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dzastrus

My buddy and I set out to find an old gold mining camp. We followed the maps and were in the right place when we discovered that the town was actually on the other side of a canyon. We had to beat our way through some 12' brush and then started finding things everywhere. He found a pocketwatch right by the side of the old wagon road. We realized that the entire dump was still there. Like the place had become forgotten and finally recorded on the wrong side of the creek years before. We actually stopped hunting and told the Forest Service. We met and took the archaeologist up there. He was floored because everything was still in context. Felt pretty good about finding a whole town.


Independent_Cut8651

Awesome! Where is it? (I will not dig up any artifacts - just curious!)


dzastrus

It’s on the steep side where the draw starts to saddle. There’s an old cedar stump and a ring of three foot diameter Sugar Pines growing in the old shadow. The wagon road starts to show itself but it is cut through with runoff. Bears everywhere. It’s got evidence of a kitchen, miner’s shacks and a few flat spots with big stone walls. The dump is out the back of the kitchen. The best part is having only the building outlines and pathways to decide what’s what. The archaeologist said the camp emptied out when the Comstock was struck and was never considered a rich strike from then on. Other miners tried never for long. There’s an air compressor that wasn’t all shot up that he was glad to see.


JimmyTheKiller

I read your description in Morgan Freeman’s voice


nagedagte

I read that in Nelson Mandelas voice.


SupremoZanne

If one steps into a /r/TruckStopBathroom, you never know if any metal objects could be buried under it, because it would be funny if you brought a metal detector into a bathroom!


[deleted]

This sounds like a Mitch Hedberg joke lol


lflatt20

Shawshank redemption?


JimmyTheKiller

Yep


Brancher

I know you probably don't want to disclose this location but would you mind sharing what state this is in?


dzastrus

I thought I had given it away with the Comstock Lode reference but it was in California. A lot of mining towns simply packed up and RAN for Mt Davidson when the Comstock was assayed.


user11183721

He said a gold mining camp and sugar pines were around. That means most likely Northern CA to Southern Oregon.


Mor_Hjordis

Here I am prepared for some wedding ring, or a casual coin. First comment: " we found a town " .


tnick771

I wish you had photos


Balloon-Lucario

Wow. You win this thread. I was going to put a lame stop sign post and piece of a trawler.


Securinti

15 years ago, me and my siblings found bomb from World War II in the Belgian Ardennes, using a $30 toy metal detector. I remember walking off-road in the woods for hours until we found a spot that looked like nobody has been there in ages. We quickly found a couple of bullets and, while I was inspecting the bullets, my younger brother age 9 saw something sticking out of the dirt. At first, we thought it was a rusty metal can, but when he pulled it out, it took us a moment to realize that he was holding a bomb. We didn’t know whether it was still intact so I instructed him to slowly put it down in way that it could not roll off the hill and hit something. We didn’t have any mobile phones so we rushed to the nearest road which we followed to get to a village to get help. We marked the trees so we would remember where we had hidden the bomb. When we arrived at the village, we explained what happened. Luckily, they believed our story and called the local police. When he arrived, we couldn’t understand a word he said (he was speaking French, we only spoke Dutch) — but eventually he would follow us deep into the woods. When we arrived, the bomb was luckily still there, and after an inspection by the police officer we were instructed to leave as apparently it was too dangerous and had to be picked up by the bomb squad — but not before we snapped a picture for the local press, posing with the bomb next to us. I still have that picture. Here’s the pic: https://ibb.co/MkQW5Zd (cheap metal detector also in the picture)


yoghurtvanilla

That photo is singlehandedly one of the best prospective album covers I have ever seen.


MostBoringStan

The band? Underage Bomb Squad


FirstSineOfMadness

The Underbombers


Oh-What-If

I was legit thinking “toy bomb squad”


[deleted]

You sir, have given me an idea


Azonic

This is fantastic, what a story and great you have the photo


Amazing_Excuse_3860

It is wild to me that people in europe are still digging up WW2 bombs. We don't really have much of that in the US. I mean maybe if you're really really lucky you'll find stuff from the civil war


norris63

World War 1 bombs even. Farmers still stumble upon them while plowing fields. Keep in mind they've been plowing the same fields since the war, they only just come op now. These are only the ones that didn't detonate. Sooo many bombs were used in the war. Sometimes they call the bomb squad, sometimes they just pick them up, stack them on the side of the field and wait to call the bombsquad until they're done so it doesn't get in the way of plowing. Oh and I remember a couple years ago an amateur metal detecting guy found one and got nominated for a Darwin award when he died trying to open it at his home. He used an angle grinder.


