tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62925440364470238292024-03-24T16:31:42.332-07:00Detecting An AttitudeRuminations on metal detecting, life and attitude...in that orderJames Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-44232640779043851732024-01-27T08:27:00.000-08:002024-01-27T08:27:49.139-08:00Cherry-Picking - Turn Up That Discrimination<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Metal detecting can go from being a fun, relaxing hobby, to a sweat-laced competition and obsession played out on social media, thoroughly peppered with drama. Most people who "always wanted a metal detector" here in the 1st quarter of the 21st Century are about 50-years too late. More and more regulations, usually brought on by the blatant misbehavior of those that came before you, are limiting areas to detect, as well as the blatant mistake Florida made inviting the great throngs of the unwashed to invade our state after they broke their own. This has created sort of a land-rush in Florida, with historic and non-historic buildings, land, communities and nature areas being overrun by developers, bulldozing those same areas into submission and removing them from the sphere of our casual pastime and enjoyment, as concrete is poured into every nook and cranny.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRh8guPcKxnhIaSS2equtAyv9vB-cJol9L9AgDKR8q8xzz_y39kvmfm8kqenLpQ9GGBSVeNXIp3H6L-ug0v1qdNN7mj_1jJGxWv6jKjzpgbVPlZcSsGAHPlcu8-qEZn5eocFnyhEUX8MiuZJpjUvyTbdVJz9VqOKjQCm7Ch1aluQc20r4hvrwhT74yE4VQ/s720/discriminating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRh8guPcKxnhIaSS2equtAyv9vB-cJol9L9AgDKR8q8xzz_y39kvmfm8kqenLpQ9GGBSVeNXIp3H6L-ug0v1qdNN7mj_1jJGxWv6jKjzpgbVPlZcSsGAHPlcu8-qEZn5eocFnyhEUX8MiuZJpjUvyTbdVJz9VqOKjQCm7Ch1aluQc20r4hvrwhT74yE4VQ/s320/discriminating.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In kind of a round-about way, this gets me to my point. As areas to hunt decrease, the <i>quality</i> of hunt areas decrease, i.e. more and more trashy areas are becoming the only places left to hunt. When you start metal detecting, a great hush will fall everywhere as the gods of metal detecting tell you, in no uncertain terms, that it's a technical sin to use any more than a smidgen (if even that!) of discrimination on your machine. Others in the hobby will tell you in a loud voice, you may (you <i>may</i>) MISS a small, teensy, shrimpy little gold band if you use too much discrimination!!!! (OMG!!!) But, as usual, time is not on your side and digging railway-carloads of junk and trash so you don't miss ANYTHING is a losing proposition. Metal detecting is not called "cleaning parks" for a reason, and that's not what you signed up for. Practicing this sort of thing is sure to frustrate you and bore you to tears, and usually results in you taking up golf again, using your metal detector as a putter.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cherry-picking is the term used in the hobby when you crank the discrimination control up a bit more than usual, maybe even more than that. And you may not find that skinny gold ring, but that's not to say there are no other rewards for this kind of behavior. You will start finding relics and antiques that were masked at lower discrimination by the layers of bottlecaps, pull-tabs, foil and other junk like a metal overcast. Sure you are going to miss some stuff, but you are going to find some GOOD stuff for a while, the stuff that makes metal detecting the fun thing it was supposed to be. Now there are those that will disagree with me, but they also cherry-pick when the junk get's thick! Hey, that rhymes! As always, do what YOU think is best, and most important have FUN doing it!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-38056871604838408712023-12-31T18:05:00.000-08:002023-12-31T18:05:24.502-08:00So it Begins Again - Welcome to Metal Detecting!<p> <span style="font-size: medium;"><span>I was going to pen this in a slightly glib manner, but after a bit of re-thinking, I figured that was the easy way out. And I am not known for taking the easy way out, ever! Tomorrow</span><span>, when 2024 surfaces like a damaged U-boat</span><span>, it will mark my 60th anniversary in the metal detecting hobby. I built my own primitive, feeble, beat frequency oscillator detector (BFO) out of spare parts in 1964 when I was little more than 13-years old. It was the best machine for finding flattened beer cans ever made and I've been beeping ever since. So,</span><span> I feel I have a little skin in the </span><span>game, enough to offer advice and criticism thereof. Just to set a baseline here, </span><i>"So it begins again..."</i><span> refers to the real fears long-time detectorists harbor as they realize thousands of metal detectors will soon be gifted to thousands of would-be hobbyists on December 25th. Their fears are usually borne out as the Social Media Metal Detecting Groups feel the surge immediately, as membership suddenly swells the day after Christmas and will keep on for several weeks after. Comments like "I always wanted to do this!" and "I'm NEW to the hobby and would like to learn more about it!" and hundreds of variations of this theme pour into the membership request slots for Administrators to ponder.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg209ZsK5ZvpVuQnjXnRMXP9XWp86Wvrr7ncupj2X9oEDUWSBmr_TmnPGJ53zQ50rwt4JoF7vRsZ0Ggik4eyKLZOF3iIUEgcsU4MX2f88bPLRPdWnK5Rx4rYO3_9MX2CYGeG10z-wRbsdJ3Xx2iyKfL0AtKORkPEr810WrijwS7BFMxqsxyTRPL65Lun31I/s441/ethics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="441" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg209ZsK5ZvpVuQnjXnRMXP9XWp86Wvrr7ncupj2X9oEDUWSBmr_TmnPGJ53zQ50rwt4JoF7vRsZ0Ggik4eyKLZOF3iIUEgcsU4MX2f88bPLRPdWnK5Rx4rYO3_9MX2CYGeG10z-wRbsdJ3Xx2iyKfL0AtKORkPEr810WrijwS7BFMxqsxyTRPL65Lun31I/w400-h246/ethics.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>The really best comments that fill me with hope are from new users that want to learn more about the hobby, presumably and figuratively, and learn the <i>bes</i>t way to practice it. I salute those who are here on a mission of ethical and moral exploits in a hobby that has a dearth of both. The most important ethical point I can possibly make, from Matthew, in the Bible, <i>"</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><i>All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them"</i> Basically treat everyone with respect, and respect is doing what is right. Metal detecting in itself has the potential, like anything else, to do great good (returning lost items for folks) or great evil (damaging property, leaving holes and dug garbage everywhere) and <i>you</i> are the deciding factor!</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As far as your new hobby goes it can be as simple as hunting a beach or park or as complex as hunting for battlefield relics or lost treasure at sea; And, like Doc says in "Back to the Future," it's whatever <i>you</i> want to make of it! The technical specs, operating procedures, additional tools and best practices can be found most anywhere on the world-wide </span></span></span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">web, as well as the worst practices, like disturbing war graves, or digging up a cemetery! This brings me to the greatest benefit you could take advantage of as a new player in this awesome hobby which would be to join a local metal detecting club. There you will find fast friends who share your interests, can help you "learn the ropes" hands-on, and mentor you through a hobby that will bring you years of health and enjoyment. Just remember, ethics come first, detecting second!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #001320; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Good luck and happy hunting to you all!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #001320; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-60768873926709980082023-09-30T20:06:00.001-07:002023-09-30T20:06:56.761-07:00Treasure Hunting & The Way of Research<p><span style="font-size: large;">The modern metal detectorists (treasure hunters) seem oddly uninterested in finding treasure: "I know I'm never gonna' get rich!" or "We're not really going to find anything," they all say, quite modestly. I hear it all the time. My question has always been, WHY NOT?? When I started treasure hunting (with a metal detector) almost 60-years ago, we literally thought anything was possible. An old cache of buried confederate rifles, maybe even some of that civil war gold hidden somewhere near Gainsville by the fleeing Confederate soldiers. Scuba diving for sunken treasure still trapped aboard fleets of sunken Spanish Galleons, covered in sand. Literally nothing was off the table...and it was always GO time! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDinEfCdmuK-UBjQ12_61-nQ4G-iXxw74cNBi0s2OAVS2lrIpQ9brCSber2yNBmPQrUvNTscAAdjXNGOl2pTTF7ZkD8mZLxF_qV0Uw8r9EP4n6vQdESPVbaALvywZSufgNEajpXEOpZS4U2sKV6Iya0N6DHZWUNi6nXhoKXWUek3MWTSLjGs18b5bWPEg/s2176/Silver_Room_MelFisherMuseum%20Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="2176" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDinEfCdmuK-UBjQ12_61-nQ4G-iXxw74cNBi0s2OAVS2lrIpQ9brCSber2yNBmPQrUvNTscAAdjXNGOl2pTTF7ZkD8mZLxF_qV0Uw8r9EP4n6vQdESPVbaALvywZSufgNEajpXEOpZS4U2sKV6Iya0N6DHZWUNi6nXhoKXWUek3MWTSLjGs18b5bWPEg/w453-h304/Silver_Room_MelFisherMuseum%20Blog.jpg" width="453" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Treasure, fresh off the Atocha in 1987 - We got a free Preview!</span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Our equipment was not the most advanced, our gear was not top-of-the-line, but we had something you cannot buy; a spirit of adventure and we were not afraid of hard work. And treasure hunting is hard work! And some of the hardest work is research. No computers in the 1960's 1970's or a good part of the 1980's and 90's. Back then it was visiting archives and libraries and museums, sitting in a chair for hours reviewing endless loops of microfilm, flipping thru coffee-table sized books of 19th century hand-drawn maps and charts. Reading first-hand, historic accounts and unpublished papers. And even today, that skill may still be needed!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">One project I accidentally stumbled upon was the result of reading an old hardcover book published in, I think, 1920 or so, about Florida's 19th century "cracker" cowboys. The name derived from the whips they cracked while herding cattle from Arcadia down to the cattle yards at Punta Rassa on the Gulf of Mexico. The rub was this: they were selling the cattle to Cuba and were paid in gold double-eagles, otherwise known as 20-dollar gold pieces. Once they were paid, the cowhands filled saddlebag after saddlebag with gold specie, went to the local bars and saloons, got drunk, beat each other up, then in the early morning light (with cuts, bruises and a pounding headache) headed back northward upon the Caloosahatchee trail toward home. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It took several days, and the cowboys made camp several times on the journey north. With leather saddlebags heavy with gold, they would have removed them at night while the animals grazed and slept. Who is to say, but a few coins may have jolted out when the bags hit the ground, or spilled out, unnoticed when they were slung back over the horses' backs? The book went on to say when the cowhands reached Arcadia, they dropped the saddlebags on the ranch house porch. The account went further to say that a couple of gold eagles were dropped into a cracker tin as a toy for the younger kids. They said the gold coins colliding in the box made "a singular ringing sound" that the children liked. A gold baby rattle! Now that is where I left the project years ago. I contracted several forms of cancer, endured chemotherapy, underwent cancer surgery, got diabetes along with covid-induced heart problems. My elaborate treasure hunting expedition days are over. But maybe yours are not!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Several of those gold coins would be worth a pretty penny with gold prices as they are, in addition to the collector's value of a key date double eagle. You pick up the trail from here. You would need to research where the exact route of the Caloosahatchee trail lay in relation to today's current geological layout here in 21st Century Florida. They would usually camp near water, so estimating by researching how far they could travel without cattle in a day, would give you some idea of where they made camp. Check maps for lakes, streams, rivers, etc. Get GPS coordinates of key landmarks on Google maps. Second, start researching the location of some of the original cattle ranch houses in Arcadia, Florida. The front porches would probably have gaps in the floor and coins could easily slip thru, especially if the kids had removed them from the tin box. Or they may still be <i>in</i> the tin box, now buried and forgotten near the house. And first and foremost, keep your mouth <i>closed</i> concerning your ongoing project!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">See how this sleuthing thing works? One question begats another and another. Make a folder,<i> collect documents, photographs, maps, scans, notes, calculations and write down more questions that need answering!</i> When you have answered them all, it is time for your hand-held GPS and your metal detector to join the hunt. Good luck and happy hunting!</span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-23720657912270258452023-09-15T22:53:00.012-07:002023-09-15T23:02:44.124-07:00Metal Detecting Security - Defend Yourself<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80bLlG6y1Bmnta6cOPeTpk9YFY1Gisd0YCRahlQtQb0Yx6cL-fb99SxBrQ1UG-JaDWSQUq8hrGDTTckMhQxiH5wC0lc1sGBBsk7CXZ_qF5_q7H5rYmW7cqhpvT3jXRumCCfjATPhiF8WRPv1d7S_GTsGhTD1CoypIUxGvypZd9J2FuidstotWyRqqpkiU/s400/image-of-a-hooded-man-holding-a-baseball-bat-free-vector.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80bLlG6y1Bmnta6cOPeTpk9YFY1Gisd0YCRahlQtQb0Yx6cL-fb99SxBrQ1UG-JaDWSQUq8hrGDTTckMhQxiH5wC0lc1sGBBsk7CXZ_qF5_q7H5rYmW7cqhpvT3jXRumCCfjATPhiF8WRPv1d7S_GTsGhTD1CoypIUxGvypZd9J2FuidstotWyRqqpkiU/w259-h400/image-of-a-hooded-man-holding-a-baseball-bat-free-vector.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our country is becoming more dangerous every day, and regardless of your politics, it probably affects you and your hobby more disproportionally (big word there) than most people. The reason being, of course, you are out and about a lot, and more exposed to those interested in doing you dirty, or doing you in. The common citizen's biggest security threat is themselves; head down and locked 85 to 95 percent of the time, head stuck in their little plastic screens. Situational awareness is out the window. A large gorilla with a ball bat could easily sneak up on them. Metal detectorists have a similar problem; head down and locked attentive to their VDI panel, their sweeping coil, or on their knees, head down and digging the target, and not paying attention to the world around them. This may be their last mistake. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">As a treasure hunter you drag around thousands of dollars' worth of expensive, high-tech equipment. And nobody notices anything "expensive" more than a criminal. And for some reason I have not been able to fathom, Florida recently invited every criminal, thug and Ne'er-do-well</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> to join us here in paradise so chances are good this will get worse before it gets better. I can relate a true story from several years ago. A woman went for a late afternoon water hunt at a public beach that had been cleared after a sudden thunderstorm. Very few people anywhere, but she still waded out and was hip-deep metal detecting. She was water hunting intently, then suddenly noticed some guy pacing her on the beach. No one else for miles. He yelled a few things at her, but the waves drowned out his speech. She was getting nervous, and started wading back to her car, but the man kept pace with her, as she struggled against the current with her gear. