Special finds..is it about the history, or perceived value of the find?

[DizzyDigger]

There's a certain rush that comes with finding something special..be it a piece of a buckle worn by a valiant soldier on the field of battle, a silver coin from centuries past, or that elusive gold ring found in the surf.

What motivates you to head out into the field, filled with hope of that next find? I know many of us ain't so young any more; joints get stiff with arthritis, and things like knees don't bend so well any more. Still, we go.

So, is that motivator the potential value, or the history itself of the item, and how it came to be where it was found?

 

[creskol]

For me, it's the history an item represents. I can get equally thrilled digging a beautiful rose-head nail as I can digging a gold coin.

 

[robertk]

Definitely the history. Every object has a story, and it's fun discovering it, or imagining what it might be.

 

[fishstick]

DEF the history!! Finding something that helps tell more of my local past is the fuel for the fire!

 

[pa plateau hiker]

Coins don't tell the life of a person, I have no interest in digging for coins. I dig relics, the story behind the person. Example, years ago I was digging an old mine town and uncovered a baby buggy wheel. I sat down and admired this wheel, picturing the mother struggling, pushing the buggy over uneven ground, no sidewalks or roads in the town. I brought the buggy wheel home and knew I had to find the other. It took 8 months to find the other and have both in my collection.

 

[Mackaydon]

Now 82, my motivation today differs from when I was in my 30s and 40s. Today, my primary motivation is to stay healthy--and MD is one means to that goal. Admittedly, in the past I may have discarded finds that I didn't have the incentive to determine its historic or educational value. Now I realize that the value of finding a coin worth (say) $10 pales to the value of finding an object with historic or educational value.
So seeking 'wellness' is my motivator and finding something of value is the 'icing on the cake'.
Don in SoCal.

 

[sibbley]

I like the story the items tell. I'm in the process of unraveling the history of my property with each relic I dig. I dig everything...

 

[Blackfoot58]

I would rather dig a rough Indian Head Penny than a new valuable coin. The history means a lot to me. I love my buckles, harness iron and horseshoes. Old toys are my very favorite; regardless of condition.

 

[sprailroad]

The thrill of discovery? the "You just never know?" what you might come up with kind of thing? After 35+ years of detecting, I still get the tingle? of nervous fingers when starting a new site in anticipation of hopefully something really good today. Whatever the reason might be, I still detect. Have never done it for profit, I did sell some gold rings about a dozen years ago, and I've been sorry over it ever since. Would rather that I still had them if for no other reason than show and tell. So...It's the thrill of discovery I'd say. It's been a long time hobby/obsession of mine, never a vocation. Only stubborn people stick with, a small little niche group we are, that really do understand each other. Just saying....

 

[Bucketfreak68]

This may seem strange but I liken metal detecting to reading graffiti carved into the inner beams of an old covered bridge where people have carved their names and the dates.
There is one not far from me that dates way back and some of the names and dates go way back.
Some might take exception to that but I start to wander what type of vehicle they were in when they stopped and carved their names into that beam on the bridge.
And I think in the same terms when I find something out in a field that I know dates further back than a couple decades.
So I guess history will always have more intrinsic value than the actual metal an object it made from.
Though on the other hand the art used on an old silver coin is nice and anyone who says its not is only lying to themselves.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Seems there's a consensus..

A confession..I have not gone detecting for a number of years. Why? Damn good question, as I look in awe every day at the finds that are made, and consider the rich history they provide.

Need to get back out there before my carcass stops functioning. If so, I'll first need to change detectors, as what I have now is the Fors Gold (Pro Pack), which has got maybe 4-5 hrs. of use. It's a killer gold machine, but just isn't really suited to parks, etc. I'll have to see what it's value might be, and maybe trade up to a decent coin/relic machine.

Got an itch to go find some history...my county has been inhabited for over 10,000 years, with the white man's first settlement about 1860. Gotta be something out there I can find.

 

[Ed_DE]

I'm just a metal detectorists who caught the metal detecting bug when I got my first metal detector at about 12 years old. I do most my metal detecting in the woods or parks. Never found anything that has monetary value like gold or diamond rings. I'm happy just finding a button or buckle or some silver coins. Being out in the woods swinging around a old house foundation. Enjoying the surroundings around me.

