What If You Found A Big Treasure?

[Michigan Badger]

What If You Found A REALLY Big Treasure?

Would you report it, seek all necessary permits, etc., or would you subtly attempt to remove it and keep your mouth shut?

Please tell all.

Okay, I know I'm asking too many questions on here so this will be it for a while. But seriously, I've wondered about this one for years. What if I knew where a Treasure Galleon was sitting on the bottom in 25 foot of water? What if I knew there was a pot of gold buried on Harold?s farm land? What would I do? What would you do?

What say ye?

 

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[gadget1961]

well now that is a good sentence to read, now we all know that if you touch it you daydream of what you can do with such a big wad of money or gold coins or silver , me i would get all of it sit on it sell a little put it in a nest egg and during the time in between get the best dam metal detector that money can buy and go on vacation and just have a hell of a time on the beach, then they think you are doing good just by doing metal detecting. now i have a guy that does me a favor, he finds places of gold or silver using his pendulum and i get the map and with it a big x and now i have to go to find the spot within 100 feet. EXCITING yes some is private land some is not and the rest of the story is history in the makings, down dirt roadsboating to deserted islands , walking in the forest ,what a site, shovel in one hand metal detector in another and the map im just haveing the time of my life, but i can only do it when im not working ,any luck i cant tell , if i do then it wont be interesting or like a pirate treasure hunt like i said this is my dream you make your own youll feel better

 

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[littlehugger]

I would keep my mouth shut, and pay my bills off with it, over time. Then invest it in various accounts and retire.
One member states he found two treasures totalling $100k. Thats a lot to most of us. Depending on the circumstances, it could cause all kinds of problems. With friends, family, parasites, government agencies, IRS, on to infinity.
This poster got to keep most of his money, but there have been times where honest detectorist have done everything right, found a terrific treasure, and had it taken from them "legally"
A certain case involving a Spanish treasure ship comes to mind. The treasure hunters did all the work, then Spain filed suit in court and took it.
And thats not the worst of it. You could face criminal penalties. And if the state has something to gain. they will be very motivated to find something to justify appropriating your gain.
Why give the thieves that pass as politicians motivation? Why make yourself a target? If a gold coin sells for $700, and you have a chestful, why not just sell them, take the gain, and be satisfied?
Generally, I am successful enough to pay for my detectors, and batteries. But if you found something truly valuable, why make yourself a target?
Mums the word
Nowadays, being "honest" about it only gets you stabbed in the back.

 

[tallpaul]

well iam an honest person,, but hey when you find a stash,, its finders keepers iam afraid,, i would never let my great find go out of my sight,,, there was a guy over here not to long ago gave two nice saxon swords he found over to the museum for them to be valued independently,, lol they went missing "oh we,ve miss-placed them" lol,, eh can you believe it, that woke me up, ive found some good things in my time theyd love to get there filthy hands on,, but they wont,, if i hit the big cahonnie one,, then id declare a small portion and the rest would be sold, ive not hunted all these years gettin my hands ripped and torn for some goverment liason officer to suck in my wealthy finds,, if they want some i say get out and detect, another thing that happens here alot well all the time really is if you find anything like 300 years old that treasure here if theres more than 1 or so,, and its reported, and awaiting vaueation,, thats when the archies move in on that land and is put on shcedualled hold, so no one else can detect on the land it sucks real bad, they tear the hell outa the place,, and they say were bad for diggin small holes lol,,, keep your loot guys, better in your pocket than theres,,....

 

[ZumbroKid]

What do you consider a big treasure? Two drunks will fight over the last swig in a bottle.

 

[Kentucky Kache]

What do you consider a big treasure? Two drunks will fight over the last swig in a bottle.?

That all depends. Jim Beam or the cheap stuff?

 

[greenswinger]

If I found a million or so dollars..would pay as many of my bills as possible . The rest will have to wait till I find more money . WILL DETECT FOR FOOD......CALL BR549

 

[Michigan Badger]

? ?If I found a million or so dollars..would pay as many of my bills as possible . The rest will have to wait till I find more money .? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ?WILL DETECT FOR FOOD......CALL BR549

LOL! Good one!

Last night I dreamed a friend dug a gallon jar full of 1857 silver coins while putting in a fence.

By the time I heard the story and got to his house he had already sold all the coins for just over face value.

I got so ticked at him that it woke me up.

This is the last time I'll have three pieces of pie before hitting the sack.

 

[Michigan Badger]

What do you consider a big treasure? Two drunks will fight over the last swig in a bottle.?

To me, a BIG treasure is a treasure BIG enough to convince my family that this really is a worthwhile endeavor.

 

[ZumbroKid]

That could be a single item to some or lots of little ones added up.

 

[IrishCharlieM]

What if the REAL value of the find was the historical aspect of it...

Lets say you find a cache of gold coins and jewelry in a burried crate 18 inches down between to magnolia trees beside a mill dating back to 1735....it would certinly have a great value

But let's say that cache was Jefferson Davis's personal family fortune burried while fleeing the Federals.....Would it be worth more to a CW confederate collector than the market value of the metal. Than you have to anounce your find and reveal the location.

Or would you split it up sell it on ebay and be happy with market metals value and KEEP your mouth shut. .

 

[stoney56]

If it was a really big treasure, say in the 5 to 6 figures, then only 3 would know-----me, the detector, and my little old shovel.

 

[Michigan Badger]

I think it depends on the constitution of the finder. I mean, if one is not able to handle extremely negative and hostile situations or if one is near a higher tax bracket, well, probably the slow sell-off routine on ebay would be best for most any find.

If one is able to face up to big-time fury and is able to risk losing the whole pile, well then the declaring route (with publicity) might be the way to go.

In the final analysis I guess it would all depend on many variables.

And too, if you advertise an item on ebay as originally belonging to some famous (or infamous) person, a surprising number of bidders will probably believe you.

 

[Sandman]

When you find the big ones, you have to keep silent. I don't even tell close friends remembering the time the IRS visited me due to a "tip" they got from a "friend." Sell it off slow and keep records just in case. Don't for get detector sales slips and mileage.

Gold bars from the shipwreaks are the hardest to unload and are worth more whole. But more questions are raised this way. Most jewerly is easy to sell as is or have melted down. If you give anything nice to the love of your life, or your wife, tell her to just say you bought it for her.

Hope everyone finds the big ones,

Sandman

 

[Michigan Badger]

And then there's the problem of WHERE the treasure was found. If you found it on someone else's property it's rightfully their treasure unless an ironclad contract was setup beforehand.

But then what's to stop a landowner from taking all the treasure and telling you to get lost? What proof would you have that a treasure was even found in the first place? It would be their word against yours.

The shared treasure thing would only work when all parties involved are persons of integrity or there is some other strong force in action (blood relation, etc.).

Money does strange things to people. If we're talking a few thousand dollars that's one thing. If the treasure is worth millions--that's another. Publicize that kind of find and everybody who ever saw a picture of the general area will lay claim to the treasure.

Yep, I agree, in most situations best keep it to yourself and slowly liquidate the treasure.