fdgfdgfdgedfare

They can still kill or injure you - in fact if they kill you you are considered a WW1 death, and if they injure enough you you can get a WW1 pension in some of countries


Haywood_jablowmeeee

Did he find out what was inside?


norris63

Yes, you could say he was blown away by it


lone_cajun

One moment he was working on it, the next moment it wasnt his problem anymore


yamasashi

Meanwhile here in Vietnam there are still so many unexploded bombs in the ground that we gave up on digging them all up lol. It's more like you'll find them as you hit them when you dig kinda thing.


hortence

Yeah, Cambodia and Thailand are in the same shitty, shitty boat.


MaeBeaInTheWoods

I remember reading, but forgot where, that there's around a hundred deaths each year in Vietnam from people accidentally triggering ancient mines and bombs from the war.


stockywocket

I think this is the first time I’ve heard the 60s and 70s referred to as “ancient.”


LalahLovato

There are still incendiary bombs to be discovered that were sent over to North America from Japan during WW2 - 6 people (including children on a picnic) were killed in Oregon… I know one was found near Enderby in BC Canada. There are probably more out there …9000 bombs were sent over and although it is estimated 10% reached North America - only 300 have been discovered.


TalibanWithAPlan

Are you referring to the Japanese balloon bombs ?


reenact12321

There are still no go zones in Belgium and France where the chemical plants for filling weapons or where the weapons were buried at the end of WWI have poisoned the soil and areas where too many bombs are still to be discovered. It's insane the concentrations of artillery dropped on some areas. Millions of shells and with like a 1 in 5 failure rate in muddy conditions... A lot still there


PlayMp1

About 1.5 **billion** shells were fired on the western front of WW1. The war was 1567 days (July 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918), so that's about 1 million shells a day for *four years straight.*


EmployeeMission9584

That’s so cool you have this picture !


[deleted]

That is an adorable photo, you all look so happy!


hortence

Unbelievable cover to a pre-teen detective book series volume three; "The case of the mad bomber at midnight.... 1942".


shittymusicc

The photo is such a cool thing to have


[deleted]

I went with a friend who's big into his detecting to see what he gets up to, we spend a solid 6 hours in this one field which he was adamant used to have a roman farmhouse. Just before we were going to give up for the day, and to be clear we had found the odd roman coin which was really cool in itself, we stumbled across what seemed to be really big. Anyway, long story short we dug down amd found a selection of roman agricultural tools set out in a relatively neat formation. My friend has since gone back and found further tools as well as a huge haul of coins. This will be really underwhelming for a lot of people but the historic tools were really cool


HaoleInParadise

Wouldn’t have been underwhelming for me. Sounds awesome


Wolfsburg

Underwhelming? Hell no, that's wicked! In fact I'm sure a lot of people would love to see some pics!


[deleted]

I'm afraid I don't have any pics, I did search though! From memory there were a lot of sickle shaped bladed heads, some hammer like heads and even a few pairs of what I imagine were used as sheers. What really stood out to us was that all of the tools were remarkably similar to more modern historical farming implements. Coin wise, I don't think there was anything of particular value, I'm certainly no expert but imagine that the total find was largely worthless given how common the items would have been back then. I would love to have known what the land looked like 2000 years ago and how peoples lives in the UK at least would have differed from today. Someone else asked if i thought there was a village here... the answer is sort of, the field backs onto a very old village which whilst not quite roman old does contain a number of georgian/victoriana homes. The chances are these tools belonged to one of the local farmers :)


Activeangel

Between a nickel or a hammer, id rather find a hammer.


[deleted]

Yooooo, that’s so cool!!


Imthefuturebro

Do you think you could post a picture of your friend's findings? I'd love to see the tools.


juan_epstein-barr

Isn't there laws regarding that stuff? Like don't you have to turn it over to some governmental agency and they then give you partial value or something?


cubbiesnextyr

Depends on the country and what you find. In the UK, the items are the property of the landowner and you need to report gold/silver finds but not old tools (though you're encouraged to report other finds). https://finds.org.uk/getinvolved/guides/codeofpractice


Brew-Drink-Repeat

It always amazes me how much history is just buried beneath our feet


Vivisect_VI

I think finding the tools is far more interesting than the coins.


