Army Wants GPR + MD in One

"U.S. Army researchers are canvassing industry to find companies able to design and build a vehicle-mounted ground-penetrating radar system that can detect and mark buried improvised explosive devices (IEDs) made from metal, plastic, wood, conventional explosives, and homemade explosives.

The Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., released a sources-sought notice Thursday (W91CRB-11-R-0005) for a vehicle-mounted ground-penetrating radar system able to process data in real time to enable the vehicle operator to detect targets 10 feet in front of his vehicle."

Read more HERE.

Oregon School Time Capsule

"Tammy Lindgren and a few other former Millersburg Grade School students didn’t pull any punches in a second attempt to locate time capsules they believe are buried at the grounds of the old school on Old Salem Road.

But after unearthing about a third of the lawn in front of the school, they came up empty handed — again."

Read more HERE.

Image credits: Steve Lathrop/Democrat-Herald

Michigan Authorities Get Their MD On

"Investigators are using a metal detector to search the front yard of a home at 416 N. Glassford St. where police said a man was shot multiple times this morning.

Police said the victim was taken to a local hospital and is in serious condition. St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon said a “person of interest” was taken into custody shortly after officers were called to Capac about 6:20 a.m. That person was found at his home in the 1200 block of Dunnigan Road in Emmett Township."

Read more HERE.

Image above is the front yard being searched.

500yr Old Estonian Jewelry

"Local resident Aivar Piirsalu from the town of Öötla in Järva County was exploring a seemingly ordinary field with his metal detector on October 26, when he discovered and dug out jewelry from 500 years ago.

After digging a 35-centimeter hole, Piirsalu called archeologist Mauri Kiudsoo to the scene, wrote the newspaper, Järva Teataja. They found nine greenish chest ornaments, as well as five silver beads and several gold-plated silver pendants."

Read more HERE.

Image credits: Järvateataja

Below is a VERY ROUGH translation of the actual source article from the original Estonian site.

"Typical Järvamaa resourceful! "Said archaeologist examined the treasures of Estonia Mauri Kiudsoo Öötla the village the day before yesterday in the field, which was dug out about half a thousand-year-old costume jewelry treasure.

Flower on Monday combed the village municipality Öötla man Aivar Piirsalu metal detectors completely normal fields. He then was never found, although a few coins, but nothing special. "If the processor along the trail by taking the wheel suddenly began detector signal that something important is in the ground, thought that probably it is a metallikolakas," he explained.

Piirsalu dug a hole about 35-40 inches deep, and looked at him with a greenish discs. "I thought this is slang, but when it came to the silver thing (Kroll - editor), I realized that there is something else, and told it to heritage conservation," he explained.

Already the day before yesterday stood spades kellude, brush, and instrumented with specialists in the field, and four hours, baring the hidden secret of the earth's crust.

Carefully examine the archaeological treasures excavated in Estonia Mauri Kiudsoo chair about 40 cm deep hole in the bottom end of the brush was cleaned out of nine breast ornamentation käelabasuurust site of what women wore around the neck.

In addition, it became apparent krõlli way, a few beads and plated hõberipatseid, which were parts of a necklace. Jewellery from the ferocity the remnants of a wooden bottom."

Finding an Iron Age Burial Site

"Having wielded a metal detector for 15 years, a builder finally struck lucky when he stumbled across an Iron Age burial ground.

Steve Blair, of Heaverham Road in Kemsing, has a passion for history and archaeology and had always hoped to uncover artefacts more significant than his usual finds of Victorian pennies.

His luck changed when his detector found three cremation urns dating back to the late Iron Age and early Roman period."

Read more HERE.

New Partner - John's Detectors

Hey everyone!

You may (or perhaps not) noticed that the sidebar here at Jimmy's MD Blog has a new banner for John's Detectors.

As I am a huge supporter of privately owned/operated small businesses, I have teamed up with owner of John's Detectors. Mr. John Tomlinson, in an attempt to promote small business while giving my readers an outlet to purchase all of their hobby related equipment at industry leading prices while still getting the personal, quality service they deserve.

