OMG OMG OMG Alot of SILVERRRRRRRR Cant Believe how MUCHHH

[Tonytone1437]

Ok so i was just driving around today trying to find a New MD'ing spot when i saw this Older looking house in the distance of a Field, so I drove down the driveway to see if i could get permission to MD his property.

Knocked on the Door and a Older gentlemen came to the door probably in his early 70's or so, So i asked the man if there was anyway i would be able to metal detect on his property, and he said sure no problem. So i started talking to him, asking him about the age on the house and what not, He told me it was built in the late 1800's, but shortly after he told me that he said there use to be a Old house about 100 yards behind his house that was built in the early 1700's and that it burnt down in 1920's, So i asked him how he knew the old house was there back then and he told me that his parents are the ones that built his house and use to take care of the older family that lived in the 1700's home. So I told the man Thank you and that i would fill all my holes that I dug and went about my way.

So first things first go to the spot where the 1700's house was. First thing i Dug up was a old bottle with the lid still on. about 5 minutes go by when i got a Huge hit down about 7 inches, it was a Huge Spoon, wasn't positive that it was silver cause it didn't say sterling on the back. So was kinda thinking it wasn't silver, about 2 foot next to that hole was another spoon but it was just the Handle, so I threw it in my back back and kept going, Next thing you know I get another Huge Hit, again it was Another Huge Spoon, I couldn't believe it. About another 4 foot away I got another Huge hit it was a Sterling Silver Candle Stick Holder, so I kept going but wait the same hole I just dug for the Candle Holder was another Huge hit it was the Matching pair the the other Candle Stick Holder. So I kept going hoping to find some coins and some more silver but Nothing except some Square nails and a old iron Hinge. So I start making my way back to the car when I see the Old man walking toward me. Right before he started to ask me a Question I got another Huge hit. Old man said to me Well aren't you gonna dig it, I looked at him and said yea cause i knew it was something Silver about 10 inches down it was another Huge spoon but this one was Messed up i thing I hit it with my shovel when i was trying to start my Hole. The old guy looked at me and said boy if i would have known there was silver on my property i wouldn't have given you permission to hunt it, I said to him how do you know it was silver, He Replied, that was my dads shape he use to make sterling silverware. At this time my heart is RACING cause he didn't know I found the other Big Spoons or the Candle Stick Holders. I thought he was gonna take the spoon I found in front of him but he didn't. I even Offered it to him as a sign of saying thanks for letting me MD there and he said, no that's OK you keep it but i don't want you back over here Madding anymore cause he wanted to find all the other silver buried in his back yard. I felt like someone Stepped on Chest and Ripped it out..... So i just started gathering my things up and started heading back to the Truck....

As I drove away from the Old Mans House and my FAVORITE new MD'ing Site that I could no longer dig at I pulled over on the side of the road and started looking at all these spoons and Candle Stick Holders, Still Convinced that this Spoons weren't Sterling Silver I went to a local Coin shop to have them Tested...... I couldn't believe what my ears Heard, Yup they are Silver I only took 1 in with me and didn't even think about getting it Weighed or anything and Went home......

Got back to my house and pulled out the Tarn X and started cleaning the Spoons. They shined up really nice.

At the end of the Day i got 3 1/2 Silver spoons that are 9 inches long and 2 Candle Stick Holders that are 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches.

I'm going to the Bed Bath and Beyond Store in a little while to buy a Scale so i can Weigh Everything ill let everyone know how much it Weighed

Thanks for Reading and Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year..........................TONY

 

[gleaner1]

Is it marked? My offer is very good assuming the stuff aint marked.

 

[Jonathan James]

I'm glad this did not happen in my hometown. Not only did the homeowner loose respect for you, he has lost respect for every future responsible MDer that tries to gain permission.

I think you should stop by and try to regain his respect. And please,,,,,, post his comments.

 

[Roland58]

I will refrain from making any character judgements, but, I do have to say that it is hard to think about the possibility that someone could have lost a genuine friendship with a perfect stranger for less than $400 worth of silver. I guess it all just depends on how much value one places on a friend.........even a potential friend.