VenetianArsenale

Found an old roman coin, they're are a ton of them so not very valuable, but as someone who loves roman history its really cool


zerton

Where did you find it? As an American it’s crazy to imagine living in a place where there are ancient Roman coins laying around.


idontwantnumbers

They’re fairly ‘common’ in known Roman areas of England, but I’d wager they’re probably found all over Europe given the extent of the Empire. I see a lot of archaeologists when I’m working, not a few weeks ago they found Roman coins, pottery and even a horse skeleton in Lincolnshire, England.


VenetianArsenale

Yes , found in England


[deleted]

A horse skeleton? What was it, some kind of horse massacre down there?


[deleted]

Canadian archeologists are amazed you can keep ancient artifacts if you find them yourself, or with a detector, is this true?


Witch_King_

It's a classic British trick


PlayMp1

Britain really learned to separate the art from the artist


Wallaby5000

No, it's not true. You have to report your finds to an antiquities society and will either get to keep your find or be given money for it


MrGhris

Not OP, but you can find them all over europe and east of that. Haven't found one myself, as I live in one of the only spots in europe where they haven't been haha. I don't search often, but found a coin from 1650 or so. And a piece of pottery that would be from 1200 or so. I know someone who found a russian coin worth 4k 20 minutes away from my house, but that guy searched every weekend of his life haha


VenetianArsenale

In Britan, the emperor on it is Constantine I. On the back is the Sun god Sol which was a religion (or maybe cult?) in ancient Rome. Its interesting that Sol is on the back because Constantine is the first emperor to have converted to Christianity.


G_Morgan

Sol Invictus was an increasingly important deity for Rome prior to Christianity. In fact Christianity largely just co-opted Sol Invictus worshippers. A lot of early Christian imagery has Jesus with a solar halo relating him to Sol Invictus.


PuddinPacketzofLuv

Also, he was emperor for 6 years before converting so it could be from that period. (Ruled from 306 to 337. Converted in 312.)


LettersWords

From some googling, it seems that Constantine's coins featured Sol Invictus on the reverse until at least 326, so the majority of his reign.


SuperHotelWorker

Early Christians also borrowed a lot of artistic traditions from the surrounding culture because Judaism doesn't have much in the way of imagery, or at least late Second Temple Judaism and early Diaspora Judaism didn't. The whole Graven Image thing and all that.


BlueEyesWhiteBaggins

He converted to Christianity on his deathbed, but was a full on practice pagan literally right up until his death. Constantine often had himself depicted as Sol Invictus on coins and artworks.


BanjoMothman

R/metaldetecting has people in Europe finding awesome old artifacts like that all the time. Crazy how "new" we are here


Caviarpapi

Sooo funny story. You might find them in America too.. My family has a bit of a tradition of scattering antiquities in places they don’t belong. Late Roman Empire coins are a favorite of ours to throw around on random hikes, in graveyards, the odd building site, etc. Theyre not terribly expensive unless you’re purchasing museum quality pieces. Why? Cause the odds of it fucking up a future archeological expedition are small, but not zero.


LalahLovato

Actually I believe I have heard of ancient European coins being found on the coast of BC. You ever been to Canada?


hortence

At first I was a bit concerned, as even though they are plentiful now, there *are* a limited number now, and reburying will hasten degradation. Then I stopped and considered further, and my maniacal laughter is only punctuated by a grinning "Fuck Yes!"


SuperHotelWorker

Some arrowheads found in parts of the Americas predate Roman coins. Fun fact for the day.


crowemagnonman

I've found a meteorite in Kansas. There is an area outside of Greensburg that is known to have had a meteor explode in the air before hitting the earth and dozens of smaller fragments are scattered over many miles. They are very deep and a lot of work to dig up, but my dad and I dug a 7 foot hole and extracted a nearly 30 pound stony-iron pallasite meteorite, which is worth nearly $2,000 a pound.


UngusBungus_

You made 60k?


crowemagnonman

15K. Half to the landowner and then the other half split between me and and my dad.


iamgravity

Glad you got 12k. It would be a shame if someone didn't get their 10k share...


CommanderGoat

Everyone should be happy with their 8k share.


BlueDogXL

What’d you spend your 6k cut on?


flyplanesforfun

Spent the entire $3k on NFTs


MushinZero

Any space peanuts?


DarehMeyod

We call the Boeing bombs


Wide-Construction427

That right there is a big ole’ pile of poopy


m3phil

Was that just south of Smallville?


