Will the poor economy affect the metal detector hobby?

[Michigan Badger]

Will it affect my permission rate for sites? That's another good question.

What do you think, MB? Will more owners decide that they want to recover any Treasure themselves? Will it be tougher to get permission?

I'd say that's definitely a possibility. Just between you and me I've always wondered why they haven't been digging their own loot. I mean, even if they're not physically able they could have some relative do it.

I've heard of many thousands of dollars in CW relics being dug off some farms in hot key locations. What's really odd is most of these land owners aren't rich themselves.

I guess people just aren't aware of what's coming up out of their dirt.

That's good for us, right?

Badger

 

[BuckleBoy]

I've heard of many thousands of dollars in CW relics being dug off some farms in hot key locations. What's really odd is most of these land owners aren't rich themselves.

I guess people just aren't aware of what's coming up out of their dirt.

That's good for us, right?

Badger

I guess... It has been one of the things that's always bothered me about the hobby.

In light of that fact, it's mighty funny that detectorists get angry when a property owner wants half of the finds.

 

[Michigan Badger]

I've heard of many thousands of dollars in CW relics being dug off some farms in hot key locations. What's really odd is most of these land owners aren't rich themselves.

I guess people just aren't aware of what's coming up out of their dirt.

That's good for us, right?

Badger

I guess... It has been one of the things that's always bothered me about the hobby.

In light of that fact, it's mighty funny that detectorists get angry when a property owner wants half of the finds.

Yes, that's bothered me even for small finds out of somebody's lawn. That's why often I ended up giving the owner everything I dug.

In one case the lady really got happy when I handed her a large silver German coin that had been her husbands. He had brought it back after WWII and soon lost it. I found it where most finds are in yards--directly under the roof overhang of the house. Roof repairs lose lots of coins.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Yes, that's bothered me even for small finds out of somebody's lawn. That's why often I ended up giving the owner everything I dug.

In one case the lady really got happy when I handed her a large silver German coin that had been her husbands. He had brought it back after WWII and soon lost it. I found it where most finds are in yards--directly under the roof overhang of the house. Roof repairs lose lots of coins.

I just gave back some Phillipines Occupation coins that were really cool (I'd never dug anything like them, although I was familiar enough to ID them at the site). The owner's father brought them back.

It's funny you said that about the overhang. BuckleDad always gets right up near the overhang of a house if he can--and he's always made good finds as a result. Never made sense to me till you said that.


-Buckles

 

[Michigan Badger]

It's funny you said that about the overhang. BuckleDad always gets right up near the overhang of a house if he can--and he's always made good finds as a result. Never made sense to me till you said that.


-Buckles

Ya, that's where I dug my best IH's and old silvers. That area is good for lots more too. From the side of the house out about 3 feet is the backfill area. When they refilled around the basements many old toys and tools went in with the dirt. Also coins and knives lost while building the house fell off the roof into that loose backfill dirt.

I've dug old coins way beyond the detector's depth by digging large items in the backfill zone.

That old heavy iron gun I dug last summer came from the backfill area of an old house and was about 24 inches deep. I found it with the Tesoro Silver uMax and 12x10 coil. I've been told it's a very early flintlock pistol. It had been buried so long most of the main parts had long ago rusted away. The overhang area gets lots of rain water and that's hard on buried items.

Anytime I hunt an old house or cellar hole I always work that roof overhang area first.

Badger

 

[Yellow Hammer]

It won't affect me at all. Nuggets are how I keep gas in my boat for a long summer on the river.

 

[Michigan Badger]

It won't affect me at all. Nuggets are how I keep gas in my boat for a long summer on the river.

Good man

 

[Slingshot]

I think with the poor economy you will see more people turn to TH'ing to suppliment their incomes. More people hunting will cause more incidents of the UGLY TH'er, where holes on public property are left unfilled, rudeness to inquisitive people, tresspassing, and property destruction. This will at first cause a big sales boost to the machine manufacturers, but will ultimately affect all of us in a negative way as I'm sure legislation on many levels will attempt to stem the tide of poorly informed TH'ers, and shut down this type of activity. I feel it is up to all of us to try and educate newbies to responcible recovery techniques, and I think the manufacturers of metal detectors have to unite in getting this information into the hands of new purchasers of their equipment, which is very poorly done at the moment in my humble opinion. I personally will never be shut down as I'll don the camo, grab my night vision goggles, machine, and head off into the dark of night for another black bag OP, but I intend to work with everyone as much as possible through these trying times.

 

[DetectorJunkie]

Less detectors are probably being sold, I'm sure.

Someone posted something recently about people not trusting banks and potentially burying their money.
I find this ludicrous and highly unlikely.

Yea i dont think people have money to bury anyway. The Verdict Thumbs down.

 

[baylorhall]

I figure if I am out hunting, I am not in a store shopping! Saving money any way I can,.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I feel it is up to all of us to try and educate newbies to responcible recovery techniques, and I think the manufacturers of metal detectors have to unite in getting this information into the hands of new purchasers of their equipment, which is very poorly done at the moment in my humble opinion.

You're exactly right. The industry needs to take some of the responsibility for this. It is too easy to pull a detector off the WalMart shelf and start swinging irresponsibly.

 

[WV Hillbilly]

I personally think very few people think of metal detecting as a way to make serious money . Most of us know that we're lucky to find enough to pay for the gas we burn . People who already detect & are laid off might get to detect more if they can afford the expense . If a lot of people turn to detecting hoping to make money it won't be long before some of us can get really good deals on slightly used detectors . I know when gas was four dollars + a gallon I didn't go as much .

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

Perhaps.

 

[Jimmy(PA)]

I cant see the economy effecting it much, its not like some hobbies were you have to pay weekly to participate so other then a few bucks for batteries although alot of us use rechargables now and some gas its a free activity. We may see more used detectors popping up on the classifieds for those people in need of money. I use to make nice money detecting school yards when I was a kid, sometimes making 50 bucks a week, of course i rode my bike to detect in those days and had no job so I had plenty of time and no bills so 35-50 bucks was some nice money even thought it only worked out to a few bucks an hour haha.

 

[Lowbatts]

I hear things on the news about the economy, I hear people talking about it, I don't see economic woes anywhere. I see shopping going on as much as ever. I see rush hour traffic at all time highs. I see jobs online and in the paper waiting for takers.

If I didn't want to take on detecting more seriously I'd have a day job, instead of a night job. I might be commuting, though I have learned to loathe it. In short, I worked through the truly bad economy in the late 70's and early 80's and saw opportunities all over the place for those who had what it takes to step up and have a go at it. Same thing as today.

This kid up the street started mowing lawns a couple years ago, now he's got three trucks plowing and a full blown landscaping service and he just turned 20. Business is great now, especially with one or two commercial accounts.

I'm working toward putting my own shingle out, but it takes a pair and I recognize that. I'm working toward a mixed-medium format where I will do the development and mfr and have someone else do the footwork. Just try to consider the possibilities in your area, there may be more than you realize.