Kids Reunite WWII Vet With Dog Tag

Though not a MD find, I'd be willing to bet that due to this find, these couple kids will join our hobby community in the near future. A nice video to accompany the story on the jump.

"A prized possession lost for more than six decades has been returned to its rightful owners this week, thanks to some pint-sized treasure hunters in Carterville.

Maddox Crain, 6, and Gauge Mitchell, 8, discovered an old military dog tag while they were playing near their daycare this week.

'He was just going across the bridge and I was behind him, and I just looked at the dirt and see if I could jump over. And I just saw a necklace sticking out of the ground,' said Crain.

The necklace was actually a World War II-era dog tag with a ring attached. The boys dug it out of the dirt and took it to the woman who runs their daycare to settle a dispute."

Read more HERE.

Finding The Goods in Cisco, TX

"'You get about 15 pieces of trash to every coin you find, if not more,' said Vance Gwinn. 'But my collection is growing and growing.'

Using patience and a metal detector, Gwinn, 53, has found hundreds of bullets, belt buckles and coins, not to mention jewelry, gun parts and just about any other metal thing you can think of.

'I started when I was 19, I hunted the Easter Pageant grounds out here, it was my first really good hunt,' he said."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Ronald Erdrich / Reporter News

SB105 to Effect KY Hobbyists

"'Finders keepers' is not exactly the law in Kentucky and when it comes to use of metal detectors, a popular and sometime lucrative hobby, it is not allowed in some places.

That may change if Senate Bill 105 makes its way through the legislature this session.

On Tuesday, SB105 passed through the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Tourism and Labor to allow the use of metal detectors at state parks and monuments.

If passed, the law would protect enthusiasts who use metal detectors, within the guidelines of the law, officials said."

Read more HERE.

Miffed Arkies Due To 'Digger' and 'American Diggers'

"Historic artifacts can bring in big bucks. Show likes 'Diggers' on the National Geographic channel or Spike TV's 'American Diggers' document the hunt for prized artifacts.

But some archaeologists are standing up against these shows. They say the techniques used on the shows to dig up artifacts ends up destroying more history. They also feel these artifacts should be preserved, not dug up for profit.

With his metal detector by his side Robert Compton has uncovered dozens of Civil War artifacts.

'I've uncovered everything from mini balls, to cannon balls, buttons, bullets, buckles,' said Compton."

Read more HERE.

A nice video is aired with the news article on the jump!

Just more arkies in an uproar regarding these shows... share your thoughts by commenting below!

Seeking History with TFTHC

"Larry Koch said finding buried treasure is as simple as discovering history under his feet, he said.

'When you find a silver coin coming out of the ground looking like it had just been dropped, those are my favorite moments,' Koch said.

Koch, former president and current member of Three Forks Treasure Hunting Club, was on hand Saturday at Three Rivers Museum for demonstrations and workshops about treasure hunting with metal detectors."

Read more HERE.

The Rewards of Diggin' in The Dirt

"There's an old adage that says 'gold is where you find it,' and that's certainly an apropos sentiment for a guy like Mick Burney.

Gold, silver, bronze or brass, Burney is apt to find it as he runs his trusty metal detector over the grounds at places like Greencastle's Robe-Ann Park.

On Friday afternoon, a sunny, almost 60-degree January day, Burney was out enjoying his hobby, getting some fresh air and pocketing some loose change.

Stopping along the old sidewalk that borders the bandshell area to the north, Burney's metal detector beeped and he dropped to his knees with a handheld detection gadget and hand trowel. Digging about eight inches deep right next to the sidewalk, Burney finally pulled a rusty six-inch piece of wire out of the dirt."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Banner Graphic

UK Stone Priory Unearthed in Surrey

"A medieval seal thought to have once belonged to Stone Priory in north Staffordshire has been discovered in a field in Surrey.

The bronze object, which bears the image of the Virgin and Child, was found in Cobham by a metal detector enthusiast.

Finds Liaison Officer for Surrey County Council, David Williams, said it was a "complete mystery" how the seal had ended up there.

It is thought to date from between the 13th and 14th Centuries."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: BBC

Kansas Meteor Field

"He may be looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack, but at least Don Stimpson has an extra large metal detector.


As owner of the Kansas Meteorite Museum, he's searching a six-mile stretch of Kiowa County known for 'Brenham Meteorites,' named for the little town of Brenham once located here, the site of a huge meteor explosion.

'The idea is this all came in at one time, maybe 20,000 years ago, and it probably started glowing over Colorado, the western border of Colorado, and burned thru the atmosphere, broke up. It would've been a massive event,' Stimpson explained."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: First Coast News

CA Town Anniversary Time Capsule

 "It took two hours and a metal detector, but city officials finally found a time capsule buried 50 years ago as part of the city's centennial celebrations.

Under Mayor Robert Romano's direction, city Public Works crews used a backhoe to dig into the ground at Landis Park on Tuesday afternoon and unearth the concrete vault containing the time capsule.


It should be interesting what they put in it, said Romano, who was 9 years old when it was buried."
Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Craig Mathews

Medievil Silver Seal is Treasure

"A 13th Century solid silver seal found on farmland in Cornwall has been declared treasure trove at an inquest.

The Latin-inscribed seal - once used to make a mark in hot wax - was discovered by metal detector enthusiast John Fereday in a field near Newquay.

