Treasure Hunting

Crystal Palace in Mexico - A Different Kind of Treasure

One of our favorite sites had something a little related to treasure hunting today so we thought we’d share.

National Geographic Magazine’s Photo Gallery shows some amazing images taken deep within the Crystal Palace of Mexico.

The conditions are extreme but the find is extraordinary. Massive beams of selenite have formed deep below the Chihuahuan Desert over the last millennial. These crystals are some of the largest every discovered on Earth and completely dwarf human explorers.

So how far beneath the Chihuahuan Desert are these crystals? Nearly 1,000 ft. down.

Researchers have to descend by truck through a serpentine mine shaft. Temperatures in the Cave of Crystals can reach upwards of 110 degrees Fahrenheit and researchers must wear ice-cooled suits, breathing packs and respirator masks to cool their body from the inside, out. This enables the researchers to be in the cave for at least 20 minutes, but many choose to stretch it to 80 minutes - which is well after the ice has melted. They also have air conditioned tents to provide short-term relief.

Currently the caves are privately owned and access to is limited, but researchers soon hope for legal protection to keep looters and foot traffic from harming the delicate, perfectly luminous crystals.

Which begs the question - Who the heck would loot 1,000 ft. down?!

Anyway - the longest crystal measures 37.4 ft in length and the oldest likely began growing about 600,000 years ago.

I know this isn’t treasure as we normally report, but it’s amazing none the less. Now if only we could get a metal detector to pick up treasure buried 1,000 ft. below the surface…. nah… we wouldn’t wanna dig that far down anyway! Check out the website at National Geographic for some of the most amazing, stellar, stunning, mind-boggling pictures you have ever seen in your LIFE.

- Shaun

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700 Year Old Pennies Found in Wales - On the SURFACE

Some people just have all the luck.

First off - Peter Barker Jones is lucky enough to live in Flintshire, Wales where there is plenty of history just layin’ around, waiting to be picked up.

Secondly - He didn’t even have to use a metal detector to find a 700 year old penny that was just lying on the surface.

So here’s the story: According to Newspost Online, archaeology enthusiast Peter Jones was walking through a field that belonged to a friend when he saw something lying on the ground. He picked it up, rubbed it with his hand and realized he was holding an old silver coin. A year later he took a metal detector to the same spot and again, found two similar coins along the surface.

Jones says he has always been interested in local history and was searching for old flint tools where he believes the site of a Neolithic camp was when he happened to see the coin. “I regularly look for flint tools on the field and another one next to it, and I have found about a hundred old knives and arrow heads which I think are from between 8,000 and 2,000 B.C.”

“I declared the coins to the archaeological society in Denbighshire and followed all the proper procedures to say what I had found.

“I knew they were probably pennies from the Edwardian age, but I didn’t know what would happen to them at the time, or how much they were worth.”

The coins were sent to National Museums Wales, where experts examined them and confirmed they were silver pennies, from the reign of Edward I and Edward II, from 1309-1327.

The report stated that two of the coins were minted in London and one in Canterbury, and they are all believed to be made from silver with about 90 per cent purity.

Seriously - some people just have all the luck. Check out Evening Leader for more pictures and information.

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Modern Parking Lot Hid a 2,000 Year Old Gold Earring

We often wonder what treasures lie beneath the pavement of parking lots and high rises. That’s why when I saw this article on Yahoo! news I nearly jumped out of my chair. A 2,000 year old gold earring was found in a Jerusalem parking lot.

According to the Yahoo! News Article this beautiful earring was found “beneath a parking lot next to the walls of Jerusalem’s old city.” Now of course this wasn’t found lying on top of asphalt - this was an archaeological dig.

Anyway - The earring itself is really just beautiful and surprisingly, still stylish despite its advanced age. It dates back to the time of Christ, during the Roman period. It was found in a Byzantine structure built several centuries after the jeweled earring was made, so it most likely was passed down through generations.

The Director of Excavation at the site, Doron Ben-Ami, says “It must have belonged to someone of the elite in Jerusalem. Such a precious item, it couldn’t be one of just ordinary people.”

The earring features a large pearl inlaid in gold with two drop pieces, each with an emerald and pearl set in gold.

Archaeologists around the world commented “jewelry is hardly preserved in archaeological context in Jerusalem because precious metals were often sold or melted down during the many historic takeovers of the city. It adds to the visual history of Jerusalem and brings attention to the life of women in antiquity.”

Ben-Ami expects more small, luxury items to turn up in future excavations, as earrings similar to this one have been found at sites throughout Europe.

So when do we get to start pulling up the pavement in America to find treasure? We’re certainly ready!

- Shaun

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Another New Detector From Minelab? Yup - The Minelab Safari!

We make no secret of our love of Minelab here at TreasureHunting.com - Adam and I both tend to favor the brand and consider their technology to be some of the most cutting edge on the metal detecting market.

But even we were surprised when we saw that they rolled out yet another new detector this year. Just in time for the holiday season and with a processor that made us do a double take… this thing is FAST!