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUfn6l3JcnizSzzjEOda0XQnNCuMm7ifGUnDAvwlHoY7sURAn62xoLLiJNOOOn17q8jJETLosuNxu4KPJJpEE6oVKVCl3w6a3fZM_BjVxeUfhGx9iGBZYmgJmekrn--FJEQ2WX0Pdz5Fe2TNzZP9bpq-gx7MXA3QU8hcrtV92PNusGFYaCa8sH10LgLrM/s700/pepperspray.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUfn6l3JcnizSzzjEOda0XQnNCuMm7ifGUnDAvwlHoY7sURAn62xoLLiJNOOOn17q8jJETLosuNxu4KPJJpEE6oVKVCl3w6a3fZM_BjVxeUfhGx9iGBZYmgJmekrn--FJEQ2WX0Pdz5Fe2TNzZP9bpq-gx7MXA3QU8hcrtV92PNusGFYaCa8sH10LgLrM/w400-h400/pepperspray.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1.59-ounce pressurized pepper spray</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">She was getting desperate, and cold, and it was getting dark. The guy stood stock still and just stared at her. Her phone was back in the car, a quarter mile away, while the man just silently glared at her, glancing left and right once in a while. Suddenly a grumbling noise came bouncing up the deserted, darkening beach, the bright headlights illuminating the sand. The man quickly jogged away as the beach patrol pulled up with two lifeguards aboard. They asked her if she was okay and loaded her and her gear aboard. They took her back to the parking lot and her car. She told them about the man, and they looked for him on the way back, but he must have raced up one of the beach access points, because he was nowhere to be seen. She was safe and sound and LUCKY because who knows what might have happened if the lifeguards had not arrived? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Lesson one, don't hunt a deserted beach alone, especially at night. Unless you have a buddy with you. And carry your cellphone in a waterproof case on a lanyard. And even with a buddy, have lethal or non-lethal defensive weapons with you for protection if you feel you may need them. Unlike most of the states in the Union, who do their level best to make it illegal to defend yourself, Florida allows citizens to legally carry, concealed or unconcealed, a pepper spray or pepper jell as long it does not exceed 2 oz. You can pick one up for around $14 or so. Learn how to use it online, many videos show you how. And PRACTICE using it on a target, as most will shoot 15 to 20 feet. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">My ex-policeman friend says draw a face on a paper plate, stick on a post or a fence and practice spraying a chemical-loaded figure 8 across the eyes, nose and mouth. Do it again, if necessary, especially in the mouth! Another handy deterrent is an eight-ounce portable air horn. It fits in your pocket and will actually hurt your ears when you press the button! And that's with it pointing AWAY from you! Imagine the effect in FRONT of the horn? And it will get quick attention. You can pick one of these little noisemakers for about $7 at any sporting goods store. Recently, Florida passed a law allowing anyone (with certain exceptions) to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Of course, it's a good idea to get a CCW permit anyway, take firearm training, go to a range to practice and know what you are doing and what the law is.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJc-4VHte4chHoMaQZIZkq9ydRqRdPBQ4yheisCyMDXN4RAW1RO4rm-8X1Dh90yanpuuKfqMswLe3ETIi0khy_egIkK7OoiYp1090_ER6B72f_MSOClt4LEFR8g07hj690iv-hdWyEZ6hvTBG5HZ1XKmkNNKl-8bnPmT4gP6e4CLJfoSSL3Xiw4ck06RcP/s700/A-A-HORN.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJc-4VHte4chHoMaQZIZkq9ydRqRdPBQ4yheisCyMDXN4RAW1RO4rm-8X1Dh90yanpuuKfqMswLe3ETIi0khy_egIkK7OoiYp1090_ER6B72f_MSOClt4LEFR8g07hj690iv-hdWyEZ6hvTBG5HZ1XKmkNNKl-8bnPmT4gP6e4CLJfoSSL3Xiw4ck06RcP/s320/A-A-HORN.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">An air horn will blow the ears off of an attacker and get attention real quick.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Last but not least is set up a routine while you are hunting, by making it a habit to keep your situational awareness updated frequently by keeping you head on a swivel. If a situation seems to be developing, or you see something sketchy, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY! It would be, in my opinion, in your best interest to remove yourself from any situation that may force you to use deterrents of any kind. Being thrown in jail for unprovoked assault is not going to be pleasant. These same practices will work also in parks and fields unless there is a posted sign restricting these types of deterrents. You must comply with all laws and regulations when using these devices, and this is simply information on devices useful for defending yourself in metal detecting situations. I am not a lawyer, and it is your responsibility to use this information legally and responsibly! Stay safe and stay aware!</span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-1415870517929934932023-09-12T16:20:00.000-07:002023-09-12T16:20:34.113-07:00The Coil Cover Game - A Revew<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2BEvmC6kCPsq8PM3kgsrSjdDPo2I6napIH4qpr_krF0yY6JogBMBosZNwPXeuDrlNM0da9dTUyIRHIe8y5qLnxKYEPB4JSVybmCQDmy2A7lpmRcr7vUzk_eM0briLfJKwX2Xn9ES7K1Pt1xMd_AH0VBUhbrgOv7Zzf6ggZo9Qi585EyOe79m5AshF1syT/s1400/no%20coil%20covers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2BEvmC6kCPsq8PM3kgsrSjdDPo2I6napIH4qpr_krF0yY6JogBMBosZNwPXeuDrlNM0da9dTUyIRHIe8y5qLnxKYEPB4JSVybmCQDmy2A7lpmRcr7vUzk_eM0briLfJKwX2Xn9ES7K1Pt1xMd_AH0VBUhbrgOv7Zzf6ggZo9Qi585EyOe79m5AshF1syT/w400-h400/no%20coil%20covers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I have watched this phenomenon for a very long time in the metal detecting hobby, and I still occasionally go off a cliff over it. My wife says "Let it be..." but I can't! Coil covers drive me crazy!!! Especially nowadays when they are pretty much akin to useless but are still recommended by those who theoretically are in the know; especially on social media (is there any other nowadays??) platforms.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Now I am sure there will be those who would strongly disagree with me, but that's because they have been subliminally subdued into accepting the logical-sounding argument that coil covers act as a needed barrier between the outer world and your EXPENSIVE and easily damaged coil! And that actually WAS the case many, many years ago! Back then, in the 1970's and 1980's, we used co-planar coils that looked like fat serving dishes, we slang-termed them "dinner plate coils" which were made of thin injection molded polyethylene or polypropylene. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The skin was very thin and easily worn through, especially if you were beach hunting in areas that had a rocky, gravel- strewn beach, like England, California, Oregon or Washington. Very tough on coils bottoms! The plastic coil covers were really a necessity back then...which were also easy to wear through, and you'd go through at least one or two a year if you were a prolific hunter. But time moves on. Here is 2023 our technology has advanced as quickly as our society has declined, and today's coils are made of practically miraculous materials that renders the coil's physicality almost indestructible! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The coil's electrical / electromagnetic infrastructure is imbedded in an epoxy resin matrix. This material is hard...very hard! Here are some of its properties: </span></p><ul class="b_vList b_divsec b_bullet" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, Roboto, SegoeUI, "Segoe UI", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Microsoft YaHei", "Meiryo UI", Meiryo, "Arial Unicode MS", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: -4px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li data-priority="" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 12px;">High tensile strength ranging from 90 to 120 MPa</li><li data-priority="" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 12px;">High tensile modulus ranging from 3100 to 3800 MPa</li><li data-priority="" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 12px;">High glass transition temperatures (Tg) ranging from 150 to 220 °C</li><li data-priority="" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 0px 12px;">High compression, resilience, flexion, and tensile strength</li><li data-priority="" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">High resistance to degradation over time</li></ul><div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, Roboto, SegoeUI, Segoe UI, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Microsoft YaHei, Meiryo UI, Meiryo, Arial Unicode MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The tensile strength of epoxy runs from 90 to 120 Megapascals, which means a PSI factor (covert pressure) at its highest is over 17,000 pounds per square inch! And at the lowest end of the range, tensile strength is running</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">around a little over 13,000 pounds per square inch! I ran my 11" coil on my Minelab E-Trac continuously on the beach, in parks, at construction sites and everywhere in between without a coil cover for 7-years with little to no wear on the coil. Here is a picture of the actual wear the epoxy resin incurred on the bottom of the coil.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtRyXtTaBQPEU8Wzb9-Fc6yCKEWkO_nuTUAlV-A9SL6GeiB0hzcyHAPYoRBCcd18_Zj11Ykd5XJASmW38RmN6Vsxe3UVF9KydLYb1HjPX9TaE2QvBP3CGvz-dH1WUILWR2NNI2IajiImlzPBWi_7KIM24Nx2vMo2cgf3NVqGUdOiTo7bBwl3-bqUUCugj/s2720/SAM_7268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="2720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtRyXtTaBQPEU8Wzb9-Fc6yCKEWkO_nuTUAlV-A9SL6GeiB0hzcyHAPYoRBCcd18_Zj11Ykd5XJASmW38RmN6Vsxe3UVF9KydLYb1HjPX9TaE2QvBP3CGvz-dH1WUILWR2NNI2IajiImlzPBWi_7KIM24Nx2vMo2cgf3NVqGUdOiTo7bBwl3-bqUUCugj/w400-h300/SAM_7268.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Unprotected 11" coil bottom after 7-years use in all environments</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And of course, I'm talking every day intended use here. Thus,</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> there is really very little need for a troublesome</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> coil cover any more, and of course this is from my perspective, while you may disagree.</span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Now, my opinion of course, of the whys and wherefores of the continued recommendation for using them? Despite the fact they fill up with water, sand, things you don't wanna' know about, they become loose quickly, fall off, cause target falsing and are miserable to clean, as well as reinstall? Money, pure and simple. Cash on the barrelhead. Moola and mucho denero! A coil cover can cost you anywhere from $15 up to $40 and whoever thought of this is a bona fide genius! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I was a plastics engineer for a number of years and I can tell you they cost almost nothing to make and are pure profit all the way! I don't begrudge anyone using one, and as a recent case in point over the last few years, something that really does not do anything and is a royal pain in the keister, yet makes certain folk feel safe, then so be it. Everyone has the freedom to choose, I'm just trying to point out the man standing behind the curtain. Cheers!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-65825864253335450132023-07-27T17:14:00.000-07:002023-07-27T17:14:49.971-07:00Detecting Dishonor - An Ill Wind A 'blowing<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As usual, I gotta get something off my chest about this expanding, but morally declining, hobby. There is a </span><i style="font-family: arial;">saying</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> that postulates "Man carries the seeds of his own destruction" which is not dissimilar in the way the metal detecting hobby also carries the same seeds of its own destruction. </span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Worst of all in my book, is the out and out </span><i style="font-family: arial;">theft </i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">of jewelry that is reported missing, usually in desperation, by an individual who put too much faith, I'm sorry to say, in the honor of a <i>certain class of detectorists</i></span><span style="font-size: medium;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTEPT746oiRQPwLJUs6E4FNV_sHM6KJVfOpqj3c46aw26g4Y3TUpfWelTgoGdnzJ5wU-Ah4eLF4euQZs_LzRnIG2nXEwOWaffodvsdOnIgzCRPO-MKcHmy31JEOBzAfMs0NIxs8EPmDI4fPIVn9qP9ROfkEtycC4YqXgBUENM_2_SsG8ogX8Px_7Qn6zy/s1400/evileyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="1400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTEPT746oiRQPwLJUs6E4FNV_sHM6KJVfOpqj3c46aw26g4Y3TUpfWelTgoGdnzJ5wU-Ah4eLF4euQZs_LzRnIG2nXEwOWaffodvsdOnIgzCRPO-MKcHmy31JEOBzAfMs0NIxs8EPmDI4fPIVn9qP9ROfkEtycC4YqXgBUENM_2_SsG8ogX8Px_7Qn6zy/w400-h213/evileyes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Social Media's involvement in this enterprise is a double-edged sword. One side offering hope and assistance to the owner, while the other has turned to sabotaging the same, using the location knowledge as an advantage to thrust the criminal agenda of thieves, and crooks forward. A sweet song of easy money, metal detecting predators are always hiding in the digital shadows, looking for a quick, easy score of gold in any form. Once the Social Media word is out, they are already in motion, even while the would-be recovery team is still discussing among themselves, online, plans for recovery. Detecting predators love this kind of advanced intel which sometimes will dictate their own plans for a quick dust-off</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> and departure with the goods. According to my good friend and detectorist <i>John Howland</i> in sunny England, it is <i>illegal</i> to dig and keep a piece of jewelry, rings and whatnot. They <i>must</i> be turned in to the police who holds the item for 30 days, and if no one claims it, it is relinquished to the finder. Keeping a jewelry find is considered <i>theft</i> in England, and there have been many cases of detectorists failing to properly notify the authorities and have landed in jail charged with theft!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the other side, many detectorists promote the hobby of metal detecting by unselfishly spending a good deal of their own time, using their own expensive high-tech gear while drawing on years of experience in the field, all the while making a herculean effort at doing good. And asking for </span><i style="font-family: arial;">nothing</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> in return. And others follow their lead, because doing good and helping those that need our expertise feels good and shows the world most of us are <i>not</i> modern-day</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> pirates or lowly thieves. And in a world where many things are so far out of our personal control, it's a privilege to wield the power to set things right once in a while. To bend the probabilities, if for only a second, toward the slim chance of returning it to its rightful owner. Just one look in their eyes when you hand them that gold ring inscribed with their grandfather's initials they thought was lost forever is enough compensation. Those who knowingly recover, then privately profit from a ring they found with information provided by the true owner, well, we are all in this together...except for you.