AMERICAN DIGGER MAGAZINE

For What
It’s Worth

By Bob Turner

When all is said and done, metal detectorists are “Countries” with information for Mexican and Canadian
coins. This site gives you up-to-minute value of each coin
searching for treasure of some kind.  Some is old, tied to the current price for metals.
some is fairly new.  And no matter whether it is sold
or not, most detectorists want to know the value of I always clean my Lincoln cents.  The zincs are rolled
their finds. Once you have found “treasure,” how and spent a roll or two at a time.  The coppers are stored for
do you determine its value? Rare historic items can their copper content.  A $100 face value of copper cents is
be valued through price guides and auction houses, worth $178 at the time of this writing.
but what about the newer items? Here are some tips
If you start saving your cents, you will need to learn to
tell a zinc 1982s from a copper 1982.  With a small digi-
for determining the values of non-historic finds. tal scale, the coppers will weigh 3.0 to 3.1 grams each.  The
__________________ zincs will weigh 2.5 to 2.6 grams, or less.  Also, the zincs are
the ones that seemingly melt in the ground.  If edges are
L PESKY PENNIES eaten away, you can be assured it’s a zinc.  Additionally, as
et’s start with cents, the least respected of our coin you handle both of these, you can see a difference.  The zincs
finds.  Prior to 1982, all U.S. small cents were com- have a flatter portrayal of Abe than will the coppers.
posed of 95% copper.  During 1982, due to the in-
I give my dirty cents a quick bath in a mild acid;  I buy
crease in the price of copper, the U.S. Mint switched over to “The Works” toilet bowl cleaner for this.  I’ll dump a hand-
zinc cents, of which only 2.5% of each coin is copper.  That ful in a container with the acid, swish them around for a half
is why your detector has two different target id’s for cents— minute or so, and then rinse them thoroughly.  Some zincs
differing contents. will have pits in them while the coppers will be whole, al-
Currently, the pre-1982 copper though often weirdly colored.  They
cents are worth 1.7812 cents each.  are easy to sort after their acid bath.
In other words, they are worth Use caution when using acid of any
nearly twice their face value for strength, including wearing rubber
their copper content. (A few years gloves and safety glasses
ago, they were each worth 3¢ I have accumulated about
each, triple face value; nickels 40,000 copper cents—over $708
were worth 7¢ each then for the worth. I used to look through bags
nickel content.  That has cooled; from the bank for collectible coins
they are now worth 3.8¢ for the and I would keep the copper pen-
nickel content.) Current values nies.  Now I keep those I find de-
for most American coins can be tecting and in change.  However,
found at Coinflation.com. There It is fairly easy to tell copper pennies (left) from zinc in 2007, the U.S. Mint outlawed
ones (right), which generally exhibit considerably the melting of copper cents and
are also two helpful tabs marked more corrosion and ground action.

January-February 2020 American Digger® 49

meeting is one troy ounce, or 31.1 grams. Avoirdupois ounc-
es are each 28.35 grams.  A troy pound is 12 troy ounces,
although you don’t see this used much.

Slicksters on eBay will try to capitalize on your confu-
sion about these measurements.  For example, our silver
coinage is .900 purity. I have seen listings for one ounce of
silver coins.  Are these troy ounces, which would be appro-
priate? Or standard ounces?  Since they’re 90% purity coins,
do they allow for the 10% that is not silver? Be aware of these
differences and use caution.

Copper is not a precious metal.  Don’t be fooled at gun
shows and flea markets when you see copper rounds sold by
troy ounces.  Regular ounces are the correct unit.  Today’s
copper value is $2.68 a pound; paying $3 or $4 for any kind
of ounce for a copper round is just crazy.

A small digital scale is an important tool for WKNOW YOUR CARATS & KARATS
checking not only coin finds but jewelry finds. hat is the difference between karat and carat? 
Karat is a measure of the purity of gold.  A carat
______________ is a measurement of weight of precious stones.  

nickels, as well as the exportation of them for any purpose, Karat is used to express the percentage of gold in the al-
to protect the supply of these coins.  My coppers are put back loy that makes up an item. For example, 24 kt gold is 99.99%
for the day when copper prices go so high that this law has gold.  Other “karats” and their percentages of gold are:
to be repealed. There is no prohibition on melting silver or • 24 kt 99%
gold coins, though. • 18 kt 75%
• 14 kt 58.5%
A small electronic scale that measures in tenths of • 10 kt 41.7%
a gram up to a pound or so is a nice small investment for Karat numbers are not always precise.  Our club president
determining values.  These are available online for $15 to found a ring marked .999 (24 kt) in the lake.  He took it and oth-
$20. Additionally, weighing a coin is a good measure of its er pieces of gold to a smelter, who uses a spectrometer to check
authenticity. For example, an 1893 each piece. He determined this ring
Morgan dollar is worth $3,000 in a was only .982. The grams times the
lower grade.  It should weigh close .982 times the current value of gold
to 26.73 grams, and if it’s off, that’s a equal the full value of the gold. (The
good clue that it’s a counterfeit. offer for any piece will be discounted

LAV-ROH-DOO WHAT? so that it can be resold and a small
earn the difference between profit made.)
avoirdupois and troy weight. 
Troy weight, from the an- If you find gold pieces marked
cient city-state of Troy, is used in “GE” or “HGE,” don’t get too
the measurement of precious met- excited.  GE (gold electroplate)
als. Avoirdupois is our standard means there is a gold plating up to
measurement of weight.  A can of 7/1,000,000 of an inch thick, while
Beanie Weenies—your go-to metal HGE (heavy gold electroplate)
detecting lunch—is eight avoirdu- means it’s up to 100/1,000,000! So
pois ounces.  Your American Silver their gold values are small. This kind
Eagle that you won at the last club of gold plate can be recovered from
the alloys beneath it, but it is a com-
plicated and hazardous process in-
volving strong acids.
To find the value of a gold item
The offer for any piece you’ve dug, weigh it.  Determine the
will be discounted so karat if it is not marked.  Scratch
test kits for gold run about $15-20.
that it can be resold and A gold testing kit is a must to determine Make sure your kit includes silver
a small profit made. actual gold content, despite what the test acid, too.
hallmarks on a piece may claim.

50 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1

Occasionally, a ring has been
cut for resizing and the karat
mark is lost. It never hurts to
acid test any piece you find.