Our neighbor and sponsor, Kellyco Metal Detectors, gave us a run-down on what makes this detector different and we thought we’d share with you folks what we heard. So here is what Kellyco has to say about the Minelab Safari:

Minelab’s latest and greatest metal detector is the all new, Full Band Spectrum (FBS) fueled Safari! Featuring four pre-programmed detection modes and four programmable user modes, the Safari is easy-to-use while continuing Minelab’s reputation for being cutting edge! Advanced, digital filtering will automatically eliminate and influence the ground signals for seamless detecting no matter what your field conditions may be!

Here’s what the Minelab Safari comes with from Kellyco:

Kellyco Free Accessories
* 2 Year Extended Service Plan
* Audio 200 Headphones
* Padded Carry Bag w/ Outside Pocket
* Deluxe 5 Pocket Tool Pouch
* Guide “Finding Treasure State by State”
* Kellyco 3 Pocket Coin Pouch
* Handy Little Treasure Pouch
* Trial Subscription to “Lost Treasure” Magazine

Factory Included Accessories
* 2 Year Factory Warranty
* 8 AA Alkaline Batteries
* Custom Battery Holder
* PROtective Coil Cover
* Instruction Manual

It looks like this was intended to replace the Minelab Quattro, a detector we never did get our hands on but one we heard was slow. The rumor on the Safari is that they upgraded the processor so it is now one of their fastest and still hangs on to that FBS technology Minelab is so proud of.

Anybody used it? We’ll be swinging by Kellyco in a week or two and we’re looking forward to taking it out to their test area. Until then we’d sure appreciate some feedback.

- Shaun

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Using an Orbiting Satellite to Find Underwater Treasure?!

Call us old-fashioned, but using a satellite to find buried underwater treasure seems a little far-fetched.

But that’s the plot of a novel that, honestly, sounds like a pretty fun read!

Lost and Found by Tom Williams is an exotic escape from reality that tracks the adventures of two English expatriates who are hired by an oil-consulting firm to track oil reserves around the globe using a geological survey satellite. Realizing the spacecraft will not find oil, and reconfiguring it to find gold, results in accusations of sabotage and the English engineers’ termination from the company.

Their corrupt boss has given them only thirty days to find gold, or be arrested, when a co-worker who had the only means of proving their innocence turns up dead. After the two Englishmen team up with a beautiful salvage captain in Florida, the three travel to Turkey and a quest begins for unparalleled riches that is filled with unpredictable twists and turns and non-stop action. In the exciting race for an ancient treasure, the cast of characters battle a treacherous storm, an earthquake, a tsunami, and each other.

Author Tom Williams resides in Florida, and is a master merchant marine officer licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard for twenty-three years, specializing in shipwrecks and salvage diving. Tom’s vast background enriches Lost and Found with true-life experiences to make it a plausible maritime treasure hunt, and lends credibility to an imaginative plot.

This looks like a fun book and I’m sure will kill some of our down-time in the winter.

~ Liz ~

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Bronze Age Axe Found by Metal Detectorist

A 75 year old metal detecting enthusiast found the find of his lifetime while detecting with members of the “Coventry Heritage Metal Detectors Society” earlier this year.

While he can’t reveal exactly where he found it, he describes “I felt pretty excited - it is pretty rare to come across such things. It is in excellent condition and still has a sharp edge. I have been metal detecting for more than 20 years and I classify this as my best find.”

Roy Crick is retired but carries out voluntary work and took the axe to the Birmingham Museum where it was authenticated and recorded. He hopes to have it displayed in the Kenilworth Museum some day.

Birmingham Museum’s finds liason officer says “It is by far the finest Bronze-age axe that has been recorded in Warickshire. You could almost cut your finger on the edge - it’s that sharp. For it to be in such good condition suggests that it was a new or nearly new one. We normally get people coming in with things they have found that are more than 300 years old - but this is closer to 3,000. From an archaeological point of view, I can say it is very, very important.”

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W.C. Jameson - Author & Treasure Hunter

We just discovered a couple of books we would like to get our hands on and we curious to see if anyone else had read these.

Author W.C. Jameson has written two books that pertain to use and many others that may pertain to our friends out in the mid west and elsewhere in the U.S.

Buried Treasures of the South: Legends of Lost, Buried and Forgotten Treasures from Tidewater Virginia and Coastal Carolina to Cajun Louisiana is the 5th volume in Jameson’s “Buried Treasure” series and contains 38 tales of the American south. Florida isn’t listed, but that doesn’t mean we can’t afford a drive to Georgia, the Carolina’s, Alabama or Louisiana, which are mentioned.

Another book that seems good to read: Lost Treasures of American History, also by Jameson, explores treasure tales from early explorers through the colonial period, the Civil War, the settling of the West and the roaring 20’s.

