The Mark of the Detectorist

[Ricardo_NY1]

I've read through a few posts today regarding hunted out sites, hard to find silver coins and an idea just shot through my head. I'm going to share it with you and we can all input thoughts on it. How do we know how many people have been through a site? Or what has been found? The beach guys I hear usually leave drag marks/lines that can tell another detectorists about their presence. But what about the land dwellers? What if every time we went over a site, wether or not we found anything, we left, say a penny with three holes. The next guy will eventually run into it and he'd bury it back and perhaps place another of his own a foot away. And the third guy might actually find both, bury his own third back and whoever finds that will surely know that the place has been hit. A corteousy, a I was here mark, whatever it can be thought of as, I'm suprised we don't have a universal I am a metal detectorist and I was here mark. Maybe it's a corny idea. But just a thought.

 

[bakergeol]

I remember in the old days of cache hunting you left several tin cans placed inside each another. This would indicate that you had found and retrieved the cache.

Actually what would be more fun is to leave a small time capsule. A very small bottle with an AL screw cap with a message. Invite them to rebury it with their message added.

Yep it sounds corny but hey we detectorists were never a part of the "in crowd" anyway.

George

 

[seas1to2]

what does it matter if someone else was there.Nobody is going to find it all, even on the beach, you can hunt right behind somebody that leaving drag marks in the sand an you will still find something.As far as parks go the Idea is to leave the place as if no one has ever been there.Even if someone came up to me an said I just hunted this park yesterday,I would say well I am hunting it today . I have a park down the road from me that a guy its every week. Its only maybe 1 1/2 acre in size, I dug a 1937penny last week there 5" down, but this small park has been hunted 100's of times.

 

[Ricardo_NY1]

Seas, the idea is not to discourage anyone from hunting the site, or as a "I was here and took everything there is to find so don't waste your time" message. Simply the same way some might leave time capsules or a little something for someone else to find one day as a message that they were there. Re-burying a coin would not make a mess out of a place. Ever found something that might have belonged to someone who is a MDetectorist? I read a story here about a guy who found someone's digging knife. Now that must be a different feeling of a find than finding a regular knife right? What about finding a coin knowing some detectorist in the past left it there? People could even choose a coin dated the year for more detail. These are just thoughts. Nothing more.

 

[seas1to2]

then how about a small plastic bottle with a metal odject inside with a note, time,date an year,maybe even -e-mail

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I appreciate your concern, but a site is never detected out. Soil conditions change, sweep passes may leave gaps - side to side and while walking we seldom fully overlap even our own prior passes, discrimination masks and ground balances change or are different between different detectors. Techniques are different, people get tired and patience runs out.

I hunt the same nearby park on my lunch breaks from work and I've found coins at all depths in areas I've swept over before, and I'm not the only MD who frequents the park.

 

[Ray S ECenFL]

If you did leave something behind to mark you find, there would ALWAYS be that ONE GUY who will come in behind you and just take it ALL. Some people are like that, but your idea is a noble one.



Happy Hunting

 

[RainDog]

I see where you are coming from Ricardo. I have thought about buying a few Mercs from that guy at the flea market and leaving one when I detect a spot just to make someones day. Or stamp a brass tag with initials and the date just to blow someones mind. Once I picked up all the pull tabs and can slaw that was left by another MD'er on top of the ground and then reburied them with a penny on top.
HH RainDog

 

[Night Stalker]

Good idea, but like the others said, some people would not play fair and just take it all.....

HH/NS

 

[Salvager]

You could put http://forum.treasurenet.com with your user name in the bottle/capsule as well if you didn't want to leave your actual email. That way there is a way to have a discussion about certain places. (when you hunted what you found etc).

Wish I knew who was hunting all my local parks-would love to hear what they find! As I keep finding litterally NOTHING! Not even rubbish!

Have fun,
Salvager

 

[paul1410]

A neat idea for sure. Don't leave anything of value, that would just encourage someone to take it. Perhaps a sealed container with a note inside explaining what it is, and inviting them to leave/add their name and date (or TN name) for the next MDer.