Under the Sand of St. Augustine

"Bob Spratley has a lot of secrets.

He knows where to find 20 shipwrecks around St. Augustine, he can find gold and silver buried beneath the sands of local beaches, and he discovered one of the sites of the nation’s most notorious slaughters.

'He found the Matanzas site, the massacre site,' said John Powell, living history interpreter at the Fountain of Youth. 'Bob is beyond a metal detectorist. Bob is touched by God.'"

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Daron Dean / The St. Augustine Record

Bronze Age Gold Popped in UK

"A Gainsborough metal detecting enthusiast unearthed a rare piece of Bronze Age gold while searching a field near the town, an inquest in Lincoln was told last week.

The 4,000 year old strip of decorated gold is the first of its type to have been found in Lincolnshire and experts have described it as an important find.

John Bennett of Claremont Street, Gainsborough, found the item in July this year while checking out a ploughed field in the Corringham area."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: The Guardian

Norwich UK Finds

"A medieval silver brooch and a Bronze Age collection of axe heads were among the items declared treasure at an inquest held in Norwich.

In total, the tales of six groups of valuable artefacts from ages past and how they were found were told at yesterday’s inquest.

Among the hoard was a collection of 14 socketed axes, which were disturbed by machine from their site of rest on land near Aylsham, the owner of which is Lord Walpole.

The axes all date to the Ewart Park metalwork phase reaching back further than 800BC, and were discovered in March by Robert and James Alston who were using a metal detector at the time."

Read more HERE.

FL Man Denied Pursuit of Treasure

"A would-be treasure hunter searching for pirate gold can't dig at a Palm Beach County park, county officials decided Thursday.

Concerns about disturbing a historic site — and the possibility of metal detector-wielding copycats flocking to county parks wanting to dig — prompted the county to quash plans for the dig at DuBois Park in Jupiter.

Just last week, the county was working on a proceeds-sharing deal with a local man who proposed a small dig to find out what was setting off his metal detectors at the park.

The size and location of the unknown buried object, as well as the history of the area, convinced him it was a chest of riches, possibly buried hundreds of years ago by shipwreck survivors or even pirates passing the Palm Beach County coast."

Read more HERE.

Gold Ring in UK Saved from the Dirt

"A metal detection enthusiast scouring the soil around Thurcroft unearthed a 14th century gold ring studded with a ruby and an emerald, an inquest heard.

Metal finishing plant worker Paul McEvoy, 44, found the medieval finger ring just six inches beneath the surface.

He had been using his metal detector to search a stubble field in Thurcroft"


Read more HERE.

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

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

FL Pirates Out After Irene

 "Hurricane Irene brought a treasure trove of waves for surfers last week, but Flagler Beach resident Eric Nierstedt was looking for a different kind of treasure.


He was combing the beach, with a shovel slung over his left shoulder and a metal detector in his right hand. Neither the rain nor the waves dissuaded him.

'I haven't found anything, yet,' he said just before 10 a.m. 'The tide is still pretty high, though.'"

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Julie Murphy \ The Daytona News Journal

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

Moutain Treasure Club Uncovers the Past

"Rich with enthusiasm, Tom Warne has found not only a fervent group of people with which to share his hobby, but a bounty of treasure, as well.


On a sultry July morning, Warne is joined by four fellow prospectors on the back patio of his Loveland home to talk about the Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasurer's Hunter Group, of which they all are members. Some are lively, while others are more stoic, yet all are passionate about the booty they have found over the years.

Both Paul Lange and Rick Mattingly are Loveland residents, while Paul Mayhak and Dick French live in Fort Collins. They are part of the 150-member local organization that has been in existence since 1986."

Read more HERE.

Check out more from the Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Group HERE.

Image Credit: Reporter-Herald

Bama Coast Gold Hunters

"Treasure hunter is the last thought that springs to mind when you see the middle-aged Mobile couple standing neck deep in the Gulf of Mexico wearing big yellow headphones.


But it’s the only description that fits.

While some people dream of diamonds and rubies, Mike Taylor and Darlene McAfee find them.

