Treasure Hunting?

[k0xxx]

and try to find some good NC sites to test it out in....like there is a state park in SC we rode horses. Kings Mt. State Park...it has trails with civil war markers.....big battle between the union and rebels there. I bet that would be a great place to start searching.

Be sure to check local and state laws regarding metal detecting. Most states do not allow metal detecting in their parks or on any public property. Even on the beaches, you have to make sure that it is allowed. Some states even go as far to regulate what you can dig up on private property. If a state has a version of the Archeological Resources Protection Law, most anything dug up over 100 years old is now determined to belong to the state. Politicians, ya gotta love 'em!

The best way to learn the ropes is to look up a metal detecting club. In NC, the only one that I can recall was located in Henderson (SP?).

Another thought is that one of the earliest gold rushes in the US occurred in Georgia and the Carolinas. There might be some interesting opportunities for gold panning and such for you.

 

[Iceblink]

This spring my dog and I were walking around a lake in Iowa. We met a guy using his metal detector in the water. He showed me some of the stuff he had found that morning. Coins and jewelry mostly.

He said he had been doing it as a hobby for the past 20 years or so and was retiring and treasure hunting full time. He only looks in the water, and I guess he has found quite a bit. Enough to support himself anyway.

When I dig in my garden I often find old trash, nails, bit of glass and sometimes whole bottles. Never anything good though. The people who owned this place before buried their garbage in the yard.

koxx - is that twisty metal thing in the last picture bridgework? Broken dentures?

 

[k0xxx]

Your keyboard is disgusting though.

Thought I'd throw that out there. Lol.

Yep, it is at that. That is the keyboard in my shop. I usually have to turn it over and dump it out about every week or two, or else the grime and dust starts to gum it up. You should have seen the last one after I was welding near it.

 

[k0xxx]

koxx - is that twisty metal thing in the last picture bridgework?

Yep it sure is.

 

[FarmerChick]

oh I didn't even think about state parks not allowing metal detecting and digging up on property laws. hmm....thanks.

A metal detecting club in Henderson? I will look it up on the net and see if I can hit into it and their info. I need to do some detecting of info..HA HA

I didn't know you could detect underwater? I guess you have to read if the detector can do that?

I loved your pics and now I am more interested. That is so cool seeing those coins and jewelry! Very neat!

 

[sylvie]

The guy that gave our demonstration, who belonged to a club, did say that rivers, creeks had loads of metal and that they try to move larger rocks where stuff gets caught. That's the same thing I heard about looking for natural occurring gold in streams.
He said one member only detects along the shore of Lake Erie, just inside the water. I think he had some sort of cover or special detector for water.

ETA- he said they look for old homesteads, sometimes all that remains are a couple large trees that used to surround a home. They get permission for anywhere they detect and make 50-50 deals with home owners for anything found.
Most stuff found is usually corroded and needs light cleaning.

 

[k0xxx]

Here are the two cases with Civil War era items. They came from two plantation sites where Union troops had camps. The lead projectiles are white due to oxidation.

 

[FarmerChick]

OH THAT IS just wicked wild cool.

I love stuff like that. Now I feel more hooked!
thanks for posting pics!!

I bet you had a blast finding all that stuff. The US cartridge plate is in great shape!