What's the most unexpected find you've ever had...
Mizzou
Posts: 463 ✭✭✭✭
This is easy for me...
I stopped in a wooded area that was sandwiched in between a main road and an apartment complex. I'm guessing that it's about a half mile wide strip. The main reason that I went there was to let my dog run but I figured that I would do a little metal detecting while he was roaming around.
I worked my way through the woods from the road where I had parked the truck. I went in about 100 yards and couldn't believe what I walked upon. There in a clearing sat two nice cars that had been stripped down. They were both missing various parts and one of them even had the engine missing. I noticed that two of the car doors were leaning against a tree and got to thinking that they might be back to scavenge more parts.
Long story short, I called the police and sure enough, both cars had been reported stolen.
Sometimes I think that animals are smarter than humans, animals would never allow the dumbest one to lead the pack
Comments
I can't think of an obvious one, so I'll have to settle for "most unexpected moment":
I was detecting in an area where I never expected to run into anyone or anything, was kneeling down and digging a hole and was completely oblivious to the outside world.
Seemingly out of nowhere a big dog showed up, let out an enthusiastic WOOF!, and stuck its nose right in the hole (mere inches in front of my face).
Scared the crap out of me. It was years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.
Funnily enough your original post also involves a free roaming dog
I was much further away from roads and buildings though, which is why it was so unexpected
When we were kids - long before metal detecting - we were digging in a field overlooking the Hudson River... We were digging because we were going to build a 'fort'.... about two feet down we came upon bones... and a skull... that scared us and we covered it all up and left. Never did tell anyone about it...we thought it may have been an Indian grave.... Now there are houses in the area. Cheers, RickO
The Hudson River must be a dumping ground for the crime families, this article is from 2015 -
A group of divers from the New York Police Department made an eerie discovery this morning during a routine training exercise. So far, 327 bodies have been found on the floor of the Hudson river, just off the coast of Midtown-Manhattan, by the NYPD dive team, according to spokesperson James Dailey.
“At approximately 10:15 AM, our divers discovered the bodies during a training exercise. The identities of the deceased are unknown at this time,” Dailey said at an impromptu press conference held outside One Police Plaza in Manhattan. “All of the bodies found were chained to cinder blocks, which were most likely used to weigh down the corpses. We do believe that foul play was involved.”
There is speculation amongst the department of whether or not the bodies are linked to the notorious Del Pino crime family, who had seized control over the city within the past five years, and are most notably believed to be responsible for the deaths of Peter “Half-Foot” Marcini and Ronnie “Staircase Nose” Nanatelli, both known for being masters of the bootleg dvd trade which preys upon tourists visiting the bustling Manhattan.
“It (the Hudson River) seems to suddenly be a very popular place for wrong-doers and murderers to dispose of bodies, much less go as low as to murder adversaries because of misunderstandings. Very rarely in the past would we have pulled a bloat from the Hudson, and we certainly wouldn’t have pulled 300 or more out. Back in the old days, you think the guys woulda resorted to violence to solve the common adversities that life had dealt them? Forget about it,” Dailey concluded. “I tell you though, we really, really need to start diving the Hudson more. Finding a body or two is one thing, finding this many? It’s going to take weeks to sort through them all.”
Sometimes I think that animals are smarter than humans, animals would never allow the dumbest one to lead the pack
This area was...and still is.. a refuge for Mafia families...Back in the day, Jack 'Legs' Diamond frequented this area... also, the mountain road over Platte Clove was a dumping ground... often found pajama clad gangsters with a bullet in their head dumped over the side... Cheers, RickO
Single women who use the metal detector as a conversation starter.
"Single women who use the metal detector as a conversation starter".
Bayard1908, You captured my attention and then just stopped. Pretend that you're Paul Harvey and give us...
"The rest of the story"
Sometimes I think that animals are smarter than humans, animals would never allow the dumbest one to lead the pack
Her: "What's the best thing you've ever found metal detecting?"
Me: "If you're single and like older men, that would be you."
Her: "What's the best thing you've ever found metal detecting?"
Me: "If you're single and like older men, that would be you."
So did she cook you breakfast in the morning or call you a perv and run away?