I was in a park and somebody walking their dog ask me if I find any gold rings. I said no I just find clad coins & pull tabs. I said I just enjoy taking my metal detector out for a walk. He looked at me like I had two heads & walked away. But that pretty much sums up metal detecting for me.

 

[ToddsPoint]

For me it was coins. I started collecting with my folks in 1958. I got my first detector in ‘81 and found lots of coins when I lived in town. I moved out here in the sticks 30 yrs ago and started hunting old farm sites that are long gone in search of coins. Much to my surprise there are few coins on these old farms. So now I’m a relic collector though not by choice. I certainly don’t have the motivation I once had living in the city.

 

[Blackfoot58]

My first machine was bought around 1970. I was 12 years old and all about coins. I found quite a lot for being in a very small town. I remember finding my first set of “cow kickers”. I didn’t know what they were. A farmer told me. I then realized non-coin items could be fun and interesting too. Gotta remember, I’m an old dump digger, so I’m driven by “junk” not nickels.

 

[pepperj]

Grew up collecting, looking for arrowheads even before preschool along the river.
Got into detecting 55 yrs ago, having the thrill of that high tone still resinates as strong in the inner soul as it did 5 decades ago.
Back in the late 70's I was in a rehab centre after the schedule ended for the day I'd go out detecting everyday till way after dark.
Therapy for the hand, the digging, the swinging of the Coinmaster.
The thing that really is rewarding is I forget the world, and problems, issues, stresses, hurts.

I go out detecting when a loved one has passed, find a special something, and that find brings me back to their life when we use to share the love of hunting together.

A neighbour that came upon me while I was digging dirt at a cellar hole along a backroad.
I explained to her that if my house had burnt that very morning it wouldn't be on my mind when I detect-now where else can one find such treasure in life.

The hard dump digging days are going fast, but the thrill of even thinking about doing one still burns deep.
Now that urban detecting is well past, the coinage wains dramatically as well, though it's a welcomed sight still for these older eyes.
The little off beat items that are not valuable, but different brings the thoughts of history.

 

[creskol]

My girlfriend and I got into detecting back in 1968 with kit-built detectors we made in a high school electronics class. She was the best hunting partner I have ever had. Sadly she was killed by a drunk driver in 1973. I still miss her more than anything.

 

[TORRERO]

The thrill of discovery? the "You just never know?" what you might come up with kind of thing? After 35+ years of detecting, I still get the tingle? of nervous fingers when starting a new site in anticipation of hopefully something really good today. Whatever the reason might be, I still detect. Have never done it for profit, I did sell some gold rings about a dozen years ago, and I've been sorry over it ever since. Would rather that I still had them if for no other reason than show and tell. So...It's the thrill of discovery I'd say. It's been a long time hobby/obsession of mine, never a vocation. Only stubborn people stick with, a small little niche group we are, that really do understand each other. Just saying....

This seems to be more the way I feel, like I have found something nice or incredible and I am driven to keep looking for more, or to see if or what I can find in a place that has been hunted by others and the thrill of saying that I got something else that someone missed. Obviously I like the historical value of my finds, alway nice to see an Indian head penny over a zinc penny any day, but most of the time, it really feels like.. WOW look what I've found now lets see what the next item I can find will be... Because at the end of the day these finds whether they are a zinc penny or Gold ring or Roman coin or early American coin, they go into my collection box, where they stay because I can't part with them but then I don't ever look at them again, but want to go out tomorrow and see what else I can find... All those wonderful things I have found might be worth $1000 but they are not worth anything sitting in a shoeboxSo for me it's the thrill of the hunt and to see what else I can find... I've also been hunting since 1986-7 so almost 40 years ...

 

[blossom]

Has got to be the history for me, i love every little bits we find so much more than the coins!! xx

Every single time we go out, i get such a rush… I honestly feel like metal detecting gives you a hidden super power, walking across an innocent looking field and discovering its previously unknown secrets is mind blowing 😳 xx