 

[gleaner1]

Try 207 beans. Assuming solid sterling. Which is a terribly foolish assumption, even at 64.45 points.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Buy some Bubble Bath while your at Bed Bath and Beyond, and wash your mouth out with soap.
Leave the GD out of your story too, that shouldn't be allowed to be written in a post.
Honesty is the best policy in this hobby.
Go back and tell the truth, bad karma.

That's what my good buddy John Walter used to say. Yup. Yup. Yup.

 

[Joe Hoo?]

Here is what matters....

1. He politely asked for permission to hunt.
2. He got permission to hunt.
3. Homeowner not only gave him permission to hunt, but pointed out where an older homestead use to be located.
4. When homeowner was present during last spoon recovered he was offered the spoon and declined the offer.
5. Homeowner not only did not want the last spoon found, he did not even ask if there were any other finds.

I don't have as much a problem with what someone thinks, as with what their actions are....


great finds............. HH

 

[dfx willy]

well the best thing i heard here was go back with a second detecter and see if he wants to hunt and leave it up to him what he wants to give you.willy has spoken!!

 

[jeff of pa]

you keep it but i don't want you back
over here Madding anymore cause
he wanted to find all the other
silver buried in his back yard.

Bummer & LOL !

What type of person is he ?
is there a chance he may get upset
by being pested, after he already
told you this ?

Does he Know where you Live ?
or at least have your Number ?


Do you have his address ?
a $20.00 Gift certificate,
for a local restaurant
stuck in the mail with a Thank you !
Your Phone Number & A small note your
available For his place, or any other he may think of,
may be worthwhile.

You can hope he changes his mind,
Or calls for Detecting Lessons.
Perhaps You can strike up a deal
with him then.

Definately Put this in your "Keep an eye on site"
if at some point he dies & / or the place goes up for auction
perhaps the next owner will Let you hunt.

Congrats on the Score !

 

[bootyhoundpa]

nice finds..... i always negotiate the 50-50 split prior to the hunt... helps avoid controversy....

 

[Michellets]

Ok...it's not always about the booty that you dig... for instance I think that I would have given him everything that I found and been totally up front with him. In this case it could have paid off in spades! I found some old silverware at a house once... a little ways off in the field. Turns out that the persons mother was living alone in the house and someone (probably kids} broke in and stole a bunch of stuff.... I gave it to her... she was soooo happy that she told me I could come back anytime, even if she wasn't around.... and the house was built in 1723......another time I detected at some property where the house dated back to the early 1700's.... the people had meticulously restored the house to it's original condition and kept all the old locksets on the door. They had also started a display of items they had found on the property while excavating. They were specific about how if I found anything that they would really like to keep it with the property, and I detected anyway..... I found a few coins, but the biggest find was an old key that I found that worked in the front door!!! They were absolutely ecstatic.... and I felt pretty good about it.... sometimes I'll still stop by and detect there. It's about what you find, how you find it, and what it means.... not just to yourself.... HH M.

 

[steelheadwill]

Nice Finds,
Imagine what else is there.
I myself wouldn't be too concerned about the bullion value, that doesn't compare to the opportunity of much greater historical finds on this obviously virgin 18th century
SILVERSMITHS homesite. just think of how many coins people brought there to convert to Wares, how many were dropped or cached!
The idea of a gift certificate ($50 at least!) & thank you note is a great one.
tell him about the initials on the flatware! offer to show him how to MD!
IMO, scrapping out that silver would be a loss for all involved, except the buyer.
I agree that the offer of all His Fathers Silver found given to him is a great one.
there are doubtless many other finds waiting there.
HooWee, I wish I came across that opportunity, you are extremely fortunate.
that property is probably the best site you'll come across.

 

[jamesbibb]

I know that it is neat stuff to find especially in that scale, but his family was the silversmith and those candle stick holders you should return to his family especially since they are a matched pair and in good shape-all your going to do is get shafted by someone when you try to sell them for budwiser money. I have returned 1000,s of dollars in silver and gold back to homeowners that came form their yards. Its one thing if you dig it in the woods but this stuff was in his yard come on man!

 

[calisdad]

Easy to get caught up in the moment but ya blew it.
We call it stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime, and I'm not just speaking monetarily here.
Now every time you go by or think about that place its going to eat at you, because you know you just scratched the surface.
I too think he ended up testing you.
Ya blew it.