This is getting interesting... never thought of using the MD as a pickup tool....I always found the supermarket ploy to work great.... Cheers, RickO
"I always found the supermarket ploy to work great".... Cheers, RickO
You mean like in the Animal House movie when the guy approached the Dean's wife while she was holding a cucumber?
I think he picked up another cucumber and said "mines bigger than that" (maybe that wasn't what he said but it's been about twenty maybe thirty years since I've seen that movie)
No.... I was a bit more subtle..... would see an attractive gal in an aisle, whip around to get just ahead of her... and suddenly exclaim "Wow... look at that price... went up .15 cents since last week.".... That would open a conversation and often lead to a pleasant evening. Cheers, RickO
RickO, not a bad strategy. May have to test that out to see if I have any luck with that.
Hmmm... off the top of my head, I really can't think of anything crazy like some of these finds. Maybe a recent small one was an empty spray can of Summer's Eve at Silver Beach. Kind of grossed me out a bit.
I tried to respond to this thread, but keep hitting the "your post must be reviewed" glitch, so there goes another LordM "short story".
This is proving to be one of the final nails in the coffin as far as the CU forums and I are concerned. I am now moving to CoinTalk full time, but I'll still peek my head in over here to say "hi" periodically. CT does not have a MD forum (yet), so if I do resume digging anytime soon, I'll come back here (or dust off my old TreasureNet membership, most likely).
(After trying again to post my story from the saved draft- that feature at least is an improvement- no dice.)
Nope. Still getting "your comment will appear after it has been approved".
I'm done with this crap software stuff. Have not one iota of patience left for it.
Hope to see y'all on CoinTalk or TreasureNet someday.
Since basic, simple posts without a lot of links or pix seem to work OK here, I'll maybe continue to post light chitchat, and do a little networking and selling, but any content of substance that I choose to put any real work into will be on one of the other sites. This new platform, while it has some much needed improvements and a few enhancements, is just not up to the quality of CT.
Sorry, CU forums. I do love you, but I have to leave before I say anything else I might regret.
Sorry to see this LordM... you are a valued member here and on other CU forums.... I do know what is happening, but I do wish you would contact the administrator here...he has been most responsive to issues. I have not seen this particular issue, but some others have. Give the admin contact a try before you throw in the towel... Cheers, RickO
Well that sucks, I wanted to read the short story...
Minivan blows head gasket!
Seriously though, I really hope you stick around.
As ricko mentioned, an administrator could hopefully help pinpoint the issue.
I'm just guessing, but links to (some) external site(s) might be an issue, as those could potentially be used for shenanigans.
That's definitely not the case for all links, but perhaps there's a list of some sort, and a site you frequently want to link to triggers the "need to review" thing.
I know your patience was wearing thin, but if you still have the draft you could also try posting just the links on the testing forum one at a time and perhaps find the culprit that way.
@Zot.... we need to bring LordM back.... between the two of us I am sure we can once he calms down a tad.... LordM is too valuable a resource to lose....Cheers, RickO
I found a silver Washie at a school built in 1966. I'm guessing it was due to some fill dirt brought in about 2 years ago when they were doing a major renovation.
And I'm with LordM, this new software is goofy. I don't get that error that he described, but I have had plenty of other odd stuff happen. I find myself mostly on Treasurenet these days.
LordM don't leave. This software stuff will sort itself out. You've added so much to these forums, I've been a lurker for a long time and have enjoyed your posts on coins and detecting.
My most unexpected find, a couple of years ago, was when I found an unlisted store card or token. Then another, and another, and another. A hoard of forty-seven in the end. Turned an ordinary day of tramping through the sage brush into my best detecting day ever. Actually I was working my way back to the truck to pack it up, when bang.
Completely unexpected for sure.
@soleagent
@lordmarcovan
Interesting find for sure, and I agree with your thoughts regarding LordM.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
Great find..... and glad everyone is joining the push to keep LordM.... Cheers, RickO
Hello everyone been along time since posting on detector forum for me!. Haven't been out to much in last couple years and almost had my first no silver year in a long time, but I did get out before the snow fell here in northern NY this month and had a 3 silver day! ( a 47 rosie, a '50 Washington and a silver bracelet). My two most unexpected finds were an old local milk bottle (quart size at that)- found it buried in ground upright- my detector picked up metal ring still around its top (this was probably my most valuable find ever as well- got $60 for the bottle on ebay). And last year (or was it year before) I found an 1865 2 cent piece in an old local park - never thought I would find one. Still have my hopes up of some day finding a standing liberty quarter and a silver half dollar of any type. Happy Hunting everyone!