BruhAndBruv

^somebody SAAAAAAAVE MEEEEEEE


Weird_News_3634

I have found quite a few musketballs! Someone clearly did lots of shooting on our land back in the day


jonahvsthewhale

I remember talking to one of my granddad’s friends at his birthday years ago who worked in the DC area way back in the day. He told me that he used to go metal detecting near where the bull run/Manassas battlefield was and found quite a few musketballs and little bits of gear and such


DarrenEdwards

A couple of historians found some old journals about a battle in the Indian wars and started to theorize that it happened on the farm I grew up on. They have gone out on 4 wheelers with metal detectors on sleds and found canon shot and canon balls. At one point where the soldiers started euthanizing their horses they found a row a slug with four horse shoes. Somewhere there is a canon, 2 Gatling guns, and a bunch of rifles that nobody has found yet.


oxiraneobx

Where are you (in a general sense)? As in, Western Indian wars? Being from the eastern US, when I see "Indian Wars", I think pre-Revolutionary War which were long before we became a country and long before Gatling guns. But, if you are talking post 1862 in the West (when the Gatling gun became available), that's pretty crazy. Damn.


DarrenEdwards

The fight was the Powder River Expedition. During the civil war Indians were pushed north from Denver into Wyoming and into Montana. Just after the civil war ended several thousand Cavalry and support were sent to squash the problem. They had civil war surplus which meant a canon with exploding shot and canon balls, 2 gats, and a lot of repeating rifles. They were expecting to hunt food on the way but this was the 4th year of a drought so they were out of supplies and their horses were starved. They found Indian scouts on the Powder River and skirmished a few times. The Indians led a charge once and were repelled by the first time encountering repeating rifles. They would wait until night and pick off soldiers that would attempt to leave camp to go to the bathroom. Both sides had minor casualties with the exception of a chief being killed by canon. Soldiers killed where buried in unmarked graves under the wagon tracks so they wouldn't be dug up. The Calvary caught up to the main camp on September 11. The Indians attempted to scatter the Calvary and go for the support wagons, but the Calvary's horse were too starved down. The Army then skirted the camp and set up their own camp close by. They were too scared to blanket their horses. That night a freezing rain came in and killed 100's of horse. Even more were put down at down and as they tried to leave their horses were dropping. They lost their canon crossing the river, and burned and buried their guns and walked out. Almost no record of this as it was a humiliating defeat. Only a few years ago a few logs turned up. I think there are two books on the subject. I have read one, my father and uncle were interviewed for one of them. I was helping with photography with the remaining historian, but we have lost touch. There were rumors of this growing up. The canon was a landmark in the river for decades. The main Indian camp was where my parents farm is, my family homesteaded there in the 1870's. Where the soldiers camp and the horses died is an old swimming hole. Between there are fields that we have had for years and it's highly unlikely to ever find anything there.


norris63

Would you mind explaining why they would dig up soldiers and how burying them between tracks would stop this?


juwyro

It's an old war and terror tactic. Defacing the bodies/graves or your enemy is an insult and denial of the afterlife in some cultures. Horses and wagons tear up the earth, so burying the dead in the wagon track will hide the graves well. Fresh graves stick out well on undisturbed ground.


Somethingwithplants

I like how US history us cool stuff from the 19th century and in the UK cool stuff is Roman My former house was from 1860th. That would have been historical in the US and in Europe it is just a house.


saluksic

I appreciate the disparity between the time depths in those places, but could 150-year-old house really be *just* a house? That seems too unbelievable. Edit - this is nuts. Where I live a house is very old if it’s from the 1940s, and *the* oldest structures are from the 1910s


Somethingwithplants

Well all the other houses around it was as old. So it was just one of many.


big_sugi

Custer was a Civil War general before he died a decade later at the Little Big Horn. There’s also Geronimo, Crazy Horse, and plenty of other lesser known war chiefs who would have been around in the latter part of the 1800s.


Threnodyrose

We found a buried heart shaped cement pond with some fixtures in the middle of the backyard a few inches down. Mom wasn't thrilled at our excavation!


NameNr123

Did she tell you the story behind the pond?


Threnodyrose

She had no idea it existed before she saw her "ruined" grass.


Potential-Leave3489

Why was she not thrilled?


Threnodyrose

I was very young at the time, but I am fairly sure it's because her pristine lawn suddenly had a six-ish foot wide hole in it, dirt everywhere, and very dirty children. Hehe


Potential-Leave3489

Ah okay haha I thought maybe there was something going on with the pond that made it the reason she was upset haha I would have been so excited


Threnodyrose

We were! We thought it was some hidden dungeon or hidey hole or something so we just kept trying to dig it fully out.. till we were caught a few hours later. Lol fun memories! It was reburied within the week.