</span></span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-27590238667780255262023-07-08T11:23:00.001-07:002023-07-08T11:23:50.601-07:00I Lost It Over There - I Think...<p><span style="font-size: large;">One of the best things we do as metal detectorists is return property, and usually very valuable property at that. Although sometimes the value is not monetary, but sentimental. One of the first questions a member of the <i>Detecting Guild</i> almost always asks, mentally if not verbally, is <i>why</i> you would take such a rare and precious piece of your soul into harm's way? There is never any real answer to this question, other than the obvious. Where else would you keep such an important reminder of lost love, loved people or long-gone technicolor memories? Right there on your finger or on a precious metal chain looped protectively around your neck. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">What we face, as detectorists, though, that the realities of human memory and perception are not always accurate, especially when clouded with emotion from the loss. I have been in the metal detecting hobby since 1965, yes, a bit over 60 years, and I have seen some things, as Hans Solo used to say. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbTyU-5p241TlW0MNaFOXo8ZG3dSR-thbgA6ox4BBBsuWs43ZnMSYaFPZJzMQSJB-83JlZ4I42YgYfQ5dg8gZIK-L04IXkIqExbdRNJQCn2u5wKRSHxAFqkXs-Tu4igmHLJVaFeJoxHlRN5M86mzydpqUxSXiB6hfO82izIY4TqUgORa_wyhCD73Yk_zO/s1500/over%20there.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1500" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbTyU-5p241TlW0MNaFOXo8ZG3dSR-thbgA6ox4BBBsuWs43ZnMSYaFPZJzMQSJB-83JlZ4I42YgYfQ5dg8gZIK-L04IXkIqExbdRNJQCn2u5wKRSHxAFqkXs-Tu4igmHLJVaFeJoxHlRN5M86mzydpqUxSXiB6hfO82izIY4TqUgORa_wyhCD73Yk_zO/w400-h225/over%20there.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I think it may have slipped off my finger about here...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;">People sometimes don't even know when</span><span style="font-size: large;"> they lost it, let alone where </span><span style="font-size: large;">they lost it. Recently talking with a good friend of mine, Bryan, he was telling me of a person who was seeking a lost ring in their yard. They just noticed it gone one day. He and several other detectorists made a valiant effort in Florida's knock-down-drag-out summer heat to find the piece without success. A short time later it was found at the bottom of the homeowner's pool. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">For years my wife and I have recovered a good deal of lost jewelry and possessions for folks and have faced a good many obstacles they unknowingly placed in our way. Usually it's the old "It's NOT over there, it's got to be around here someplace!!" When you are not finding anything, and this is the continued response from the homeowner excuse yourself from the recovery and drive away. Don't forget in most cases you are DONATING your valuable time to this project and more than once during our work, the homeowner somehow got the impression we were her employees. Put an end to that sort of thing quickly. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Number one in recovering lost items, especially small jewelry, you need to understand your machine and the tools, (i.e. search coils) it uses. Shallow recently lost small jewelry in a grassy yard (especially gold chains) need a small (6" to 4") concentric coil as the search tool, (your sensitivity turned way down to prevent sub-surface trash interference), as it is the most sensitive coil you can get. Sometimes jewelry is so small, even a pin-pointer won't pick it up. If you know your search technology, you'll realize a pin-pointer uses pulse tech, but you need VLF tech to get the goods in cases like this! Heavy gold rings and pendants can be recovered easily using 6" to 11" DD coils with little loss of sensitivity. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It is always good to have a "physiology officer" along (in my case, my wife, as she is much easier to talk to, and more understanding than myself) Patti: "Let's take a walk around the area you think you lost it...we have a very high recovery rate if we get some good clues!" Me: "Why on earth would you take a 300-year-old, one-of-a-kind, rare gold pendent on a trampoline in the middle of an alligator infested pond...are you daft!?!?!"</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Use your judgement, and know the capability of your recovery tools, when determining if a project is worth your time and the chance of recovery is possible within your own limitations. Never put yourself in danger (trying to scuba dive a toxic lake, detecting near a snake-infested area, detecting in a closed pasture where a "friendly" bull resides, hunting in extreme heat or cold) for any reason at all. Nothing is worth your ruining your good health or risking your life! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">And thanks to all those who do take the time to research and make a great effort to return someone's sentimental piece of the past, you bring immense good will to the hobby and boy do we need it now more than ever! Cheers!</span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-36128727256259495202023-01-08T17:31:00.000-08:002023-01-08T17:31:41.980-08:00Sweep and Pattern Failure - Missing the point and everything else<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">I was casually watching a YouTube video the other day on my shiny new computer tablet, following a big-name treasure media guy. You know, guys with names like<i> Pirate Rick,</i> or <i>Backhoe Bosco, Silver Sherry</i>...you know the drill. Internet "<i>stars"</i> (with a small<i> s)</i> chasing the spotlight. His GoPro was recording the hi-speed passage of the beach below with his huge tramping feet, in and out of frame, as he talked, rapid-fire, a lot smack; <i>we are gonna' find silver!</i> and <i>"The adventure begins!"</i> as the color graphics swell with <i>"GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!"</i> and music <i>fades</i> for commercial.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We are back!! Once again, the treasure dance continues along the sandy shore, coil sweeping, incessant talking, and an occasional jerk to a stop as we DIG A COIN; and a clad one at that! Exciting stuff indeed! But wait...something is wrong. I stare at the 4K screen and try to figure out what. Something very basic, even primal, is going off the rails here. Suddenly I realize what's wrong, and it's because <i>he's missing every other sweep by stepping forward instead of doing a reverse sweep before he moves!</i> This is equivalent to metal detecting a football stadium and literally missing half the field with your scans! What's going on here? Why is he</span><span style="font-size: large;"> in a </span><i style="font-size: large;">big</i><span style="font-size: large;"> hurry? </span><span style="font-size: large;">This guys a media <i>treasure star</i>, a YouTube darling in metal detecting circles! And here lies the problem: A person new to the hobby watches these channels, examines the detectorists' every move, then clones the same techniques when they are out in the field themselves. And missing half the targets.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Social media metal detecting and real world metal detecting occasionally diverge due to the fact that <i>anyone</i> can start a media channel and call themselves a treasure hunter . And many times they really don't know any more about the hobby than the tyro's watching the show. However, that YouTube money is sweet, one of the reasons this happens more than anyone realizes; mistaking entertainment as expertise. Maybe this was just one instance, but no. Time and again I watch videos where the detectorist is practically running up the beach or across the park...and missing targets by the barge-load!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZvpn6LG1Y8N7zOBTJ8HuSqDgViG2Ov3lHKiz53LF_n08lRJlg68SkxYWbHWz4YN37rvibcSLRHkyaRhOsApdvDXnT81AiUvexo23DRNIt18mZnBviPgwgIkV6Toi2hCgY-AuNBGkt_NFCYQXThOATtpeg7cDR1cstfbejLeUpaQSniHmjcKxgtJONA/s2000/sweep%20step.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZvpn6LG1Y8N7zOBTJ8HuSqDgViG2Ov3lHKiz53LF_n08lRJlg68SkxYWbHWz4YN37rvibcSLRHkyaRhOsApdvDXnT81AiUvexo23DRNIt18mZnBviPgwgIkV6Toi2hCgY-AuNBGkt_NFCYQXThOATtpeg7cDR1cstfbejLeUpaQSniHmjcKxgtJONA/w400-h400/sweep%20step.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;">This technique is called out by Gary Drayton, one guy who really knows his stuff, as low and slow, move ahead one step, sweep, coil level, to the right (or left) then, one coil width forward, sweep in the opposite direction. Step forward again and do the same. This assures your search pattern covers ALL the ground. Continual walking forward while swinging the coil almost assures you only cover half the ground you are scanning! Paraphrasing </span><i style="text-align: left;">Mr. Drayton</i><span style="text-align: left;">, "It's not how much ground you cover, it's how you cover the ground!" This technique along with stable coil control (keep it level!) will assure your targets, as </span><i style="text-align: left;">Jim Fielding</i><span style="text-align: left;"> says, "...will be found, if they are in the ground!" There are only so many slices of metal detecting pie left, and with more and more people entering the hobby, those slices are getting slimmer by the day. Get your slice, using good technique, before someone else does!</span></span></div><p></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-72715276849651852512022-12-28T16:56:00.001-08:002022-12-28T16:57:55.625-08:00Cleaning Coins - Are You Insane?<p> <span style="font-size: large;">One side of the metal detecting hobby that has almost become a hobby in its own right, is the cleaning of clad coins. I'm not talking about touching up valuable silver collectors' coins, oh no! I'm talking about everyday dirty money. Coins you dig up, find baking in the sun, or laying on or in sand, soil and muck. Filthy little metal disks...discolored, (and if zinc, half-rotted) unloved and as pitiful as a token of exchange can get. Now I know detectorists that LOVE to fill things with all the coins they have found. Big, clear, plastic 5-gallon water dispenser bottles, glass mason jars, aquarium fish tanks, a casket (you can TRY to take it with you!), milk jugs, thermos bottles, and on and on. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUhp-95ZjjzyTouct8-rb_Xvp15fKSPDUST2Xu284n9aOtbjtJJLuE5DKTmgAnZkXEaxQFYWXgdEezCXV1AWGcjVceiJtj1g8QlOzTBAub0LMBJtR12s8Mg1LP1lC8ttGakAPrAZ5FwxfEs5frO41tZ8VhLWjG-vgwi1joC4K91RHzmrkcDvjfcn4Pw/s2317/are%20you%20mad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2317" data-original-width="1977" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUhp-95ZjjzyTouct8-rb_Xvp15fKSPDUST2Xu284n9aOtbjtJJLuE5DKTmgAnZkXEaxQFYWXgdEezCXV1AWGcjVceiJtj1g8QlOzTBAub0LMBJtR12s8Mg1LP1lC8ttGakAPrAZ5FwxfEs5frO41tZ8VhLWjG-vgwi1joC4K91RHzmrkcDvjfcn4Pw/w341-h400/are%20you%20mad.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Your Second Hobby - It's Complicated</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Eventually, though, a new metal detector with some new amazingly advanced technical abilities makes the scene (daddy-oh) and you slowly become aware of all that metallic cash littering your seaside party barge. You need to either bank it by cleaning and rolling them or rinsing them off in hot water and tossing them in a Coinstar machine that counts it and takes anywhere from 8% to 10% of the total for services rendered, the result being you get handfuls of cash money ready for spending or banking. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Now, if you are like a good deal of detectorists, you will go and spend $75 on a motorized tumbler; spinning rubber drums filled with chemicals, tumbling media (small gravel) and coins to be cleaned. And the TIME it takes to get all the coins through the process. Remember TIME, we will come back to it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I clean coins myself by throwing them all in a perforated drum (a spaghetti colander will work) rinsing the dirt off with hot water, or hot water and a little dish soap, drying them off, then tossing them in a Coinstar. I readily collect the cash, sans Coinstar's 10 percent, and that's it. And the Coinstar Organization is more than welcome to their percentage. The other process, the hobby-within-a- hobby, is a small industry in itself. Now some people with a lot of <i>time</i> on their hands <i>do</i> like to complicate things sometimes, and if there are more gadgets and devices involved, well, all the better!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Banks are notorious for complicating things, and you cannot just deposit dirty coins, oh no! They must be clean, shiny even, and they must be carefully counted and be rolled in separate little denomination tubes, sometimes also printed with your account number. And of course, <i>you</i> need to travel to said bank, stand in line, have the bank rep count the little tubes. But this all comes <i>after</i> you have mixed dishwashing detergent, salt, vinegar, gravel, and other stuff into a slurry filling only <i>half</i> the tumbler. Then wait at least 30 or 40 minutes to tumble a few handfuls of coins, which you then dump into a colander to separate the coins from the gravel, then rinse them, then dry them, then counting and rolling, etc. Also remember you <i>cannot</i> just dump all the coins in together, oh no! Dimes, nickels, quarters, half-dollars, and on up, must be separated from the pennies or they will turn pink during the process. And we cannot have that! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, after half-a day, you have made a dent in your clad coins and spend some more <i>time</i> cleaning up after the process. Meanwhile I have long finished rinsing and cashing in <i>all</i> my coins and am at the beach with my detector looking for more. And when all your labor, which is worth something in itself, is added up, you have probably spent more in time and materials than your coins were ever worth. That's my opinion, of course, but then again, it is entirely your preference how you want to clean your treasure. Just food for thought. Good luck and happy hunting!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-7339712238036337272022-12-06T13:33:00.001-08:002022-12-06T13:33:52.671-08:00Detector Snobbery - Elitist Detecting<span style="font-size: medium;">As the 21st Century progresses (although that can be debated), in the world of metal detecting there is a cold war running just beneath the glitz and glitter of treasure hunting, if that's even what they call it anymore. This conflict has always raged since the first guy with a mine sweeper found a treasure coin on a beach. And it is a war with the best, most advanced detector out there verses the best most advanced detector out there! You read it right, it's the all-time, all-encompassing argument between detectorists as to which machine is the best, and almost always degenerates into the time-honored discussion and disagreement over whose machine detects the deepest!