My very first day detecting....

[Shutterbug]

I bought my White's detector in May of 2001 after reading the forum and other articles on different detectors. Anyway, I setteled on the DFX, drove 50 miles to a dealer and could hardly wait to get it home. After reading the manual several times and chargeing the battery overnight, I started out early the next morning. I was very self-conscious and just knew that everyone would be watching me dig holes in the ground, so I went to a park that had walking trails that were seldom used. The part of the park that I went to was on an island. I had never walked the trail before so everything was new to me. After finding a couple of clad coins along the trail, I came upon this HUGE tree that had been in a fire years ago. It was hollowed out inside and you could walk inside the tree standing up. I figured that would be a good place for kids to play so I swung the detector around the inside of the tree and sure enough I got several hits. I dug up several coins from the ground. While digging up one of the coins, I leaned the detector against the tree. The detector kept going off when I moved it around the tree but nothing was in the ground. Then I found out the detector was picking something up that was inside one of the pockets of the tree. I pulled out some moss that was stuffed in the pocket and saw LOTS of quarters. I took them out by the hand full. After cleaning out that pocket, I begin detecting the rest of the tree and sure enough there were other pockets that had coins stuffed inside. Some had mostly quarters, some mostly pennies others were mixed coins. It was werid to say the least. I don't remember how many pocket of coins I found in the tree but there must have been at least nine or ten. Some of the coins were really deep inside the tree and I couldn't get to them. I found enough coins to fill a quart jar that day. When I got home I told my wife about the money tree and the next day we both went back and sure enough we found a bunch more coins. When we finally got all the coins out of the tree that we could get to we had $76.62 all in new claid coins. There were more in the tree trunk but were so deep inside the tree that we couldn't get to them. Remember that I found this casche on my VERY FIRST DAY DETECTING. I have no idea why someone would put the coins in the tree . My wife speculated that a Leprechaun lived in the tree . Here are a couple of pictures of the tree and the coins.

 

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[bergie]

Fantastic story!!! Great work.

 

[Coin_Saver]

Cool, my VERY FIRST find ever was a little toy backho, HH CoinS

 

[imograss]

Thats awsome.

 

[mavrick03]

wow
nice finds now go put all of them back I can't believe you took all of the coins out of the wishing tree man all of those poor kids wishes wont come true now that you have all of there wishes stuck in an old jar.





Mav
P.S.
I am just kidding about the tree but if you feel guilty put em back :P

 

[Shutterbug]

I never thought about it being a wishing tree... I don't think that's the case though. The tree is about a mile back into the woods and off the beaten path... I thought there may be some bills stuffed in jar and buried around the tree somewhere but no such luck. I think the money may have been stolen and stashed in the tree. The tree is about 30 feet around and the money was hidden all over it. Some of it was was hidden high up in the tree that I had to climb to get to. What a mystery... I've been detecting for a couple years now and it's the only cache I've found.

 

[MDnoob]

If a Leprechaun lives in that tree you had better get that money back NOW!!!!!!!! Have you ever seen those movies

Leprechaun 3 is the best one BTW.

Perhpas it is some kind of worship site for pagans/druids?? I know some of those guys really go in for silver....

 

[Leon]

I think if it was a Leprechaun, the coins would have been Gold!...
This looks like the work of a Troll??

Great Find!

 

[gsmeiers]

What were the dates on those coins? Oldest/Newest/etc.

Very nice!

 

[Shutterbug]

All the coins were clad and only a few years old. The newest ones were 2001, the same year I found them. I don't remember the oldest one but there wasn't any silver... not even a wheatie.

 

[fahrenheit]

What I think how the coins got there in the tree was probably some kind of an animal.

I was watching some nature show on TV about household mouse who steals shiny objects and place it near its nest. The mouse like to collect man made objects like hair pin, jewelry, and coins. And anything that catch its attention at that moment. It is a trail where people venture ocassionally.

So I think if it was not some wishing tree or leprachaun. It could be a mouse or a squirrel.

excellent find.

fahrenheit

 

[MDnoob]

I bet it is druid/wiccan shrine. That is why it is such a big tree.

 

[giterdone]

That is a cool story and a good find! Seems to me if it were a critter there would be other shiny objects in there as well. I have found pack rat dens loaded with all kinds of stuff and crows sometimes hoard shiny stuff. Wishing Tree? Wiccan? I bet they'll wish they had picked a different spot to throw away their money! Finders Keepers! There is a cool place for DFX users at www.dfxonly.com . Giterdone

 

[Colorado2]

Lots of speculation but....Finders Keepers! Probably really pissed off a hard working blue jay. Even without the coinage, THAT TREE IS BITCHIN'!

 

[stoney56]

Leprechauns, Druids, birds. Nah. It was the Tree Fairy-first cousin to the Tooth Fairy. I may be going out on a limb, but check out the other trees in the area. They may be so full that they had to start filling the one you found. HH!

 

[sssnake31]

And who was it that said money don't grow in or on trees? lol Great story and find.

 

[CZ7922]

Hello,

Everyones speculations about how the money got there reminded me of a story I read.? Hopefully this link works:

www.snopes.com/photos/animals/carwash/asp

 

[CZ7922]

Sorry, try this instead

www.snopes.com/photos/animals/carwash.asp

 

[kenb]

It took me years to train those buggers but the payout has been fantastic!!!LOL

 

[AlphaQuest]

Shutterbug Check the local newpaper's archives. Maybe around that time a robbery took place. The thieve(s) may of ended on that trail at that tree, took the paper and hid the coins.

AQ