It’s Thursday and that usually means its time for a “throwback”. Here’s one from five years ago….
FINDERS KEEPERS?
Originally posted In June of 2019
Archaeologists would like you to believe that they have the inherent right or claim to everything that has been lost or cast to the wind. Whether buried in the ground or hidden under the seas, it’s theirs to preserve so all of mankind can enjoy. The problem with this is they are NOT actively looking for it. We ARE and that makes a difference. A helluva big difference because there’s no guarantee that anything buried in the ground will ever see the light of day.
We tekkies tend to feed this BS idea by repeating the “I save history” mantra. Listen I get it. It’s sounds cool and it’s a lot more palatable to John Q. Public than saying “I hunt for treasure”. Saying it however pins you down and defines every single thing you find as history and it’s not. Not by a long shot.
Understand when I go detecting I go where it’s legal for me to hunt. Where it’s legal for me to dig and where it’s legal for me to recover items. If it’s private property I’ve asked and been given permission to dig and I’ve made arrangements as to the disposition of the items I find. Sometimes it’s just a handshake and a verbal agreement – other times it’s in writing.
Public Property
Before I give my take on public property, what does ‘public’ mean? Well here are a few definitions according to Merriam Webster…
“of, relating to, or being in the service of the community or nation”
“of or relating to people in general : UNIVERSAL”
“devoted to the general or national welfare”
“accessible to or shared by all members of the community”
When it comes to hunting public property, a.k.a. park, school, athletic field, beach, etc., I make the decision as to what happens to my finds. If I recover a coin it’s mine. Mine to keep, mine to sell if I want and mine to share if I so desire. If I find a piece of trash it’s also mine. Mine to keep and dispose of. If I find a piece of jewelry it’s also mine to dispose of how I see fit though if the item is extremely valuable I will make an effort to check lost and found ads. If it’s a class ring I do all I can to return it. Bottom line? I searched for these items legally and what ultimately happens to them is up to me, no one else.
To the victor (finder) go the spoils...
The one possible exception to what I just stated? Historical items/relics. You see IF I find something at a city park, school, beach, etc. that would be of historical significance to the city I will gladly give it them or to the local historical society providing they have a way to display and/or share it with the community.
I’ve posted the following before but I want to share it again because it’s important to what I’m trying to say…. Here in Texas we have something called the Texas Antiquity Code that states:
Sec. 191.002. DECLARATION OF PUBLIC POLICY. It is the public policy and in the public interest of the State of Texas to locate, protect, and preserve all sites, objects, buildings, pre-twentieth century shipwrecks, and locations of historical, archeological, educational, or scientific interest, including but not limited to prehistoric and historical American Indian or aboriginal campsites, dwellings, and habitation sites, archeological sites of every character, treasure imbedded in the earth, sunken or abandoned ships and wrecks of the sea or any part of their contents, maps, records, documents, books, artifacts, and implements of culture in any way related to the inhabitants, pre-history, history, natural history, government, or culture in, on, or under any of the land in the State of Texas, including the tidelands, submerged land, and the bed of the sea within the jurisdiction of the State of Texas.
As you can see if I went by the above it would be a total waste of time to go metal detecting because everything I found would theoretically belong to the state and that’s just pure bullshit….sorry!
So you tell me…
….am I right, wrong, selfish, rude? Do I have an attitude problem? If you think I do consider your finds collection and tell me if you’d give up a good portion of it because the state says it’s really theirs? I’m pretty certain the state doesn’t go out of their way to enforce these regulations/codes because they know full well the pastime would go silent and the reporting of anything historical would disappear. The UK realized this years ago and came up with the PAS.
Archaeology needs to understand that we aren’t going away and they can either work with us or demean and fight us. Choosing the latter will certainly not be in theirs or anyone’s best interest!
Bottom line? I exercised due diligence, busted my butt to search for it and find it. It’s MY decision as to what will happen to it! Happy hunting y’all….
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DO COINS SINK OVER TIME?
Received an email from Ward Campbell concerning my take on “do coins sink deeper over time”… He offered the following –
Why and how coins sink over time in unconsolidated soil.
Gold has a specific gravity greater than water so it naturally moves down until it traps. Oil and gas have a specific gravity less than water so they move upwards in the subsurface until they trap. Geologists look for these traps in the subsurface of the earth.
