Fake Finds - Fibbing and A' Ribbing

Over the many years of metal detecting, treasure hunting and all that, I've run several times (maybe more than a few) into the phenomena we all used to call "Fibbing and A' Ribbing." Basically this consists of someone pretty much lying thru' their teeth about what they have found and where they have found it. Many years ago, early 1980's,down in South Florida, a lot of us would get together at Kevin Reilly's treasure hunting shop "Reillys Treasured Gold" to "chew the fat," and bring out our finds. 

Now of course, certain guys (not that many gal's in the hobby then) could not use a metal detector properly if their lives depended on it, (they were not the easiest machines to master) nor could they pin-point worth a dang with the old concentric co-planer coils, and basically collected pop-tabs by the barrel-load to make aluminum necklaces out of for their pets...or whatever they did with em' at the time.

So, some of these guys, on occasion, would pull out a nice Indian Head penny and pass it around to oohs and ahhs, or wave a shiny gold wedding band or silver ring. Now. there was a lot of stuff to find then, without the roaming hordes of metal detector operators that NOW wander the shore, vacuuming up every dot of metal anywhere. You could easily, on a good day, pull a half-dozen gold rings from the sand. But not everyone could.

How do you get the respect you want in a group of treasure hunters if you ain't finding treasure...or haven't found treasure yet? Answer: you buy or borrow some and present it as the real thing! Instant street cred...wallah! And what good is street cred you ask? You get popular...people want a winner on the team, on the hunts and on the prowl. If you are a producer, you get invited to go where the experienced treasure hunters go. Never underestimate street cred! But you have to be careful...one "experienced" treasure hunter was proudly passing around his coin finds, in their protective sleeves, when someone noticed one of the paper protectors had a price and coin shop logo printed on the border.

This happens a bit in Social Media today, I think...it's not rampant, but you can pick it out if you look close. We had a guy on several FB Metal Detecting groups quite a few years ago who, each weekend, posted amazing and valuable jewelry finds...gold chains, wedding bands and diamonds galore. When he was questioned about it after the up-tenth time, as his "finds" were always set against a jewelry store-type display with not a speck of beach sand anywhere, his temper flared and he threw angry comments about jealousy and envy across the group pages. He left the groups in a huff, but it was discovered later that he worked in a jewelry store in Miami. What a coincidence.

But really, who cares? So what, you say...they are making fools out of no one but themselves, right? Well maybe, but I think it is wrong because you are deceiving other folks, either new to the hobby or new to the area, into thinking that fabulous and valuable finds are made like taking candy from a baby. Every experienced beach hunter, treasure hunter, or coin-shooter knows it takes hours of detecting, research and, mainly luck to make those enviable finds, and is not the piece of cake they are trying to make it out to be.

So, reviewing other people's amazing metal detecting finds is fun, legitimate finds especially, poser finds not so much. But still, how would you know? I have many friends in the hobby that DO make amazing finds, after much hard work and field time...one look at their muddy, sunburned face, dirty clothes, and dazed look, will tell you the whole story. Finds framed by pickup truck beds, resting on a metal detector control panel, still in a dirt-walled hole, or on someones sand-covered finger are pretty much the real deal. Finds sporting brightly-colored magazine-ad backgrounds, not so much.

Stay safe, make good recoveries!