I cant sell my finds...

[N.J.THer]

I can't sell my finds...

I've been detecting now since around 2006. Over the years I've found my fair share of good stuff. I have never sold anything I've found but I have given away many items to family, friends and donations to history organizations. I recently found a heavy 24K ring which the wife said why don't you sell it (700-800 $ value). I just can't do it. I never want to get rid of my older historic finds but I have no attachment to the more mordern jewelery but I still can't bring myself to sell it. Does anyone else have this problem? I think somewhere in my head I feel if I start selling off finds it will change what I enjoy most about detecting which is the hunt. I don't want to turn my hobby into a side business.

BTW I have no problem with people that sell their finds. My plan has always been that when I retire I will take the items that don't have special meaning to me and sell off to do some traveling. I would hope that if anyone found something really historically significant they would do the right thing and keep it in the area it was found with the proper documentation.

I would like to hear about how others feel but don't want to turn this into a bash of people that do sell their finds. It is there stuff and they are allowed to do what they want with them. So do you sell or not and why?

NJ

 

[bill from lachine]

NJ,

I know where you're coming from.....I'm pretty much in the same boat.....I've given away toy cars to neighborhood kids, my wife has gotten some of the ladies jewelry I find....pretty much everything else except clad which I cash in ends up in some box or other...lol.

I guess the effort we put into finding our various trinkets make them pretty tough to part with.....like you I don't have
an issue with others who sell off their finds.....I guess I must be a packrat at heart.

Regards + HH

Bill

 

[lost]

Might as well jump in here. I have the same problem. Can't bring myself to sell anything, not that I have anything worth much. But, I have no problem giving items away. Just tell me you admire it and it's yours. With in reason. I've given away dozens of small gold pickers to kids and adults a like. There must be a name for this illness. Ran into trouble once when I gave a neighbor kid three dropped CW bullets. Momma came back with the bullets and told me she didn't want her son getting such gifts. I showed her other CW stuff I had laying around the garage, with a little history of the relic's. No good. It was firearm associated and was a no-no. Ya Know I could actually see her reasoning.

 

[Iron Patch]

That I would have gone in a heart beat! I think it would be dumb to sell and pay bills, unless it was necessary, so with a find like that I'd figure out something I wanted to buy. In 2009 I sold a pretty rare token and bought a watch and still had plenty of money to spare. I totally agree on the older stuff, especially if it's something that really interests you, but modern gold I just don't see a point to keeping.... especially how much it's worth now.

 

[bigscoop]

I fall in love with "very little" of it. If the right price comes along I sell. As neat and as fascinating as some of it can be, it's just stuff, historical or not.

 

[N.J.THer]

Thanks guys...I do turn my clad in which I usually use for batteries and spending money on vacations. I also recently purchased a new battery for the Excalibur 1000 which set me back $145 with change from detecting.

I was thinking about this some more and the other reason I may like keeping the stuff is so when the wife tells people I like metal detecting then they look at me like I have three heads. I enjoy watching them pick their bottom jaw of the floor when I show them some of the thinks I've found. Most of the time they say maybe I could go out with you sometime and try it. Actually when I first started detecting I didn't want anyone knowing but now I tell everyone...even got my boss at work into it.

NJ

 

[austin]

You have no problem. You want to sell it, just not now. Good idea, that will be your nest egg.

 

[dustytrails123]

Your just going to make more money the longer you wait to sell ...retire then worry about it

 

[Calvin.Coin]

I want to save everything I find, the only exception being melting down the scrap to cast it as something more useful and smelting the broken/twisted/bent precious metals (if I ever find any) to make home-made ingots and possibly explore fantasy coinage...

I am still at the stage where I have just as much fun digging a pull-tab. For me a lot of the thrill is in not knowing what will be found next. Monetary reimbursement is worth very little to me.

treasure is where you find it,
cc

 

[Keppy]

I have no attachment to any thing i find .... I sell it all..... After all it is just things not flesh & blood..... Just man made things..... I have no feelings for them and they have no feelings for me.........................

 

[Silver Searcher]

I to sell everything I find, but I also understand people who do not want to sell. But a word of warning values of items can drop overnite, I have seen this happen with ancient coins, one minute they are fetching £100's,then some comes along and floods the market, or are they found more often than before, and with detectors getting better buy the minute, it's gunna happen more.

SS

 

[lookindown]

What my wife dont take I sell...I like to show people what I find but I like the money more...I keep it until the end of the year and when its gone it gives me the incentive to go start another collection...I dont really like getting rid of my treasure but I dont see a point in keeping modern gold jewelery...Im keeping my silver jewelery for now because its worth more to me than the price it would bring, but if the price goes up enough its gone too.

 

[Connecticut Sam]

Do what your heart tells you. If you do not need the money, unlike most of us, keep your treasures until you or your wife needs the money. Good luck.

 

[N.J.THer]

I always need the money...lol.

 

[BobinSouthVA]

Good post

I've sold one thing and kind of regret it. Don't know if I could sell anything else, however the cash would be nice for a new detector.

I don't disagree with anyone selling relics. If anything I am a finder not a collector. Now I do clean and preserve my relics to the bestof my ability, but sometimes I think selling my finds would put them into a collector’s hand that would appreciate/display/preserve them better than I can.

 

[Keppy]

I always need the money...lol.

......Every one needs money and every one likes money........... no matter what some say................

 

[kitt]

I always ask myself. Why let it sit around cluttering up space in my small apartment. It will just sit in the box. sell it and buy yourself something you've been eye bawling.
I can throw a few things out that have been on my mind. Hookers are always good and ive also been wanting a melting furnace (all the things you can make from melted metal!).
a high banker wouldnt be bad. wishlist any way lol bills come first.