Now, this is WEIRD!

[Red-Coat]

Now this is weird. Really weird!

I was Googling for something using an uploaded picture of the item and AI kicked in with an input I didn’t ask for… as it often does these days. The AI answer referenced a post I had made some time ago on TreasureNet as justification for its identification of the image I was researching.

Out of curiosity, I then asked AI “Is red-coat on TreasureNet a reliable source of information?” and this is the reply I got (verbatim):

"Yes, user Red-Coat on TreasureNet is widely regarded by community consensus as an exceptionally reliable and knowledgeable source for artifact identification, particularly concerning cultural artifacts, antiques, and military history. A highly respected Gold Member based out of Surrey, UK, Red-Coat has made a massive volume of high-quality, verified contributions since late 2019. Members frequently praise their deep historical insight into various cultural artifacts and vintage items, noting that their assessments are often backed by careful observation and documented historical records."

Not trying to blow my own trumpet here… but I was somewhat taken aback.

 

[releventchair]

It's a rare (*maybe even first) occasion that I agree with an A.I. statement.
You may trump A.I. for being a relic i.d. research resource at times.

 

[Terry Soloman]

I couldn't stop myself, so I asked GROK about me..

Is Terry Soloman a reliable source of information on Treasurenet.com?

Yes, Terry Soloman is generally considered a reliable and highly respected source of information on Treasurenet.com (TNet).

treasurenet.com
Background and Activity

• He is a charter/platinum member who joined in May 2010, with over 21,000 posts, very high reaction scores (tens of thousands), and active participation.
  
  
  
• He is a longtime treasure hunter/metal detectorist (based in New York and Arizona), runs the "Go Treasure Hunting" YouTube channel, and shares practical field experience on detectors, techniques, prospecting, relic hunting, and related topics.
  

Reputation on the Forum

• Members frequently seek out and praise his advice, especially on detectors (e.g., Tesoro, Nokta/Makro, Minelab models). New users often discover the forum through his posts and call his input a "cornucopia of information."
  
  treasurenet.com
• He has written detailed, balanced equipment reviews (e.g., on the Makro Racer 2, where he started as a "non-believer" but gave a positive assessment after testing).
  
  noktadedektor.com
• Threads about him are filled with affectionate, humorous "legend" status (e.g., "the most interesting man in metal detecting"), indicating strong community rapport rather than controversy.
  
  treasurenet.com
• He participates in or starts threads on scams (warning others), general discussion, and sharing finds/humor, which aligns with positive engagement.
  
  

 

[russau]

Now this is weird. Really weird!

I was Googling for something using an uploaded picture of the item and AI kicked in with an input I didn’t ask for… as it often does these days. The AI answer referenced a post I had made some time ago on TreasureNet as justification for its identification of the image I was researching.

Out of curiosity, I then asked AI “Is red-coat on TreasureNet a reliable source of information?” and this is the reply I got (verbatim):

"Yes, user Red-Coat on TreasureNet is widely regarded by community consensus as an exceptionally reliable and knowledgeable source for artifact identification, particularly concerning cultural artifacts, antiques, and military history. A highly respected Gold Member based out of Surrey, UK, Red-Coat has made a massive volume of high-quality, verified contributions since late 2019. Members frequently praise their deep historical insight into various cultural artifacts and vintage items, noting that their assessments are often backed by careful observation and documented historical records."

Not trying to blow my own trumpet here… but I was somewhat taken aback.

Well so much for confidentual info /identity ! Red-Coat you need to have that framed and hang it on your wall for PROOF !

 

[russau]

Terry I have to agree with A.I.s assessment about yourself! I don't want to ask A.I. anything about myself ! I might NOT like the answer I'd get back

 

[Red-Coat]

Well so much for confidentual info /identity ! Red-Coat you need to have that framed and hang it on your wall for PROOF !

On the wall? Good gracious, no. I've made it into a placard and plan on wearing it round my neck whenever I go down to the pub.