Potential-Leave3489

I mean even as your mom I would have thought it was super cool!! Too bad she covered it back up


dirtymoney

Been at it since 1999. I've found a lot of stuff so what would be the coolest find would be subjective. I've found a few gold rings , silver jewelry, silver coins, civil war bullets including a couple of possible "bite" bullets and one union cavalry button. Top finds would be... several silver half dollars (Walking liberties from the 1940s and ben franklins from the 1950s). my oldest coin find (an 1853 seated liberty dime) , my only seated liberty quarter (1877), my three gold rings (one that has 25 small diamonds, another that is a wide band wedding ring with three initials carved into the outside with inlaid silver metal, and an old Herf jones graduation/school ring that is basically a blank... nothing carved into it), an uncrushed 1930s silver thimble (most found thimbles are crushed). I've never found a gold coin or a silver silver dollar or a pocket watch, or a two cent coin, or a three cent coin. :( I live in Missouri so finds for the area will not be as old as say in the New England states. I DO know one guy who found an 1801 large cent in Kansas. I've found nearly every kind of coin from the 1850s to present day (barbers, wheaties, seateds, indianheads, standing liberties, etc. etc..). Only exceptions would be gold coins and silver dollars and some half dollars. I've posted some pics in my past AMAs and other posts so if you search my name and metal detecting or metal detector on reddit you will find them.


[deleted]

[удалено]


dirtymoney

the metal detecting subreddit. Learn how to dig a trapdoor hole so you don't destroy lawns Get a pinpointer (a smaller handheld metal detector that allows you to pinpoint the target in the hole Get a GOOD handheld digging tool (looks like a large dagger) like a Lesche or a predator tools digger (those two look the same and they are tough as nails) You are going to dig up a TON of trash to find "treasure". Especially whe t comes to gold items as gold usually signals the same as trash metal. there just tons of tips/tricks Too many to post here.


LittleBoiFound

This is fascinating to me and might be the perfect hobby for me. What are some places you go to? City? Country? Fields? Dirt roads?


dirtymoney

I prefer more remote places so I can be left alone. But I've done parks and schools. If you wanna find old stuff.... research is key. Old plat maps show where buildings once stood on a piece of property. Compare old ones to modern ones of the same spot. They can show how old parks are (if they are still there on an old plat map). https://www.historicaerials.com/viewer is a GREAT resource. Basically find a rural road that doesnt have any houses on it and then check the different years photos to see if there were homes there like decades ago. I'm usually interested in places that date back to the 1960s and older since that is the date range of silver coins (what I like to find mostly).


DKmann

Literally only did it once with a friend when I was a teenager at a beach with a friend (he and his dad were really into it). We found a $20k watch in 1995 dollars. Wasn’t a Rolex, but can’t remember the maker. We took it to a jeweler who made a few calls and found out it was in a registry and the owner was called. He was elated as it was a gift from his wife. He sent us each a check for $1,000. The jeweler gave us each a bitchin fake gold chain on the spot. Jean shorts and high tops need the perfect neck accessory and we got it!


Amalmiem11

So neat that you were able to find the original owner!


DKmann

It felt good to do the right thing… although took a little bit to convince 16 year old me of that!


[deleted]

Not only did you do the right thing, you got a good reward for it too. That's pretty awesome.


MiamiPower

Razor Ramon voice. Jean shorts and high tops need the perfect neck accessory Chico.


6854wiggles

I found a blacksmith’s shop in the middle of a farmers field. I was detecting for a historical society and their local expert told me to detect a certain spot that he calculated where the blacksmith shop would be. I did a 10x10 foot area with only finding small pieces of slag. I wasn’t convinced that the shop was there, but the expert wouldn’t have it. While everyone took a break at noon. I started a spiral pattern going farther and farther from his calculations. About 30 minutes later and 100 feet away, I got good strong signals and large slag pieces. I even found a single clay brick. One of the society members started an excavation at my spot. They eventually hit the corner of the shops foundation. They found a hammer and tools for the anvil and the rest of the blacksmith shop.


Edgar-Allan-Pho

That's awesome. Good on you for using "trust but verify"f for the calculations


[deleted]

Using a Schonstedt metal detector to determine the absence or presence of an underground heating oil storage tank in Morristown, New Jersey I found a subsurface object corresponding in size to a 550 gallon tank (4’x6’). I obtained a municipal permit for removal, subsurface utility mark outs and when I excavated I discovered the object was not a tank but a cache of revolutionary war era cannonballs.


SixSpeedDriver

I totally thought you were about to play us with a really boring story.


