My Metal Detecting Finds » Lost Treasures

A Look Back At 2009′s Great Metal Detecting Finds

Metal Detecting Man — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:12:26 +0000

These days, it’s great to be a metal detector. With the advancements in technology, ordinary people can make extraordinary treasure find. As we make our way through 2010, lets take a look back at some of great metal detecting finds of 2009.

1) Housewife Finds £250,000 Treasure

Holy Trinity Treasure

A great example of how patience and persistence really pays off! Mary Hannaby was out one day with her son on a metal detecting walk when she found a stamp-sized, golden pendant with a picture of the Holy Trinity on it. She had been metal detecting for seven years in fields and beaches but she had never found anything as substantial as this. The metal detecting find is estimated to be worth more than £250,000 (Over $400,000 U.S.)! Fortunately for her, this trip has become her dream come true!

2) Man finds Anglo-Saxon War Trophies

Anglo-Saxon Hoard

A British man found one of the largest caches of Anglo-Saxon relics ever discovered when he was out detecting on a farm. The relics, which were dated back to the 7th century and included items such as pommel caps and sword hilt collars, are said to have been war trophies. The estimated worth of this find: millions of dollars!

3) Hoard of Iron Age Coins Found

Iron-Age Gold Staters

A team of archeologists made an amazing metal detecting find of Iron Age coins in the UK. 824 gold staters were found in a broken pottery jar and were estimated to be between £500,000 and £1m at the time of their circulation, but are likely to be worth less now. These gold staters date back the late Iron Age and will help highlight the ancient political, economic, and religious importance of the area.

4) First-time Metal Detector Finds worth £1million of Ancient Golden Jewelry

First-Time Metal Detecting Find

Imagine buying your first metal detector and finding a hoard of Iron Age jewelry estimated to be worth £1million! Just one hour into his metal detecting trip, and David Booth made the find that would change his life! The metal detecting finds date back as far as 300 BC and has significantly helped archeologists on their view of Scotland’s ancient inhabitants. A surprised Mr. Booth can think of no other way to spend his new riches than to pay off his car loan! “‘I’d always fancied buying a metal detector, just as a hobby, and I decided to do it. It turned out to be a pretty good investment.” A very good investment indeed Mr. Booth!

5) Father-son Team Finds Buried Viking Treasures

Rare Viking Treasures

After being turned down from searching two farm fields, metal detecting team David Whelan and his son Andrew made an incredible metal detecting find: a hoard of viking treasures valued to be more than £1million! The treasures are said to be dated back to the Viking era, before Anglo-Saxons had taken control of the area. The last time such a find was made was over 150 years ago. The treasure is so rare that it was only the second of its kind in Britain and among six or seven in all of Europe! Andrew Whelan said: “Being keen metal detectorists, we dreamt of finding a hoard but to find one from such a fantastic period of history is just unbelievable.”

6) Stranger with a Metal Detector Finds Wedding Ring of a Couple Married 68 Years

Mary and Ed Marzec

The last metal detecting find is one that is worth more than all the money in the world. Mary Marzec had lost the wedding ring in a field of overgrown grass; the same ring she had worn for nearly sixty years. She scrambled and searched for her ring and couldn’t find it. Heartbroken and crying, she gave up. Fortunately for her, a sheriff’s deputy had been nearby and contacted George Kollmer, a metal detecting enthusiast. Kollmer came out to the field where Mrs. Marzec lost her ring and found it within ten minutes. Kollmer returned the ring to Marzec and was awarded with $50 dollars. Her ring was not only her commitment to her husband, but was a piece of her heart. “If you promise yourself to someone,” she said, “that’s for life.”

With our look back at some great metal detecting finds, we can look forward to a new year of incredible opportunities to have one heck of a time finding great treasures. If you haven’t already, add “Discovering the most important metal detecting find of 2010″ to your New Year’s resolution. Good luck and Good Hunting!

Garrett Ace 250 Finds Civil War Relics In South Louisiana

Metal Detecting Man — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:59:31 +0000

Garrett Ace 250

I was recently asked about a metal detector that’s right for a beginner.