___________

that silver must be marked a certain way. Prior to 1972, .925
silver could be marked “Ster” or “Sterling.” Since 1972, it
must be marked “.925.” This is another cool way to date your
finds.
Sometimes, gold or silver items are not marked at all, or
may be marked fraudulently. Other countries have different
Three scratches of a recently found unmarked ring. The regulations and maybe an unmarked piece was imported. 
gold is still there, though not very visible in the photo, Occasionally, a ring has been cut for resizing and the karat
under the 14 kt acid (center). 14 kt it is!
______________ mark is lost. It never hurts to acid test any piece you find.
Diamonds are measured by carats. Grading diamonds is
Gold is not always marked, and marked gold isn’t al- a science that is beyond me.  Those 4Cs—cut, color, clarity,
ways gold!  Use a scratch test to determine karat content. and carat weight—can really make the value of a diamond
These kits give you a good approximation of the karat value.  soar! You can pick up a diamond tester for about $100.  This
First, use the scratch stone from the kits to rub a scratch might be a great club investment or a good investment for
onto it from the edge of your piece.  Start with the 10 kt someone who digs lots of diamonds.  Hopefully, you have
acid.  Put a drop on the scratch; if it is 10 kt the acid won’t a trusted jeweler who will help you determine what you’ve
eat it away and the gold scratch won’t change.  If it is gold, truly found.
My jeweler friend told me that fair-sized diamonds are
make another scratch and add a drop of the 14 kt acid and rarely put in silver settings.  If you find a silver piece with
repeat until the acid makes the gold disappear.  Once the a large “diamond,” don’t get your hopes up.  I have found
acid makes the scratch disappear, you’ll know the gold is the silver with diamonds, but they were small ones.
karat value one acid drop below.  Instructions are included
with the kit. Finally, if you dig a jewelry piece and there’s rust or oth-
er corrosion on it, or there are breaks in the gold color, you
In 1906, the National Gold and Silver Marketing Act probably don’t have a good piece.  Silver will tarnish and can
mandated some standard markings for these items.  If you be cleaned off, and gold, too, although tarnish is not as bad
find a gold item made before 1906, it may or may not be
marked “kt” anywhere. It may have a problem.

some other indication, but after OCOLLECTOR COINS
1906 it must have “kt” stamped ccasionally, a digger will
on it.  This will help you date your turn up a very collect-
pieces. ible coin—a coin that has
more value as a collectible item
After you’ve weighed and de-
termined the gold content of your
item, go to Goldcalc.com on the than it has for silver content.  Be
internet.  This is a quick, free ser- careful in handling something that
vice to help you with your math.  might have some serious value. 
Enter your weight in grams (there Even rubbing dirt off to see a date
are four weight unit choices), can cause big trouble, creating tiny
choose one of the 15 karats offered, scratches (think sand paper with-
and then tap “calculate gold scrap out the paper) and harming its
value.” Your value will appear im- value. Unfortunately, copper and
mediately with the up-to-the-min- nickel coins take a beating from
ute gold value. All the math is done the subterranean environment. 
for you and you don’t even have to Silver and gold, however, are usu-
This 18 kt ring was inscribed “1904.” ally dug with almost no corrosion. 
look up the current gold value! Absent is the “kt” stamp, which was
In 1972, the U.S. determined not mandatory until 1906. With some very careful cleaning—

January-February 2020 American Digger® 51

A coin dug from the ground will
almost always have microscopic

scratches that hurt its value.
___________

Even without a diamond tester, your elation should be tempered of silver, even as low as 10%. Much of the silver coinage of
as soon as you’ve found the .925 mark in the ring. Diamonds, Great Britain is 92.5%, or sterling.  Some countries even
put the silver percentage on the coin.  Mexico has several
especially large ones, are rarely found in silver settings. coins with .720 shown on them, or 72%. These coins all
______________ have silver value.

and clean only if you know what you’re doing—you can end Sometimes, though, you don’t know what you have. 
up with a nice silver or gold collectible coin. If you do find When that happens, Google the year, denomination, and
a real rarity, there are coin companies—though expensive— country.  There are several websites that will pull up the
who can “conserve” your coin professionally and authenti- values for that coin in various grades. Many will have its
cate it for you. Numismatic Conservation Service is prob- composition. Most foreign non-silver coins don’t have a lot
ably the best known. of value.  You can buy a pound of foreign coins in most
coin shops for seven or eight dollars.
As far as a resource for valuing your coin finds, I recom-
mend the “Red Book,” A Guide Book of United States Coins. As with the Red Book, though, the Google search will
You can use this for years. For actual current dollar values give you the relative values. If you find a coin with a nice,
of coins, the book isn’t that accurate.  They are put together high, book value, you’ll want to find a coin shop. However,
months and months ahead of publication, so they’re actu- be prepared to learn that what may look to be a perfect coin
ally out of date when published. Plus a coin is only worth dug from the ground will almost always have microscopic
as much as a collector will pay on any given day.  However, scratches that may hurt its resale value, and the dealer will
you can get an idea of relative value by comparing them.  price it accordingly.
For example, suppose you find a 1938 D Walking Liberty
half.  Looking at your Red Book, you find that most of the One last helpful fact on a Google search: many of these
Walking dates, in the lowest grades, are worth $8.00. How- sites will have “ASW” or “AGW” for a coin.  These are “Ac-
ever, your 38 D shows a value of $40. You’ll know then that tual Silver Weight” or “Actual Gold Weight.”  A small coin
you’ve found a better date and more collectible coin.  with an AGW of .0167, therefore, is about 1/6 oz. of gold.
This number discounts the alloy and gives you the pure
The Red Book has another helpful feature.  With each content.
type of coin, there will be a brief description of the grading
of that coin series as well as its composition, weight and di- A CONCLUSION
ameter. Other coin guides don’t always do this. Weight and nyone who has been a digger for any time at all
diameter will also help you determine authenticity. knows that real “treasures” are few and far be-
tween. However, accumulating the little things,
Occasionally, you will dig up a foreign coin.  The U.S. like copper cents, will amass some value for you. In the
quit putting silver in its circulating coinage starting in long run, the treasures of earth are fleeting, and our real
1965, and the rest of the world did, too, in that period. Ob- treasures await us in heaven.
solete coins of other countries contain various percentages
52 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1 In the interim between now and then, enjoy the won-
derful sport of metal detecting.  Enjoy the outdoors, get the
benefit of the exercise, and make memories with digging
partners. Good luck finding that next bit of treasure!

Bob Turner served as an elementary teacher and princi-
pal for thirty years before retiring.  Once an avid fisherman
and hunter, he gave both up for dirt-fishing and treasure
hunting. He is also the owner/operator of Standing Liberty
Metal Detecting in Midlothian, Texas (325-217-4129).

A
Pine
Tree

in
Rhode
Island

By Peter Sorrell

Everyone has a bucket list. Those items that Iwas vacationing in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania when
have evaded your coil but remain at the top of your some new friends invited me to Connecticut to go dig-
mind every time you get the detector out. Most con- ging. This would be my first time travelling to south-
tain the usual suspects: a George Washington In- ern New England to go detecting and, boy, was I excited at
augural button, a Civil War belt plate, or the ever- the opportunity! My guides were two U.S. military veterans,
elusive gold coin. These lists aren’t standard across Alex Metz and Chris Tracy, founders of Grunt Diggers, a
the board, and vary from place to place and person group put together exclusively for veterans who enjoy the
to person.  hobby of metal detecting. Although I’m not a veteran my-
self, these guys welcomed me with open arms. 
Here on North America’s east coast, we’re lucky
to have access to over 400 years of history, which My first night there, we rehashed old stories, looked
allows us to at least have an opportunity to find over one another’s best finds, and spoke about that next
some of the items on our list. I have been fortunate great item we might find. Our first day detecting brought us
enough to cross a few things off my list in the nine to some productive colonial fields in a little town. I was able
years that I’ve been detecting, including a gold coin to scrounge up some neat relics and a 1723 Woods Hibernia
on my third time out. However, there are items not coin from amongst the iron, and remarked to the guys that it
on my list that would be considered a bucket-lister was officially the oldest coin I’ve dug in America. Being from
on many others, due to their lack of access to a site the northern Adirondack mountains of New York, there are
where such an item could be found. The following few places where I could recover such a coin near my home.
story is about one of those items.  As we drove back to the house that night, one of the guys
remarked that now we needed to find some 1600s coppers
to accompany it. Shortly after that remark, we stopped at a
property where they had permission to dig a field next to a
beautiful old colonial home. The homeowners said we could