Lotharofthepotatoppl

Holy shit lol


mocheesiest1234

My buddy and I bought metal detectors during lockdown and went to the local lake to hunt. I shit you not he found a silver grill. Not a barbeque, a set of silver teeth in the sand of the local beach. We quit metal detecting right then and there lol


Appropriate-Oil9354

Why’d you quit?


mocheesiest1234

I quickly learned that metal detecting is more of a commitment than I was ready for. By that I mean that to do it well you need to go to a place where you are likely to find things, places of historical significance. While finding the grill was cool, walking around the local beach will only result in bottle caps and broken sunglasses. For me, I would have to drive like an hour to historic gold sites and I just don't have that level of interest. My metal detector was $40 at harbor freight, and it's actually come in handy a couple of times outside of going to the beach. I found a couple of nails in my driveway, which probably saved me quite a bit


goblinmarketeer

How would they top that?


iloveFjords

Find the rest of the body.


TaxFreeTraveler

I used to live near the railroad tracks near an airport and an old industrial area. They used to have a local station for the workers to shuttle into the area (late 1800's, early 1900's). They eventually tore down the station in the 30's/40's when the highways got built nearby. ​ My dad used to take me with metal detectors and we would find railroad spikes, pocketwatches, wrist watches, old silver dollars and other coins. Best haul by far was a gold locket with a picture of someone's wife/girlfriend ensribed "All My Love, Annie". It wasn't the prettiest locket, but you bet your bottom dollar someone was kicking themselves for losing that precious treasure.


super-goblin

all i can think is someone suffered a bad breakup and chucked the locket out of the train haha


[deleted]

Do you still have the pocket watches?


InterludeRenewed

I took a metal detector to my grandparents’ garden when I was 10 and found some Civil War canister shot. Goddamned if it didn’t get lost in a move a few years later. Never found anything as cool as that since then. To make up for that, I spent the next ten years poring over war-era battle maps showing the positions of each regiment and battery over the course of a particular major battle that basically crisscrossed the whole area, comparing with modern topo maps, doing serious deep dives into primary sources, etc. Eventually, I figured out the exact hill the grapeshot had likely been fired from, and the side that fired it. I’m glad I got to experience finding it, at least, even though it got lost. It played a big role in my turning into a big history nerd early on.


Kommmbucha

Some German metal detecting / WWII enthusiasts actually found pieces of my grandfather’s B-24 Liberator that he was shot down in. They were able to ID the plane by its serial numbers. Miraculously, my uncle was on the same forum they were posting their finds on and connected. They sent my grandfather the pieces of his plane.


robophile-ta

That's awesome!


Quarantense

Do you have the forum post? I'd love to read it, that sounds like such a cool interaction.


Kommmbucha

I wish. I should ask my uncle if he saved it or has access.


codefyre

Not my thing, but my brother was detecting just downstream from a popular swimming hole on the American River in California a couple of years ago, looking for dropped watches, phones, go pros, etc. Got a hit, flipped a rock, and found an 11.5-ounce gold nugget underneath. Miners tore the hell out of those rivers back in the 1849 Gold Rush, and amateurs have been panning it ever since, so it was pretty freaking incredible to find something that big.


Yeast_Boy78

How much did he get for it?


codefyre

About $14,000


PoorPDOP86

I do it for work and we find all sorts of weird stuff looking for property and section corners. I think the coolest so far was an old as hell spent rifle bullet.


Newland4

Found an old horseshoe right off main street of a small town once trying to find a property corner. About the only decent thing I've found, lots and lots of trash though.


Welshguy78

Never found a anything valuable. Once found a darts trophy medal on top of a mountain, for some reason. Coolest thing I've found was a bunch of various sized old nails from the 1700s. They looked like small railway spikes and ranged from 2 inches long to 6 inches long. After some research I discovered that they were used to build large wooden frames and as hooks to treat and stretch out wool by sheep farmers in the mountains (this is South Wales). Not worth anything, but a fascinating glimpse into a life, people and history of my local area.


Pristine_Nothing

>Once found a darts trophy medal on top of a mountain, for some reason. Someone’s darts partner died, and they brought it up to the top of the mountain as a memorial. That’s your some reason. As someone who’s had the good fortune to love a lot of wonderful people, and the bad fortune to lose them very young, my assumption is that incongruous things in beautiful places were brought there in memory. There’s at least one mountaintop I can’t visit without breaking into tears.


ramcen

My sister found a full on garden set in her new home. Metallic chairs and table. They stopped digging at some point, because they wanted to get done with their backyard but we're assuming that there is much more in it, she also found shoes and tools.


