So I haven’t been posting for a while because of ongoing issues with my Word Press theme. The main issue being that I couldn’t post new posts. The support I pay for couldn’t fix the issue, neither could the theme developer (nor did he seem to care), but I really liked the way my site looked and was too stubborn to change it. I was hoping some plug in update would come along and magically fix it, because, well, that happens sometimes.
Tag: metal detecting
The Metal Detecting Sticker Phenomenon
Stickers, stickers, stickers—Who doesn’t love stickers??? I love stickers, I’ve always loved stickers. They’re just so darn stickery and cool.
For about a decade I saved all my metal detecting stickers, waiting until I had enough to start decorating my “Woman Cave”. This not so feminine “Cave” consists of my detecting work bench and gear storage area of the unfinished basement. It’s also where I sit to drink wine or coffee while I’m writing blog posts or cleaning my finds.
It’s quiet here. No one bothers me, and I’m surrounded by all things metal detecting—including my “in progress” sticker wall.
Getting Back into the Swing
I’m back, but where did I go? Not far. I’ve been out of the detecting loop for months, but not of my own choosing. This hobby is great awesome, but at times the obsession comes with limitations. I knew that at some point the mild pain in my elbow and forearm after a long day swinging a heavy machine might become a problem. It was the reason I experimented with new, lightweight machines like the Deus and the simplex. I tried each for a while with much success, but no matter how hard I tried, in the end, I always went back to my old faithful E-trac.
The Awesome Detectorist
There are two different types of Awesome Detectorist’s, the truly awesome ones, and the ones who think they’re truly awesome.
If you’re thinking, hey I want to read about awesome Detectorists, then you’re probably one of them, but if you’re thinking, I know she wrote this post about me, well, do the math…
If you’re familiar with my somewhat “barbed” (as the Brits say), sense of humor, and ability to mix reality with a dash or two of sarcasm, you may enjoy this post. Mind you, I don’t place myself in either category. Being an empath, I’m more of an observer. Being hyper-sensitive to sensing other people’s motivations can be overwhelming, and somewhat frustrating, especially when it takes others months or even years to see through a facade it took me only minutes, or a few hunts with someone to realize.
How to Make a Detectorist Happy on Christmas
So if you’re stumped as to what to buy your metal detecting family member, friend or significant other for Christmas, or any other holiday, check out this post.
They’re a hard bunch to buy for, but luckily I have the inside scoop on what they like (or need), for their endless wanderings in search of that elusive “Pot O’ Gold”.
From stocking stuffers, to the humorous, to gifts with the “YES!” factor, I’ve included a wide variety, and surely you can find something to please them. There are also certain things they can never have enough of, or would like to have more of, so don’t worry about them already having one. Having two or three of some of these items will just make their arsenal all the more awesome.
I’ve included helpful links for you, or you can just search the products online.
The Dishonest Detectorist
Have you ever been at a hunt where no one has found anything of any consequence, and suddenly someone comes walking up, all smiles, with a pouch full of sensational finds? It’s usually someone new, or someone you don’t know very well, but occasionally it’s a person who’s been in the hobby a while. You’re happy for them, even though your mind is trying to rationalize a slight suspicion of disbelief, because 50 other people, with the majority being experienced, hard core hunters all just got skunked.
The 15 Phases of Metal Detecting
There are some things that most, if not all Detectorist’s struggle with when starting out in this hobby. Whether you’re a newbie, or a seasoned vet, I’m sure you’ll relate to a few:
Phase 1: WANTING
You see some random guy on the beach metal detecting and the daydreaming begins… I’ve always wanted to do that… I should buy a metal detector… I could find treasure… I remember when Aunt Millie lost her wedding ring years back and a guy with one of those machines found it for her…
Confessions of an Expert Oxen Shoe Finder:
Technically the title should be Confessions of an expert ox shoe finder. Ox is singular, oxen is plural. I know that, but I like the way oxen shoe sounds over ox shoe, so if you’ve got a problem with that already, don’t continue, but if you can deal, then read on…
Hunt Free or Hunt Fee’s?
The first group hunt I attended which came with an expensive price tag was DIV, and that was quite a few years ago now. At the time I had thought the fee of $250 was over the top, but it was DIV. I wasn’t sure when I’d get the chance to go again, so I made the sacrifice, and dished out the cash. The $250, however, was just the hunt fee. There was also the cost of gas, hotel room, meals, and extra money for whatever else might come up. In the end, it came out to about $1200.
Since then, I’ve noticed a trend, and that trend is that the cost for some of these hunts has reached the price tag of ridiculous! Some of the club hunts that used to be free, or a max of $10, have easily gone up to $20 or $30, and sometimes even more than that. A one or two day organized non-club hunt can cost from $50 to $150 nowadays. It’s gotten so expensive, so quickly, that if someone offered me the opportunity to hunt a farm field all day for $50, I would probably consider it a bargain.
A Recap of Blackthorne Resort’s Lost Treasure Weekend – 2018
The Annual “Lost Treasure Weekend” hunt, at The Blackthorne Resort in the Catskills was held June 15th through 17th, 2018. Last year my review of this event wasn’t too positive, however, this year’s review is much more favorable because this year I had a better idea of what to expect, and I also felt the event had actually improved.