January-February 2020 American Digger® 53

“We were continuing our search on
the side lawn when Chris called us
both over to show us what almost
certainly would be the find of the

day, an engraved Victorian-era
sterling silver baby spoon!”

come back the next day and detect the property surround- 1723 Woods Hibernia found by the author on his first day at
ing the house. It was a balmy 90 degrees when the guys and the site. These were privately minted in Ireland by William
I descended upon the standing 1740s home in rural Rhode Woods to relieve a coin shortage in Ireland, but later saw
Island. As we stepped out of the car, the homeowners met us wide use in the colonial-era U.S.A. But the best coin by far
and proceeded to talk about the history of the home and the was the Pine Tree shilling, shown on the previous page.
area. One of the original settlers of the town, they had read,
had built his home not far up the road sometime in the late ______________________
1600s. This was interesting news and made us even more
eager to dig on this beautiful property.  Around 1 PM, the homeowner came out and spoke to
Alex and me about our recent finds while Chris con-
My first target was a partial piece of a fancy shoe buckle tinued to swing around the lawn behind us. We were
and I thought to myself, this is going to be a great day. Over about to continue searching on the side lawn when Chris
the next several hours, we started to amass relics from many called us both over to show us what almost certainly would be
different eras in between filming digs for a YouTube video the find of the day, an engraved Victorian-era sterling silver
that would be featured on XP Team USA’s channel. Alex was baby spoon! We all agreed that was going to be hard to beat,
able to snag a fired musket ball and Chris had found the first but we still had the whole front lawn to cover, so there was still
coin, an 1830s Matron Head large cent.  time for Alex and me to pull out a winning find of our own. 

Alex Metz holds the 1865 two-cent coin he had About 20 minutes later we all jumped to the front lawn
just recovered at the house site. These coins at the same time. Chris was the first to get a good target, a
were the first to use “In God We Trust.” 1905 Indian Head penny, his second coin of the day. Alex me-
54 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1 andered around the area where a recently demolished wrap-
around porch once stood and dug a big nondescript dandy
button in front of a set of old granite steps. I wasn’t far behind
with a flat button. 

We spent another hour or so in the front yard, with Alex
scoring a beautiful 1865 two-cent piece. Shortly after that find,
Alex and I decided to cross the road to a small field they had
detected six weeks prior. Quite a few nice relics and coins had
been recovered, including a silver spoon, dandy buttons, shoe
buckles, and some King George coppers. We commenced
swinging around the field; me on one side, Alex on the other.
My first target sounded pretty good, ringing in the high
80s and low 90s on my XP Deus. Wishful thinking led me
to believe this might be the large copper I had been waiting
to dig all day. To my dismay, it was a crumpled aluminum
can about six inches deep. The next target was a little jumpier

and quite a bit deeper, so my hopes for a decent relic were The author with the shoe buckle he had just dug. Note
heightened. I cut the plug, got down on my knees and shoved the stone wall lining the road; most were constructed
the pinpointer into the newly revealed soil. Nothing; there in colonial times as both property boundaries and a
was no sound or vibration to indicate that my target was close, convenient place to put stones plowed up in the fields.
so I took out another shovelful of dirt and again plunged my
pinpointer into the hole. Still nothing. Was I in the wrong ______________________
spot? I was beginning to think that whatever I was digging brass colonial shoe buckle frame. Another artifact had come
was going to be deep, big, and rusty. One more shovelful and to light after 200 plus years. 
again I put the pinpointer in the hole which was now about 11
inches deep. It began to sing like a canary; my target was right I was very excited and got up and continued along the
underneath it. I brushed away the soil to reveal a nice intact straight path I was on, hoping to sniff out more artifacts The
next target rang in the high 80s, low 90s, and once again I
was duped by a crushed aluminum can. It was at this point
that I changed my trajectory and started towards the inner
part of the small field. I was moving along slowly, stopping to
listen to every squeak and chirp that came through my head-
phones. We needed to leave by about 3 PM, so I was being
very selective so as not to waste the little time I had left to

U.S. military veterans Alex Metz and Chris Tracy, founders of Grunt Diggers, show their finds. The Grunt 55
Diggers are a group put together exclusively for veterans that enjoy the hobby of metal detecting.
January-February 2020 American Digger®

“I looked down at my
phone—2:54 PM; this was going
to be my last signal for the day.”

___________________

dig on iffy targets. I got a great signal which sounded
like a copper and had Alex rush over to film it. To our
surprise, it was a shallow flat button. At this point, Alex
said he was going to head back to the lawn for the last
few minutes, leaving Chris and me to compete for any
remaining signals. I started wandering towards the Obverse and reverse of the
very center when a squeak stopped me in my tracks. I silver 1652 Massachusetts
put the coil over the signal and tightened my swing. It
became more pronounced and rang up 91-92. I looked Pine Tree shilling.
__________

down at my phone—2:54 PM; this was going to be my last
signal for the day. Two thoughts ran through my mind. The first never considered it for my list, based on the simple fact that I
was that this is most likely another aluminum can. The second thought such an item was impossible to find in my area.
was more of a motto than a thought: when in doubt, dig it out; So the next time you’re sitting there thinking about all
you may regret it if you don’t. With that fresh in my mind, I dug those incredible items to put on your list, don’t discount the
the plug. I grabbed the pinpointer and plunged it into the dark ones that seem unreachable. They are out there, and all it takes
soil still in the hole. It started to faintly vibrate and beep, telling is a few good friends and a bit of luck to find them.
me the item was deeper. I took my shovel and dug out one more
good chunk of soil. There in the bottom of my hole, no more
than seven inches down, lay a round, flat object. 
Knowing this was my last target of the day, I called over
Alex and Chris to film it just in case it was something good.
Alex grabbed the phone and started recording as I described
my endeavors so far. He pointed the phone down into the hole Peter Sorrell has always had a love for history and began
as I put my hand in to retrieve my “treasure.” As I pulled the metal detecting in 2010. He is now a member of XP Team
item from its dirt nap, I remarked that it may be a big flat USA as the representative from New York. He owns Adiron-
button, but Alex suggested that maybe it was a reale. When dack Detecting and was co-sponsor of the 2019 metal de-
it came fully into the light, I knew instantly it was something tecting mega-event, Pound the Ground: Adirondack Coast.
special. I grabbed my little squirt bottle
of water and sprayed it onto the sur-
face to confirm my suspicion. There,
beneath a thin layer of dirt, the date
“1652” appeared. It was at that moment,
we all knew that this was one of the rar-
est coins we will probably ever witness Quality & Rarity Dug & Non-Dug
being dug. 
I flipped it over and gasped as it re-
vealed a scraggly looking pine encircled
by the words “IN MASATHUSETS.” We
then said some words that cannot be re-
peated here, words of wonderment and
excitement at the prospect of finding the
holy grail of colonial coins. In my hands
lay an especially beautiful example of
a Pine Tree shilling. I was completely Quartermaster General Relics
awestruck, flabbergasted, and any other
word that describes disbelief. As I start- quartermastergeneralrelics.com
ed to think about this coin, I realized it
was never on my bucket list. I had found 757-746-7567

something so special and rare, yet I had John Harris, proprietor

56 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1

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January-February 2020 American Digger® 57

STAY INFORMED!