</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TnnEc8_e_TXw3JanhD6mehAXglKwb61cyK-Niw8EAIfStF-Ri421D6ffazF-U9dIMcZP4GaioYPK056-fSSkqJ_o3oGWjUg0rA73HQFAPcQvzZFV1mpqb8_Xp72ToA08kPkUu0Rz9D9lbrnNjSEfxwevfweZl35aI-d7O3hR0DuLdduzIbQWUTNleA/s1633/detecting%20elite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1633" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TnnEc8_e_TXw3JanhD6mehAXglKwb61cyK-Niw8EAIfStF-Ri421D6ffazF-U9dIMcZP4GaioYPK056-fSSkqJ_o3oGWjUg0rA73HQFAPcQvzZFV1mpqb8_Xp72ToA08kPkUu0Rz9D9lbrnNjSEfxwevfweZl35aI-d7O3hR0DuLdduzIbQWUTNleA/w472-h343/detecting%20elite.jpg" width="472" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">As the lists of detector manufacturers shrinks from several hundred in the mid to late 1960's to a half-dozen or less in the first quarter of the 21st Century, competition between the remaining brands has been fierce, and sometimes not on the up and up. In, then, the end, manufacturers</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> Fisher, Garrette, DEUS (deh us), Minelab and Nokta Macro make up the players in this game of technical superiority. And there are plenty of arguments and points of context users continually par and counter-par with each other. I always find it a bit comical no one actually tests one machine against the other in a semi-scientific way. Except in one instance, they did. And the losers were not particularly happy about it. We will speak of this in a future post,</span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The end product of all this is BUYING THE LATEST MODEL metal detector, and totally believing the sales hype. Just so you know, the laws of physics governing the design of metal detectors are currently immutable, as far as electrodynamic devices go. These instruments have pretty well reached the end of the line unless a newly discovered tenet of our physical universe is discovered and then used to engineer better metal detectors that are light years in advance of our current models. Each new model is usually released with fanfare and excitement and with the unspoken assurance that it will surely go DEEPER than the previous machines of years gone by. But will it? </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Depth, from a metal detecting standpoint, is dependent on factors other than the machine itself. It depends on how wet the ground is, or in other words, how conductive the matrix (sand, soil, gravel, rock etc.) is to electromagnetic energy. Very low frequency machines are very good at passing through the earth and water, not suffering from signal attenuation, or energy absorption, that plague higher frequencies. It also depends on the type of search-coil, the size of the search-coil, how much power is being transmitted from the search coil. and how the gain and sensitivity controls are set. Just because it has a new and shiny exterior for 2023, does not make it much better than the sun-bleached hull of a metal detector from 2013. Especially if you are an expert at using the 2013 model. A new machine puts you back below the learning curve again until you get a few hundred hours using it in various situations and environments again. I would bet cash money on the old hand using an older detector they know like the back of their hand, against someone who has just purchased the newest machine with the amazing paint job with all the bells and whistles. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I would say that learning your current machine's strengths, weaknesses and hidden talents makes it mandatory you don't fall for the latest machine to come down the pike every six months to a year. I know people who buy the latest machine before learning the previous "latest machine" from 11-months earlier. This will get you nowhere quick, but if you enjoy spending money and have plenty of it, by all means buy the latest detector out there ever 6 to 12 months, people will marvel at you, but not at you finds until you learn the machine really well. But you don't have time with a new machine being released really soon by a competing manufacturer you will have to have. Take a little time to learn a machine really, really well. Your detector will love you for it.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-134578381026038382022-11-20T17:36:00.001-08:002022-11-20T17:36:57.465-08:00SCUBA Danger - Seriously Tanked<p> <span style="font-size: large;">Treasure diving had always held my fascination since I was a kid. Mike Nelson and his flaming magnesium underwater torch was the coolest; finding treasure, beautiful women, and still fight the bad guys deep in the depths! Luckily, my father was an avid diver, making his own gear before most of it was available commercially. Made his own wetsuit, bought a dual-tank set-up and he was off. I made the mistake once, during elementary school, when we were planning a bring your father to class event, of telling them my father was a scuba diver. This was like in 1960, when diving was not all that common. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">When Dad brought his tanks and gear in the day of our class, unknown to me, the subject was so interesting the teachers at the entire school got together and made it an all-school event in the school auditorium! Dad was expecting a short talk in a 20-student classroom, but instead found himself staring down a 650 sized student body, along with 20 or 30 teachers! I can still remember him, in his blue business suit, hefting the tanks on his back and the mask on his face while he explained in detail the use of all the gear. You would have thought he was a celebrated astronaut, and this was before astronauts! Afterward he was surrounded by interested teachers asking further questions. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I thought he was going to kill me when I got home, and I was ready to explain that I had no idea they were going to do that, but he was still basking in the adulation of the 650-plus audience, so I escaped wrath of any kind. I was also the one tasked with bringing over 650 "thank you" notes home for him to read. One was mine. It read "Thanks Dad!" which my teacher chewed me out about, saying I showed no creativity in the note. I listened to all this and thought "Jeez, I see him every day, and I am still apologizing for what you and your ilk did without my knowledge!</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">" </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Dad ended up teaching me to dive and also enrolled me in a NAUI scuba class at 14. I finally got my dive card, but not until NAUI had tortured me a few times diving in zero visibility water, tasked to navigate underwater with a compass, and how to change tanks underwater, or remove them completely. That last maneuver actually saved my life once, while I was doing an underwater hull-cleaning on a large yacht parked up against a seawall. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I had gone under the boat and come up on the seawall side. I started cleaning the hull and was not particularly being very observant, when I suddenly noticed the tide was going out and the boat was settling on me. There was a slight concrete lip at the bottom of the seawall, not very wide, but my escape was blocked by this, and the curve of the hull was closing my escape upward to the surface. There was a large post at either end, near the bow and the stern so I could not get out that way. My tanks would never fit, and neither would I with or without the tanks! I suddenly realized I was going to drown.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYBVk7kRXoDJr-CHjEouOuBaWHsDAAWP2ufbV4IFlbi-uWNLQAhKBv3T4LWdjhp_YbSwBazMohe6JZCGFBvVTTMBrBCcH9Od0UUM9K9p9n8hD2PC2jxJ1VM20cgPKSDiIwwpftDbclz7USDc6KqfO6PCVvhNZm1zWRn5IhragIsm_YmvkolNj9vFdGQ/s2000/trapped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYBVk7kRXoDJr-CHjEouOuBaWHsDAAWP2ufbV4IFlbi-uWNLQAhKBv3T4LWdjhp_YbSwBazMohe6JZCGFBvVTTMBrBCcH9Od0UUM9K9p9n8hD2PC2jxJ1VM20cgPKSDiIwwpftDbclz7USDc6KqfO6PCVvhNZm1zWRn5IhragIsm_YmvkolNj9vFdGQ/s320/trapped.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">trapped underwater in a confined space</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;">My route back down under the boat was just barely wide enough for me to get through</span><i style="text-align: left;"> without</i><span style="text-align: left;"> the tanks. To make matters worse, passing boat traffic was making the hull ride up and down, creating sort of a continuous guillotine effect between the hull and concrete ledge. I'd have to time this well or be cut in half by a 25-ton boat! Either drown or be crushed. In the confined area I was in, I still managed to remember my NAUI training, and get the tanks and BC off, still breathing off the regulator. I braced my flippered feet against the seawall behind me, watched the hull coming up past the ledge, held my breath and PUSHED! I shot down between the yacht and the ledge and seemingly</span><span style="text-align: left;"> forever, surfaced on the other side.</span></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">My other buddies who had been working on the other side were astounded when I told them what had happened. I later showed them what had turned out to be a confined space, that none of us had recognized as such. You couldn't even call for help, because you could not surface by that time. Once again science, technology, training, keeping a cool head and working the problem saved me from certain death. Probably in a parallel universe I wasn't that lucky.</span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-47736279258287378082022-11-07T11:38:00.003-08:002022-11-14T20:15:22.774-08:00Pinpointing Targets - The million-mile stare<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">One of the most difficult skills to master in metal detecting is accurately targeting signals under the coil. Some of this is due more to the lousy targeting abilities of less costly detectors, than the operator, Now, with small, handheld pulse detectors, many just assume digging a 12" wide, pizza-sized hole will suffice. Then waving the small electronic magic wand over the area, it will quickly and easily locate the target. We quickly remove and marvel at the gold coin we just pinpointed, then head for home. It's Miller time! No, sorry, just no. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Pinpointing a target with a VLF metal detector is dependent on two things, well really one thing, the search coil, but in two flavors; concentric or the wide-scan (also known as a double-D) coil. When you find a likely target you would like to dig, with a concentric coil, you swing the coil back and forth above the target until the signal is either the loudest or the highest tone, or both, the detected target location will usually be, visually, at the center of the concentric coil. Usually I look for an item at the target point under the coil...a leaf, a small stone, twig...and stare at it as you swing the coil away ("The Million-Mile Stare") and you prepare to dig. When I first started out detecting, my technique after locating the target center in the concentric coil, I would do "the-million-mile-stare" at that location, swing the coil away, and push a coin-probe in the target center. It worked well as a visual-aid when digging, until I got the technique down pat. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fu_sopXDciDWFkCmBJe_iPBtWXWVqTJ1j6pqUhMBKvTRWP3RslTgSQUzKhQBWWr5BCmw--rEE0bTEoytBXVYd2YBXoR7ThJ41GMqpEmWVivIbZ9boUOF1Vz5TLBAS4A69zdKFz4cx5Gr-NBbFP082klc-Lg2kx64t31NyL6xk7lzbjoSjLeRoyGAzQ/s2000/coil%20diagrams.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1267" data-original-width="2000" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fu_sopXDciDWFkCmBJe_iPBtWXWVqTJ1j6pqUhMBKvTRWP3RslTgSQUzKhQBWWr5BCmw--rEE0bTEoytBXVYd2YBXoR7ThJ41GMqpEmWVivIbZ9boUOF1Vz5TLBAS4A69zdKFz4cx5Gr-NBbFP082klc-Lg2kx64t31NyL6xk7lzbjoSjLeRoyGAzQ/s320/coil%20diagrams.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">concentric target center on the left is usually where the red x is indicated<br />wide-scan (double-d) target center in green X is punching the "pinpoint control<br />Wide-scan (double-d) target locations red X front and back using "wiggle" method</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You will find more expensive detectors will come with a wide-scan or "double-d" coil that pinpoints somewhat differently, When I switched from a concentric coil to a wide-scan coil, I found it somewhat difficult to pinpoint very well with the double-d, and had a few choice words with the %$#!&%$!& thing while out hunting the beach! Metal detector manufacturers, thanks to computerization, have electronically "forced" the circuits to simulate a pinpointed target physically at the center of the double-d coil. And there is nothing wrong with this, as machines </span><span style="font-size: large;">using the double-d coil </span><span style="font-size: medium;">get more technically advanced, pinpointing gets more accurate. BUT, and its a big BUT, understanding and using this coil to best advantage means using it as it was designed. I don't want to launch into another explanation on coils and how they work, just how they pin-point.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The solid strip down the center of the coil is called "the hot-shoe" on a double-d. When you are pinpointing a target, you don't have to use (although you can) the "pinpoint" button, but use a technique called the "wiggle" method. Upon gaining a target, in any mode you choose, you narrowly wiggle the coil back and forth while moving forward slowly, maintaining the target signal. When the target signal suddenly drops off, the target is <i>directly</i> behind the back edge of the coil. And this ability is what make water hunting possible with this type coil. Hunting in chest-deep muddy water? Can't see the coil? Use this technique, and once target is pinpointed, put your toe touching the back of the coil, swing the coil away, then move your toe back a few inches, put the long-handled beach scoop at a 45 degree angle just in front of your toe and dig, Chances are good you will dig the target on the first try, and you never even saw the bottom, you did it all by practice and feel. Don't try this with a concentric coil, though.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Another method in detector pinpointing techniques, using either type coil, is called "de-tuning," which increases the physical accuracy of the coil. As you swing over the target, as soon as you swing slightly away from the target center, punch the pinpoint button <i>off</i> and then punch it back <i>on,</i> and keep swinging, narrowing your sweep each time you de-tune. It takes some practice, but you will be making surgical recoveries of targets as your skills improve.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Still another technique we used back in the day, before electronic hand-held pinpointing devices were available, and still useful today if you cannot yet afford a pin-pointer, we called <i>poor man's pinpointing.</i> The fact was we were not poor, we were just underequipped. You managed to isolate the target using the detector's pinpointing feature, but the target is small, and hard to see or feel in dirt of the hole you dug, especially if you were wearing gloves. Frustrating though it is, the fact that a search coil, no matter what the type, will detect on both sides of the coil saves the day! Grab a handful of dirt from the dig and wave it over the top of your search coil until one handful sounds off, then poke carefully through the dirt in your palm until the target is located. It's Miller Time!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnt9XYEN0RAuK13TDp636Rb81vEGM2Wh62XLcUinoR_dsn6J8p4143wLwUA4FU2s6GzN1fFmMSN1FSNsCZdkGKRSAejYsx9e1_8SryACSkFqtvOHFLHi0dnBcsf1xvW8ZQOiBb7lP2Gl6tV-HheFVjDIMPzJBFkvHrIfBW0mjmmzbBGj0mXJm2V0LGrw/s1652/dual%20fields%20top%20and%20bottom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1636" data-original-width="1652" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnt9XYEN0RAuK13TDp636Rb81vEGM2Wh62XLcUinoR_dsn6J8p4143wLwUA4FU2s6GzN1fFmMSN1FSNsCZdkGKRSAejYsx9e1_8SryACSkFqtvOHFLHi0dnBcsf1xvW8ZQOiBb7lP2Gl6tV-HheFVjDIMPzJBFkvHrIfBW0mjmmzbBGj0mXJm2V0LGrw/s320/dual%20fields%20top%20and%20bottom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The really important aspect of all this, to you, and the hobby in general, is to master pinpointing, so you can excavate detected targets with surgical precision, and leave the 12" wide digs to the prairie dogs, keeping our hobby safe for coming generations.