Would you dig this?

[Escape]

Found a section of water front that was loaded with coins. Dug almost ten dollars in mostly
25 cent coins in an hour and a half. I actually got board digging them up and quit. I was also tired. It seems the local Hindus leave offerings at the waters edge of flowers, food and coins. I seen a fresh offering which the tide had not taken out yet. A couple of dollars in change thrown about it. I left it alone. You almost feel like your taking money out of a fountian. No thrill in the hunt. There could be hundreds of dollars in coins. No plans on going back. It was just to easy. Then again if I do go back, plan to give it all to charity.

 

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[CoilToTheSoil]

I'd be concerned about offending those offering. May be bad juju to snatch up offerings right after they're laid. Maybe akin to taking grave flowers to some.

 

[Escape]

Oit of respect I didn't tuch the fresh offering I seen. They get washed away with the tide. Coins sink into the mud.

 

[CoilToTheSoil]

Eh. An active offering site I would leave alone but that's just me. If its not you someone else will get it im sure.
If it were an old offering site unused by todays people id be more apt to dig it up. Im sure others will have differing opinions. At least for some of us theres plenty of other places to go dig.

What are they offering for?

 

[TheHunterGT]

I have to agree I would probably just move on. Bad mojo/juju/vibes in taking coins left as an offering.

Not really a believer in the whole god thing....but I'm not about to go pissing him off either.

 

[Escape]

What about if the offerings were made of gold? Digging up the coins was boring. If some one needed the money I would not fault them for recovering it. I feel those coins have all ready served there purpose. Just shows you how the challenge of discovery is an important aspect to detecting.

 

[cudamark]

If this is a public beach, I'd have no problem with it. I might even be tempted to bring a shovel and sifter box! After all, someone is going to find it sooner or later. Even wishing wells and fountains get emptied from time to time. If you are going to donate it all to charity, your karma should be safe. If it's a private religious area, I'd leave it alone.

 

[sponge]

I say we bury a screen underneath the sand when no one is around. I heading over there as soon as i finish getting all these coins out of the mall fountain. Hell i was getting hit with coins as i was retrieving them. Go figure.

sent from a sending device

 

[Higgy]

Gotta watch the karma. Keep it rounded - no jaggedy edges.

 

[streetshark1966]

I say dig all the old how do you know that they didn't pray for someone to find and use it as needed

 

[Escape]

I say dig all the old how do you know that they didn't pray for someone to find and use it as needed

My wife said that if it makes them happy leaving it there and it makes you happy digging it up its a win win situation.

 

[SusanMN]

I am with Cudamark, shovel and sifter and get to it. It's gas money and if you don't dig it someone else will.

 

[Nugs Bunny]

My wife said that if it makes them happy leaving it there and it makes you happy digging it up its a win win situation.

Just don't wear the Ronald McDonald costume when you go, the cow is sacred in the Hindu religion. Was I the only one that saw the irony here... lol!

 

[Dave Rishar]

In some areas, there are no laws preventing someone from entering a fountain that people throw coins into and retrieving the coins. Likewise, it's often legal to metal detect in cemetaries, and as far as I can tell it's always legal to look for dates at the abortion clinic.

Legality does not translate to tastefulness. Just because I can, doesn't mean that I want to. Of course, I'm the softie that tries to locate owners for found objects with identifying marks on them. Saps like me are ruining the hobby.

 

[allenkeeton]

sounds like a good idea to get them. the tradition of leaving coins in fountains predates the knowledge of metal toxicity in water supplies.

 

[Higgy]

In some areas, there are no laws preventing someone from entering a fountain that people throw coins into and retrieving the coins. Likewise, it's often legal to metal detect in cemetaries, and as far as I can tell it's always legal to look for dates at the abortion clinic.

Legality does not translate to tastefulness. Just because I can, doesn't mean that I want to. Of course, I'm the softie that tries to locate owners for found objects with identifying marks on them. Saps like me are ruining the hobby.

I like what you are saying about keeping things in good taste, Dave. Coins tossed in a fountain and wished-upon is merely superstitious folly, but tossing coins to the waters for religious symbolism is entirely different. Its a true judgment call. On one hand you could say, "Gosh durn it, Daisy! We done struck it rich! Yeehaw!" On the other hand, the more you know - meaning, the more self-aware that you are, and the larger world view that you have, the more likely that you would be to leave it alone.

Then again, if you are a staunch atheist, you could easily go in and rake it over with no guilty feelings at all. If you were a nihilist, I am sure you would not have a shred of remorse. If you are a person with a strong sense of empathy, and understand the importance of other peoples feelings, I'm sure you'd pass it up.

Paradox. Nobody is right. Nobody is wrong. Follow your heart.

 

[cudamark]

Who's to say that ANYTHING we find wasn't part of some religious or equally important ritual? If I have to figure out the motives of the people who lose/throw out/offer to the gods/etc every single item I find, I may as well quit and start knitting. I have a hard time believing that a coin tossed as a religious offering is forever tainted with a "don't touch" force field around it. If you find a cross or star of David in a park or at the beach, do you rebury it? How about a wedding ring? They are just a symbol after all....kinda like our faith in the value of the coin.

 

[G.I.B.]

Since no one really knows for sure, they could have been making offerings and praying to some clown all along.

So the clown comes along and picks up some coins but not others. People start wondering why their coins were not worthy.

Now you have poor despondent people who tossed coins that were rejected by the clown- how do you think that makes them feel? You could be responsible for unhappy marriages and countless unblessed babies turned into orphans. Do you really want this all on you?

Now go back and get the rest of the coins and restore order in their society.

Save the Babies for Clown's sake already...

 

[Crispin]

Since no one really knows for sure, they could have been making offerings and praying to some clown all along.

So the clown comes along and picks up some coins but not others. People start wondering why their coins were not worthy.

Now you have poor despondent people who tossed coins that were rejected by the clown- how do you think that makes them feel? You could be responsible for unhappy marriages and countless unblessed babies turned into orphans. Do you really want this all on you?

Now go back and get the rest of the coins and restore order in their society.

Save the Babies for Clown's sake already...

This is exactly what is wrong with the world...Clowns. Clowns are walking around throwing perfectly good coins into perfectly good detecting spots and ruining my sense of piety. I don't ask much is this world; just a table to eat at, a place to lay me head down, and a nice beach to detect. Now we got Clowns (CLOWNS!) walking around and worshiping some sort of idol and giving me a guilt trip on detecting what was once a spot to watch a manatee, sting ray, and sanctuary of detecting. Now, I'm digging every other foot, finding nothing but chump change that scares off the pooping Manatees that replenish the bacteria necessary to break down detritus and sustain the ecosystem. Clowns! Clowns I tell you. What is this world coming to?

Thanks GIB,
I personally thank you for the manatees, the stingrays, the clowns, the quarters, the sand, the surf, the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria, the new sound, the rapper, the priests of Hiroshima...now testify!
Once again GIB...you have ruined it for us all.

I'm packing up my game and heading out west...where real women come equipped with scripts and fake breasts. Cowboy baby...riding at night because I sleep all day...

 

[bigfoot1]

I would wear a sierra club tee shirt and clean the place out.If anyone has anything to say just tell them you are removing all those nasty man made coins and jewelry to protect the environment.Then keep every dime of it for your personal use.
You have recycled every item negating the need for the carbon footprint of remanufacturing them.When you get enough,take a day off work further reducing your impact on the universe.

Yup...cleaning that spot out make you a tree hugging hero !!!!Karma will not run over yer dogma.