To Find More “Stuff” Read More

There isn’t a week that goes by where I’m not asked. “Frank, where can I find places to metal detect?” Or…”My local parks are hunted out. Where else can I go to search?”

It seems like many in the hobby have tunnel vision, or their approaching the hobby with blinders on. They want to find old relics, coins, or jewelry, but their stuck digging pull-tabs, bottle caps, and tin foil. Most often, the problem is these individuals are not thinking outside the box. God, I hate that often used cliché, but it speaks to the truth of this problem.

If you’re one of those individuals that are tired of digging clad coins, washers, nuts, bolts, screws, modern nails, pull-tabs and Pepsi cans, then you need to understand a metal detecting fact. “You will not dig old items if you don’t search in UNSEARCHED, old areas.” It’s a simple axiom…but it’s also a proven method to finding old stuff.

Sure, once in a while you’ll come upon an old coin in a hunted out old park, or maybe you’ll find a nice gold ring in the schoolyard. But most often, those rare finds are not enough to keep you interested in the hobby. And it’s a reason why I get the questions asking me where to go metal detecting for the old finds. Your laser like focus solely on the obvious areas like schoolyards, and parks needs to change instead to looking for areas that are not obvious to many.

I’ve always loved American history, and the local history of my State. I am a voracious reader, reading as many as 5 books at one time. I can also devour a 400 page book in about 6 hours. My personal library is equipped with approximately 2000 books that I refer to when researching areas to metal detect. I’ve read them all, many I’ve read multiple times, and my Kindle has approximately 100 history books and research sites that I use on a daily basis. So why am I telling you this? It’s because if you love history, then your chances of finding old, and unknown areas to search increases. Finding relics in areas that you’ve read about is an adventure that can’t be duplicated in the hobby.

Many of the successful detectorists I know are also avid readers of history, and the treasure hunters that find the loot have developed a love for reading history. Reading history opens up a whole new world of searching opportunities.

My detecting partner John, who was a great friend, and the co-host of my TV series, may he RIP, was reading a local history book that had been written in 1901. Suddenly a passage in the book jumped out at him. His curiosity was peaked. The passage read.

“You could hear the voices of the picnickers as they frolicked in grove.”

John thought. “Grove?” Right away he was thinking an old picnic grove. He couldn’t wait to call me to tell me about his discovery of the verse; it was almost midnight when my phone rang.

We then became hyper addicted, and consumed with a kind of insane, manic search for that old grove. For 3 months we drove back and forth to different areas that were described in that book looking for the possible grove. We walked through miles of scrub brush, tall elephant grass, crossed two waist deep fast flowing streams, and climbed numerous hills in search of what we knew would be a “honey hole” if we found it.

Then it happened. On a hot and humid, mid summer day John and I began digging old coins, lots of them. And then we dug old jewelry, lots of them also. In addition, we found and old silver pocket watch, and various old Boy Scout items. We had read in John’s book that the area of the old grove then became a Boy Scout camp.

Johns reading paid off. Between the two of us we found hundreds of items over a period of three years. And that was just one of many successful searches we had all because we were willing to read the history of our areas.

So if you’re tired of not finding more goodies, and your junk pile is over flowing with pull-tabs, bottle caps, and tin foil, then I suggest you begin reading about the history of your area. Because if you don’t…someone else with a metal detector will, and they’ll be glad they did.

Treasure Hunters Challenge FBI Over Dig for Legendary Gold

Lost and Found Objects Have a Story to Tell

Woman With Metal Detector Finds Lost Wedding Band

Small Talk: The Joys of Finding Buried Treasure

With his metal detector, my second cousin, Steve Rettew, could help you find that treasure and then dig it up.

Steve Rettew has dug up coins, bullets, silver pocket watches, dog tags, spoons, sleigh bells for horses, buttons, casino chips and tons of bottle caps and pull tabs.” Small Talk The Joys of Finding Treasure

Modern Day Treasure Hunters Unearth the Unexpected in Maine

The metal detector sounded off as Guy Marsden swung it in a low arc over the grass.

“It’s a mixed signal, so it might be a piece of iron with some silver, like a coin,” Marsden, 63, said as he passed over the spot again and again, watching the bars jump on the screen of his metal detector with each bleep. “ Modern Day Treasure Hunters

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Thank You

Frank

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