Amazon has a little bit to say about the author: “W.C. Jameson, an environmentalist, geographer, folklorist, and musician, grew up in west Texas and has lived in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and now Colorado. He is a prolific author, having written twelve books in his Buried Treasures series, more than 200 magazine articles, and a book about Billy the Kid. He is a past president of the Western Writers of America and has twice been awarded its prestigious Stirrup Award. He was a consultant on the film National Treasure and currently records and tours as a musician, both solo and with Ghost Town Council, an alternative country band out of Austin.”

These books may be geared for a younger crowd, but we’re certainly game. Anyone read them?

- Adam

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I Guess It’s Not Grave-Robbing If It’s a 7th Century Royal Family?

This is a valid question: At what point do we say “hey, I don’t know or care what those people were buried with a long time ago, I’m going to leave them at peace” or say “That was so long ago, it’s all fair game now”?

Jewelry that may have belonged to Anglo Saxon royalty has been declared a treasure trove recently. But what bothers us at TreasureHunting.com is that this archaeological dig has been caried out in a known burial ground.

Of 109 graves discovered, five graves have yielded an impressive amount of treasure.

The Northern Echo reports that a hoard of brooches, pendants and beads were uncovered in superb condition. The hoard is believed to belong to the Northumbrian royal family, and was buried with the princess.

“The quality of the jewelry was assessed by specialists at Durham University and Dr. Rob Collins who said: There is not a long of Anglo Saxon evidence in the North East,… however this site is exceptional because it would appear that it is the burial site of a member of the Northumbrian royal family.”

We’re thrilled at the prospect of buried treasure, but not so thrilled at the prospect of buried people. We would never detect around modern grave yards,… so seriously… what makes older ones any different? How old does a grave have to be before it’s considered an “archaeological dig site?” Anybody?

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Metal Detecting Forums & Magazines

We get asked pretty frequently “which forums are you guys on?” To be honest, we aren’t registered on any. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t lurker’s of a few…

For those of you who are looking for metal detecting forums and would like to be more involved in an online community, we encourage the following:

TreasureNet Forum: Probably the largest forum dedicated to metal detecting that there is.

Find’s Treasure Forum: We’ve noticed they have a lot of specific areas for the various machines on the market.

Friendly Metal Detecting Forum: A smaller forum that turns up first when you do a google search for metal detecting forums, it seems very close-nit.

Metal Detecting Forum at Treasure Quest: This is managed by the same people that run MetalDetectorResource.com and they have another forum dedicated to Civil War discussions.

American Relic Hunter’s Forum: A site focused on relic hunters, dealers, collectors and historians. I think this a good place for people who enjoy relics but don’t always go metal detecting.

For those of you looking for a good treasure and metal detecting magazine to subscribe to (who doesn’t like getting something other than junk in the mail?) look at the following magazines:

Lost Treasure Magazine: A shiny magazine with the slogan “The Treasure Hunter’s Guide to Adventure & Fortune”, we ask you - What’s not to love? Lost Treasure comes out once a month, costs $5.50 off the shelf, and usually has some great articles, “how to’s” and contests/sweetpstakes. Their website is a little busy, but the current price of gold is always available and they recently added a YouTube section for fun.

Western & Eastern Treasures: Probably the original metal detecting publication, their slogan is “Celebrating 42 Years of Continuous Publication! World’s leading how-to magazine for metal detectorists since 1966″ and we believe them. This magazine also costs $5.50 off the shelf, and their content is always inspirational. They do have a website (it’s linked above) but we’re not certain how often they update it. The “best finds” section could be really cool but it only goes from 1994 to 1999.

American Digger Magazine: The magazine for those of us “who preserve our past through responsible digging and collecting.” Focused on history, this is a great magazine for just about anyone who enjoys collecting relics… not just us dirt fishers.

That should keep you all busy for awhile, it certainly keeps us busy. If anyone here is a big fan of a forum or magazine not mentioned here, please share it in the comments section. There are many more forums than we could have listed (many websites break them down by state) and I’m sure there’s a magazine we’re not subscribed to. Please feel free to share folks!

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Compare Metal Detectors “At a Glance” - A new feature from Kellyco Metal Detectors

Every once in awhile our central Florida neighbor and blog sponsor, Kellyco Metal Detectors, will give us a little something to write about and today is one of those days.

It looks like they added a new feature to their website that will be of a great deal of use to any metal detector enthusiasts. You can now compare up to three metal detectors with just the click of a button.

Go to their website at: www.KellycoDetectors.com, find the metal detector of your choice and do the following:

1. Select the “Compare this detector” button. It’s located just above the main photo of every metal detector. A window will pop up with a list of your detector’s features.
2. Select the detector you would like to compare it to from the alphabetical “Add a Detector” list and its details will appear side-by-side.
3. Repeat step 2 as needed – you can compare up to three metal detectors all at the same time.

We just gave this feature a try with the Fisher F75 against the Fisher F5. Those are two new releases by Fisher that we’ve had questions about. They certainly look similar but there’s obviously quite a price difference and this comparison feature really showed us the differences between the two machines.

See the screen shot above-left of what we saw, or click on either of those detectors to go to their main page and do the “Compare this detector” yourself. We think this is a great feature and it will be put to good use come the Holidays!

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