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Monday, April 21, 2014

Metal Detector Treasure

caught my eye
 
As I was driving along on Saturday morning, this rig he had caught my eye. His metal detector is attached to the belt and then to his headphones. The bag on his left thigh was full of things he had found. 
 

digging for treasure
 
He uses a large knife to dig for what he hears. Then, he started poking around with something that looked like a radio, the thing lying there by his left leg.
 
 

 
another detector
 
When I asked, he showed me the thing in his hand. He said that once he finds something is in the ground and digs with his knife, he uses this and probes to more accurately find his "treasure." Notice the knife with the yellow end, stabbed into the ground. That is what he used to dig when I was there. 
 

Gold and diamonds
 

This ring must have been a men's size 12 or so. Yes, it is real gold. I am betting the five stones are diamonds. That is a neat haul for one day.
 
I have always wanted a metal detector. When my son was about 11, Santa brought him a metal detector. Santa always brought my children things they never thought of getting. And, I never suggested or mentioned the item beforehand. No, I did not feel them out as to whether they would like the item. He was thrilled beyond belief. I don't think he ever found anything more than a nail, but the possibility was there for him. He enthusiastically tried.
 
Now, I think a metal detector would be difficult for me to manage....sigh. I imagine there are many things to be found in this yard.
 
Your turn
Do you have a metal detector? Do you or did you want one? What have you ever found? 

15 comments:

  1. No metal detector here. I understand that they do really, really well on the beach. Coins, jewellery, watches...
    I suspect that most people are unsuccessful, and some get some pretty spectacular rewards.
    I can remember seeing a program about a man in the UK who found a treasure trove worth millions of pounds. I understand that he and the farmer on whose land he found the treasure were paid out by the Government.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have an AU friend who lives on Bribie Island on the Sunshine Coast of AU. He thinks people who would come to the beach and only listen to the metal detector and look at the ground are missing the point of Paradise.

      It seems that I would want an old coin as part of my reward. That makes me want to find just one coin or something no one would take from me. But, the reward would be great.

      Delete
  2. My kids have one - very basic from cabelas. They've used it in the woods behind the house and the beach at dusk. Found a pocket knife, some quarters, bolts, old keys and quarters. Good entertainment :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My son's detector was very basic, too. 40 years ago, I only had tv to fight. I'm sure they love finding anything, just like my son did.

      Delete
  3. When I was a kid, I was dreaming of having one too :) Maybe, I'll get one for my boys when they are a little older.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lena,
      LOL...I never got to use his. But, I planned to...lol.

      Delete
  4. I borrowed one, when I bought my land, so I could find the steel rods marking the property corners.

    I eventually found the corners, but I also found a few dozen 60 penny spikes, which were the leftovers from a timber road built by oil well drillers decades ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess, Thankfully, my spikes stick up a foot and are painted orange. What did you do with the spikes?

      Delete
  5. Yes I have one. There is nothing in my yard-- not even nails. I feel too self conscious to use it on public property or on someone elses land. My house is only 7 yrs old, and this was farm land before the houses were built. Guess California is too new to find stuff like that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kristine,
      I am sure there is something, just probably not where you looked. Or, maybe you don't have acres to search. CA is older than my house, and there is stuff in my yard. I think the land was settled in this part of the country in the mid 1800s, certainly "newer" than CA.

      Delete
  6. I have one and have found lots of "treasure" and I'm from California. I've found gold in tailings, coins (including a $5 gold piece and many silver dollars) jewelry and junk. I do archaeological digs of old gold mining camps...after hours I dredge or metal detect nearby spots...it's a fun hobby.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lynda,
    So, there is still gold in California. That must be loads of fun. Thanks for this comment. It makes me happy. I wanted to be an archaeologist.

    ReplyDelete
  8. My best friend's husband bought one a few years ago. I don't think he actually uses it much. The one he bought is incredibly advanced. It not only alerts you when you are near metal it can determine the coin denomination before you dig!

    A few weeks ago my cousin's house burned down. His daughter was able to use a metal detector to locate his army awards in the rubble.

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  9. Janet,
    That is one advanced metal detector. I didn't know that they could tell so much about a coin. I will have to remember the use in a fire if a fire ever happens to me or anyone I know. I am glad he got his awards back! Good idea. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I too would like to have a metal detector. I used to, but that was over 30 years ago, and I'm sure they've come a long way since then. I live across a park and people often use metal detectors there, but I guess they don't know how many of them there are, so I'm pretty sure the most any of them find are recently lost coins.

    ReplyDelete

Okay, hoping the annoyances have gone away.