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58 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1

Predator Tools Product Reviews targets are many and close together,
D-Handle Raven Model 351D and you don’t want to worry about
with their sleek lines and black finish. hitting something other than what
MSRP: $99.95 (U.S.) Let’s look at each on its own: you’re actually going after.

________ D-Handle Raven Shovel And don’t for a moment think
Model 351D that this blade is a lightweight, flimsy
Model 85 (CT) – Hand Digger Specs: thing just because it’s svelte. Nope! As
with all other products from Predator
MSRP: $69.95 (U.S.) • Overall Length: Just under Tools, this monolithic blade is craft-
35-½” ed here in the USA of beefy Chrome
________ Molly 4130 steel, heat treated and
• Blade Width: 4-⅜” tempered to ensure the highest qual-
Available from Predator Tools • Blade Length: 11-½” ity performance and durability.
(856) 455-3790 • Hilt: 7-½”
• Weight: About 4 lbs. The Raven features a step-edge
[email protected] rear blade, extended for comfort to ac-
www.predatortools.com/ The first thing I noticed about the commodate most adult size feet. It also
D-Handle Raven, aside from its glossy has four holes to mount the optional
________ black finish, was what appeared to me rubber impact pads to lessen wear and
to be an extra-wide flare to the D-han- tear on your feet and legs when kick-
At last year’s Gettys- dle, and its straight digging blade. The ing this baby into ground of any hard-
burg Militaria Show, former looks roomy enough for even ness. It works perfectly well without
I was presented with those with large hands to be comfort- the pads, but they do absorb much of
two new digging tools from able. The latter is opposed to the tight, the impact, allowing you to dig longer
Predator Tools to review. inverted triangle-shaped blade found without getting tired so quickly.
Developed in late 2017, the on many of Predator’s most popular
D-Handle Raven shovel shovels, such as the Ultra Eagle, Phoe- I took this D-Handle Raven for a
and the Model 85 CT hand nix, Hurricane and Dixie. spin in a very overgrown woodsy area
digger are both impressive in Alabama, digging for Confederate
looking. There’s no doubt I use one of those myself and I love relics in a known Civil War camp. I
from first glance that these that graduated-width blade, because found the thin, straight blade perfect
are serious tools for the ded- it allows me to dig the perfect cone- for weaseling my way between tough
icated digger, but they also shaped plug. But I’ll admit that there vines, fallen trees and rocks, without
have a definite “cool factor,” have been times when I really wished getting hung up on anything.
for a blade that was long enough to dig
deep without having to make the top The blade’s sharp leading edge,
of the hole so large. with its relatively flat angle, slid into
the thick clay like butter, and the typi-
I’m thinking in particular of when cally aggressive teeth on either side
I dig older permissions that have fine- made short work of any roots that
ly manicured yards in which I want thought they might prevent the for-
to do as little damage as possible. But est floor from giving up its booty. It
this type of long, thin blade is also fan- also created small-diameter, compact
tastic for those high-trash areas where plugs as neat as I’ve ever been able to

dig in the most beautifully
manicured turf. I wouldn’t
hesitate to use this shovel
with confidence on any yard
where I needed to take care
to leave as little disruption
behind as possible.

In addition to being a
great addition to your metal
detecting and relic hunting
arsenal, the D-Handle Ra-
ven is a perfect digging tool
for gardening, nursery, land-
scaping, and rescue work.

January-February 2020 American Digger® 59

Predator Tools Manufactured to stringent specifications, each
Model 85 (CT) – Hand Digger Stealth 85 is serial numbered and marked with the year
of manufacture and Predator Tools’ distinctive Ameri-
can Eagle stamp. You’ll find this tool’s new, improved
Specs: Cordura Coyote Tan-colored sheath features a loop to be

• Length: 11-¾” overall carried on your belt. One touch of this tough, purpose-

• Width: 1-⅞” wide built sheath, with its finished edges and webbing handle

• Blade: 7-¼” long secure strap with hook-and-loop closure, and you’ll feel

• Weight: Approx. 14 oz.
Okay, I’m going to admit up front that this dig- confident that this reliable performer will stay close to
ger has some serious mystique going for it. you for years to come.
Patterned on the original that made designer
I first used it to extract some semi-precious gem-
stones from the desert floor in Quartzsite, Arizona. If
George Lesche famous, the M-85 you’ve ever been there, you know
CT looks wicked and all business. that’s like digging in concrete, but
With its stealth black matte finish— If GI Joe had been real, the Model 85 did an admirable job
meeting military requirements not he’d be carrying one of of getting those stones out of the
to create reflections under cover of these with the requisite at- baked-hard matrix and into my
darkness—classic sleek lines, and titude. Who said effective pouch. I used it again to move some
touch-friendly handle, the Stealth tools have to be ugly? very large stones out of my camp-

85 just oozes competence. site and over to the fire circle, and I
Designed for digging with surgical precision, this was impressed with how I felt absolutely no flex in that
digger is a heavy-duty, sharpened trowel with one edge black blade. It was up to the task, and more!
sawtoothed for root cutting. Fashioned from 4130
American_Digger_1_6th_Ad.pdf 1 3/13/19 4:22 PM

Chrome-Molly virgin steel, the single-piece digger is
aircraft quality heat-treated and tempered for superior
strength. Its 4-½” handle features a large handguard to
protect your hand from sliding down onto the blade dur-
ing use.

C

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Veteran Owned and Operated Ringgold, Ga. 30736

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60 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1

Finally, I used it to dig the desert sand at a park in Reader’s Contest:
Carefree, Arizona, while I was teaching a couple of little
boys to metal detect. It made quick work of that tough Try as he might, our publisher has
crust and moved enough material for me to impress never found a gold coin. In honor
them with a fast recovery. I could see in their eyes how of this non-accomplishment, we
they admired my cool digging tool. again invite our readers to find the gold coin
hidden in this issue. Not just any gold coin; it
It just looks…well, sexy. There, I said it. If GI Joe will be the photo shown here (black and white
had been real, he’d be carrying one of these with the or color), although likely a different size. Butch
requisite attitude. Who said effective tools have to be isn’t as picky, and once he finds any gold coin,
ugly? You’ll love whipping this one out to dig your next the contest will change. If you find the coin in this
target, while your friends look on admiringly. issue, contact us via email or snail mail before
midnight, January 25, 2020. Please include
The Model 85 is in use worldwide by those who your full name and address. The winner will be
must rely on durable performance, including metal drawn from the correct entries emailed to anita@
detectorists, relic hunters, archaeologists, gardeners, americandigger.com, or sent to Box 126, Acworth, GA,
nursery technicians, landscapers, underground rescue 30101. The winner will receive a copy of the book, The
responders and, of course, the U.S. military. All Preda- Ring Finder, by Steve Zazulyk, courtesy of the author
tor Tools are handcrafted by George Lesche and carry a
five-year warranty. _______________

Last issue’s winner was Don Killian of Camp
Lejeune, NC, who found the hidden coin on page 59.
Don wins the book, Treasures From Space, by Geoff
Notkin and courtesy of www.aerolite.org

Who Reads American
Digger® Magazine?