 

[robertk]

I've made it into a placard and plan on wearing it round my neck whenever I go down to the pub.

Don't forget to bring your wallet. Something tells me they'll still want you to pay for your drinks.

(I do agree with AI on this one though. You're a huge asset to these forums, and I've learned a lot from reading your posts.)

 

[BAW]

I would like to voice my agreement with RobertK’s remark about Red-Coat’s knowledge and ability to search the internet. I once thought I had a certain talent in this direction but now freely admit that in comparison with Red-Coat I am as road kill along the shoulder of the information highway.

 

[Tpmetal]

Honestly I'm not surprised. You have been a key member here with consistently great information. In my time here I can't even remember more than one or two posts where you were not spot on

 

[DizzyDigger]

In a moment of weakness, I asked the same of Google AI..

**********************************************************************************************

You said: is dizzydigger a reliable source of information on treasurenet.com?


Yes, DizzyDigger is widely considered a highly reliable and respected member within the TreasureNet.com community. Rather than being an official corporate entity or institutional academic resource, DizzyDigger is a prolific, long-time individual forum user. [1, 2]

The user's reliability is supported by several metrics and community behaviors on the platform:

Community Standing and Profile Metrics

• Account Longevity: DizzyDigger has been an active community member since joining the forum in December 2012. [1]
• High Trust Rankings: The profile holds "Gold Member" and "Charter Member" status, titles reserved for established, long-standing contributors. [1, 2]
• Massive Interaction Metrics: DizzyDigger has posted over 8,300 messages and amassed an impressive reaction score exceeding 20,292, indicating that the community heavily validates and appreciates their posts. [1]

Context of Their Information

• Practical Metal Detecting & General Advice: Other community members frequently agree with and back up DizzyDigger's advice on practical treasure hunting—such as targeting historical properties or searching around wells, cisterns, and stacked stone foundations. [1]
• Grounded and Realistic Perspective: DizzyDigger is known for advocating traditional "boots-on-the-ground" hard work, research, and technical proficiency over shortcuts or gimmicks. They regularly engage across a variety of subforums ranging from general discussion to geophysics and metal-detecting techniques. [1, 2, 3]
• Community Validation: Because TreasureNet is an open, peer-reviewed hobbyist forum, any inaccurate or misleading claims are quickly called out by other experienced detectorists. DizzyDigger’s consistently high reaction scores and conversational engagement show a sustained track record of crowd-sourced credibility. [1, 2, 3, 4]

********************************************************************************************************

Amazingly accurate in some respects, but also full of BS, just like me...

That AI is some scary stuff...damn near spooky.

 

[Gene Mean]

That must have felt a bit creepy, even though correct. Ai probably knows where you live and can probably figure out your fave pub with phone location info.

 

[BAW]

Now I know how Rodney Dangerfield must have felt. When l described myself as road kill along the information highway, RobertK sent a reply with a green symbol which, as I understand it, means “I agree”, and when I figured out how to ask google AI’s opinion of my performance it said “ The only true and accurate statement baw ever made was the time he said ‘Guilty, your honor’”.

I don’t get no respect.

 

[robertk]

When l described myself as road kill along the information highway, RobertK sent a reply with a green symbol which, as I understand it, means “I agree”,

Well actually in this case it meant “I feel the same way.” Information highway road kill. (Like the song says .. in the end, we’re all just chalk lines on the concrete.)

 

[PenguinDetectsCA]

This is crazy, what AI gave me


Red-Coat's reputation on TreasureNet comes less from punchline-style jokes and more from a recognizable combination of deep knowledge, dry humor, and polite skepticism. Some recurring "classic Red-Coat" themes that longtime members often associate with him include:

Classic Red-Coat Traits

The gentle reality check
A thread begins with someone convinced they've found a rare treasure.
Red-Coat calmly explains it's a common object, often with historical context and no sarcasm.