Finding silver half dollars is awesome.... especially WLH's .... A fellow I knew from another MD forum found a Barber half in a local field...the property also has a historical house site... The same person, in the same field, found a silver napkin holder with the initials of the historical home original owners... he contributed that to the house museum.
Cheers, RickO
Unexpected find? Can I add finds?
1. Probably my Wife.
2. Silver quarter with my MD in a park built in the 80's.
3. Arrowheads near the beach.
4. Family history documents by accident after years of searching.
100% Positive BST transactions
My most unexpected find was probably the AU-ish details 1926-S Oregon Trail commemorative half I dug in a vacant lot in a small north Georgia town.
I was visiting a fellow forum member and meeting him in person for the first and only time. He showed me around. At the site we hunted, I initally found little but a crusty old aluminum token and a little trash. An old house had reportedly once stood there, but had burned down sometime around the 1950s. Then I got a loud "quarter" signal which registered only an inch and a half to two inches deep on the detector's meter, as I recall. I natually assumed I was about to dig a modern clad quarter. But no. I turned the plug of sod over, and out fell that piece of big silver!
Since the first thing I saw was the sun rays in the design behind the covered wagon (the wagon itself was still covered in clay), I at first thought I had found another Walking Liberty half, which would have been exciting enough (I've only found two of those over the years.)
When I realized it was an Oregon Trail commem, I was gobsmacked and speechless for a good five seconds before I shouted my friend over to see.
Beside the old aluminum token, that was the only coin found on the site. There was not even a single Wheat cent found, let alone any modern coins.
Of course there have been many, many other pleasant surprises found over the years.
Actually, now that I think of it, this one has to be my most unexpected and unexplainable. It is presently the oldest coin I've ever found; older by a thousand years more than even the oldest piece I dug in England.
Then, in the coin roll searching category rather than detecting, this find in a bulk bag of Wheat cents has to be my most unexpected, and to date my second-best numismatic cherrypick of all time.
Edit- Huh. Looks like that post finally showed up. Again and again and again, days after the fact. Sheesh.
grrr
wow...
Looks like my first sextuple post!
"Sextuple" sounds naughty, doesn't it?
Not as naughty as some of the language I uttered when this new forum started %#*ing with me.
I haven't detected in about 10 years but dug the White's out recently.
When my parents built their house, they bulldozed an old dilapidated house from the 20's-30's and built on top of it. Needless to say, I've found countless bottles, iron farm implements, plows etc.
Anyway, a couple weeks ago I found the top of a Ball mason jar. It was crushed, but as I pulled out the bits of glass, I found something inside...an arrowhead. At least, part of one.
I totally, totally envy the guys over in Europe that have thousands of years of history in their ground waiting to be found.
Check out my iPhone app SlabReader!
Looks like Lord M's posts have been reviewed and approved.......ALL OF THEM.
Your finds take the cake LordM....I really enjoyed reading about them.
Thanks for posting...and....please continue to do so!
I agree.... glad to see you (primarily) and your posts doing well..... Cheers, RickO
__> @mariner67 said:
Thanks. Did you enjoy reading about them all SIX times? LOL
(Geez, CU Forums. Really?)
Made a number of unexpected finds through the years. Here's just four that come to mind:
1.Russia 5 kopeks 1803.
2.Barber Quarters,1914-D and 1914-S,both full Liberty pieces,found within 10 feet of each other.
3.1867 VG IHC (no corrosion) found 1/2" underground.
4.Massive men's 14K gold ring. This ring was so big it fit over my thumb.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
Wow... interesting finds...did you keep the ring? Was it a signet or wedding band? Cheers, RickO
For you long timers, please forgive my re-post from some years ago...it's one of the few finds for which I wrote down some details.. Wish I'd done that more often, especially since I rarely get out to detect anymore. The find at the end of the story falls into the unexpected category for me.