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-31593915237205651502022-09-04T14:47:00.000-07:002022-09-04T14:47:08.793-07:00Kathy Davis-Waters - Goodby to A Friend<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Kathy Davis-Waters was a friend of mine, and a member of the CFMDC since 2014, and had an active hand in the club and its activities, having been a club officer (vice-president), and a member of the club within the club, hunting police evidence, with the CFMDC Search Team. Cancer took her in mid-August, something we all knew was coming, including her. We were all hoping that, like in a TV show, there would be some last-minute plot twist that would erase the evil disease and bring her back to us in full health again, smiling and joking, doing her best to enjoy continuing life and her joy of God, friends, and metal detecting. Alas, it was not to be, and we sadly bid our friend goodby on the morning of August 17th 2022 where she passed peacefully into the arms of our Lord. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyd5ajGgfiQuB-NS6D6aYE8iIz2QtdzOO9ePHFBxyWmFXYbZ-d3IpQst6zwGSger5LW2zzZipytZsOpvTQQddQgMTIjr_XS_7ke27ryQ_ZcXy0ht-5dZjiDHq-YJWtapdYD4oiUwVQs-HKjDj2rmTJgJJe3HZRiEGxhBufPvfDF3pBmnCatXtCxek4IQ/s720/kathy%20opening2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="720" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyd5ajGgfiQuB-NS6D6aYE8iIz2QtdzOO9ePHFBxyWmFXYbZ-d3IpQst6zwGSger5LW2zzZipytZsOpvTQQddQgMTIjr_XS_7ke27ryQ_ZcXy0ht-5dZjiDHq-YJWtapdYD4oiUwVQs-HKjDj2rmTJgJJe3HZRiEGxhBufPvfDF3pBmnCatXtCxek4IQ/w428-h374/kathy%20opening2.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathy Davis-Waters Treasure Hunter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZYJr82UBZbAQqA3lB4a1T4uWRc2wvfyYbUrOLaQLkb7M6ELcRAbUROCW_IbXhgFnr12dFYHTLC_oLu7ir0WWNuWajoziBg6_rzbCty9wUoVcvM1uih8Jyg3cLWwMZGrClV5UJNJTbiU9iNkRztnqealesW009J5rSfSfJ6mn9IJmouNXktzIZ7mogg/s4000/GOPR0737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZYJr82UBZbAQqA3lB4a1T4uWRc2wvfyYbUrOLaQLkb7M6ELcRAbUROCW_IbXhgFnr12dFYHTLC_oLu7ir0WWNuWajoziBg6_rzbCty9wUoVcvM1uih8Jyg3cLWwMZGrClV5UJNJTbiU9iNkRztnqealesW009J5rSfSfJ6mn9IJmouNXktzIZ7mogg/w400-h299/GOPR0737.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathy Holding An Air Inlet Door from a WWII Grumman TBM Bomber</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Kathy spent as much time as she could on small metal-detecting expeditions with all members of the group, and was an ardent detectorist. Her love of history always shown through with her various finds, and her excitement was palpable every time. One of her most spectacular recoveries, in my opinion, was a 1916 brass tire gauge that still showed signs of being serviceable over 100 years later! Unfortunately we had agreed to turn over all artifacts to the property owners after the hunt and she had to let her precious find go, a part of being in the hobby, but not particularly liking it. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FivY_PWQCgw4pM35t-ukMFL-qgRvFswkX0gr3nUVTZw5l0wbN1VORjs4iVLdgGh0mTI2xDV2zi0sk1Y8tuy0k8TAnJt1z4pXxbcm1SSSpD-rQOI4nlevZ-_Q2ppe0iRbKd9znlP7bFuMzOEFAFi1Tb8zgGLdXaKdgK3Ncnny2aqIyH_RnCgUjQfEsQ/s3264/P2212450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FivY_PWQCgw4pM35t-ukMFL-qgRvFswkX0gr3nUVTZw5l0wbN1VORjs4iVLdgGh0mTI2xDV2zi0sk1Y8tuy0k8TAnJt1z4pXxbcm1SSSpD-rQOI4nlevZ-_Q2ppe0iRbKd9znlP7bFuMzOEFAFi1Tb8zgGLdXaKdgK3Ncnny2aqIyH_RnCgUjQfEsQ/w300-h400/P2212450.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathy being Kathy...getting the "Kathy" stare </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> She was a master of many trades; she had been a Disney World photographer for many years, a private wedding photographer (her stories were priceless!) worked as a Uber and Lyft driver, but being a photographer was foremost. The other was detectorist. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNX2D2W4nP42WhVzvizZCKkXsoIBsyCfxYiyCDvWRyHSY_jNMC0-qF2sEuTUWH0h5d7851tRDm1za-w6E5M5gRVf6zeTTtx7ldC6E9Rgfp1Izayj8vEYFMoyayINhV8qQ0t9UH7ohaUy4mabkfdbZ9e2Vi1myEeY1ri10lhmP1-4UzlZ-YqWUEHotU-g/s2720/SAM_4328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="2720" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNX2D2W4nP42WhVzvizZCKkXsoIBsyCfxYiyCDvWRyHSY_jNMC0-qF2sEuTUWH0h5d7851tRDm1za-w6E5M5gRVf6zeTTtx7ldC6E9Rgfp1Izayj8vEYFMoyayINhV8qQ0t9UH7ohaUy4mabkfdbZ9e2Vi1myEeY1ri10lhmP1-4UzlZ-YqWUEHotU-g/w435-h326/SAM_4328.JPG" width="435" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathy asking the farm owner where he thinks the $4000 diamond-studded cross might be</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Kathy took part in many of the CFMDC Search Team's evidence hunts, lending a hand to put dangerous criminals where they belonged, behind bars or worse. She served as club Vice-President for one term, doing her best through cancer treatments to assist and support the club and the people in it. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiw5klsSL4lV1LQ6wBDCjSA1lVFdnwYz6ihgvELF6hUq91nTnG8iWfAAa3cwkrQCsSwy8PCSUS_RN62-6Fm1z5vl67xpfDzxaKCwuJyA7xuuI2No_V7LEUjOZvBOpbO2P9zw4AZV8FWxXPm7K4b2zYLOE_SSF6aMRPDJQazAfAQ3v28Pl2aLAPD4EEWQ/s4000/GOPR0848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiw5klsSL4lV1LQ6wBDCjSA1lVFdnwYz6ihgvELF6hUq91nTnG8iWfAAa3cwkrQCsSwy8PCSUS_RN62-6Fm1z5vl67xpfDzxaKCwuJyA7xuuI2No_V7LEUjOZvBOpbO2P9zw4AZV8FWxXPm7K4b2zYLOE_SSF6aMRPDJQazAfAQ3v28Pl2aLAPD4EEWQ/s320/GOPR0848.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proudly Displaying A Spoon Found On An Airbase Hunt</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;">. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Kathy was a treasure hunter, and a good one. She originally used a Garrett AT-Pro, which she </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">thoroughly</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> wore out, upgrading to a Minelab CTX 3030. I hunted with her on many occasions and we always had a good time. Finding things was usually secondary to the fun we were all having!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1io9UHSSR23Jc1lN4K8H7qZ-eO9l_2d7m_pLw0IyisQSf6W83rK0chB-oSRUDS9MH1A8eAKhuxvFqOQm3xbGiy0wK3ibMK9jxFW91JH8IcTxWIN_kiu3eTBaOk9c00LNqN-kj12G89co-VlXq5skbrKpvHjGoDBeG91qWo4pz_PCKGZheXoPNI2L9A/s960/Jims%20Angels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1io9UHSSR23Jc1lN4K8H7qZ-eO9l_2d7m_pLw0IyisQSf6W83rK0chB-oSRUDS9MH1A8eAKhuxvFqOQm3xbGiy0wK3ibMK9jxFW91JH8IcTxWIN_kiu3eTBaOk9c00LNqN-kj12G89co-VlXq5skbrKpvHjGoDBeG91qWo4pz_PCKGZheXoPNI2L9A/w370-h278/Jims%20Angels.jpg" width="370" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathy (far left) my wife Patti, Me, and Mary hunting a Florida Park</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We will all be missing Kathy's smile, her pranks (like yelling "GoPro STOP recording!" as she walked by) and her friendship, as she can never be replaced in our hearts. Rest in peace, Kathy.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-44006882426249184012022-06-28T16:06:00.000-07:002022-06-28T16:06:44.827-07:00Rewarding Hobby-Dealing With Gratitude<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Something I've noticed for many years now, is the conclusion to a successful lost ring, lost jewelry, lost necklace, pendant, and so on hunt is the happiness of the person who thought they would never see this item again. Hand over open mouth, jumping up and down, heartfelt hugs and the plethora of body language with verbal exclamations that go with the realization that your electronic magic wand has turned an unfathomed loss, into an unbelievable reunion! Here, at this point, is where the rubber meets the road. The person, or couple, or family holds out their hand with a wad of bills...maybe $20 or can go as high as $1000 at times and everywhere in between. The sudden quiet is deafening, the birds are frozen in flight, the world has momentarily stopped turning.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Rek9zow6DwQ91zHHRxOw7DjoHi8u2mqwJshDh5E3K9ngQ6GkTHeIR6XiTGW_HsNk50f8j01I9o4xivitI3y8IDEN9HnU8YwbbT0tpdFT6k4dB6J82rvKvsueN1ahIrxmKfYFtrTtVwg36A3I_Ly1oagt1xp75woQ6uigRclqRP7_uJ_DLVWjF5eqvQ/s2177/ring%20find.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2177" data-original-width="1684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Rek9zow6DwQ91zHHRxOw7DjoHi8u2mqwJshDh5E3K9ngQ6GkTHeIR6XiTGW_HsNk50f8j01I9o4xivitI3y8IDEN9HnU8YwbbT0tpdFT6k4dB6J82rvKvsueN1ahIrxmKfYFtrTtVwg36A3I_Ly1oagt1xp75woQ6uigRclqRP7_uJ_DLVWjF5eqvQ/s320/ring%20find.JPG" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Wife Returning A Lost Wedding Band</td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As part of our <i>prime directive</i>, our detectorist mantra, we <i>never</i> ask for a reward, but if one is offered? You, of course, are above all that, and your benevolence shines with a nuclear radiance...sometimes blinding you to the situation as it really stands. "No, no. I was glad to find it...that's what we/I do as a service...no, no...!" Let me say this about that: there is nothing wrong with being magnanimous, especially when you consider the time it took you to find it, or the magnitude of the recovery. BUT when it was truly a herculean effort, say in a dirty muddy scummy side canal, or alligator infested pond, or several days of pounding the ground, the atmosphere changes. Your equipment is specialized and expensive, the experience and proficiency in using that equipment is a hard-to-find commodity and traveling to the site is getting more and more expensive. Yes, yes, you have a great retirement nest-egg, yes everyone admires your charity and holds you as a hero, and it may well be deserved, as I have seen time and again, detectorists selflessly even put themselves in danger to recover and unrecoverable heirloom. But I'm talking about not a physical daring-do, but the mental state of the person who experienced the loss then the miraculous recovery. They really <i>want</i> to reward you...they really do! No one wants to live in the shadow of debt of another, and they would <i>like</i> to see you have a nice dinner out, or a movie as a token of their thanks for what you did.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, as they hold a reward in their outstretched hand, I would advise you to thank them profusely and <i>take it</i>! Let me explain, especially to those of you that are mentally accusing me of being a detection hooker! Although it is not really quid pro quo, it comes close. They go away happy for the return of the unreturnable, and you go away happy, maybe going to dinner and see <i>Maverick</i> with your wife on their dime tonight. Or not...just consider it.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: right;"><br /></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-27904513007483712342022-06-06T14:41:00.000-07:002022-06-06T14:41:39.396-07:00Pyrate Tyme - The Real Deal<p> <span style="font-size: large;">One question...why do many metal detecting club's logo's feature a pirate ship, face, or flag? Pirates, or Privateers as they were originally called, were not nice people. They were dangerous seagoing criminal gangs that literally robbed, raped, and plundered ships and coastal villages. What does that have to do with the metal detecting hobby? Since Captain Jack Sparrow graced the big screen many years ago, that loveable rouge, funny, most times drunk, and highly humorous, we have gotten a very biased opinion of pirates. As a matter of fact, most <i>everyone</i> who lived quite a bit after these seagoing gangs were caught and hanged, or jailed, has a slanted view of these guys. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwoxZFc7GH2D7cdic0H45Pi8vONxrN257wBslcVYG5mCDwdk0nbNQYpT9nLKgJFkm_fGu1oQu_1vS05s2tcLWUNDcyBgCBSKsCoXK0LJgqER0Lf5I-Cxzg0AOQTqf6sh5hydt7EQp1YZhtBGcS9Q2s2ghPA5v-LnKEZddFW4ud_ucZCeiQtFO86qiaw/s1221/pirate%20booty%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="1221" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwoxZFc7GH2D7cdic0H45Pi8vONxrN257wBslcVYG5mCDwdk0nbNQYpT9nLKgJFkm_fGu1oQu_1vS05s2tcLWUNDcyBgCBSKsCoXK0LJgqER0Lf5I-Cxzg0AOQTqf6sh5hydt7EQp1YZhtBGcS9Q2s2ghPA5v-LnKEZddFW4ud_ucZCeiQtFO86qiaw/w405-h351/pirate%20booty%20(2).jpg" width="405" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">First of all pirates rarely, if ever, buried their treasure. They didn't have time to do so, always on the run, dodging Navel patrols or angry shipping companies. And usually after a few nights of drunken carousing in a safe port, they had little treasure left anyway. They were a "live for today" crowd, and many didn't expect to even see tomorrow. Being a common sailor in a 16th Century navy was a horror; beaten, worked to death, or executed for minor offences. Many men were "shanghaied" or basically knocked cold and brought aboard ship, and when they woke up at sea, they had no choice but to work as part of the crew. One pirate was recorded as saying <i>"In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages and hard labor. In piracy, there is plenty and satiety, pleasure and ease, liberty and power; and who would not balance creditor, when all the hazard that is run for it, at worst, is only a sour look or two at hanging?"</i> He ended the thought with<i> " No, a merry life and a short one shall be my motto!"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbeS7BOZP6PDro6cTuqttILXoElayC0jkfoDn5OmBK23NyzJ2sW09yXHvTRztd1RANiLMIaZcitTs_v-lP7bez7ZA4vpTJWy-JmCffFVTya9uZnaq2XJNC7PGyuXegcRF9igiEenw5kYMXgV6FVVMWslzILUihFkDXshUNGzXHcGg8pifPBJ5RAv0XA/s2177/pirate%20books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="2177" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbeS7BOZP6PDro6cTuqttILXoElayC0jkfoDn5OmBK23NyzJ2sW09yXHvTRztd1RANiLMIaZcitTs_v-lP7bez7ZA4vpTJWy-JmCffFVTya9uZnaq2XJNC7PGyuXegcRF9igiEenw5kYMXgV6FVVMWslzILUihFkDXshUNGzXHcGg8pifPBJ5RAv0XA/w398-h289/pirate%20books.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Several of my favorite Pirate reads</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Being part of a pirate crew was, strange as it sounds, freedom in a democratic society. Pirate crews would elect their own captains, if the captain did not work out, or caused the group problems the pirate crew was more than quick in replacing him immediately! They voted on what prize (ship) t take in battle to gain the most treasure with the least amount of harm to themselves. And their take was not always gold and silver, it was also rum, alcohol, booze, fine silks and linen cloth...and occasionally women. A hostage meant money in the bank. Anything they could turn a profit on. Many governors in the colonies and Caribbean nations would have dealings with the pirates, buying what they stole at reduced prices and reselling them in their sphere of influence. Kind of a 16th Century E-Bay, but without the return policy...or the hassles! Another fallacy is pirates regularly made people "...walk the plank!" There was no plank, until several books, and later movies, poured that into the mystery mix that were pirate societies. A lot of the fabricated bunk about pirates originally came from a 1724 publication called <i>"A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates"</i> This made a lot of money for the author, but it was equivalent to our reality television, looks good, but it really is not real! I've read several books on pirates that were very good, including a book years ago I managed to get, an original 1619 copy of <i>"Pyrates Of The Caribbean,"</i> which I stupidly loaned to an acquaintance, and never saw the book again! If you get a chance, read up on piracy...a fascinating subject! </span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-4216137432424674402022-05-04T18:45:00.000-07:002022-05-04T18:45:24.416-07:00Time Over Target - Relaxing Detecting<p> <span style="font-size: large;">Metal detecting targets here in Florida are usually found in distinct layers, in accordance with the age of the item; older targets are usually deeper than newer targets. But not </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">always</span><span style="font-size: large;">, this is just an example. </span><span style="font-size: large;">(we will use coins as the standard target, as </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">most</span><span style="font-size: large;"> metal detectors are usually designed with coins in mind)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Let's say targets from recently lost coins to those dropped a decade ago </span><span style="font-size: large;"> can usually be found in regular soil from 1" to around 5" deep. We will call this the first layer. The second layer, coins lost 25 to 50 years ago, or so, will usually be found around 6" to 8" deep, in undisturbed ground. The third layer consists of coins dropped from 75 to 200 years ago, and are found, again, in undisturbed ground, up from 9" to 15" deep or deeper.