On our ranch in Wyoming a corral and homestead complex had a small building where a strong wind picked up the roof and frame sending it up in the air and depositing it in the corral rendering the corral unusable.
I was asked to take it apart and clean up.
I noticed straitway upon inspection that the roofing nails had worked their way up out of the roofing material across the roof.
What caused the nails to move up out of the roof?
I was in the farm and ranch store and was talking about this and the clerk said… the nails are subject to the vibrational force of the earth rotating at thousands of miles per hour.
As soon as he said that I knew how precious metals move down until they trap and how oil and gas move up until they trap. (Gravity plus a vibration)
With oil and gas, water plays a substantial role in their subsurface movement.
I am certain silver will just keep moving down in unconsolidated soil and in water logged soils until they hit a shale or clay in which they can not penetrate… Same thing with gold… it just keeps moving down until it traps.
Sincerely,
WC
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Will leave this debate with you all. I don’t know the answer and don’t really care….
Stout Standards 
I agree with you, I did the research, bought the equipment, I dug it. It’s mine. I primarily hunt public/city land 99 percent of the time. If these folks want my coins, they can have all the garbage and needles other junk I pick up too.
I guess my theory is and always has been “if I don’t find it and dig it who will?” Just possibly it might never see the light of day.
I made the effort and I recovered it or “saved it” if you wish.
I have been in the hobby since the early 1970’s, hunting parks, woodlands, public and private property. I love private property where, in most cases, no one has hunted. Of course, I always ask permission, and usually get it. I approach the owner with a small photo album of what I’ve found, and the owner usually finds this quite interesting. So they’re game.
At this point in my hunting “career” I have lost interest in collecting. I have drawers full of this and that, some of it perhaps valuable. I like the hunt.
Right up front, I make an agreement that I will show the owner everything I find, and if they wish to have something, so be it. Of course, one can “discuss.” But the offer to give over anything the owner wants usually diffuses that whole issue. It’s been a rare event that the owner has requested something. They respect that you’ve brought expensive gear and you’ve invested your own time and effort finding stuff.
What I do want to do is clean something that looks interesting and photograph it. That usually satisfies my own interest.
I like your thinking and process. It covers all the bases. I also found most landowners aren’t interested in keeping the finds. Thanks for sharing.
Oh and you said “at this point in my hunting “career” I have lost interest in collecting…” That would be me too!!
just being able to hunt (whether public, or private,) WITHOUT feeling a “jackboot”
on my ass,is to me, a privilege which I am grateful for. anything I find is just an ongoing bonus,
which is considered a reward for my efforts.. I’m just sayin’
(h.h!)
j ( one more “poke”,and I’m golden!) t.
Well JT if you left that cheap stuff you drink at home instead of in your hip pocket you wouldn’t have to worry about that, LOL.
lol! ehe! he! heh!..dick! I don’t bring taste with me!..I DO celebrate after if I find anything. I generally find “gas money, and sometimes enough for a “pint” the little Tesoro gets me my share!..just sayin’
(h.h.!)
j ( thanks ‘jack!” ya done good!) t.
I research my good spots and gold spots. However, as of late, my dumb little POS conveyance cannot make it out to said spots. So I hit the 15 parks in my town for fresh drops. I still make proper plugs and I am proud to say the park MX peoples have all complimented me on the fact they can never tell I was there.
I wish schools were still open in my community. The meth heads who like to steal copper killed that. Schools have been fenced off for 15 years now. I have been working with the district to get permission to hunt on weekends. Also, a school that closed that had been open for 100 years. It is just a vacant building. Still working with them for that permission. It is not in town. It is in an old community that was a town but now has ghost town status.
Research is key to this hobby. Also integrity. I do the same things you do. Return anything that sentimental and historical if possible.
The key, be a good ambassador for the hobby.
Yup the scene is changing all over. What used to be routinely accessible now requires well thought out “begging”…a sign of the times.
And research is indeed the key to this pastime. Worrying about what your machine is capable of is just a diversion IMO. Thanks Matt.
People do not understand that it isn’t machine. It is the operator knowing their equipment. Amazing things have been found with the most basic machines just because the operator took the time to learn its language.
Absolutely!
Yo Ricardo!
Matt’s got it right on the nail. Many have the gear…but no idea. We are all on a learning curve. The longer anyone’s been on that curve then the more ‘expertise’ they’ve (hopefully) collected along the way. JMO.
Cheers!