Those who are not afraid of discovering the
past. Where others see a haunted house, they
see a good detecting oppporofurturotunity. Where others
see ghosts, they see old coins. And where some
just see another magazine, they see a treasure
in print, full of the finds and stories they love.

Michael Lyman reads American Digger...
shouldn’t you?

American Digger®
For Diggers and Collectors

se Pipes, Michael Lyman PO Box 126
oom. Dedicated metal detectorist & American Digger reader Acworth, GA 30101

Now available in both print 770-362-8671
and digital format! Visit our

website for details. $3895/One Year

www.americandigger.com or $7095/Two years
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Contact us for other locations

January-February 2020 American Digger® 61

...Current Events... Current Events... Current Events...

January 4-5, 2020: American Digger® Lowcountry Civil War & April 4-5, 2020: Corinth Civil War Show, Crossroads Arena, 2800 S. Harper
Artifact Show, 176 Patriots Pt. Rd., Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Info: (716) Rd, Corinth, Miss. Info: Dennis Brown (662) 212-4621, ducksu@frontiernet.
574-0465; [email protected] or [email protected]. net or Buddy Ellis (662) 665-1419 or [email protected]
See ad on page 63.
Featured April 21-26, 2020: 27th BONE Week, Keene, N.H. Natural
Event!
colonial hunts, treasure show, banquet, seeded hunt & more.
February 1-2, 2020: Chickamauga Civil War & Military Show, Featured
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7296, email [email protected], or visit MKShows.com. See streeter.org/ See ad on page 6.
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com or call (928) 927-5479. Mansfield, Ohio. Info: visit www.ohiocivilwarshow.com

February 28-29, 2020: Civil War/Old West Relic Show, Vicksburg Auditorium, July 25-26, 2020: American Digger® Chattanooga Civil War & Featured
1401 Walnut St, Vicksburg, Miss. Info: Charles Pendleton, (601) 218-5526 or Artifact Show, Camp Jordan Arena, 323 Camp Jordan Pkwy., Event!
email [email protected] East Ridge, Tenn. Info: (770) 362-8671 or (716) 574-0465; anita@
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March 6-7, 2020: 53rd Mid-South Military History & Civil War Show, Landers
Center, 4560 Venture Dr., Southaven, Miss. Info: Donald Harrison, (901) 832- July 30-Aug. 2, 2020: FOHBC 2020 National Antique Bottle Convention,
4708; LeeAnn Robertson, (662) 279-0538; [email protected] Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, 2500 E. Second Street, Reno, NV. Visit www.
fohbc.org for more information.
March 7, 2020: 39th Civil War Relic Show, Fredericksburg Relic
Featured Hunters Assoc, Fredericksburg Eagles, Aerie #4123, 21 Cool
Event! Spring Rd, Fredericksburg, Va. Info: Jason Thomas, (703) 727-
3727; [email protected] See ad on page 69.

March 21-22, 2020: Baltimore Ant. Arms Show, Cow Palace, 2200 York Rd, List your hunt or show here for free! Requests must be submitted at least eight weeks ahead of time to:
Timonium, Md. [email protected] or www.baltimoreshow.com [email protected] or “Events” c/o American Digger®, PO Box 126, Acworth, GA 30101.

We reserve the right to edit or refuse listings.

Promoters of Quality Shows for
Collectors, Hunters, Shooters,
and Civil War Enthusiasts.

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Ctr., Dalton, GA January 4 & 5, 2020
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Dec. 5 & 6, 2020

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(770) 630-7296 • [email protected] •

62 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1

American Digger® magazine presents two great shows in 2020!

LOWCOUNTRY CHATTANOOGA
CIVIL WAR & CIVIL WAR &
ARTIFACT SHOW
ARTIFACT SHOW
January 4-5, 2020
July 25-26, 2020
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Sunday: 9-3 • Art, Photos, & Books
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• Awards & Prizes
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americandigger.com/american-digger-events/

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January-February 2020 American Digger® 63

Steve If your interests lie with finding treasures of years past,
Zazulyk’s then locate those forgotten gems from yesteryear: childhood
swimming holes, popular beaches from the early 1900s, or
Below the rivers near old war camps. These, my friends, are my most
Surface fruitful places to detect.

There’s more than just There are some great online sites that can help you locate
treasure down there... these spots. One in particular, is a website called CardCow. It
has vintage postcards dating back to the early 1900s. Basically,
Detecting Locations 101 you search for a city of your choice, and postcards from that
area will come up. You then find pictures of old swimming
One of the most common questions I get asked about holes and beaches—the exact places people went to back in
detecting is, “How do you find those really good the day, and the perfect places to find old jewelry, gold rings,
spots?” I always start my answer with two critical religious medallions, class rings, and coins dating back to
questions: How much time do you have, and how far do you possibly the turn of the century. I have hundreds of these
want to go? spots pinpointed on maps throughout Canada, the United
States, and Europe. Whenever I travel to these areas I call
We live in a busy world with demanding lives that leave them up from my favorites folder, set the location in Google
little time for our hobby. This means that whatever amount of Maps, and away I go.
time you do spend detecting in the water needs to be as fruit-
ful as possible. Let’s face it, there’s no sense going somewhere If you’re into finding war relics or military memorabil-
and spending your precious moments detecting with nothing ia, look for bodies of water closest to the known location of
to show. It’s not only a waste of time but can also be extremely whichever battlefield you want to target. Some battlefields
frustrating. Which brings us back to how to find those “really are out of bounds; however, you can usually get into a nearby
good spots.” river pretty easily—just make sure you obey all laws.

For those after-work or weekend trips when you want to The “Historical Imagery” feature in Google Earth is an-
stay close to home, your best bet is a local beach or body of other wonderful tool to help find detecting locations. Most
water. Locations that are popular with today’s crowds are great people don’t realize that Google Earth has this dial back fea-
for more modern finds. They are easy to get to, don’t require ture that allows you to literally dial back the years to the very
a lot of travel time, and will almost certainly have something first aerial photos of the area you are looking at.
for you to find.
Of course, this option might not be available for every
ON SALE NOW! location, but for some areas, there is historical imagery dated
back to the early 1900s. The feature will show you photogra-
phy of the same area you are looking at; revealing what the
map looked like at different points in time, as well as unearth-
ing some of those long-lost forgotten beaches and swimming
holes. Great for finding treasures that have long since been
forgotten about.

Using this Google Earth feature, I once found an area
of river that was once used for performing baptisms by the
nearby church. This particular spot ended up having loads of
religious medallions, coins, and even a couple of gold rings.
These historical photos and information can lead you to some
of the best undetected sites around.