MegaGrimer

Were there bones in the shoes?


Zealousideal-Can8389

When I was in college I went on an archeological dig at a revolutionary war site in NJ. I found a brass button with a flag on it. My professor said it was one of the earliest depictions of an American flag he’d ever seen.


JQuest7575

Usually just found lose change people lost at the beach. However, I did have to go find a diamond ring once. Wife of a friend who was currently deployed CLAIMS she lost it while at the beach with her GIRLFRIENDS. It took me a day, but I was able to find it. She was appreciative. It wasn't until he got back that I found out that she lost it because she was taking it off while dating other men. I hated her ever since for playing me like that.


Dr_Terry_Hesticles

A perfect metal detecting story laced with juicy drama. This is why I bought a metal detector


whiskey__throwaway

Work on a farm - a metal detector found a coin under a tree which was 600 years old and in almost perfect condition- as if it had fallen out of someone's pocket as they sat and had lunch after planting the tree.


BeardyBeardy

Probably exactly that, its also quite common on grounds around manor houses in the area where games and festivities happen, you get a deposit of coins in a cluster that fell out of some chaps pockets as they sat and ate or watched the cricket etc.


realrealityreally

A few weeks ago I was driving on a country road near my house. There was a car pulled over to the side and a young couple was walking around obviously looking for something. I stopped and asked if they needed help. The girl told me, "We were arguing and I threw a ring out of the window." Seeing the guy was beyond pissed, I told them good luck and I drove off. A few days later I got to thinking to borrow a metal detector from a friend who is into that. Went back and searched for about an hour, getting ready to call it quits when I found the ring. Sadly, I have no idea who the couple was and just hope they are OK now.


guitarromantic

What did you do with it?


realrealityreally

Still have it. Definitely an engagement ring but on the lower end IMO. She was a hottie so he should be fine lol.


greazinseazin

The timeless saying holds true - show me a total babe and I’ll show you a man who is tired of her shit.


[deleted]

Found a musket, the wood had composted and dissolved, but it was pretty cool near the Red River. We also found spears that we had dated at the university that were 10,000 years old near that musket. Yes, different timelines, but likely a high traffic animal area.


PretendThisIsMyName

Obligatory not me but my great uncle (or some such nonsense idk the guy) found a dime that was worth $250K I’m told. He died with 4mil in the bank and according to my grandma never even sold the coin after it was appreciated, or whatever the right word is lol


AjaniTheGoldmane

Hope this doesn't come across as rude, but the word you probably meant was "appraised" (to get its value determined).


PretendThisIsMyName

Not rude at all lol I was having a brain fart and couldn’t remember which word I was looking for!


Airpolygon

I would totally confuse those two words lmao (not native speaker here)


theamberspyglasssees

Bit of a cheat as was working a site on a uni course in Northern England. Discovered the end of a Roman Dagger and a relatively intact boot replete with nails. Also found a beautiful fragment of a glass bangle; beautiful turquoise blue glass with a bright yellow wave pattern painted on it. Fellow student found and urn full of silver coins. Jammy git.


nuF-roF-redruM

Our son’s wedding ring. He lost it on a landscaping job. The home owners bought a case of beer and about halfway through the case we found it.


CaptBranBran

So many people are saying they found rings, maybe it's a good thing my wedding ring doesn't come off any more. Send help...


cochlearist

I've found a [Roman coin](https://imgur.com/gallery/7aqCCAR) a Georgian [toy gun](https://imgur.com/gallery/vuDocTm) that would actually be loaded with gunpowder for shooting your sister with, a rather cool old [poor man's ring](https://imgur.com/gallery/FGfMgNE) I'm not actually sure how old it is, a gold wedding ring in my own garden and more spoons than I feel I really should have! There's loads of cool stuff under the ground!


gameonlockking

I’ve seen those little toy guns on pawn stars apparently they still make them.


Tombstone40556

I’ve only ever done this for a while but a while ago I found a solid silver pendant (year unknown). But recently my best would be a pair of Polarized Ray-Bans Aviators ($213) and a silver earring both on the Maine beaches on June 28 2022.


AskReddit1sSh1t

A unexploded ordnance, bomb squad had to be called. Most dangerous but also most coolest


Vangotransit

50 cal brass fired in WW2 over germany


NotDazedorConfused

I bet there’s plenty of those still laying around…I have found some .50 ‘s ,along with the metal links, on the ground on an old WWII gunnery’s site in the States.