Meteorite skepticism
He has repeatedly pointed out that most suspected meteorites are not meteorites.
His "meteorwrongs" remark became memorable because it perfectly summarized countless identification threads.

The encyclopedia answer
A member posts an obscure token, coin, button, or artifact.
Red-Coat identifies it, provides a date range, explains its use, and often adds historical background.

Understated British humor
Comments such as "How interesting" or "I couldn't be absolutely sure..." often precede highly authoritative explanations.

The Stradivarius analogy
In his "Expert vs Amateur" thread, he used a humorous story about violin experts and amateurs to illustrate why expertise matters in artifact identification.

 

[ISmellGold]

Yeah right, Terry Sollomon, that guy owes me money. 🤣

 

[Red-Coat]

This is crazy, what AI gave me


Red-Coat's reputation on TreasureNet comes less from punchline-style jokes and more from a recognizable combination of deep knowledge, dry humor, and polite skepticism. Some recurring "classic Red-Coat" themes that longtime members often associate with him include:

Classic Red-Coat Traits

The gentle reality check
A thread begins with someone convinced they've found a rare treasure.
Red-Coat calmly explains it's a common object, often with historical context and no sarcasm.

Meteorite skepticism
He has repeatedly pointed out that most suspected meteorites are not meteorites.
His "meteorwrongs" remark became memorable because it perfectly summarized countless identification threads.

The encyclopedia answer
A member posts an obscure token, coin, button, or artifact.
Red-Coat identifies it, provides a date range, explains its use, and often adds historical background.

Understated British humor
Comments such as "How interesting" or "I couldn't be absolutely sure..." often precede highly authoritative explanations.

The Stradivarius analogy
In his "Expert vs Amateur" thread, he used a humorous story about violin experts and amateurs to illustrate why expertise matters in artifact identification.

OK... this is getting spooky now.

 

[DizzyDigger]

OK... this is getting spooky now.

Agreed. So, you ask Google AI the question, and in 3-5 seconds it has scanned TNet's database
of over 2 MILLION posts, and then puts together a shockingly accurate synopsis (including
character traits) and provides it back.

Signed,

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

seems to depend on the AI. try running 'is dizzydigger a reliable source of information on treasurenet.com?' in duck AI. About the same result as for anyone.

'I can’t verify that DizzyDigger is reliably accurate as a source on TreasureNet.com—TreasureNet appears to be a user-driven forum, and posts there are not systematically fact-checked.

What you can do to judge reliability for anything specific they say:

Look for clear evidence (photos, measurements, location context, consistent detector settings, dates).
Check whether claims are replicated by other members (not just one-off agreement).
Compare their advice to manufacturer documentation or more established references when it’s technical.
Be cautious with extraordinary claims (very old coins, “found X” without supporting detail, hard-to-verify assertions).

If you paste a specific DizzyDigger post or claim, I can help you evaluate how strong the evidence is and what to cross-check. '

 

[BAW]

I just discovered that if you ask google AI about your reputation on treasure net.com and then ask the same question in the exact same words a few seconds later you will get two different answers. In some cases the second answer will be the exact opposite of the first one. I think I just learned how much reliance can be put in AI.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Now you made me do it! I like the "brutally honest" part! So true! I do tend to be a little too honest in my comments!


On TreasureNet.com, user FreeBirdTim is considered a highly active, knowledgeable, and reliable source of practical information for metal detecting, relic identification, and hobby advice. [1, 2, 3, 4]
However, it helps to break down exactly where his expertise shines versus where you should take his claims with a grain of salt: [1]
Where he is highly reliable:

• Metal Detecting Techniques: With decades of experience as a builder and a veteran detectorist, his practical advice on field techniques, gear maintenance, and machine settings is highly respected. [1, 2]
• Relic ID: He actively helps the community by identifying items like coins, relics, and historic artifacts. [1, 2, 3]
• Hobby Honesty: He is known for being brutally honest about the reality of the hobby, often warning newcomers against buying expensive equipment that they don't yet need. [1, 2]