A story about why you should never give up on a signal....
During the walk here, an indecisive snow falls cold and wet onto my face. It is actually both snow and rain, as if nature is unsure what to drop on us in mid-October. At my site, now mostly rain dribs and drabs through the nearly bare tree branches and drops onto the loose oak and maple leaves at my feet.
I have two old plastic bags snug over my detector's control box. The white marks on the dials are barely visible through the covering but at least the circuit board deeper inside will stay dry. I go to the all-metal setting and jab and dart my 5" coil into the leaves, brambles and dying poison ivy. I only have 45 minutes to find those small round signals that might be coins.
On my third target, I get a strong repeatable hit. I scrape the soggy leaves and twigs aside with my wet sneaker and then repeatedly drive my shovel's blade down into a mat of roots and black soil. After flipping out a neat little cake of roots and dirt, I rescan the hole, remove more soil, and scan again. The signal is now out of the hole and in the pile. It's a promising small high-pitched target. I grab a handful of the pile and wave it across the white coil. Bingo. I dribble some of the soil in my hand into the other and do the wave again. Still there. I drop out more dirt and hold up the remainder in my palm. Poking about with my finger, I uncover a nickel. OK, looks like a V-nickel....a date is actually visible after rubbing the coin on my glove. 1904.
A short distance away is another good target. I kick the leaves away and spot a small round black object smack in the newly cleared spot's center. I drop to one knee and retrieve a coin. For crying out loud, it's another V-nickel and it's not even buried. Looks like 1912. Only a ghostly "V" persists on the coin's reverse side after the rain and snow of 80 odd-years.
Continuing onward, I eventually hear an interesting signal. It's one of those marginal ones, the kind that sound a bit clipped and usually turn out to be aluminum shreds or rusty washers. My shovel's back edge bites into my sneaker, as the blade is stopped cold by some big maple roots. I scrape off enough leaves and surface soil to see a nasty snarl of thick and thin tentacles. I manage to wedge the shovel blade between the biggest ones and eek out some dirt. This goes on...and on....and on...and on....and still the target is entombed somewhere beneath a root. I stand up, stretch and consider kicking the stones and dirt back into the miserably small hole. My time is running out and I'm getting wet. I rescan the target a last time. Still unsure, I scan again. Well, since I'm still here swinging the coil, I'd decide it's better to dig now rather than to wonder later. A few more small shovelfuls of soil come up. On the last one, I spot something glinting amidst the mud, stones and roots. Wait a minute...nothing I find ever glints. Green crusty coins, rusty lumps and blackened silver just don't do that. I pull off my glove and pick out a shiny ring. I then realize what I'm seeing. I nearly pee my pants.
Well not really. I'm very happy. It's the most beautiful old gold ring I've ever found.
@windwhispersintrees....Great story... and what a beautiful ring.... did you ever identify the stone... looks (from the picture) like a deep purple amethyst.... Cheers, RickO
@windwhispersintrees - that is a gorgeous ring!
Ever try to find the owner of the ring?
I think the stone might be garnet? Site use context was circa 1900--1920 or so...probably lost about 100 years ago, so never looked seriously into tracing based on what seem to be 2 sets of initials...didnt have time or resources. Im assuming its man's ring, but not even sure about that. Maybe in future I might try if I get Ancestry or other online resources...or if I ever get to my local library again.
That will be tough to trace..... still hoping someone finds my old high school ring.... (long story, jealous husband etc.)... That will be easy to trace.... Cheers, RickO
We do a lot of "cold calling" when looking for places to hunt. When knocking on a door one day I notice a small sign stating if someone says come in, please don't come in. It's our parrot. Sure enough when I knock I hear a very load "come in". Eventually on a return trip we found the homeowners home, including the parrot. He came out on the porch as we searched the yard. VERY entertaining with many different things to say. I also pulled out a Barber dime and half. Love small town Iowa. Merry Christmas to all
Jim
My first time out I checked my in-laws' parents dance/reception hall. Found a nice gold promise ring with a small diamond ship in it. It wasn't worth much more than $200 but it certainly was unexpected for my first time detecting.
Finding a gold ring on your first MD trip is amazing... sure could hook you on the hobby.... Cheers, RickO