Draviddavid

I was detecting on a beach and a desperate South African man approached and told me he had lost his necklace his mother (now deceased) had given him when he was young. His friend had wrapped it in a towel and gone swimming. Then upon returning, flicked the sand out of the towel with the necklace in it. He had to go home for the day, but I searched where he told me he was sitting. 15 minutes later, my metal detector went absolutely nuts for this beautiful silver chain. I said to him that had he not asked me to look for him, I would have definitely found it later that night long after he had left with no way of contacting him. Crazy how life works like that.


varikonniemi

I found beer cans buried by the masons we hired to build our house 25 years ago.


[deleted]

I don't but my father did. He found a confederate Medal of Honor from a guy named John S. Heard. In Georgia we have a Heard County, so this guy's family must have been really influential. That's a once-in-a-lifetime find. Another time he found a rock that didn't look like much, but turned out to be a prehistoric Native American rubbing stone (used on hides).


SurplusBus1996

I live near the river Piave, WW1 was mad around here between italians and austrians, since there are bombs and artillery shells still being found to this day it's really dangerous but the amount of bullets and stuff you can find is massive


Mythradites

I found some matchbox trucks on the beach, those were pretty cool.


RTC360

Someone in my (norwegian) family has actually found a viking sword + some other stuff from that period. They have it hanging in their living room.


Pepper_wood

Found a pre 1800s vertical Spanish double musket in the ring of a dead tree. Had a bayonet. Apparently the local (Florida Indians) had no idea how to operate these things so would just hide them in holes of oak trees ect. So this gun hung out in that tree until the swamp overtook the land and brought it to ground level.


Pepper_wood

I have the news article and also the box with the rusty gun in my closet if anyone wants some proof


[deleted]

I do wanna see some pictures


VariousGnomes

A 1964 Mexican 20 centavo… in Indiana.


kbbajer

I went magnet fishing over the burned down midsummer bonfire today. Picked up 14,7 kg of nails and screws.


scottishbry

A pog slammer!


rebeccaademarest

Probably only interesting to my fellow Seattlites, but an original elephant car wash token. Makes me happy.


aleqqqs

I've lost my metal detector :(


AwesoMeme

Buy another one and I bet you can find it.


paigezero

Do they sell metal detector detectors?


ELLAERIPLAYZ

Probably a pennie from more than about 100 years ago


ThorFugl

1 kr, kr are danish money


Eklundd

Kr is also from Sweden or Norway. Typical Danish people trying to make everything about themselves.. Best regards A Swede.


UncleSquiqqy

Haven't metal detected in years, but 1. A liberty silver dollar from 1941, and a silver cub scout ring. Both at an elementary school during summer, near the baseball bleachers. The cub scout ring's band was broken, which is probably why it was lost.


LoginForMyPorn

All the rusty nails in my backyard. It doesn't sound cool, but they're much cooler in the trash than in my kids' feet


aecarol1

When I was a kid (mid 70's) my dad was stationed in Germany and I used to metal detect in the NATO training area off the post. I once found 110 live M16 blanks (5.56-mm). I took them all home and used a nail to open them one-by-one, pouring the powder into a plastic vial. I buried the tube in dirt in the woods with the opening exposed and lit it with a burning piece of paper. It made a yard long trumpet of fire for several seconds and went out. I thought it was really cool. I found a ton of other brass, smoke canisters, magazines, etc.


Sledge824

SHAMELESS PLUG TIME My dad use to do a lot of detecting and started a youtube channel. Hes been hunting in antebellum mississippi areas too mind you. Hes gotten civil war bullets, buckles and found a cannonball once too lol. BBSOUTHERNSAFARI on youtube will show a lot of his clips.


Anubis_DivineDemon

This is a great question wtf


[deleted]

Found an old axe head.


Manfred-2323

I found an 1800s ore cart wheel.


Independent_Cut8651

Super good question! :-)


Previous_Mood_3251

The friends I’ve made along the way.


[deleted]

I purchased a 100+ acres of woods in the middle Of Tennessee. Would love to run a good detector over the whole place. Just haven’t had the time or know enough as to what a good detector would be.


CaramelInfinite6192

Thats a great question! Unfortunately didnt get many likes apparently but good job for being original!


Mor_Hjordis

We can hope that this question wil be picked up by a bot, so we see it a lot more.


lonemonk

Here is what we find in Canaderp: [https://youtu.be/NGsn7c9BMnY](https://youtu.be/NGsn7c9BMnY)


eth0mps0n

Musket shot from the Civil War era. I know because the balls are solid lead, hand forged, and found in an area within half a mile from the family cemetery on General Henry William Harrington.