metal detectors and treasure hunting

[maddythebeagle]

Anybody do this for a hobby. I remember seeing magazine advertisments as a kid showing folks making a lot of money at the beach or do you only find pop tops and nails?

This topic isnt really out of the blue....The recent mega thread on gold got me wondering.....

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

when i can no longer boast in the physical exercise catagory about my bicycle rides along the ocean down state road a1a, i'll be posting here in the fiscal exercise catagory how much change i've swept and strained off the beach.

 

[Maximillion]

True Story.

This kid, in England, got a Metal Detector, within a few hours discovered a whole cache of buried Roman Gold Coins on his friend's Father's Farm

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i don't think the romans ever wintered in fort lauderdale.

 

[ladelfina]

Spaniards..!

 

[samclem]

I spent a few hours with a metal detector trying to find the corners of my property (marked with rebar driven into the ground). I found lots of bottle caps, pull-tops and nails (after a lot of digging, sweeping with the detector, digging, sweeping the pile of stuff I dug up, etc.). IIRC, it reminded me a lot more of a frustrating day at the office than how I'd like to spend ER. But, some folks apparently enjoy it.

 

[Nords]

But, some folks apparently enjoy it.

Your SO will probably enjoy the time that it takes you out of the house...

 

[maddythebeagle]

http://www.treasurenet.com/whites/forum/

ahh. a message board yes, probably more benificial to retired folk's marriage (to get the guy out of the house).

 

[TromboneAl]

Years ago I read an article about metal detecting in which it was called "The World's Worst Hobby."

Well, due to the magic of the Internet it only took seconds to find it:

I brought my metal detector on our summer vacation—we drove from Washington, D.C., to Maine—hoping to add fun and profit to our holiday. As I packed it in the trunk for the trip home, my normally considerate husband had this to say about my latest pastime: "Now that your metal detecting is over—and believe me IT'S OVER—we will think of it as a hideous family episode, like something out of a Pat Conroy novel, that we must put behind us and never discuss again."

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

"The confrontation exposed the underbelly of metal detecting: You have to do it either on public or private property, and neither the government nor the property owner necessarily wants you digging around like a colony of monkey-pox-infected prairie dogs."

 

[Outtahere]

I have to let dh read that article, he's been bugging me to get one of those things for a couple of years now. His other request has been telescope, think I'll buy him that for his birthday and hopefully he'll forget about the metal detector.

 

[youbet]

http://www.treasurenet.com/whites/forum/

ahh. a message board yes, probably more benificial to retired folk's marriage (to get the guy out of the house).

I thought that was what ice fishing shanties were for.

 

[samclem]

I have to let dh read that article, he's been bugging me to get one of those things for a couple of years now. His other request has been telescope, think I'll buy him that for his birthday and hopefully he'll forget about the metal detector.

Right. A telescope to view the heavenly bodies. Hmmm Maybe a metal detector would be better after all.

 

[Outtahere]

samclem , he's long ago found out that he's invisable to those "heavenly bodies". Use to be they would look at him then the bike and want a ride, now they look at the bike and don't even see him so I'm not too worried about that.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Read through a bunch of her "guinea pig" articles. Pretty interesting stuff.

 

[ladelfina]

I thought that was what ice fishing shanties were for.

But that only works in the winter. You need to cover the summer as well, and metal detecting is cheaper than golf.

 

[BUM]

OK I'm outting myself... I AM A METAL DETECTORist. There I've said it. I love hunting the beaches especially at low tide (8 hrs. from now).

Favorite targets:
jewelry
old coins
bikini clasps

 

[unclemick]

bikini clasps

My male hormones and imagination are running wild.

Now there's a reason for a metal detector!

heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Forget the clasps! I want something to help me find those who lost them.

 

[MJ]

bikini clasps

Is it lawful to wave a detector around and about women sunning themselves on the beach?

 

[Outtahere]

Is it lawful to wave a detector around and about women sunning themselves on the beach?

It is if you have a large magnet attached to your detector.

 

[ladelfina]

hmm, then wouldn't you risk getting all the 'babes' with hip and knee prostheses? (or are those things not magnetic..  )

 

[maddythebeagle]

BUM: I wouldnt have thought of the beach. Let the tide do the work for you. Otherwise, sounds like quite a bit of digging. What kind of booty have you found (besides the obvious babes at the beach)

 

[Nords]

hmm, then wouldn't you risk getting all the 'babes' with hip and knee prostheses? (or are those things not magnetic..  )

I think prostheses these days are mostly titanium & plastic, but personally I'd focus my search on the beach regions with the smaller bikinis. Less interference.

But there's metal detecting and then there's "extreme metal detecting". I've seen a guy at White Plains Beach don snorkel gear and poke his detector around the coral reefs, probably while praying that he doesn't get slammed by a wave or a loose longboard. He'll stay out there for an hour. Probably just finds surfboard & fishing parts.

 

[LEX]

I live in the desert, and have tried metal detectors in areas where I might find gold nuggets, such as washed areas at the foot of desert high country. I have found a few, but most of the time I just get a good walk out of the effort.

The guys in the magazines seem to have all the luck. 8)