Xref: utzoo sci.electronics:7517 rec.misc:1072 Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!texsun!texbell!sequoia!execu!cs.utexas.edu!oakhill!dover!talent From: talent@dover.sps.mot.com (Steve Talent) Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.misc Subject: Re: Metal detecting revisited - hobby that pays for itself Summary: where to look Message-ID: <1726@dover.sps.mot.com> Date: 23 Aug 89 06:50:34 GMT References: <2575@cbnewsc.ATT.COM> Reply-To: talent@dover.UUCP (Steve Talent) Followup-To: sci.electronics,rec.misc Distribution: na Organization: Motorola Semiconductor CAD -- Mesa, AZ Lines: 87 In article <2575@cbnewsc.ATT.COM> parnass@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (Bob Parnass, AJ9S) writes: > > A year has elapsed since I posted questions and an arti- > cle about metal detecting. At that time, a few other > metal detector owners responded with fascinating informa- > tion. I'm not a treasure hunter... my dad is and has found a lot in the past 10 years. > I'm interested in hearing from detectorists about their > activities during the past year. During the past two or three years my dad has been hunting Civil War campgrounds. Part of the excitement is just locating a campground. It takes a fair amount of research and luck. Local libraries (S.W. Missouri) and the National Archives hold an incredible amount of useful information. Letters from officers to their superiors often gave enough information about the surrounding landscape that it is possible today to recognize the areas where they camped. Several times my dad has talked with people living in those areas who could recall stories told to them by their grandparents about the camps in the area. His most exciting find at one of these camps was a $1 gold coin (1864 ?) in mint condition. He has also found a bullet mold, spurs, stirrups, buttons, scabbard tips, other misc., and a couple thousand bullets. Some of the bullets have been carved - e.g., a makeshift chess set, pencils, etc. > > My wife and I started detecting a year ago and now use a > White's 6000 Di Pro Plus with 9.5 inch searchcoil. We > searched at least one day a week last summer. Unfor- > tunately, we've been out only a half dozen times this > summer, during which time we found: > > > engagement ring > sterling silver ring > decorative gold ring (worth about $200) > several Mercury dimes > coins dating back to the turn of the century > a lot of modern coins > paper money, including a $20 bill, > found while "surface hunting" :-) > dog tax license tag from 1923 > Pearl Harbor memorial token > shotgun shells, bullets, pocket knife, US Army compass, > machete, toy cars, etc. > > Have you any new insights since we last discussed this > topic? What have you found this year? What kind of > detector(s) do you use? How big is the searchcoil? Did > you use a trowel, knife, or rod to recover found items? Before hunting Civil War campgrounds, my dad did most of his hunting around old churches - the oldest in Mo. was established in 1820. Many of the sites he has searched were located using old county maps. In the 19th century churches were a very popular place to hold social gatherings. He has found coins dating back to 1824 searching around old churches or where they once stood. Other places he has hunted have been old neighborhoods and areas where old houses were being demolished. About a year ago he and two other hunters shared in a find of about 300 pre-WWII dollars and half-dollars that had apparently been stashed under a fireplace, perhaps by a soldier who didn't return. Last spring he and a friend had good look searching a lake bottom. The lake level had been dropped about 20 feet so repairs could be done at the spillways. They searched in the popular swimming areas and found many rings and bracelets. I don't recall the make of the detector but it has about a 6-8 inch coil, headphones, a meter, and several adjustments. It's made by a guy in TN. When it detects metal, it beeps and the meter moves left or right. The beeps all sound the same to me but my dad can guess what he had found and approximately how deep just by the sound. He uses a small gardeners type hand shovel(trowel) or a camper's type folding spade. He always covers his digging - even in a cow pasture. > >-- >============================================================================ >Bob Parnass, AJ9S - AT&T Bell Laboratories - att!ihuxz!parnass (312)979-5414 -- Steve Talent, Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector CAD Mesa, AZ 602-994-6801, ...!{oakhill, sun!sunburn, uunet}!dover!talent