Never Tell Your Plans to a Hunter You Dont Know

[BubbaJon]

Re: Never Tell Your Plans to a Hunter You Don't Know

Well then amigo you must join me sometime, I know a place that has never yet failed to produce at least one per hunt. As you live quite some distance from me (and we are both far from that place I refer to) give me a little time and I will see if I can find a place close to you, that has some of the 'good stuff' like halves and dollars.

For our readers here - dig those big sounding 'hits' even if you are dead sure it is a beer can; I learned this the hard way, but silver dollars and halves often will give you a signal just like a danged old can.
Oroblanco

Sometimes they're IN the danged old can! Remember the detector reports on the material outside - not whats inside.

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: Never Tell Your Plans to a Hunter You Don't Know

Well, I'll say that you are a better person than me.

The intrinsic value in my finds, is that, it is my finds. My homework, my checking out stories, my doing the driving, my doing the detecting, the hard work, the establishing of relationships to have places to detect, the whole bit. And THAT is what is stolen from someone who steals your spot.

I can buy a 1916D Merc - hell, we have almost all the gold we have ever mined (I say almost, because we have used gold to pay for a trip), I can buy any of those things. I don't detect because I want that particular thing - I detect for the same reason that CRH'ers buy thousands of dollars of coins to pick out the silver, I detect because, to me, there is a massive intrinsic value in going through all the "junk" and finding that ring, or finding that old boyscout tieclip, because I can turn some of my time into interesting memories and a few things that I will give to my kids.

I mine for the very same reason - in a small way, enough to satisfy us, because I like to see the gold that I have gotten with my own 2 hands.
We did the work to find the claims, we did the work to satisfy the claims, we do the work every year to keep the claims - not because I'm going to be rich, but because it is our place - and I have had people ASK to go there - and, except for a few cases, we have said yes.

The key there - is someone asking. Basic respect. I feel like you don't understand that part of what I am saying and meaning. Many of the metal detectorists I know spend a great deal of time asking for permission, carefully digging their hits, carefully filling holes, replacing grass, doing research as to where there were battles, and homesteads, and buildings and other historical happenings. I know we do - and I read here, all the time, other folks who do the same. Principle - its not the money, its the principle.

Beth

 

[Oroblanco]

Re: Never Tell Your Plans to a Hunter You Don't Know

Bubbajon wrote

Sometimes they're IN the danged old can! Remember the detector reports on the material outside - not whats inside.

As the cowboys say - 'boy howdy' do you ever have that right! Beth found an old rusted can which was filled with "rocks" - the rocks were small bits of high grade silver ore, most likely pocketed by a miner working at the nearby mine (long defunct). One look at the can and you would think it is pure junk ready for the landfill, but she took that extra second to check out what was in it.

Funny too but after finding out what was in it (a small treasure in silver) the can was buried in a spot that the former owner must have carefully measured out the distance from a nearby tree and huge boulder, for they were very neat paces 'out' from each of those two markers, in cardinal directions. I wish we had a couple of photos to show but I know we don't.
Roy

PS Old Town I have not forgotten you buddy, unfortunately I don't have much info on early sites in Key West. I will get back to you on this, for now I am curious - your home has a tremendous and interesting history, surely there are some OLD sites where real money (gold and silver) were exchanged and could have gotten lost. I am sure that you know more of your area than I do so if my suggestions turn out to be places you had (or turned out to be 'fished out') I hope you can forgive the error.

 

[Old Town]

Re: Never Tell Your Plans to a Hunter You Don't Know

Beth, you make a very good case I never really thought of. Hard to argue with you. I understand the thrill of the hunt. It's the only thing I value in the end. I keep thinking most detectorist only value the monetary value of the item itself.

White Gold: Key West is very small and I've lived here all my life. I've got a very good handle on the history and specialize in doing the tiny yards of the historical homes - including mine. My house was built around 1840. I've never hit a yard down here that I believe has been detected before. I get silver coins and navy buttons like most did in 1965 when detecting really started. One little yard yielded 27 US silvers for me once. (have yet to find a silver dollar or half) It had too many IHs and wheat pennies to believe. I also took 6 silver rings and 2 of gold out of this yard near a cistern converted to swimming pool. I have pictures of the rings. Old homes and Flagler Overseas Railway junk is my thing. I have no problem finding sites. But thanks for the thought.

OT

 

[Shortstack]

Re: Never Tell Your Plans to a Hunter You Don't Know

As the cowboys say - 'boy howdy' do you ever have that right! Beth found an old rusted can which was filled with "rocks" - the rocks were small bits of high grade silver ore, most likely pocketed by a miner working at the nearby mine (long defunct). One look at the can and you would think it is pure junk ready for the landfill, but she took that extra second to check out what was in it.

Funny too but after finding out what was in it (a small treasure in silver) the can was buried in a spot that the former owner must have carefully measured out the distance from a nearby tree and huge boulder, for they were very neat paces 'out' from each of those two markers, in cardinal directions. I wish we had a couple of photos to show but I know we don't.
Roy

Roy, your story reminds me of the one KVM wrote about in one of his books. His story concerned an on automobile gas tank that was hanging under an old wooden shed roof at an old abandoned ranch setup. Through the years, people had shot the tank full of holes and a few had shaken the tank and found it would rattle from a bunch of gravel. Well, one day a guy took down the tank and dumped out the gravel and found that instead of a double handful of rocks it was actually a double handful of gold nuggets.
Moral of the story: All that rattles are not junk. Or something like that.

And, just for the record, that 1916D Merc dime is worth about $900 a pop. So if that individual found one after sneaking in on someone else's spot, he'd just stolen $900 from that person.