I hope these tips help you find that next prime location.
And as always, follow the rules, and be safe below the surface.

Steve Zazulyk is a professional water hunter
and dive detectorist. Check out his YouTube
channel and Facebook page to see some of the
videos and photos he’s taken over the years.
They may even inspire you to gear up and dive
below the surface.

Opinions and research expressed in this column are those of the
author and not necessarily those of American Digger®.

64 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1

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January-February 2020 American Digger® 65

as the local detecting clubs’ meetings. Could that be just
a coincidence? If passed this will affect all city properties
News-n-Views and will probably eliminate metal detecting on those ar-
eas. When buildings are put up and old ones taken down,
Reports and Commentaries on those areas have been searched by detectorists and many
artifacts saved. This will no longer happen. The only items
Issues That Affect the Hobby saved if this passes will be the very few items that may be
recovered by the sanctioned archaeology investigation.
By Mark Schuessler

The rest will be covered back up and destroyed by the con-
struction. So who really wins here?
Several items of interest have come to my attention over To add to it, we always hear about context. Context is
the last two months—three are of local concern and one important when the artifacts are in their original locations,
is national. The national one is positive and will be out- but we are talking about a lot of construction sites here
lined later as the details are still in the works. However, we all where no real context remains. An area where a building
need to pay attention to the “local” ones no matter how far has stood has already seen the previous context destroyed.
removed they are from your abode. What happens in one area Where a building has been removed there are thousands
of out-of-context targets that could not possibly be gone
sets a precedent and can spread to others.
In the last issue’s column you read about the Washington through by an archaeological survey in a reasonable time.
They will dig a few holes, miss a lot
Township, Pennsylvania suspension of good artifacts that are scattered
about, and then claim nothing of
of detecting permits. This was due to “Where a building has been importance was located there. The
a large increase in the number of re- removed there are thousands flip side is a couple of digs will be
quests and the perceived need to put of out-of-context targets that claimed an important archaeologi-
a new policy in place to prevent “the cal site that requires more investi-
parks from getting dug up.” could not possibly be gone gation, at a cost of course. So who
through by an archaeological
Houlton, Maine: We have another survey in a reasonable time.”

town asking questions about our wins here?
hobby; this one is Houlton, Maine. The town manager has Additionally, the fear is that this will later extend to
asked for public comments concerning metal detecting in private property. That was at first denied by the council
the public areas. Once again the subject of “digging” was but internet chatter from archaeological groups says oth-
mentioned. There was no indication they want to ban it. It erwise. That is their next step; the council said that this will
appears that they are looking at a policy in order to keep be done in steps. What does that mean? I was also told that
some control over how it is conducted. I have no problem one of survey questions asked if private property should be
with a reasonable set of rules that protects the municipal included; they tipped their hand and showed their future
properties from unnecessary damage from those who are intent. According to the results, it is claimed that 85% of
not following our hobby ethics. Those rules also protect the the respondents are in favor of the ordinance and also that
hobby. The FMDAC has contacted the township and offered private property should be included. I really have to ques-
our assistance to work out a policy to insure that detecting tion the validity of that statistic; did those from the general
can continue. public answering it know what it meant and what it would
cost them?
Savannah, Georgia: This city is looking at enacting an ar- What would that mean for private property, you ask?
chaeology ordinance. Exactly what form that will take is re- If falling within whatever district they decide, then any-
ally unknown at this time, as it has not been written yet. one building or possibly doing any construction on private
They asked for input via an online survey and will apparent- property would have to pay for an archaeological survey. A
ly write it using the results. This ordinance would require an developer putting up a building would pay. A home builder
archaeological survey before any construction takes place. putting in a subdivision or an individual building a home
From what I have pieced together from several sources, would pay. Maybe it’s just a citizen adding an addition to
this was attempted in the past and failed. This time unfor- their home, or a garage, a pool or maybe even just putting
tunately it looks like it may very well pass. It appears that in a garden. Who wins with this?
this is going down the general path of many of these types I would like to have seen the survey (very few detecto-
of laws—in the end they do what they want. Usually it goes rists even knew about it). I would like to know how it was
whatever way the archaeologists want. They are the ones “advertised.” Who responded? Were there many from the
have the ears of the councils. general public? Or was it just many from the archaeological
It is interesting to note that the two meetings that were groups and their friends? I do not know what background
held for public comments were scheduled at the same time information was presented and how it was presented to

66 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1

those who may have no knowledge of the pros and cons. very little, except for the obvious increase in the archaeolo-
We have all seen how polls can be easily swayed to make gists’ wallets. They can do all the archaeological surveys
the results whatever they want them to be by the questions they want right now without any law. This law will simply
asked or the wording of the question make it a costly endeavor as it will require both tax and
That brings me back to the questions of who really private dollars to fund it. In addition, all that history that
wins. Well, first off they want to hire a city archaeologist. they are screaming about saving will result in a net loss of
He wins. All of these surveys will employ archaeology con- history: artifacts that are being recovered now by detector-
cerns—they all win. So who loses? The public! The public ists will be gone forever. If the archaeological community
will pay for the city archaeologist and for the surveys. The would only wake up and ask for our help. Ask to examine
general public pays for these sur- and study our finds and they would
veys, directly through taxes when gain far more then what they are
those surveys are paid by the city, or “The public pays for these getting now. The only ones winning
indirectly through developers who surveys, directly through taxes here are the archaeologists. Not the
are given city contracts. The bottom when those surveys are paid by public. Not even the artifacts.
line is that this is a jobs bill for the the city, or indirectly through
archaeology community. developers who are given city As you read in the opening
contracts. The bottom line is sentences, pay attention to these
The city has established a time matters, as they can spread. They
line for completion. November 4, that this is a jobs bill for the already are. The first two dealing
2019 was the first draft. Apparently archaeology community.” with detecting are an example.
it will be open for comment at that These two may be unrelated to
time. November 22 will see the final draft written and each other and totally coincidental. But maybe not next
December 19 will be the council vote. It is scheduled for time. One locality takes a cue from the neighboring town
implementation on January 1. As you are reading this it is or county. With the Savannah issue they are using several
probably over. Why such a rush to get it done before the other cities’ ordinances as the basis for theirs.
first of the year? Could it be that, because this is an elec-
tion year, they are worried that the council makeup could Charleston, South Carolina: Now we find out that Charles-
change? ton is apparently working on a similar ordinance. This one
I was told that detectorists in the area have been con- looks like it will be written to include all property in spe-
tacting home builders and developers and alerting them to cific areas. That means private property.
this. Most have not known about it. If their construction The private property part is a very serious attack on
projects fall in the affected zones then they would all be held the rights of the public. That is an attack on one of the ba-
up by these surveys and also would bear extra costs. Those sic tenets of our society. It very well could be shot down
costs would be passed on to the homeowners or purchasers. if challenged in the courts, but how much money would
If this goes into effect then the city in essence is gaining that take? The average citizen does not have the money to
mount a court challenge that could run into the hundreds
of thousands of dollars. The cities have a bottomless coffer
of your tax dollars to spend as they see fit in order to fight
you. They know that and are taking it into account when
writing these laws.