John runs his shop out of Blackwell, TX and carries all of the major detector brands, as well as related accessories and even prospecting gear. He is extremely knowledgeable in regards to the hobby and is willing to receive your inquiries regarding current hobby needs.

New to the hobby? John is more than happy to help you understand what machine and equipment will be best for your hunting style and conditions where you live.

So be sure to visit, browse his wares, give him a shout and get all your metal detecting items in an inexpensive, fast, courteous manner.

John's Detectors
P.O. Box 402
Blackwell, TX 79506
325-282-2329

Kandahar: Life or Death with a MD

"In the still of the helicopter landing zone at Forward Operating Base Walton, a convoy of military policemen prepare to depart to a police substation in Kandahar City. Leading them is Sgt. Skye Ortiz from Dos Palos, Calif., on his first deployment to Afghanistan.

Ortiz is part of the 170 MP Company based in Fort Lewis, Wash., and deployed to Walton. He leads one of three squads working to accomplish the 170 MP Company's dual mission - protecting the local populace and mentoring the Afghan National Police into a mature force that can enforce the law and protect Afghan communities."

Read more HERE.

Image credits: PO2 Ernesto Hernandez Fonte

Poipu Beach Ring Rescue

"While visiting the Hawaiian island of Kauai, Marion Levy of Los Angeles spent some time on Poipu Beach. The ocean was rougher than she expected, and she said she had to body surf back to shore. “This was not my intention as I am 75 years old,” she wrote to us in a letter that is publishing in the Oct. 24 Los Angeles Times Travel section.

About an hour after she got back to shore, her heart sank when she glanced down at her hands: Her wedding ring, a cherished keepsake that carried an inscription from 1896, was gone.

Paradise lost."

Read more HERE.

Digging Militaria at Ft. Leavenworth

"Fort Leavenworth was the first permanent fort established west of the Missouri and Leavenworth was the first incorporated town in Kansas Territory. Both date from more than 150 years ago.

So both are rich in historical treasures for modern man to find and uncover, right? Maybe not. One person who should know is Ross Lewis of Lansing, who has used a metal detector in searching for ancient treasures for more than 20 years."

Read more HERE.

TX Hobbyist Unearths Human Remains

"Rockwall County deputies are trying to piece together information that will help them identify the victim whose bones were found Wednesday in a wooded area in the northern part of the county.

Lt. David Davis of the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office said the bones have been taken to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office. A forensic anthropologist will be called in to help determine the sex and approximate age of the victim."

Read more HERE.

Cache of US Double Eagles Found in UK

""The rare ‘Double Eagle’ $20 pieces, dating from 1854 to 1913, may be worth a six-figure sum.

The coins, minted mostly in San Francisco and Philadelphia, are so large that each one weighs 33 grams.

They were uncovered by two residents, who hit on the find while gardening with friends in Hackney, east London."

Read more HERE and HERE.

Gold/Silver Coin Melt Calculator

1) Get the current gold or silver market price from the Kitco banner on the top right.
2) Select the type of gold or silver coin you are curious about from the pull-down menu.
3) Input the number of said coin.
4) Click the "Calculate" button to display to total precious metal value in USD.
5) Click "Clear Fields" to empty the number of coins and metal value and start again :)

Scot Lands Gold Treasure

"A metal-detecting enthusiast who uncovered a set of four gold Iron Age neckbands in a Stirlingshire field looks set to be awarded £462,000 for the find.

A decision has been made to allocate the find to the National Museums Scotland, on condition that they award the finder the sum of money.

Safari park keeper David Booth found the gold neck ornaments - known as torcs - in September 2009 on his first outing with a metal detector. The four items date from between 1st and 3rd century BC and were buried just six inches beneath the surface."

Read more HERE.

Image credits: Scotsman.com

MD'ing Colonial Virginia

"A few years ago Jerome Traver, archaeologist for York River State Park, did a random test dig at a site. He found nothing.

But after obtaining a 5-year permit to do more digging this year, he decided to check the same area again. This time he used a metal detector. The difference was startling.