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjn1KMnRUDKM4v1qqhxw7YMEg-JsBW4VzRcsJdNTqjGk0z8A2vrSs4zu-raSZV9icyoSNmSQYE7VmYYST3hlTjAYG397JAzWA1jFU6vTMMheeeUmBG0sHXCa4Rqjx8HEpqU0iCWaiaHMhfDPu7Ej3_KUiA39KOVBmVe-VGuw7bTN7COUvMtRias4CPlg/s2720/SAM_6830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="2720" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjn1KMnRUDKM4v1qqhxw7YMEg-JsBW4VzRcsJdNTqjGk0z8A2vrSs4zu-raSZV9icyoSNmSQYE7VmYYST3hlTjAYG397JAzWA1jFU6vTMMheeeUmBG0sHXCa4Rqjx8HEpqU0iCWaiaHMhfDPu7Ej3_KUiA39KOVBmVe-VGuw7bTN7COUvMtRias4CPlg/w437-h328/SAM_6830.JPG" width="437" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> An 1830's Spanish coin found by a friend around 6 or 7" deep<b style="text-decoration-line: underline;"> </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A lot of factors can change these estimates, such as the make-up of the matrix, or in other words, the composition of the soil. Here in Florida, we have a black loamy soil in places, which can discolor older coins quite badly, to a sand-shell matrix which is easier on coins, and is more like beach detecting in certain ways. Metal detecting older coins can be very exciting, but requires you slow down a bit and listen closely for those deep signals. Sometimes nothing much more than a whisper is heard, and with experience, you'll know the target is worth digging. Slow, deep, coin hunting is an excellent way of bringing back the fun the hobby has always been known for. And since most detectorists' are impatient, they will be racing off at flank speed looking for the shallow finds, leaving the heavy silver for you! So get out there and listen closely as you slowly race about the park and get back into the exciting world of metal detecting! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-90167075388179801212022-04-10T17:50:00.075-07:002022-04-10T18:15:18.954-07:00Detector Protector - Simple Things Keep It Running<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> New detectorists usually have nowhere to turn to learn some of the basics of metal detecting. Oh sure, the old response to a question is usually "Watch YouTube, yeah <i>Detector Dude and Dudet</i> will show you all you need to know!" which of course can help you somewhat, but they are usually trying to make a few bucks and keeping their sponsors, more than filling you in on the basics. Most tubers assume you already know the basics. And detector salespeople can help somewhat, but they are far more interested in selling machines then they are willing instructors to teach a rather complicated art and science to the layman. New detectorists should learn the proper ways and ethics of the hobby from the start. I'm going describe several of the basic pitfalls new detectorists get themselves into. Don't be embarrassed, we have <i>all</i> been there, either recently or a half-century ago. Tech advances, but human nature stays the same. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXDHgAKr9C-zLw458OxJ6IZtqJjWN689ua-a_B-Tg36hnCSmA0fr2M6H9VBGbsfX4dXbXqxXWKXwYVGAlSosYTIfawC96G4kWq3xTEWj1aBYB_NYcfZ_Ssj83Gw3yQ1SQFiJBchKwDb6_KLRosw-vqSS6IsELOjnH9xp8_-2yKf6XhkxrxlcIdONNvg/s4320/GEDV0865.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXDHgAKr9C-zLw458OxJ6IZtqJjWN689ua-a_B-Tg36hnCSmA0fr2M6H9VBGbsfX4dXbXqxXWKXwYVGAlSosYTIfawC96G4kWq3xTEWj1aBYB_NYcfZ_Ssj83Gw3yQ1SQFiJBchKwDb6_KLRosw-vqSS6IsELOjnH9xp8_-2yKf6XhkxrxlcIdONNvg/w400-h300/GEDV0865.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Keep waterproofing caps on and the cable connection tight!</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As I said last time, same place same channel, READ THE MANUAL, then read it again. I do, even though I have hours and hours on my machines. Many detectors nowadays can be electronically UPDATED, and characteristics may change on the same machine! Here are the very, very basic issues that can plague first time users. Erratic operation, the target signal jumps into and out of the headphones, tones increase and decrease. Possible issue is that the CONNECTOR from the coil-cable is LOOSE. Check this vital connection before every hunt, as they loosen up all the time and can be a major headache and ruin a hunt or worse a competition hunt! Another pain-in-the-neck is an improperly wrapped search-coil cable. A loose cable can cause false signals galore and make you crazy, or crazier than you normally are!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeBjeguGIn6kLUaB89F5zB-3eXTl3jrkk4BJf2gxxKI8Bix7W5d0RNKfkqI7545pH2d-hVTq389gOmdsexr5VavRC1g9rCT_HOgU_KtDkUvhUjgz6tcKwC_660A0v2CVtJAbHCLls_UUxuC90hdH9zTp5KWRxy7CR_oqJFuw3JCmxPBR-sx7Ll0gEUg/s4320/GEDV0868.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeBjeguGIn6kLUaB89F5zB-3eXTl3jrkk4BJf2gxxKI8Bix7W5d0RNKfkqI7545pH2d-hVTq389gOmdsexr5VavRC1g9rCT_HOgU_KtDkUvhUjgz6tcKwC_660A0v2CVtJAbHCLls_UUxuC90hdH9zTp5KWRxy7CR_oqJFuw3JCmxPBR-sx7Ll0gEUg/w400-h300/GEDV0868.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>A well-wrapped coil is a happy coil...no loose windings!</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Keep the coil cable wound tight but not too tight, and don't let the cable flop onto the top of the search coil! Another secret from the files of the <i>Detectorist Guild</i> is that the search coil detects metal from BOTH SIDES OF THE COIL and the floppy cable may, again, cause false signals due to the electrodynamic action on the metal wire in the cable.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPSswppWAmhJzVTt2r8rhjdVL_Mx-fiWsp30qjOYyBRbBR3FyCJkIblh-LAHPZba9D5uqkrG28o7pA4KMU-wWKkLRVJE1H3s3CwWH2OfdsW1uWnIfCQMf73AVIFB_QNqEpKjbqpgm7ADuKptfto19j9ZlEuBNnHIE4k5dVLw2iRY_wWEVdBHkS2b64g/s4320/GEDV0870.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPSswppWAmhJzVTt2r8rhjdVL_Mx-fiWsp30qjOYyBRbBR3FyCJkIblh-LAHPZba9D5uqkrG28o7pA4KMU-wWKkLRVJE1H3s3CwWH2OfdsW1uWnIfCQMf73AVIFB_QNqEpKjbqpgm7ADuKptfto19j9ZlEuBNnHIE4k5dVLw2iRY_wWEVdBHkS2b64g/w400-h300/GEDV0870.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Keep the control cable from flopping on the top of the coil!</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I cannot tell you how many times an errant control-cable dragging across the top of a search-coil has caused massive digging for a target that never seemed to be there. as well as some new curse words being created at an alarming rate! Also the obvious problem with steel-toes shoes should present itself, although it has happened, with the detectorist swearing his machine was defective! Make sure the batteries are in the machine properly, and at the proper polarity...one cell in backwards can delay or ruin a hunt! Last, but not least, as a tip for newbies, that VDI screen is filled with good info, and the more you learn what it is telling you, the more keepers you will be finding! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another issue is a debris-filled plastic coil-cover, or scuff-plate, designed to prevent scratches and damage to the bottom of your expensive search-coil, it can also be a source of mysterious detector problems. This is a common problem causing nothing but trouble...false signals, scratchy interference, weird audio sounds. Especially when filled with sand and salty, mineralized, water, it can drive you nuts! These covers are not the easiest things to remove and sometimes you wonder how they can collect anything inside, they fit so tightly. And if you don't remove it after every few trips, you may never be able to remove it again, it can get so encrusted with dirt and salt! Once pried off, wash it out with fresh water, wash the search coil the same way, dry them and reassemble them. It can get rid of a lot of mysterious problems in one fell swoop.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhveGW5LvSbQKCccXCJvesySW8XbqzHjxiZI6w51IcfjFJwABJFS7n4e-eDw69gZQZBKsgh4bcexy9wAJxEDX6xotJ-LipgcsJolyE7yI1_4tk_iN_5xzTK47EFi518NWQKfZDG_2FNq-ShlZC3gR-eiCiKYlz7izysDx4rh4Z7MLTa7ZrxnfAEyXkT6g/s4320/GEDV0842.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhveGW5LvSbQKCccXCJvesySW8XbqzHjxiZI6w51IcfjFJwABJFS7n4e-eDw69gZQZBKsgh4bcexy9wAJxEDX6xotJ-LipgcsJolyE7yI1_4tk_iN_5xzTK47EFi518NWQKfZDG_2FNq-ShlZC3gR-eiCiKYlz7izysDx4rh4Z7MLTa7ZrxnfAEyXkT6g/w400-h300/GEDV0842.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Pry off the coil cover to solve many mysterious detector problems</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3gOLb0bV5rjMhfDP6IFg-F5Bwl_xXLwYLC_dAl58pIo-AcZT72YUcUv3zd3yDIEQfHpnQ5MHNCjPZS6VQvuXVD6IH3ghUBZIlxd5WrBwCKnlr8iic6qUz9dlRSjy3AWUU8W_GMDuELw_r7s7dnN7b1ATXfIsiNRDyvja2ynItJTj209ZB87DMyLRkA/s4320/GEDV0859.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3240" data-original-width="4320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3gOLb0bV5rjMhfDP6IFg-F5Bwl_xXLwYLC_dAl58pIo-AcZT72YUcUv3zd3yDIEQfHpnQ5MHNCjPZS6VQvuXVD6IH3ghUBZIlxd5WrBwCKnlr8iic6qUz9dlRSjy3AWUU8W_GMDuELw_r7s7dnN7b1ATXfIsiNRDyvja2ynItJTj209ZB87DMyLRkA/w400-h300/GEDV0859.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Wash both the coil-cover AND search-coil with fresh water.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You metal detecting device is a precision instrument, and a nice clear, unscratched and unmarred view is the best view. But hauling the machine around, in the trunk, in the boat, or your backpack it's a good idea to keep it protected and many detectors come with a cover, But a quick and effective substitute can be had with a sock of any kind, now that the digital control head of most machines with recessed controls are the norm. It keeps the screen clean and unscratched, and protects the control housing also. It's an expensive instrument, and tearing it up is no badge of honor...keep it as new and clean as possible and it will serve you well for a long time!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUXhSGvmF6UTz9ZDkLBNmybkgpK_EefIl_KCSzQmf5TCPx3C_fpwNboqrRWepuKoXViOXbNPwmRVljXcB7hTOATCjRh2GxHIB6TtxoHJNGjyprm1UQMtPn9xbKunwsPtD_1P36UX3BAum422H6Zdj-ldeE9ymg5l_eJmtDPVsJXxk77RIipMGwxjKcw/s4320/GEDV0857.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4320" data-original-width="3240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUXhSGvmF6UTz9ZDkLBNmybkgpK_EefIl_KCSzQmf5TCPx3C_fpwNboqrRWepuKoXViOXbNPwmRVljXcB7hTOATCjRh2GxHIB6TtxoHJNGjyprm1UQMtPn9xbKunwsPtD_1P36UX3BAum422H6Zdj-ldeE9ymg5l_eJmtDPVsJXxk77RIipMGwxjKcw/s320/GEDV0857.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgizX6yrcEkHu3XC2074kUCUYLyeFrRppk9OahOWOyyrUnSTxQvXitO3KBp5jLBvVKd6hJZsFzqnlCSOC73Y3BXolGhZHqQEsYvcecQ1UueHjWhccFxylk6Lnt9ab87SS722SWYo8dkhEQqplxP70ApS66cteV4UwgZ-WRwLU5OwEtGJHXJXHdv4COZw/s4320/GEDV0856.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4320" data-original-width="3240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgizX6yrcEkHu3XC2074kUCUYLyeFrRppk9OahOWOyyrUnSTxQvXitO3KBp5jLBvVKd6hJZsFzqnlCSOC73Y3BXolGhZHqQEsYvcecQ1UueHjWhccFxylk6Lnt9ab87SS722SWYo8dkhEQqplxP70ApS66cteV4UwgZ-WRwLU5OwEtGJHXJXHdv4COZw/s320/GEDV0856.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Put a sock in it or put IT in a sock!</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-14242031386592832492022-03-31T13:59:00.000-07:002022-03-31T13:59:05.104-07:00Metal Detecting Smarts - Reading the Manual<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You have one of the new, </span><i>everybody's</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>-talking-about-it</i> metal detectors; so new you could swear the electronic engineer's </span>fingerprints<span style="font-family: inherit;"> are still visible, faintly, on the plastic covered VDI screen! Shaking with anticipation, you roar off to the nearest field a few miles away, switch it ON and...and...nothing happens...nothing at all, What the? You shake the machine, check the batteries are inserted, wiggle the coil cable...nothing! <i>"This machine is the #@$@#@&!!! pits...it's junk!!!"</i> you furiously type in the 47 social groups you belong to. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBluxALw9GnLkRR5hKkZuJ7Pe7RVN1IrLAt0JiO8e81ffWq2BvD9Bb3_IAcmCnT5i_Oh91HvGV12Nja8Xsr6-4GmbTcFRBBpIJxmFFZxwQBa3_KH2y_cfYw1PPOSkouftThLuLUV8jpxDVmV_B9o-2whrpd0G4PEVt8dkQzF8QpxgwrSAH9ZEMd2bXkA/s2339/img20220331_15360697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBluxALw9GnLkRR5hKkZuJ7Pe7RVN1IrLAt0JiO8e81ffWq2BvD9Bb3_IAcmCnT5i_Oh91HvGV12Nja8Xsr6-4GmbTcFRBBpIJxmFFZxwQBa3_KH2y_cfYw1PPOSkouftThLuLUV8jpxDVmV_B9o-2whrpd0G4PEVt8dkQzF8QpxgwrSAH9ZEMd2bXkA/s320/img20220331_15360697.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Angrily you stuff it back in the box, drive 67 miles one-way to the shop you bought it from, slam it on the counter and tell the </span>proprietor<span style="font-family: inherit;"> what you think of him for selling you a piece of expensive junk! The shop owner pulls the detector out of the box, and switches it on. Nothing. "There, you seeeeee!!!" you growl, vindicated in your </span>righteousness. The shop owner dumps the rest of the boxes contents onto the counter; a charger, blue-tooth headphones, a screen protector, <i>and</i> an owner's manual, still sealed, factory fresh, inside it's plastic bag! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The shop owner stares at you, pulls the manual out, opens it to page one, and turns it toward you. <i>"Please note, the plastic battery terminal covers inside the compartment must be removed before inserting the batteries." </i>A quick look in the battery compartment reveals the plastic protectors are still there, preventing the battery from making contact. The shop owner pulls the plastic device out from beneath the battery terminals and the detector powers up fine. Reading the owners manual is your very best guide to learning the mysteries and idiosyncrasies of your detecting gear. Of course the <i>turn-it-on-and-run</i> urge is very strong, young Skywalker, you must learn the basics, if you are to utilize the force, the electrodynamic force, that is, which will eventually unlock some of the secrets of history. And when searching for history, out in the field, let your conscience, and your operating manual, be your guide!</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-40194798306956425512022-01-18T09:11:00.000-08:002022-01-18T09:11:22.738-08:00Gold Coins - Why Finding Them Is Difficult<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavmbK2HRZAWgjXNoUuYIpeEgYQ4plRcoqQoEvr6vBryVA_Uu8GUf7NBGPXwJC9-ZUZse3n3kSm4wcBIDYTowVDgt1O5eVm4U_QC6Db9oGqldhy_gUIvkbFoazJeJ7mVxjavU6DdmplzJ6/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="340" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavmbK2HRZAWgjXNoUuYIpeEgYQ4plRcoqQoEvr6vBryVA_Uu8GUf7NBGPXwJC9-ZUZse3n3kSm4wcBIDYTowVDgt1O5eVm4U_QC6Db9oGqldhy_gUIvkbFoazJeJ7mVxjavU6DdmplzJ6/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Gold has always fascinated mankind, and today the lure is no less than it was in the last
century the most noble of metals, the king of elements, the stuff of which dreams and treasures
are made.