My ranting is done for another episode. Please take note of
these issues. Take action where you can. The hobby you save
will be your own. I wish you a Happy New Year filled with
many killer finds that you can cross off your list (and send in
photos of them for Just Dug)!

Opinions and research expressed in this column are those of the
author and not necessarily those of American Digger®.

January-February 2020 American Digger® 67

Birdstones are an exotic and beautiful

Native American artifact, but the question
remains: what were they used for?
alking most, have two small holes drilled at the head and aft
end. The shape is of an elongated bird in a laying posi-
T Points tion with a distinct head and tail and a slender body.
The materials of choice usually were brown, green, and
black slate and, in some rare cases, porphyry was used.
For those who don’t know that one, porphyry is an igne-
ous rock that was a speckled trait and takes on a deep
luster when polished.
A look into American Indian artifacts All this is important information to the story of
and the cultures that used them.
birdstones, but what were they used for? Again, there’s
By Pete Schichtel only speculation and tons of it because there hasn’t been

many associated finds that shed light into the darkness
here. There’s not much solid information out there.
As I was doing some prep for this column, I wan-
dered into the swamp a bit and became mired down in
much of this speculation. Don’t get me wrong—it was
Birdstones actually fun to read about some of these theories of

_________ possible use. Theories range
Okay, here it is again, an- from adornments tied to an
other iconic relic with aborigine’s head, marriage effi-
no known, clear func- gies, items denoting pregnancy,
tion left by the indigenous North gaming pieces, and tribal af-
American people. These striking, filiations. The most plausible
abstract carved birdstone figures explanation, and the one that
are another highly collected ves- gets the most legs, is that they
tige of our Native American past were a component of an atlatl
that still has not yet attached it- (a dart thrower); more specifi-
self to any real understanding of cally, a handle of sorts tied to
a function or purpose. the main shaft. In a previous
Photo courtesy Encyclopedia Britannica

Granted, way down the road, column I wrote about banner-
not all remnants of the thousands of cultures that have stones, which were most likely sliding weights in which
spread across the globe will be understood to have had the shaft of the atlatl passed through for balance and le-
a clear function. Take the example of the “Footsie” toy verage. Thus, it has been established that the atlatl was
from our own culture that swept across the country in composed of both wood and stone.
the early ‘70s. What will archaeologists a thousand years The use of the birdstones as the handle component
from now think about this onetime pertinent—but fleet- of the atlatl has become a widely accepted theory of the
ing—cultural phenomenon? use, but again, the evidence is not conclusive. We still
Will they think it is a hunting device? A religious have mostly speculation. Until someone, perhaps a gam-
symbol from a culture that worshipped silly dances? er or hacker, invents a time machine, we will all believe
Maybe a manacle to hold rebellious children? Once an what we wish to believe. As for me, I like the atlatl theo-
object is lost to culture, its identity becomes an educated ry. Between my believing this theory and a fluffy pillow,
guessing game. Such it is with birdstones. I sleep better at night.
What we do know about birdstones is that they
were made meticulously of stone, highly polished, and
most were quite similar in basic form. The vast major-
ity of birdstones are found east of the Mississippi River
and have been found with a Mid-Archaic (5,000 BP) to Opinions and research expressed in this column are those of the
author and not necessarily those of American Digger®.

an Early Woodland (2,500 BP) association. Many, if not

68 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1

January-February 2020 American Digger® 69

Diggin’ It

by April Pedersan

“They sure lost a lot of coins when
they were jumping around up here.”

70 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1

The Trading Post Illustration courtesy of Library of Congress

For Sale & Wanted

Coins, Bottles, Comic Books, Sheet Music, Postcards, Trade Cards,
Stamps and collectible paper of all types. SASE for 14-16 Page List.
Timothy Hart, 20 Masten Rd, Victory, VT 05858 [J-F 20]

Wanted—any Maryland items, plates, crosses, images etc.
(301) 475-2000 [J-F 20]

Clubs

CO Eureka! Treasure Hunters Club meets the 2nd Friday of each OH Saving History of Greater Cincinnati, 2nd Thurs/month, 7 p.m.,

month at 7:30 p.m. at the Clement Community Center in Lakewood, Ready Line Shooting Complex, 3761 Round Bottom Rd., Newtown, OH
Colorado. Visit www.EurekaTHC.org for more information. [S-O 20] Info: Rick Horsley [email protected] or find us on Facebook.
[M-A21]

FL Gold Coast Treasure Club, 2nd Thurs. ea. month, Ladies Garden Tri-state Hist. Research & Recovery Assoc. 2nd Thurs/month 7 p.m,
Norwood Christian Church, 4400 Ashland Ave., Norwood, OH tristate-
Ctr., S. Fla. Science Museum, 4801 Drecher Trail N, W. Palm Beach, metaldetecting.com or [email protected], (513) 290-5294 [M-A 20]
FL. Frank Nash, (786) 269-5744, [email protected] [M-A 19]
SC South Carolina Dirt Diggers, meets every 2nd Saturday in
GA Coastal Empire History Hunters Association. Meet 7:30
Lexington, SC. Visit our Facebook page for more details or email
p.m every 4th Thurs. Western Sizzlin’ restaurant, U.S. Hwy. 80, [email protected]. [S-O 19]
Pooler, GA. For more information, visit http://www.cehha.org/ [E]
South Carolina Metal Detector & Relic Association meets the 1st
Dixie Relic Recovery Club, 1st Mon./ month, 7 p.m., Old Stone Tuesday of the month at 7:00 P.M. at the Oratory, 434 Charlotte Av-
Church, Ringgold, GA. Visit facebook.com/DixieRelicRecovery- enue, Rock Hill, SC. 29734, email [email protected]. [S-O 19]
Club.com. [E]
TN Memphis Metal Detecting Club meets 3rd Thursday of month
North Georgia Relic Hunters Association meets the 1st and 3rd
Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m., Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, at 7 p.m. at OLPH Church, Germantown, TN.  Phone (901) 752-
287 Mt. Calvary Rd., Marietta, GA. www.ngrha.com. [N-D 19] 6704 or email [email protected] for more info. [N-D 19]

Tri-State Relic Recovery Club meets 7 p.m., 2nd Thursday of each Murfreesboro Metal Detecting Club meets in Murfreesboro, TN the last
month, Lawrence Center, 71 Edison Circle, Menlo, GA. Phone Tuesday of each month. Visit our website borodiggers.wix.com/mmdc
(706) 862-6221 or email [email protected]. [J-A 21] or email [email protected] for more information. [J-A 20]