Traver uncovered a previously undocumented fortified complex with a double palisade wall, bastions and redoubts dating to 1676. Inside the complex were several structures, including a barn and a house.

'You’re not always going to find them with random testing,' he said.

With the help of a sole volunteer, Traver has so far conducted 460 shovel tests using the metal detector. He found artifacts at every dig."

Read more HERE.

More Treasure on Outskirts of York

"Meral detector enthusiasts have unearthed gold jewellery that could be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds at a secret site in North Yorkshire.

One of the finds, an Iron Age twisted gold bracelet, may have belonged to a relative of Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes, and an expert says the site where it was discovered along with a brooch, a ring and an armlet may be of 'real archaeological significance'."

Read more HERE.

Image credits: The York Press

Get That Silver for Free... well, Less than Spot Anyway

This is a good article to read, give it a go if you're into 'out of the ordinary' sources for finding silver coins.

"Sir, First, from one veteran to another, let me thank you, like so many others, for this outstanding blog. I would like to share my experiences with my like-minded brothers and sisters in the hopes that they too can fill their coffers of coins and silver bullion for free or pretty darn close to it.

We most certainly all know the importance of tangible assets at this critical juncture in our Nation’s history. But with upward trend of gold and silver as of late, who wants to pay $23 or more for one ounce of silver? Not me. So I don’t. Now, I may not be able to fill my safe twice over with this method but it most certainly can help out. And the contacts and friendships made can be invaluable."

Read more HERE.

PA Hobbyist finds 160 yr old Wedding Band

"J.W. Pullen Jr. is a young man, but he may never top this find.

Pullen, a 30-year-old Spotsylvania County relic hunter, got a hit from his metal detector one fall day. He began digging and, just beneath the forest soil, unearthed a gleaming object like none he'd ever seen.

It was a ring. A gold ring. And on its inner surface, it bore an inscription: 'Oct. 3'd, 1850 N.P. + A.M.H.'

Straight away, Pullen phoned buddies to share his joy at the discovery.

Since that day last autumn, he's spent days researching what that date and those initials mean--an inquiry that's taken him to record rooms in Richmond and Cumberland County, west of the capital. "

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: Fredericksburg.com

Mass. Man Finding lots of Oldies

"For the better part of this city’s history, the Park Square Green served as Westfield’s center of commerce and the main gathering place for its citizens.

As the green is being dug up to make way for a progressive new traffic plan, so too is its history.

Literally.

Witness a 1752 Spanish reale, coined not quite a century after Westfield’s 1669 founding. It’s among the finds that attorney Robert Walker made during a summertime exploration of the Park Square Green."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: The Republican / John Suchocki

Coprove Viking Treasure

"A Viking treasure pendant, which has laid buried for more than 1,000 years, has been unearthed by an amateur archaeologist.

The silver pendant, known as Thor's Hammer, has been declared treasure at an inquest in Harrogate.

It had been found near Coprove in September last year, by metal detectorist Michael Smith, who, not knowing what it was, had dismissed it as worthless."

Read more HERE.

9 yr old Hobbyist Finds and Returns Ring

"Nine-year-old Eli Larson’s grandmother gave him a metal detector earlier this summer, and last weekend, he was using it to scan the front yard of his Moorhead home for treasure.

The gadget sensed something, and Larson dug 4 to 5 inches into the ground and discovered a 1977 class ring from Concordia College.

With help from his parents, Bernie and Amber, Eli Larson set to work finding the ring’s owner."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: Dave Olson / The Forum

Bristol, CT PD Use MDs to Clear Park

"A day in the park was anything but for a Bristol parent who found an open pocketknife in Page Park on Friday morning.

Bristol police said they found about a dozen open pocketknives through the park.

Now the Bristol Parks Department is going through it with a metal detector to ensure that all knives are gone."

Read more HERE.

Image credits: DCPI

FOX's "Bones" and our Hobby

"An old man prospecting with a metal detector along the Jersey shore finds the remains of bodybuilder Richie “The V” Gennaro. Maggots are eating the remains at an accelerated rate due to ephedrine in Richie’s system. Particulates of plastic and concrete are found in his skull. His death may have had to do with steroids or any number of his friends’ partying activities.