Cornwall Coroner Emma Carlyon declared the seal to be treasure at a special inquest hearing in Truro."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: BBC

Indie Film Star a Treasure Hunter

"...

How did you guys do with the hurricane?
We actually did pretty well! My house is fine, we actually have a shore house, so we got pretty lucky. But all our power was out, so we stayed with my Aunt Kathy for a few days. I just got back to the house today and I cannot wait to go out on the beach with my metal detector!  I am telling you, I am a professional treasure hunter and I am going to find the jewels!"

Read more HERE.

NY Storm Swingers

"Ana Ramirez, 35, of Coney Island swung her metal detector over the sand just off the Coney Island Boardwalk in the shadow of the Wonder Wheel ride.

'People say that storms sweep a lot of sand away, so it’s a good time to look for things on the beach,' Ms. Ramirez said as she walked on the beach a few days after Tropical Storm Irene lashed the city.

She recently bought a second-hand detector from a friend for $40 to search for valuables for some extra income, to augment her usual practice of gathering and redeeming cans and bottles to help provide for her five young children."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Robert Stolarik / New York Times

Grenade Found in Private Yard

"A day of landscaping turned into a frightening situation for a man in Thornton when he dug up a live grenade in his backyard. 

Thornton Police had to set up a perimeter around Travis Moore's home on Carrol Court on Wednesday night. The Adams County Bomb Squad responded to the scene and removed the explosive.

Moore says he and his neighbors have no idea who put the grenade in his backyard or why. He and his wife have only lived in the home for about three weeks."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: 9 News, Denver

Sport Optics Dealer BARSKA to Get Into MD

Sure to flop, it turns out the sports optics manufacturer BARSKA is diving into the metal detector hobby by offering up three models of what are seemingly just bottom of the barrel cookie cutter models with a fancy outside.  They haven't developed their own technology, just are repackaging existing tech.

Would be interesting to see or hear from anyone out there who actually gives one a spin.  They look like cheap radio shack machines, so I'd guess that the performance is right there as well.

Know anything about these?  Please comment!

WIRED Magazine Sits with Treasure Hunters

Great multipage spread from Wired Magazine.

"They are specters from our collective childhood, observed from behind half-finished sandcastles. They move purposefully along the beach, captivating young onlookers with the promise of magical treasure.

They are the metal-detector guys. The archetypal loners. Sealed off from the world by giant headphones, happy to reward young tagalongs with a bottle cap.

'It’s my Zen,' says Alex Kelley, President of the Bay Area Searchers. For many, like Kelley, the hunt itself is a meditative experience, a way to escape from the daily grind."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Wired Magazine

Lake Close to Home Drained

"Phil LaRocco has waited 35 years for Berkeley Lake to be drained. Like all treasure hunters, he knows great stuff lurks at the bottom of lakes, especially this one.

'I was here with my father in 1976 when the lake was low,' he said, moving his metal detector over the dry lake bed. 'He found 67 gold and silver rings in two weeks.'

Berkeley Lake is being drained as part of a $3.25 million bond project that includes a berm to screen Interstate 70 on the north, with trees and native grasses fringing a walking trail."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: Andy Cross / The Denver Post .

Jar of Gold Coins Found in UK

"Digging deeper after unearthing a jam jar lid led a metal detecting enthusiast to discover 20 gold coins dating from the reigns of Charles I to Queen Victoria.

An inquest in Lynn yesterday heard the coins were believed to be stolen property and an appeal was made for information about who owned them, possibly more than a century ago.

Norfolk coroner William Armstrong said the coins were found by Mark Nicholson on March 14 while he was metal-detecting with permission on land near Walsoken owned by Mr Richard Stocks."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Lynn News

Full Time Meteor Hunting in UK

"Gazing up at the night sky, Rob Elliott is on constant alert for fireballs or streaks of light suddenly breaking up the darkness above him. As the UK's only full-time meteorite hunter, Elliott knows these falls from outer space can contain the most magnificent and exciting rock fragments created billions of years before the Earth was formed.

With specimens capable of fetching thousands of pounds depending on their rarity value – those from Mars and the Moon being the most prized – every meteorite shower is literally "treasure from Heaven".

A meteorite is a piece of a meteoroid or asteroid which has survived its journey through the Earth's atmosphere, falling to the ground without being destroyed. They are also known as fireballs or shooting stars."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: The Scotsman

Chinese Families MD For Scrap

"The Shang family, from Zhumadian of Central China's Henan province, recycles steel bars at a demolition site in Jinan, the capital of East China's Shandong province, Aug 8, 2011. 

As many urban Chinese children are enjoying cool air conditioners, 8-year-old Shang Guangwei and his 11-year-old sister are spending their summer vacation at construction sites, recycling waste iron and steel with their migrant parents. 

Each day, their mother would use a metal detector to find metal and their father would then try to dig out what was seen as treasure to the family"

Read more HERE. 


Image Credit: China Daily

Saving Blair Mountain History

"On a warm day in West Virginia, Kenny King is on his hands and knees, digging in the dirt. He's near the peak of Blair Mountain, searching for buried artifacts from a little-known battle that took place 90 years ago this month.


'It is a unique part of American history,' King says, waving his metal detector over a hole in the ground. 'No where else can you find an actual battlefield that is as big and extensive as maybe a World War I battlefield.'

King, both prospector and amateur archeologist, is known locally as an expert on the infamous Battle of Blair Mountain, which unfolded over 10 days in 1921."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: CNN