I procrastinated a bit over whether or not I was going to attend due to my previous experience. In the end though, I decided to go because 1.) They allow dogs, and 2.) I knew so many people who were attending that, regardless how I feel about seeded hunts, I knew I would have a good time.
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Metal Detecting Miscellany: Volume 2
Here’s some interesting information & tidbits, that individually may not be long enough for an entire blog post, but might be something you might want to know about:
September 15th, 2018–TOMORROW!
Silver City Treasure Seekers
New England Treasure Show
10am-4pm
Holiday Inn
700 Myles Standish Boulevard
Taunton, MA 02780
Flyer
www.silvercitytreasureseekers.net
SOMEWHERE IN NEW ENGLAND–LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED
FEBRUARY 23RD, 2019
AWESOME RELICS NEW ENGLAND
4TH ANNUAL PENGUIN DIG
INFO: WWW.AWESOMERELICSNEWENGLAND.COM
Permits:
For those of you who hunt in New York City, here is the link to get your yearly detecting permit: https://www.nycgovparks.org/permits/metal-detector
Even if you don’t regularly hunt in these areas, if you live within driving distance it’s a good idea to get one (they’re free), because you never know when an opportunity might present itself.
Note: Don’t throw your old permit away, because they ask for the old one each year when you reapply.
The Wolfman of Roxbury, CT
I took my friend JoJo to Roxbury, CT to hunt what I’ve dubbed the button site. So named because I had dug 14 buttons there, along with a CT Copper, pewter spoon and other colonial miscellany the week before.
It’s a really cool site, and I had only hit a small part of it. There are acres of old farmland, now wooded, with rock walls everywhere, and after hitting this spot, I was anxious to explore more of the area, either then or at a later date.
Metal Detecting Miscellany: Volume 1
Bears Bears Bears!!!
After a decade of trapsing around in the woods of New England, I finally saw my first Bear(s). I was hunting a spot up in Kent, CT with my friend Kevin D. Kevin went to go hunt down in the meadow, and I decided not to because it was too sunny. When he came back to the top of the meadow, we were talking, and he suddenly says “Hey, whats that? Is that a bear?” I looked down into the meadow, and sure enough it was a bear, not only that, but about 5 seconds later, another bear climbed down from a small tree right next to it. Kevin had just been detecting the area minutes before that. I don’t know that they would have bothered him, but still a little scary to see a bear (or two) at any time. They weren’t cubs, but they were young.
We decided it was best to move on, but Kevin was so nice to point out that he did not have to run faster than the bears, just faster than me–thanks Kev.
A Detectorist’s Dilemma
If you don’t subscribe to American Digger Magazine, then you missed the article I wrote titled “A Detectorist’s Dilemma” which was published in the Nov/Dec 2017 issue. So now that my ethical obligations to the magazine have been met, and the issue has run its course–well mostly, because we all know that American Digger NEVER…
Awesome Relics New England’s 3rd Annual Penguin Dig
In only its third year, Awesome Relics New England’s Annual Penguin Dig is turning out to be the new favorite winter metal detecting event in New England.
It’s timing is perfect, the end of February, when most in the hobby are going stir crazy waiting for the ground to thaw. And its held on the beach, where if the weather is mild, that just adds to the enjoyment of the day.
This year it was held on February 24th, at Scarborough Beach in Narragansett, Rhode Island, and myself, along with over 200 other eager detectorist’s were lucky enough to be able to attend and join in on the fun.
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1798 Large Cent Found in the Connecticut Alps
I haven’t posted much lately because I had an article published in the NOV/DEC issue of American Digger Magazine, and I figured that pretty much covered me in the writing department for most of the winter.
Another reason, is because its winter. I hate winter. I hate being cold, and I don’t like to detect in the cold, so there’s not much to write about while I’m avoiding the cold. But…
Girls Topless Metal Detecting
So I’m thinking what to write about for my next post, and annoyed because I had a list of topics in my head, but forgot them. I do this a lot, and a friend told me a few days ago that I should write it all down. “Yeah, I will” was my response… and I didn’t. So… this post will be about my cool Miniature Schnauzer, “Abby”.
Abby is sleeping right now, she does that a lot, in between being lovable and adorable. She gets very excited when she sees me get my detector out, because sometimes I take her with me. I like to pretend she likes detecting, but deep down I know she just really likes to be outside.
Okay, kidding aside, on to the real stuff, and it’s not that Abby isn’t worth a post, she’s the best, but she just doesn’t share my passion for the hobby. Sorry Abby.
Smashing Pumpkins: A Coin Bonanza in the Pumpkin Patch!
A good friend and detecting buddy of mine, JoJo, was kind enough to share the story of his most epic detecting day ever. Thank you for sharing JoJo.
THE PUMPKIN PATCH
By JoJo Lantiegne
I received an invite to go hunt some pumpkin fields from Matt, a fellow member of my metal detecting club, The Yankee Territory Coinshooters out of Wethersfield, CT. I had hunted with him the week prior with much success, but that was nothing compared to what we were to find this time out.