I was skeptical when I heard Bones was doing a parody of Jersey Shore, mostly because theme episodes can get caught up in the theme and offer nothing to viewers who dislike or don’t know anything about the theme. I, for example, have never been a fan of reality TV. That said, I thought “The Maggots in The Meathead” played the Jersey Shore theme for the right amount of humor. For example, a very good suspect got off the hook because at the time of the murder he was watching the musical Billy Elliot with his mother, going against his cool tough-guy image."

Read more HERE.

Episode aired last night, Oct 7th, 2010 on FOX.

Beach Cannonball

"An unusual discovery was made Sunday afternoon as Dawn Karafa, from Southport, and her fiancé were using their metal detector near the Oak Island Golf Club in Caswell Beach.

It was the couple's curiosity that led them to their treasure, not their metal detector. They saw a large object poking through the dirt near a construction site in the residential area. The metal object caked in mud was large and round. It appeared rusted and was fairly heavy.

Karafa said she and her fiancé were unsure what they had found, but thought it could have been part of a ship. They loaded it into their vehicle and took it to their home in Southport where they began cleaning the mystery object."

Read more HERE.
There also a video of them detonating the cannonball in the article!

Image credits: Dawn Karafa

Medieval Cross in UK Farm

"A nurse found a 500-year-old silver and gold crucifix while metal detecting in a farmer’s field in Lancashire.

Matthew Hepworth, 35, found the medieval silver gilt cross and pendant while searching for treasure in hamlet north of Lancaster last December.

Preston Coroners’ Court carried out a inquest on Friday to discover if the rare find really can be classified as treasure. The registered nurse, who lives in Morecambe, told Deputy Coroner Simon Jones that the artifact was the most “rare” thing he had found in 20 years as a metal detecting hobbyist."

Read more HERE.

Image not of actual cross.

USS Alabama Coin

Back in the beginning of September I traveled to Mobile, Alabama for work. It had been about two years since I was there last. We had some time in port and were able to leave and explore from time to time. So one day me and a few mates decided to grab a taxi over to the USS Alabama Memorial.

It was a really great afternoon spent exploring the insides of the ship, viewing many of the military aircraft used over the last 40 years in the huge hanger, and then crawling through the bowels of the USS Drum submarine.

I ended up leaving with two things... a bunch of pictures and the neat two sided USS Alabama/USS Drum gold colored coin pictured above. Wonder if anyone has ever dug one up? It's got some good weight to it and is a bit bigger than a US half dollar.

New Mexico, A Park, and a XLT

"A Socorro man has made some interesting finds in the dirt under Isidro Baca Park.

'With them tearing up the park, I saw an opportunity to do some metal detecting,' said Shannon Owen. 'They used to have fiestas there way back when, and I thought I might find something.'

Owen has been coming over in the evenings with his White XLT detector after workers are done for the day, and he hasn’t been disappointed. So far, he’s found close to fifty coins, including a few Mercury dimes dating from the 1930s and ‘40s, a Buffalo nickel and a Lincoln wheat penny or two.

'The oldest thing I’ve found is a Barber dime dated 1902,' Owen said. 'It’s got a lot of wear on it, so it was probably in circulation for quite a few years before it was dropped.'"

Read more HERE.

A side note: Isidro Baca was a US Marine that is among the list of casualties on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in DC.

Retired UK Man Finds Treasure

"A pensioner found a haul of treasure while out metal detecting in Lancashire.

John Harrison, 70, of Kellet Road, Carnforth, found two lots of coins on land owned by the RSPB in Silverdale.

The married father-of-three attended Preston Coroners’ Court yesterday for an inquest to deem whether or not the find is classed as treasure.

For an item to be treasure, it must be at least 300-years-old and must contain more than 10% precious metal if it is a coin found in a set fewer than 10."

Read more HERE.

Image above is of a Elizabeth I ThreeHalfPence