From the very outset, gold was conceived as a part of the federal coinage system. The first
United States gold coinage consisted of $5 pieces, called half eagles, delivered in 1795 followed
by $10 or eagle pieces. An additional denomination, the $21/2 piece or quarter eagle, had its
advent in 1796 from the Philadelphia Mint .
Within the United States and abroad, there was a great distrust of paper money (previously
issued Continental Currency notes were virtually worthless, so obligations of the new American
government were viewed with suspicion), and emphasis was on intrinsic value. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The weights of gold and other coins were equal to their intrinsic or melt-down value. The gold
$10 piece was established at a weight of 270 grains, consisting of nine parts gold and 10 parts
copper, the copper being added to give strength to the alloy.
The intrinsic value concept was quite satisfactory so far as promoting the acceptance of new
federal coins, but whenever the value of gold metal rose on international markets, vast quantities
of minted quarter eagles, half eagles, and $10 pieces went into the hands of bullion brokers who
melted or exported them.
The $5 half eagle, made in greater numbers, tended to be the "workhorse" denomination. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Gold
coins of this value were struck more or less continuously from 1795 onward, with typical years
generating production in the tens of thousands of pieces.
There is the curious notation in the mint record that although 17,796 half eagles were minted in
1822, just three are known! An example in EF-40 grade, catalogued by the present writer for the
sale of the Eliasberg Collection of U.S. Gold Coins in 1982, realized $687,500! As of today, 33
years later, in 2015, the price for one single $5 half-eagle gold coin dated 1822 goes for MORE
THAN $5,000,000!!
The price of gold rose during the 1820s and early 1830s, so that by the end of the period very
few pieces had escaped the melting pot. A freshly-minted 1822 half eagle, or any other half eagle
of the era, could be melted down and return more than $5 in value!!
Congress passed legislation on June 28, 1834, effective August 1, 1834, mandating a change in
the authorized weight of gold coins. After that time, gold coins were worth less in melt-down
value than face value, so they were once again seen in the channels of circulation. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Until the 1820s, there was no significant known source of native gold in the United States, and
Bullion to make gold coins came from a variety of origins, including foreign gold coins melted
down (an important source), bullion from Central and South America, and the reduction of
various wrought items such as jewelry. By the 1820s, gold discoveries in North Carolina became
important. In 1838 mints were established at Dahlonega, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina,
to produce coins from bullion found in those areas, with additional amounts coming from
international payments, the melting down of foreign coins, and other traditional sources
In the United States, gold coins were commonly used in large commercial transactions. As an
example, if you were having a ship built, say a whaling ship, it would cost you around $35,000 in
1841, and paid for in gold coinage, NOT currency! At the time, during the middle of the 19th
century, the country was inundated with a flood of privately-issued paper currency notes, with
most values being from $1 to $10, but with abundant quantities of values from $20 to $100 as
well, plus some stray examples of higher denominations. Just about every bank in existence
issued its own currency. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The enforcement of laws was loose, and many were the so-called
"wildcat banks" which had little or no substantive backing, but which issued hundreds of
thousands of dollars in worthless notes. The public distrusted these notes, and many demanded
gold in payment for transactions. On the international scene, privately issued bank notes were not
accepted, and gold coins were the norm. Thus, quantities of United States gold coins found their
way to England, France, and other trading centers.
The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on the American River in California in January 1848
ignited the Gold Rush, which saw the migration westward of tens of thousands of individuals.
Soon, vast quantities of gold were extracted from the rivers and soil of California. Shipped to the
Eastern markets, the yellow metal became "common" in relation to earlier supplies. In view of
the increased availability of gold, in 1849 two new coin denominations were created. The first
was the gold dollar, which was to become the smallest federal gold coin. The second
denomination was the $20 double eagle, minted in pattern form in 1849 and for general
circulation beginning in 1850. This new, large, heavy coin made it economical to convert large
amounts of bullion to struck form, for it took much less manpower and effort to make one double
eagle than it did to coin an equivalent amount of gold in four $5 pieces or eight $21/2 pieces. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">By
1853, gold had become so plentiful in relation to silver that silver had risen sharply on the
market, and federal silver coins were worth more in bullion value than in face value -- the same
situation which confronted gold coins two decades earlier.
In general, United States gold coins were widely used for commercial transactions in America
from 1795 up until about 1880, for reasons stated, and after 1880 found their main use on the
international market. This history and background has important implications for the rarity of
gold coins as we perceive such today.
Although today it is common to read that the United States was on the "gold standard" from
1795 onward, in actuality our country did not adopt the gold standard system until the year 1900,
at which time the United States was one of the last developed nations to do so. Under the gold
standard, countries participating in this stored gold coins and bullion in central banks and simply
exchanged currency or certificates among themselves to settle transactions. Thus, after the year
1900 large quantities of American coins were stored in European, South American, and other
vaults and were seldom moved. In the meantime, within the United States gold coins were rarely
seen in day to day commerce
If you had been a typical citizen in the year 1900, chances are that during everyday grocery
purchases, real estate transactions, and any other business transacted during a given 12-month
period not a single gold coin would have been encountered, particularly if you lived in the East
(gold coins were seen in circulation with more frequency in the West). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Although gold issues
were not needed in everyday circulation, they continued to be minted in record quantities. For
example, the year 1904 saw a coinage of over six million double eagles at Philadelphia and over
five million in San Francisco. What happened to them? Most were shipped overseas.
Gold coinage continued in large quantities, and in the 1920s, when gold coins were mainly kept
in banks and rarely seen in circulation, record numbers were produced. The year 1928 saw a
production of 8,816,000 double eagles, an all-time high!
From 1929 onward, the economic situation in the United States deteriorated (i.e. the Great
Depression) in 1933 there was widespread concern for the security of the American monetary
system.
On April 5, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed that gold coins were to be
returned by the public to the Federal Reserve System by May 1st, with the exception of pieces of
numismatic value. Citizens were prohibited from holding gold with minor exceptions
In the same year, 1933, the government issued several notices to the effect that the United States
would remain on the gold standard and that citizens should not be alarmed, which, of course was
a bald-faced lie.
The Gold Reserve Act of January 30, 1934 provided that: "No gold shall thereafter be coined, no
gold coins shall hereafter be paid out or delivered by the United States... all gold coins in the
United States shall be withdrawn from circulation..." This legislation effectively ended gold
coinage production and removed the gold backing of paper money. In the same year, 1934, the
United States withdrew from the gold standard.
At the time of the decrees of 1933 and 1934, millions of dollars worth of gold coins, primarily of
the higher "bullion" values of $5, $10, and $20, were held by various world banks. The idea of
shipping them back to the United States in exchange for currency seemed patently ridiculous to
foreign bankers,
Accordingly, foreign banks held on to United States gold coins more tightly than ever! Years
later, when gold coin ownership regulations for United States citizens were relaxed, then
dropped entirely, European, South American, and Asian banks became a prime source for gold coin specimens.</span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-32108432803444933742021-10-03T14:01:00.002-07:002021-10-03T14:03:12.083-07:00Digging vs. Excavating - Unpleasant Aspects<p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've enjoyed the metal detecting hobby now for almost 60-years. Getting the signal, deciding what your option is regarding the target, basing the decision on your instrument's VDI and sound indications. If the decision is to remove the target from the ground, my least favorite part of the hobby comes into play; digging, or in the </span>Archaeologists<span style="font-family: inherit;"> parlance, excavating. Now, as </span>embarrassing<span style="font-family: inherit;"> as it is for an old detectorist to admit, I don't like digging, and never have! It <i>is</i> a critical part of the hobby, and I feel the public's eyes boring into the back of my head. But I still follow the detectorists code of ethics, open the ground like I'm doing an appendectomy, carefully opening the ground and probing gently, as not to damage either the target or the matrix it resides in. And closing it up like you'd never been there.</span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: x-large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhbJWj2HEtk1agijClmS86y63ULs7U3SZx5OhSzWFwBCYsaoPGoO5Uo8PZQr0mhGUtBWWUXm_XnI75vE-mLZC0RAjefrzFQpUPrK66yDZWC4hjoJSEsKj63Rq98Sk6NaDW1I-Ii_3cs0P/s2720/SAM_3806.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="2720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhbJWj2HEtk1agijClmS86y63ULs7U3SZx5OhSzWFwBCYsaoPGoO5Uo8PZQr0mhGUtBWWUXm_XnI75vE-mLZC0RAjefrzFQpUPrK66yDZWC4hjoJSEsKj63Rq98Sk6NaDW1I-Ii_3cs0P/w400-h300/SAM_3806.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Keep it clean and professional, Dirt Dog!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">In order to keep from getting kicked out of wherever you are hunting, your excavating skills must be of the first order and<i> not</i> that of a dog<i> digging</i> a bone! Dirt everywhere, including your hair, and a messy, obvious soil-colored blotch on a park swale, or a manicured private lawn. And to make it even worse, sometimes not even filled back in, giving the dig the appearance of a small meteor crater. And to make it even worse, leaving a piece of trash<i> you</i> brought back into the world, laying abandoned next to the unfilled hole in the ground! Why ever would people frown on equipment-laden, clanking and beeping detectorists' marring the landscape everywhere they go?</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Well, many times experienced, and not so experienced, detectorists have a tendency to aim barbs at the newbies in the hobby regarding this open hole issue. And why not? They have committed the ultimate crime of becoming a participant in <i>your</i> hobby, the dogs!!!! Of <i>course</i> they are leaving those holes!!!! But hold on just a New York Minute, my friend! I am a club officer in the largest metal detecting club in the United States. We have many club hunts and private permission hunts, on occasion, where the club members get to hunt some literally undetected virgin property here in Central Florida. Our membership ranges from brand new detectorists, even children, to the middle-of-the road detectorists, as well as the old men and women of the hobby, as they shine the golden light of experience and metal detecting street-smarts over the unwashed wannabes.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">But what's this? A club hunt where a club member twists their leg after stepping in a freshly dug hole on the hunt-field? But no newbies in sight, only hardened veterans of the metal detecting hobby? Another hunt, this time on the beach, with another sprained leg after stepping into another deeply-dug, unfilled hole in the sand? Again, another member quietly reports seeing not a newcomer, but a veteran hunter dig and leave the gaping hole without even looking back! The good practice goalposts of the hobby are slowly moving back across the line, into the realm of unacceptable and irresponsible behavior, by even some of the best of us. I need not sound the alarm again about the danger to the continued health of our hobby this sort of negligence represents; the eventual outlawing of <i>any</i> metal detecting <i>anywhere! </i>So let's all agree to agree to do better, and to self-police our own pastime <i>before</i> police, city officials and land owners do it for us. Cheers!</span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-3429991478734054392021-09-30T15:36:00.000-07:002021-09-30T15:36:05.080-07:00Missing the Obvious - Turner Beach, Captiva, Florida<p> <span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes the search for treasure can put blinders on the detectorists' hunting it, and mostly without you even realizing it. I know, I have run up against this time and time again while treasure hunting. My old friend Ed Pfau, now detecting the great beyond, having passed many years ago, used to say "Don't miss the forest for the trees!" We were both enthusiastic about the hobby of metal detecting while treasure hunting back in the 1970's and 1980's and were well-traveled about the state of Florida while seeking it. I still retained my pilot's license back then, before diabetes clipped my wings permanently. Living in Broward County, but loving the history of Florida's west coast, many weekends we would load the detectors, coolers, and gear into the baggage compartment of my plane, and head for the islands of Lee County; Sanibel and Captiva were our usual destinations. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSIhNhxS2mZz3lKyc6FX4DM5Cwvc3GMWmxbrtFiPR7D_XTD2sHhtxnfptmqq1pTk0ceGPXLy2LnjhnTFvKWnFaO1sYyC1fFJd5sGQW2uvoETWklwzE1HR6_tAW7YDgoslTmhg3PEsPFKp/s904/turner+beach+bathouse+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="754" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSIhNhxS2mZz3lKyc6FX4DM5Cwvc3GMWmxbrtFiPR7D_XTD2sHhtxnfptmqq1pTk0ceGPXLy2LnjhnTFvKWnFaO1sYyC1fFJd5sGQW2uvoETWklwzE1HR6_tAW7YDgoslTmhg3PEsPFKp/w334-h400/turner+beach+bathouse+%25282%2529.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">These islands both had small, grass (read "sand") fields which with our rather light load, we could just make it in and barely make it out! The Sanibel strip actually crossed a paved road, with automatic barriers that would drop and stop traffic by keying your aircraft radio on a specific frequency long enough for you to land, or takeoff. We were usually looking for treasure on Captiva island, and most usually at Blind Pass, as it was always sanded in and easily accessed. We had it on "good" authority, that pirate treasure had been buried along the banks of this pass, and we spent a lot of time searching for it. On the Captiva side of the pass was a small beach called <i>Turner Beach,</i> which was a nice little spot, but we rarely even found clad coins there, let alone much else. There was a small bath-house/restroom/changing room up on wooden stilts, maybe 3-feet off the ground. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Passing by it or being a little too close, brought a slightly unpleasant, acrid smell, you usually found about public restrooms of the minimal maintenance/rarely cleaned kind. The floor of the bath-house consisted of 4x6 lumber with a 1/4 to 1/2 inch gap between the boards, letting shower water, as well as even more unpleasant fluids and substances escape down onto the damp, weed-covered ground directly under the structure. We were not impressed and did our best to steer clear of this disgusting little bath-house. We spent many more trips on the opposite side of Turner Beach, hunting treasure in the sandy regions of Blind Pass. I was in my office at work back in Broward County one afternoon when Ed came in and tossed a copy of the day's newspaper on my desk. He had circled an article with a black magic marker. The reporter wrote about a young guy with a metal detector who had ducked under the bath-house, into the excrement-filled weeds and had recovered almost $17,000 worth of gold and silver jewelry (and this is at 1988 gold prices!) along with clusters of high-grade diamonds the bling had contained. I looked at Ed and he looked at me. He said "I STILL would not have hunted under there, even if I'd known!" We both laughed until we couldn't laugh any more!