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Two Sites, One Great Day…
Wow—I’ve heard said before that “you can’t top your best times”, but that really doesn’t make a lot of sense, because there are always more “best times” that come along, so I guess in essence that statement is really kind of silly.
Yesterday was one of those new “best times”—I attended the hunt at The Norton Farm in Cheshire, CT, hosted by Nor’easters Metal Detecting club. The weather was superb, the people were awesome, and the attitude all day long was one of fun and the kind of excitement that only a fellow detectorist can really comprehend.
Love that Sterling…
My free time has been pretty limited this past month, so I don’t have any great hunt stories to tell at the moment, but I did manage to get out a few times to unearth a few keepers.
On my first outing, I found a sterling silver spoon. I haven’t had time to investigate its age or hallmarks, but as far as I’m concerned that’s not too important, because any sterling spoon, (or knife or fork) wins as one of the better finds of the season.
Social Media, Tank Tops & Unicorns:
I’ve been approached by many people complimenting me on my blog, and what I hear most often is “more hunt stories please, more hunt stories“. I’m always surprised and flattered by this, because if you log onto social media these days, you’d likely be convinced that all people care about is seeing photos of finds or links to YouTube videos.
But I have my niche. Despite all the hoopla on social media, the constant barrage of videos, and “lookie what I found” posts, there are still some folks out there who remember what the hobby was before Facebook & YouTube… in the days before reading became passé.
Thimble Nirvana
My buddy Jo Jo and I took a drive out to an old cellar hole site last weekend. I had hunted the site a few years back, and even though I knew it had probably been hit by all the cellar hole junkies a few times since, I still wanted to check it out again.
We spent a few hours there, and except for Jo Jo starting off with an old spoon, we really had to work for our finds. The iron and junk infestation was epic, and if not for my mad detecting skills, I would not have been able to locate every bottle cap, shot gun shell, and pull tab in the area 🙂
Blackthorne Resort’s Lost Treasure Weekend 2017
Detectorists from all over the east coast descended on the Catskills, June 16th to 18th to attend Blackthorne Resorts Lost Treasure Weekend, in East Durham, NY. This hunt has been an annual event in the metal detecting community for years—how many years, I’m not sure, but I’ve been hearing about it and wanting to attend since I started this hobby, and this year I finally got the chance.
My pre-event impression was a cautious one. Since I knew a lot of people who had been to this event in the past, I asked around about it a bit, and was warned about the resorts food, and lack of guest communication skills.
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A Warm Welcome in Halcottsville
This past weekend was the Nor’easters Metal Detecting Club “Halcottsville Relic Quest” hunt, sponsored by the Historical Society of the town of Middletown, NY, and the Halcottsville Fire Dept., and held in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of Halcottsville, NY.
The event was held to raise money for the Middletown Historical Society, and to help restore the Halcottsville Fire Departments 1916 Hose House. $2000.00 was raised to help them in their endeavor, and everyone had a great time along the way.
Nic-A-Date & The Mega Red 2017 Deluxe Edition Red Book
Nic-A-Date–A quick Review:
I have tubes of old worn Buffalo nickels who’s only value is the value of what they are worth to me personally, because I found them. It frustrates me when I can’t see the year, because, like everyone else, I always want to date the coin.
About 5 years back I heard about this product “Nic-A-Date” by Nic-aLene, which is a date restorer for old nickels.
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My Review of the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT
It’s no secret that I love trying out new products and giving an honest review to my readers. So I was delighted with the challenge of reviewing the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT.
I’m not a stranger to the Garrett brand, having quickly become a die hard Pro Pointer user when they first hit the market. I used it with much success for a few years, until finally deciding to try some other brands.
The XPointer by Deteknix: Exceeding my Expectations!
I love trying out new products and giving an honest review to my fellow detectorists. Why? Because I hunt, and I hunt a lot, so if I like something, then its obviously a necessary or great addition to your detecting gear.
I’ve sung the praises of the Xpointer pinpointer by Deteknix in the past. But I have yet to come across an item that warranted multiple reviews…until now.
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Spotlight: TreasureClassifieds.com
Are you aware of the metal detecting site treasureclassifieds.com? I’m sure a lot of you are familiar with it, as it’s been around for some time, but for those of you who aren’t, let me share a bit about what this site has to offer.
Treasure Classifieds is a place where you can buy, sell & trade used metal detector’s, detecting gear and equipment. They boast over 9,000 registered members, and there are no listing fees—yup, that’s right, no fees—the listings to buy and sell are FREE!
Update on the X-Pointer by Deteknix
Wow, it’s been about a year since I got my X-Pointer pinpointer by Deteknix, so its time for an update on its performance.
So here’s the update…
I haven’t had any issues with it at all, and the only maintenance I’ve had to perform is changing the battery. It’s still the best darn pinpointer I have ever used.
My Oxen Shoe Museum–Dream or Reality?
I’ve had a lot of offers on my Oxen shoe collection since posting a photo of it on my Facebook page; and since there is so much interest in acquiring these rare and valuable items, I have decided to actually go through with my plans for opening the first Oxen Shoe Museum (pending funding).