What now?

 

[crazyjarhead]

I think at this point it's kind of late to go back now. After all, he doesen't know what you hauled off. Trying to go back after the fact could turn against you. I think that you did the right thing by "GAINING PERMISSION" by asking him. If he wants t be an "Indian giver" after he said, "GO AHEAD" well then maybe you should just forget about ever going back. I'm sure there are other scenerio's that could be played out in other's mind but I'm just speaking from me

 

[djm of PA]

Congrats on some awesome finds! This man gave you permission to detect and didn't ask for anything, so if my opinion you did NOTHING wrong. I would, however, be going back and trying to barter my way back on that land. Don't mind the negativity you will get from some.....I'm sure they don't claim their finds on their taxes, try to track down the owners of everything they find or turn over all finds to the landowners. People are quick to criticize when you have found something so significant. Happy holidays and best of luck getting back on that land, looks like it would be worth a 50/50 split or even a lump sum of cash for detecting permission.

 

[schoser]

My feeling is that he was watching you the whole time and wanted to see what kind of person you are and what you were looking for or finding. He probably knew or had a feeling that there had to be something good buried back there. I know how it must have felt to be able to hunt a possibly virgin piece of ground and then actually finding some good stuff, but knowing the owner is around would have made me real cautious of my actions on the first hunt or any hunt, for that matter. You might have screwed the pooch on this one bro by trying to be secretive about what you found when he could have possibly been spying on you the whole time. I'm not trying to get on yah about anything cuz i know it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a sweet hunt...so all i can do is parrot what others have said in that maybe just maybe if you go back with a peace offering of some kind or give up the loot to him that you found...he MIGHT change his mind. I like the idea of bringing another machine for him to use...that could work. But don't expect anything! Most likely he'll tell you to get lost now. Anyhow...lessons learned huh?

 

[Jonathan James]

Got a scenario for ya,
You invite a friend over to watch the game. In the meantime he finds a $100 bill in in between your couch cushions. He sticks it in his pocket hoping you are unaware of his find. Is that a "real" friend or a snake in the grass. Just think about how you'd feel about the situation or the character of that person.

Not judging you Bro, but a word of wisdom. The elderly are far more valuable than any map or book. He had stories he could have shared with you that would have been priceless. You probably could not imagine the doors he could have opened for you.
I don't detect or own detectors to "get rich", sometimes it's what you don't find that's the greatest.

 

[thrillathahunt]

I always say "let your conscience be your guide". A story comes mind here.

A man I know a while back purchased a large "sealed" plastic bag of junk silver and foriegn coins from an old man who owned an antique store in a neighboring town. After purchasing the bag he asked if he could dump the coins out on a table there at the store and quickly look through them.
As he spread the contents of the bag out on the table, he noticed a very large and ornate custom made gold man's ring, easily weighing well over an ounce. Upon close inspection of it he noticed the owner's last name inside the ring.

What did the man do? Well, he immediately walked over and showed the owner the ring and asked if it was supposed to be sold with the coins. The owner turned white as a ghost! As he held it in his hands he explained how he had his late mother's gold jewelry melted down years ago and made into this "Lion's head" ring that he had thought he had lost!

Without hesitation, the man who bought the bag said, "It's yours, I would'nt feel right keeping it now anyway."

How many of us would have just walked away?

 

[jeff of pa]

Got a scenario for ya,
You invite a friend over to watch the game. In the meantime he finds a $100 bill in in between your couch cushions. He sticks it in his pocket hoping you are unaware of his find. Is that a "real" friend or a snake in the grass. Just think about how you'd feel about the situation or the character of that person.

Did the Friend ask me if he could Search my Couch ?
Did I say Sure Go ahead.

Did I ask what "All" he found ?

[mod]Warning ! Although I Think he should
have kept it a Secret here also,
He Didn't.

But this Dosn't give members the right
to pass Judgement.[/mod]

 

[GL]

I'd have shown it to him and offered to help him find the rest, you could've been digging silver for weeks with him telling you all about it as you found it. I sorta like the finding more than the keeping anyway. Especially if it was on a old mans family land.

Nice load of shiny stuff though!