</span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com01118 Briercliff Dr, Orlando, FL 32806, USA28.5276463 -81.36479726.589332349117289 -83.562062625 30.465960250882713 -79.167531375tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-10596403734695061842021-09-26T18:51:00.002-07:002021-09-26T18:54:31.248-07:00Recognizing Treasure - It Ain't As Simple As It Looks!<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span>Many times, treasure hunters may not always recognize treasure <i>AS</i> treasure. Now this sounds like some type of contradiction, but it's not. And this maxim forms the core of this afternoon adventure so many years ago. My friend Kevin Reilly and I were not only metal detecting pals, but also diving buddies. SCUBA diving and metal detecting was usually our MO when we were exploring and treasure hunting in mid-1980's south Florida, One of our treasure hunting targets had been a good-sized, cloudy water "lake" called Crystal Lake, in Pompano Beach, which was anything BUT crystal in your wildest imagination. There was an an old bare-barked tree leaning over the water on the south-side of the lake with a long, knotted rope dangling from one of the few remaining spindly branches. High school and college kids swing on this rope all day and every day during summer, doing the "cannonball" into the murky waters, </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhNxwevUUYle8QhtRjIpcmgNN3azL5zLtz5JBkRsIyG5D3P_QcspAnyB2uShYTjuZ6I6bToVq6ObP9NnFrdmA4Oq0I0x225RhjbL0C4mGCyNpr8Q8ZULugXlpar3phXqq258vbzRgyNhs/s700/stolen+vending+machines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="700" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhNxwevUUYle8QhtRjIpcmgNN3azL5zLtz5JBkRsIyG5D3P_QcspAnyB2uShYTjuZ6I6bToVq6ObP9NnFrdmA4Oq0I0x225RhjbL0C4mGCyNpr8Q8ZULugXlpar3phXqq258vbzRgyNhs/w490-h238/stolen+vending+machines.jpg" width="490" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;">We figured there should be a mound of class rings and gold chains under the impact point, and we were gonna make a killing on all that lost stuff! With our diving gear on, we waded slowly into the disgusting water, and dipped under the surface. If you thought the lake looked bad from the surface you were in for an an even more unpleasant surprise under the surface. Horrid stringy water plants rose up from the bottom, a nasty sewage-color, like mutated seaweed, you could not avoid it. Turning on our dive lights, the surrounding water was filled with plant debris and bits of organic particles, making it difficult to see much of anything. We descended deeper onto the plant-choked bottom, and tried to use our metal detectors among the close-spaced weeds, the coils hanging up on anything and everything. The few signals we got were submerged beer cans, pop-tabs and assorted car parts. We surfaced and Kevin frowned, with weeds hanging off his head and wrapped around his regulator. "We are </span><i style="text-align: left;">not</i><span style="text-align: left;"> gonna find $#@! here in this sewer and I don't know why I let you talk me into this...there is nothing here!"</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I nodded and said "Yea, not much here and yuck, what a mess in here!" We submerged again and headed back to the place we had come in, me shinning the light toward the bottom, about 10-feet down. A flash of yellow paint slowed me down a second as I played the light-beam along the bottom where I had seen the object. I signaled Kevin I was going deeper, and headed toward the object. The light revealed a sorry-looking Fort Lauderdale News/Sun Sentinel newspaper machine, dirty and weed covered. I moved the beam around the bottom and found two more machines, then a dozen, then even more. About 30 newspaper machines were lying in a heap on the bottom!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It looked like somebody broke open the coin-box on a bunch of them, then tossed em' in the lake to cover up the crime. We were about to surface and head back to the truck with an interesting story to tell, when I noticed a small plaque on the front of the machine that mentioned that there was a $50 reward for returning the machine to the newspaper!!!!!! Kevin and I grabbed a few lift-bags from the truck and brought up machines 4 or 5 at a time, With the truck bed full of dripping wet newspaper machines, we drove directly to the newspapers downtown office in Fort Lauderdale and true to the plaque, the good Sun Sentinel people handed us $1500 cash, in 50-dollar bills, on bill for each machine returned. We had made $750 each, in addition to an interesting story to tell. A much better turn of events, Lesson learned; treasure is not always easy to recognize, so look closely,</span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-27466883064556909192021-07-17T10:01:00.000-07:002021-07-17T10:01:09.332-07:00Life Gets In The Way Sometimes<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">It's been a while since I posted here, mostly due to a plethora of severe systemic illness that keeps me running what, for all intents and purposes, is a small medical laboratory. Multiple daily blood tests, constant injections and handfuls of pharmaceuticals every other hour is the order of the day. Once a VA specialist asked me if I was tired of all the injections I shot up with every day. When I nodded, she told me it was called "Diabetes Fatigue" which amazed me in the sense they had gone to all the trouble to formally name the irritation with all the drugs and procedures they foisted upon you. And recently, months ago, I had a good-sized cancer tumor removed from my colon, a stage-2 which was planning to kill me in short order. A good deal of my metal detecting hobby pals have already shoved off for the great well-tended park in the sky, and I miss them all. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here in the US I have been hoping we could develop a national database, much like England's amazing Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) whereas the American metal detecting hobbyist had a place to register and display artifacts recovered during detecting outings, many of which are historic and of interesting origins, However, the current social turmoil enveloping the U.S. has brought most intellectual endeavors to a standstill, instilling a certain opinion that it will be many years, if ever, before the country will recover to it's former level of enlightenment. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At any rate, since this is my first post of 2021, six months late, I might add, I'll just let the blog take me where I will here on out, and thanks to all my friends and colleagues, and associates for putting up with me, Especially my wife Patti who has to endure my take and displeasure on everything and anything with quiet resignation. Patti also endures being the CFMDC's "model" for all my graphic projects and announcements for the club, as well as on video announcing club hunts and events. She has even acquiesced and done "voice-overs" for me on video projects where I had a cold or could not talk, which Patti point's out is "...very rare!" Here she is in one club project...hi Patti!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JjfCF5HqczvhtlUi-L39nDgsTY64CvAxFVFEjX1dqo_GtdGOE71WOhvnDCWX3bSXoGsqsxsr0qRm2oQBq-qWG-b6lLR0xqvQEybdg4WQJJ_ZYaAFf9JqrXzf1pE8LD0NdKFcF-Jl4OUu/s1000/CFMDC+Valentines+Day+Hunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JjfCF5HqczvhtlUi-L39nDgsTY64CvAxFVFEjX1dqo_GtdGOE71WOhvnDCWX3bSXoGsqsxsr0qRm2oQBq-qWG-b6lLR0xqvQEybdg4WQJJ_ZYaAFf9JqrXzf1pE8LD0NdKFcF-Jl4OUu/s320/CFMDC+Valentines+Day+Hunt.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patti modeling our metal detecting hunt!</td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYvDO-yrfJ15Af9EjA29jOV8_3d7rFmDfGeqTF9nIyrZqvX3WDbMdC_gAnULnsWU9oxxMyZQwIZcXNjzewv0ybrz63sjQOY_wGRlu2KjKvsNMGIjQKHqLbzbeaeoprgQbmW_FnGNDXGWo/s4000/Patti+Heart+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYvDO-yrfJ15Af9EjA29jOV8_3d7rFmDfGeqTF9nIyrZqvX3WDbMdC_gAnULnsWU9oxxMyZQwIZcXNjzewv0ybrz63sjQOY_wGRlu2KjKvsNMGIjQKHqLbzbeaeoprgQbmW_FnGNDXGWo/s320/Patti+Heart+2.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patti before Photoshopping</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-11086646186176351092020-04-19T15:14:00.003-07:002020-04-20T04:24:21.608-07:00Family Treasure From The Past - 1917<span style="font-size: large;">Unseen forces are always at work in our lives; premonition, coincidence, happenstance, and all the other words for odd things happening at odd times. Treasure hunting, in general, is full of these, and more. But what about treasures that you never recognized as a treasure...nothing a metal detector could find, even if you knew where it was buried? This happened to me, quite recently, and it all started with the recent movie "1917," a true story of two WWI soldiers on a mission to warn another British regiment inside Germany of a coming ambush that, if they don't succeed, could cost 1,600 soldiers their lives. Seeing the previews of this picture, brought back memories of my Grandfather George, my mother's father, who served throughout WWI, and eventually WWII, but his WWI adventures are what I remember most. My grandfather was a carpenter by trade, and a quiet man, who always reminded me of a movie-star. He was not a shy man by any stretch of the imagination, but he held the silent strength that most Americans of the late 19th and early 20th Century embodied. They were Americans not confused as to who they were, or what they believed in and were willing to back it up with force if need be to protect their loved ones, country and allies from evil and tyranny. Or would die trying. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Grandpa George died over 50-years ago. Living in rural Connecticut, he had a massive heart attack while making a sandwich in his kitchen. No paramedics then, only an ambulance that took over an hour to get there, by which time he had breathed his last. We attended his funeral by flying half the night on a Northeast Yellowbird 727. Strangely enough, he had visited us in Ft. Lauderdale only 3-weeks earlier, and had flown on an airplane for the very first, and very last, time in his long life! He had seen combat, and had also been General John J. Pershing's driver (or chauffer) in France. But that was long ago, and even my memories of him grow dim, but they came back with renewed clarity a few weeks ago when I opened a large brown-paper mailer from my sister in Connecticut. Opening it, a sealed plastic bag tumbled out, filled with a stack of documents and leather wallets. I carefully removed the piece of notebook paper that my sister had penned; "...I got these from our cousin Glenda...some of Grandpa George's things she thought you would like." I opened the small brown book and read my grandfather's handwriting on the inside cover, penciled in more than 100-years ago in 1917 war-torn France. A damaged photographic negative was also slipped into the inside cover. It was an unbelievable piece of family history that somehow survived reasonably intact after over a century! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> I have no clue who the young man is in the U.S. Army automobile...probably a friend of my grandfather. A few other artifacts of the war were included in the package, German marks and French francs dated 1918, were in a surprisingly well-preserved brown leather wallet along with several tattered maps of France, probably used by Grandpa George in navigating General Pershing's staff car across the countryside. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Handling these 100-plus year old documents is difficult, as they have been stored folded, probably since 1919 or so. It seems infinitely strange I should be holding and reading documents my grandfather held and read over 100-years ago. Oddly it makes me think that perhaps events in time and space still <em>do</em> exist simultaneously, and that somewhere and some-when in 1917, he is just now writing the name of Red Cross nurse Miss Alice Lee Herrick of Chicago in his small souvenir book as the artillery booms in the background. </span></div>
James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292544036447023829.post-46380989246290806202020-03-26T09:20:00.001-07:002020-03-26T09:20:31.536-07:00The Mordes of the 1980's - Long Before The End of the World<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I was fairly active in writing treasure-hunting articles back in the 1980's. We had no digital cameras back then, and I used a 35 mm Pentax ME camera, shot Eastman Kodak Tri-X B&W, had my own darkroom, in which I was always found developing and printing the 8x10 glossies I'd send along with the manuscript. I actually wrote for a couple magazines, an in-flight mag for Delta, and a few other general interest publications. A case-in-point here, I interviewed and did an article about Jerry and Cindy Mordes in 1984, who then owned "Pot Of Gold Metal Detectors" in Ft. Lauderdale, for the now-defunct <i>Lost Treasure Magazine</i>.. Jerry was an animated guy, a lot like a game show host, and he told me thru a lot of hand gestures and narrative, that he and his wife Cindy were avid (read <i>addicted</i>) beach and water hunters and searched <i>every single low tide</i>, AM and PM, for usually a 3-months straight. He said they were almost dead at the end of each detecting marathon, but found some really amazing and valuable things in the process. You have got to realize this was 35 years ago, before metal detecting became the "National Pastime;" you didn't have 15 to 20 people metal detecting the beach every hour, on the hour, every quarter-mile, digging every single bottlecap and rusted tent stake, and no social media to proudly display your pile of rust. And although the finds were many, the rewards were less; you have to remember gold was around $35 an ounce then, not the $1300 or more an ounce it is today. Cindy related how her and Jerry got called out on an emotional mission looking for lost pauper graves in Ft. Lauderdale's "Evergreen Cemetery"</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jerry and Cindy Mordes circ.1984-note the "new"old machines behind them</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cindy said "Evergreen was one of the original cemeteries in Fort Lauderdale and has graves dating back to the Civil War." In particular, she also explained, that over the last century or so, Florida's watery and swampy ground had slowly but surly pulled the pauper grave caskets and their occupants deeper and deeper, until there were many scores of pauper graves lost to the caretakers. These were the graves of the poor, indigent and unclaimed people.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cindy Mordes displays a recovered metal grave marker - note the damaged surface</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">She and Jerry had been recruited by the caretakers and City of Fort Lauderdale to bring their metal detecting club (Pot Of Gold Metal Detecting Club) out to see if they could locate the metal grave-tags hammered into the top of pauper caskets. The club spread out over the lonely headstone-less graveyard, scanning the grounds for a signal. Many grave-tags and subsequent grave-sites were re-discovered thanks to this group back in 1984. Cindy found a few grave-tags that were so badly damaged the information on them was not recoverable. She said "I was so sad we could not make out the information on em'." She frowned "I wanted to take some of them home to clean and see if I could read them, but the caretakers said 'No' so I left them."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back in the shop, we talked about the grave-marker recovery project a bit more. Jerry said "You are worried about what you might find, metal detecting in a graveyard and think about the bones in the box under your feet and wonder if they mind you walking over them." A good-sized Garrette Gold Pan suddenly fell off it's perch and clattered to the floor making us all jump. Cindy looked at us and said "Maybe we shouldn't be talking about this." Jerry looked at the fallen gold-pan and just said "Hmmm" The final count was a dozen or more graves that were found by the members of <i>Pot Of Gold Metal Detecting Club</i>, thanks to the hobby some lost souls were found and remembered. I don't know whatever happened to Jerry and Cindy, with 37-years and hundreds of miles between us. I can only hope they are as avid about the hobby as ever...I know a dozen souls that hope so too!</span></span></div>
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James Fieldinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03129455907025336719noreply@blogger.com0