treasure seekers

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andrew7978

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Mar 19, 2007
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Does anyone on here consider themself a treasure hunter? I have been reading into this for a while now. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to find the holy grail or anything, but possibly some civil war stuff or maybe panning for gold a little bit. I have not done anything yet (except in my backyard with a metal detector finding old trash like bottle caps etc), as I have to read up on laws and regulations, but I thought it would be an interesting hobby if combined with camping.


That being said, please share you stories, if you have looked for anything, and if you have found anything cool. Feel free to share on anything from metal detecting, panning for gold, or searching for bigger stuff. Not asking for locations, just for stories. I think this could be a cool thread if people have stuff to share.
 
I have been into this for years. Mostly metal detecting. I was fortunate to live in area that had great places to hunt until recently. Most of my stuff was Civil War related, and also some from the U.S.-Mexican War. It is great fun to combine with camping trips. In order to do it well you spend as much or more time doing research. Get ready to do some reading! The more you learn the more you want learn it seems. And once you find something you are really hooked. Great exercise by the way. I could spend a day out searhcing and digging and if I came with a button and a couple of mini-balls my day was awesome. Some basic first aid and wilderness skills are important if you plan on going very remote. We had to contend with quite a few rattle snakes in one of the main areas we hunted and often would wear snake chaps. You have ear phones on and get really focused on what you are doing so it is easy to not see or hear these guys. I had one strike at the coil of my metal detector when I ran it under a big clump of grass one day!

I think you will have a blast if you do it. I wish I had more time for it these days.

Hank Martin
 
Not exactly treasure but I've found stuff like this:

bottles.jpg


The liquor bottles and medicine bottle were found in an old dump site that was once part of a farm in SE Michigan. The Edison Battery Oil bottle and the milk bottle were found in an old farm dump in up-state NY.
 
Done some gold panning - as mentioned: start in a library. The historical research is a lot of fun. I don't know how successful you'll be in panning where you are, but with such a rich maritime history I think that's where I'd start. Because the coastline here is inside a straight, there's not much in terms of beachcombing. But on the west coast of the island (a day's travel) it's a different story with a stretch of coastline referred to as the "Graveyard of the Pacific". Every place has some unique history.

Try starting here maybe?
http://www.cthistoryonline.org/cdm-cho/index.html
http://www.cslib.org/history.htm

When you find some really interesting bits, do share !
 
Been doing it for a few years now, don't get out as often as I'd like but when i do I really enjoy the hunt.
Back in 2006 a few of us went over to Clochester England to hunt for Celtic Gold in the farm lands , on the last day I found a stunning Celtic gold stater from 40bc, along with some early English silver and other pieces of historical interest.. Loads of fun, do your research, you never know what you may find.
CelticG.JPG
 
My Dad taught me to be a treasure hunter everwhere we went. Not the traditional "do your research and plan" type of treasure hunting you all are discussing. More of the keep your eyes and mind open to what is around you. This is the guy who almost always found coins by simply walking along the street. Back to the story.

We were at visiting a reservation in Northern Ontario and killing time by picking rocks along the shore. A local boy asked my dad and I if we were interested in "pretty rocks". While I was more interested in hanging out at the beach, my dad said yes. This kid fires up the outboard on his freighter canoe and off they go. Couple hours later, Dad came back with literally a stuff sack full of raw amethyst. Picked up right on the beach of one of the islands. Not valuable but cool none the less. What did our benefactor want in return? Only to know that visitors to his town had enjoyed themselves. How did I make out by staying behind on the beach? Sunburn.

Anyway, the point is that while I may do some research when I know I am going to be visiting an area, more often I just try to keep my eyes open and follow hunches when outdoors. Still the occasional "treasure" comes my way.

Off Topic: Does anyone else watch the new treasure hunting show on cable? I think it is the Travel Channel. The female host visits different mines, quarries, etc. I forget the name.
 
Andrew..I've been researching Claudius Smith..He supposedly has a treasure of silver and gold hidden in orang county NY..If you want to combine efforts that'd be cool.
 
Just spent two days at Crater of Diamonds park in Arkansas. Didnt uncover anything.

I have had a metal detector for 20 odd years. The Civil War hatpin here is my best find. When I first found the pin I thought it was a womans broach, even though I found it near a Union army camp site.I tossed it in my junk pile, then one day I was watching an old John Wayne movie and I saw the same pin on his hat. It is now my most prized find.

The other objects in the pic are modern military coat buttons I think, except for the one in the upper right hand corner. I have yet to identify it.

civilwar.jpg
 
Eyegor said:
My Dad taught me to be a treasure hunter everwhere we went. Not the traditional "do your research and plan" type of treasure hunting you all are discussing. More of the keep your eyes and mind open to what is around you.
Click to expand...

Your dad was a smart guy. While I do a little metal detecting, by far the best stuff I've come across is from just being observant. My favorite "treasure" hunting haunts are the metal pile at the local dump and scrap yards.
 
Those Edison Oil bottles are cool. The railroads used a ton of those to top off their nickel iron batteries. I am always looking for those. They would just throw them wherever they were. Generally you can find some interesting things along the tracks.
 
Off Topic: Does anyone else watch the new treasure hunting show on cable? I think it is the Travel Channel. The female host visits different mines, quarries, etc. I forget the name.[/QUOTE]

Cash and treasures. Yes I watch it . The girl is Kirsten Gum and she is my pretend girlfriend.
 
No gold or silver here but my great uncle used to take me arrowhead hunting at his place in northern new mexico. We've found some amazing stone arrow and spearheads. Still razor sharp.
 
RescueRiley said:
Andrew..I've been researching Claudius Smith..He supposedly has a treasure of silver and gold hidden in orang county NY..If you want to combine efforts that'd be cool.
Click to expand...

That would be great. I would love to combine efforts. Unfortunately I have three more weeks of classes. I will start looking into the topic a little bit now. Once I finish my exams and return to CT, I will be able to commit more time to it. Maybe one day we could meet up and see if we could find some treasure.
 
Wed. night, cash and treasures will be on and it will be on Old bottle hunting. Man I would love to be in a hole with kersten gum. SHe is HOT. Anyway I find arrow heads alot around my house and some pottery. There is alot of Civil War History here too.
 
I metal detect some. Have a Whites Eagle Spectrum. Kids loved to do it with me when they where younger. Want some cool finds? Research where old outhouses were on old property. Dig them up and you find many old bottles and sometimes silver spoons, forks ect. I have found bottles worth $200 to $400 dollars.
 
I've done metal detecting for years as well.

My dad gave me his old MD but it was stolen , the one I have now is not as nice but still works.

I go to the big park near my place when its cold and foggy, found lots of bottle caps and coins , nothing fancy.

I used to have a mid sized collection of bottles and tins from dumps , old houses , etc but gave most of them away over the years ( tired of clutter )

One day up at Rock Creek ( 2 hours from Fresno ) me and my dad were resting from hiking and fishing and as usual I was plicking around in the dirt , found a few tiny black chips , obsidian , the more I dig the more I found.
Went back a couple of years later by myself and found a very nice chunk of obsidian near the size of a fat pizza pocket.


Those are cool treasures you guys found , especially H20cutter , I would poop myself finding something that old and beautiful.

By the way , the chick from that treasure show is quite a hottie , check it out if you hav'nt.
 
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