got another silver signal. But this one turned out to be a sterling silver religious medallion, the kind that would be worn as a necklace. And then inspiration struck: I thought, "I should give this to one of those women who went to school here; maybe one will recognize it."
I walked over to the group of women and showed them the medallion. None of them recognized it, but they were super excited that I was giving it to them. I shared my thinking with them: the medallion means a lot more to them than it does to me, because of its and their connection to the school.
And then I remembered that in 2021 I found a bunch of these necklace medallions at the park, and (before really thinking about it) I said, "I have more of these at home - would you like to have them?" Of course they said yes, and I offered to run home (10-12 min drive) and meet them at a local tavern where they were going to grab a bite to eat.

When I got home I realized I also had four coat buttons with a distinctive religious image on them that I'd found at the school. It turns out these came from their uniforms, and when i headed over to the tavern I brought the buttons also.

As you'll see in the pictures below I ended up giving them eleven (11) different necklace medallions (a few were silver, most were other non-precious metals - but still "precious" to these ladies!) and the four buttons.
--------------------------
As for my finds, I didn't leave the park empty handed. In addition to the 1953 Roosevelt dime I also found a 1949 Washington Quarter (only 9 million of those minted), another Roosevelt (1954), a Mercury (1918) and only my second Barber dime ever (1902). Plus a bunch of wheat pennies.

And, most importantly, I left with a warm feeling in my heart, knowing that those medallions ended up with people who really care about them.

- Brian

PS - I left out the part about a police officer visiting (because the women were technically trespassing), so believe it or not I actually edited this story....

Pictures:
- the medallions and buttons I gave to the women who were students once upon a time at the school
- me and these women (holding their treasures) at the tavern
- The mansion/convent/school (before it's demolished)
- the dime that I gave away (1953)
- The Barber came out of the same hole as the Mercury (just peeking through the dirt)
- the finds I took home.

View attachment 2019374
View attachment 2019375
View attachment 2019376
View attachment 2019377
View attachment 2019378
View attachment 2019379
This story is the reason I joined Treasurenet.
Phenomenal!
It doesn’t need to be worth thousands of dollars.
It doesn’t have to have major historical value.
It’s just plain interesting!
I love it!
Besides bliss may I ask what state you’re in?
 

OP
OP
brianc053

brianc053

Hero Member
Jan 27, 2015
972
3,359
Morris County, NJ
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800
XP Deus 2
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
This story is the reason I joined Treasurenet.
Phenomenal!
It doesn’t need to be worth thousands of dollars.
It doesn’t have to have major historical value.
It’s just plain interesting!
I love it!
Besides bliss may I ask what state you’re in?
HWC, I'm living in New Jersey; I was born and raised in western Pennsylvania.
 

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