They ply the waters off the Alabama coast looking for gold, silver and other treasures lost in the sea. It’s not pirate booty they find, but loot lost by unlucky tourists."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Ben Raines \ Press-Register

Beneath Your Feet: Russia

"Most people dream of discovering treasure, forgetting about the daily grind and spending the rest of their lives on a tropical island. Even if you never find a trunk of pirate gold, treasure hunting can actually be a stable source of income.

Russia is one of the best places for uncovering hidden treasure. As a result of the country’s many wars, revolutions and economic crises, the number of caches stashed away for a rainy day under floorboards or in tins in the attic is truly mind-boggling. Vladimir Poryvayev, a long-time treasure hunter, says that in the late 1990s, he found a sack full of diamonds. He says he had been looking for it on behalf of some people who had heard stories of treasures from their grandparents."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: ITAR-TASS

The Ship Warwick

"'The loss of the good ship Warwick was not the only disaster that this cruel storm brought with it. It also meant the total ruin of the winter’s crop of corn, to such a great extent that all the inhabitants were very worried about a shortage of food. They had good reason to be anxious, for even though the islands were prolific enough in every respect, and had two harvests every year, yet careless wastage had become the custom with most of the people’ C.F.E. Hollis Hallett, Butler’s History of the Bermudas, 2007

On October 20, 1619, the third governor arrived in Bermuda at the behest of the Somers Island Company, the corporation that owned the 12,000 acres of the island.

The gentleman was Captain Nathaniel Butler, who succeeded in his position the first governor, Richard Moore (1612-15) and the second, one Daniel Tucker (1616-18)."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: The Royal Gazette

T'Hunters Give Away Some Secrets

"Searching for treasure isn't only for movie characters. Real-life adventure hunters have unearthed treasures worth thousands of dollars in their own backyards.

Take Tim Saylor and George Wyant, who have their own metal detecting-themed company called Anaconda Treasure. By day, Saylor writes software for an insurance company and his friend Wyant is a copper miner. But on weekends, the Montana men have taken metal detecting to a whole new level.

'We're not exactly normal,' Wyant said. 'We don't think fun and comedy and treasure detecting have to be mutually exclusive.'"

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Getty Images

Pismo Beach Peddling

"As tens of thousands of people left local beaches after fireworks shows Monday night, a whole new crowd headed the opposite direction.

Metal-detector enthusiasts moved in, ready to find what was left behind.

As the fireworks ended in Pismo Beach, treasure-hunter Gil Rivera was armed and ready.

The 76-year-old LAPD retiree landed with a team around midnight and sifted the sands until three in the morning."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: KSBY

Finding Old Loot in PA

"Red Craft and Harry Niemeyer don’t have to dig deep to find out what makes them happy, but they will.

It’s money — not making it, finding it.

The retirees spend countless hours searching for silver and gold coins, copper pennies or a valued piece of jewelry someone lost yesterday, decades or centuries ago. Mostly, they find bottle cups, pull tabs from cans, copper clad pennies, junk."

Read mroe HERE.

Image Credits: Lucy Shaly / Beaver County Times

Stylized Silver Button

"A rare button which was found near Storrington has been formally declared treasure by the county coroner.

The 16th century silver button was discovered in a field by metal detector user Anthony Gill in February this year.

In a treasure trove inquest held in Chichester on Tuesday, coroner Penelope Schofield heard the intricate button featured a number of circles of metal which were attached to a main loop which was attached to clothing."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: West Sussex County Times

St. Ursula Badge is Treasure

"A scrap of twisted silver found a few weeks ago by a metal detector in Lancashire will take its place among masterpieces of medieval art at the British Museum, in an exhibition opening this week of the bejewelled shrines made to hold the relics of saints and martyrs.

The badge made of silver found by Paul King, a retired logistics expert, is a humble object to earn a place in an exhibition called Treasures of Heaven, but it is unique. It will sit among gold and silver reliquaries studded with gems the size of thumbnails – or the sockets from which they were wrenched by thieves – once owned by emperors, popes and princes."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: The Guardian