I firmly believe the Garrett Ace 250 is one of the best metal detectors I have ever used and here’s why:

I was treasure hunting with Lrlman recently in the good ol’ southland of Louisiana. We were on the hunt for civil war relics and any other metal detecting finds that we might stumble upon. We specifically wanted to find Louisiana State Seal Belt Buckles. Not the round ones, the rectangular belt buckles. Just one of those bad boys is worth $5000 minimum if sold to the right collector. Why the Louisiana belt buckle? Supposedly, it’s one of the rarest types of civil war belt buckles.

I was using my Ace 250 and walking up and down rows of cut and burnt sugarcane making sure to sweep the detector to cover as much ground as possible. It wasn’t 5 minutes before I hit something.

“Bong”

Bong? That’s usually not a very good sound. The lower and wider the note, the more worthless the target usually is. I whipped out my garden shovel and started digging. My first metal detecting find of the day: a large iron nut. It must have fallen off a sugarcane tractor. I was a bit disappointed, but we forged on.

After re-adjusting the metal detector and eliminating iron, I started anew. In an hour, I found some Civil War relics: confederate bullets and a pont-max medal! Unfortunately, we had to leave early because it had been raining and the ground was too wet to continue.

We went back a few days later and hunted again. It was drier, so we could drive further in. I found a plantation token and about 15,000 aluminum beer cans. Well, not 15,000 but it sure felt like it! It was still too wet to drive by an old fort, but I was invited to go back again to search along the banks of a bayou to find some old encampment sites.

If there’s something in the ground, the Ace 250 will find it. The rest is patience and a little luck.

Here’s the pictures of my metal detecting finds after I dug them up and cleaned them off:

Confederate Bullets
You can see two different confederate bullets and another lead bullet that has been flattened after hitting its mark.

Pont-Max Medal (Front/Back)
Pont-Max is short for Pontifex Maximus and is a religious medal.

Plantation Token 5 Piece (Head/Tail)
Plantation tokens were used to pay slaves so the slaves could only buy from that plantation’s store. This ensured the slaves wouldn’t buy anything from rival plantations. Tokens were also used during the Great Depression as an alternate source of currency. This token says “ALF. BOUDREUX”, “AMBERDOWN” and has a “5″ stamped on the back. There’s other writing, but I can’t make it out.

As you can see, the Garrett Ace 250 Metal Detector has more than proven itself to be not only versatile, but also easy enough to use for beginners and professionals alike! It’s definitely worth what I paid for and if I can find more rare Civil War relics, it will pay for itself in no time!

If you have any info on these metal detecting finds, please comment and let me know! Any help is appreciated. Good Hunting!

Farmer Finds Roman Empire-Era Artifacts!

Metal Detecting Man — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:57:14 +0000

You never know what you’re going to find on your next metal detecting hunt!

A British farmer lost a hammer in one of his fields one day. Rather than going to spend a few bucks to just buy a new one, the man borrowed a metal detector and set out to find his hammer. Instead, he found something much more valuable. What he unearthed was a cache of Roman Empire era artifacts. To be exact, 15,000 coins of various metals, including gold, as well as jewelry and statues were all uncovered. The government bought the artifacts from him for £1.75 million which he generously split with the man who lent him the metal detector.

Possible Lead On Hidden Nazi Gold

Metal Detecting Man — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:35:50 +0000

According to the Times Online, treasure hunters in Germany may have found hidden Nazi treasures! In 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union and looted the treasures of the Amber Room, a chamber in the Catherine Palace that was completely decorated with amber panels, gold leaf, and mirrors. The remnants were brought to what is now known as the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. However, the treasures remained hidden, even to this day. There are many theories concerning the treasure, from being destroyed during bombing raids and even being put on board a submarine which was later sunk by Soviet forces.

However, treasure hunters have claimed to have found two tons of treasure which they believe to be part of the Amber Room. The treasure hunting team had received tip-offs from people who claim to know about the secret railways where the treasures were stowed. However, one tip-off that could lead to the greatest treasure find of the century has come from Christian Hanisch, son of a German WWII Air Force signaler. Hanisch claims that while going through his father’s papers, he came across documents that gave the co-ordinates to the areas that Nazis hid gold and diamonds. These documents even contained warnings about booby traps! This important information could lead to the final resting place of the treasures of the Amber Room.