KY Northern Kentucky Treasure Hunters meets at 6:30 p.m., the Middle Tennessee Metal Detecting Club meets in Nashville the
1st Friday of every month. See our website for information about
last Monday of each month at Boone Co. Library. See Mytreasures- the club and meetings, www.mtmdc.com. [J-A 19]
pot.com under Clubs NKTHC for the specific Library. [M-J 21]
TX Cowtown Treasure Hunter Club,7 PM, 3rd Thurs/mo., YMCA Camp
LA Pelican Relic & Recovery Assoc. meets 3rd Tues. of each
Carter, 200 Sand Spgs. Rd., Ft. Worth,TX. Visit cowtowntreasurehunter-
month at 7 p.m., King Buffet Chinese Grill, 6230 Bluebonnet sclub.org, or (817) 992-789, [email protected] [S-O 19]
Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA. Info, [email protected] [M-A 20]
VA Central VA Civil War Collectors Assoc. 4th Tuesday of each
MA Silver City Treasure Seekers, Taunton, MA, 1st Fri. ea. month
month (except December) 7:15 p.m., Glen Allen American Legion Hall,
except July/August, 6:30, Bristol Plymouth Reg HS cafeteria, 940 Co. 2522 Indale Rd, Richmond, VA. Visit www.cvcwca.com for info. [M-J 20]
St. (Rt. 140), Taunton, MA. www.silvercitytreasureseekers.net. [M-J 20]
Hanover Metal Detectors Club meets the 1st Wednesday each
MS Tri-State Coin & Relic Hunter’s Club serves MS, AL, and TN. Iuka month at the Ashland Volunteer Rescue Squad Building, Ashland,
VA. Contact D. Yates at (804) 241-9541. [M-J 19]
MS Public Library. Meetings rotate monthly 2nd Sat.(9 a.m.) & 2nd Thurs.
(7 p.m.). Email Charles Emmons, [email protected]. [J-A19] Northern Virginia Relic Hunters Association, 7:30 p.m., Meets 1st Tues-
day of each month at the NRA Building, Fairfax, VA. For info, visit
NJ Deep Search Metal Detecting Club, Minié B. Veal Cmty. Ctr., 1070 www.nvrha.com. [E]

Grove Ave, Edison, NJ, 7 PM, Jan. & Feb., 4th Mon.; March-Dec., 3rd Tidewater Coin & Relic Club, 2nd Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Mary Pretlow
Mon. [email protected], www.DSMDC.org [J-A21] Library, 111 W. Oceanview Ave, Norfolk, VA. Contact Ina Finn, (757)
679-0467, email [email protected] or visit www.tc-rc.com. [M-A 20]
Mid Jersey Research & Recovery Club, meets 6 p.m./second
Sunday of each month, Switlik Pk. Community Ctr., Hamilton, Get the word out about your club here! Join our club listing, three lines for
NJ. For more info visit midjerseymetaldetecting.com [E] $35 year or $55/ two years. For other classified ads, contact us for rates.

NY E.A.R.T.H. Metal Detecting Club meets last Monday of every

month, Dunham Library, 76 Main St., Whitesboro, NY. Email
[email protected] or visit www.earthclubcny.com. [S-O 19]

January-February 2020 American Digger® 71

The Hole Truth...

The Publisher speaks... but will he ever shut up?
Iwas talking with a digging acquaintance at American
Digger’s Chattanooga show and listened as he explained front porch year-round, and
why he hadn’t been out digging recently due to some it is possible to find twice-
temporary health issues. lost relics in their vehicles.
Want to know how far
“I’ll be back out there swinging a detector as soon as I you have strayed from “nor-
get back to normal,” he said. mal?” Try telling someone
I bit my lip. No, you will not. Not if you seek to embrace unfamiliar with the hobby
this “normal” that you speak of. If you are normal, you can’t that you spent your entire
be an efficient metal detectorist and vise versa. weekend digging in an old
As I know that each issue we have more and more people outhouse in search of bottles.
who have recently discovered metal detecting, let me soften Empty bottles, at that. Just their look will give you a degree of
the blow. It is okay. There is nothing seriously wrong with how far you lean off center on the ol’ normal scale.
you. Many great people in many great hobbies are not “nor- And for those still single and looking for love in this great
mal.” There are golfers who wear trousers that even the most hobby? Try explaining on your e-Harmony profile that you
colorful clowns would shun. That’s not normal. There are enjoy mucking along the Mississippi River by the moonlight.
fishermen who, before releasing their catch, kiss the fish. On Trust me, the few people who would respond romantically to
the lips. In no way is that normal. But these are individuals, the word “mucking” are not the ones you want to take home to
and not representative of the entire hobby. Overall, golf is meet Mama.
normal. Fishing is normal. Metal detecting is...well, let’s talk. But being normal isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be. Nor-
In some form or another, detectorists, on a regular ba- mal people will never know the thrill of finding a two-hundred-
sis dig up stuff that, for the most part, the rest of the world year-old coin, or the satisfaction of rescuing a few tidbits from
shuns. I’m not talking about those rare treasures that are on America’s bloodiest conflict just before the bulldozers destroy
your bucket list; I’m talking about the 2,867 pieces of metal it forever. Normal people will never do a silly gold dance, nor a
garbage you’ll dig between each “good” item. Balls of alu- spastic buckle jig, nor the “worm,” nor even the Manatee Crawl,
minum foil. Shredded bits of tin. Soda pull tabs. Nails. Frag- and certainly not record it to YouTube so that, years down the
ments of nails. Entire automobiles, one piece at a time. I even road, even their descendants will still have someone in the fam-
dug a garbage can once, which was somehow fitting in the ily to be embarrassed by.
trash-infested site I was detecting. None of that is normal. Normal people don’t have any concept of all that. They
All hope of being normal was lost when you turned drive their cars over old Indian trails and soldiers’ march routes
on your new detector for the first time, heard a beeping or without a second thought and ignore the bulldozers and gener-
buzzing sound, dug a hole, and began to speculate what lay ally stay historically ignorant of what happened there in the past.
hidden in the dirt. A sword? A gold hoard? A pirate trea- In other words, normal people are not like us.
sure? A pirate? These are not the thoughts of normal people. So don’t tell me about how normal you are, or how normal
Normal people don’t consider shovels or spades rec- our hobby of digging weird stuff from the dirt is. No normal
reational equipment, nor will they spend over a hundred person spends hours in the blazing heat or freezing cold look-
bucks for a custom made one. ing for old junk that was discarded 200 years ago because it was
Normal people don’t pay for their McDonald’s lunch broken and useless even then.
with freshly dug clad coins. Nor do they leave a small dirt Normal people, even if they did try metal detecting, would
pile on the counter when paying for a Supersized #4. do the sensible thing and quit after digging the tenth beer can,
Normal people don’t have to strip off their clothes in the or twentieth nail. They would sell the detector, forget their un-
backyard because they rooted in fresh mud all day for two realistic fantasies of gold doubloons, and leave history in the
Civil War Minié balls and a very corroded piece of some- ground to rot because of a lack of passion to continue. That’s
thing. Nor has anyone normal ever had to consider burning what normal people do.
their clothes due to an encounter with a disgruntled skunk. Normal people are weird that way.
Twice.
Normal people will never create a mud puddle in the
bathroom nor leave a pile of dirt-encrusted metal by the Happy Huntin’, Y’all!

kitchen sink. They don’t keep a shovel and boots on their

72 American Digger® Vol. 16, Issue 1



LIMITED TIME

55th Year Anniversary

Specials

1141155

1141255 $109.85*
1140455 SAVINGS

Items Included with each detector:

1. Pro-Pointer AT pinpointer
2. NEW Garrett “Keepers” Treasure Box
3. NEW Vaughan Garrett’s Favorite Finds Book

*Offer valid through May 31, 2020 at participating dealers only. Accessories items are subject to change.