OregonMike
Member
Hi, everyone,
I had a free day yesterday so I decided to try my luck in the parking strip easements in lovely Springfield, Oregon. I wasn't having much luck finding fresh sites, as just about everything worth doing has been hit pretty hard. I would find a small spot, give it a try, then spend a lot of time driving around and finding another one. All told, I'm sure I spent more time in the car than I did detecting, and I had only come up with a few coins after about three hours. Finally, I found a spot that looked OK outside of a house that was vacant and for sale. I had just started detecting there when the next door neighbor man came out and approached me.
The conversation that followed was pretty funny. The fellow had a fairly thick Italian accent, so you have to imagine his side of the conversation that way if you can.
Here's a paraphrase:
He--What you doing here?
I--I'm metal detecting here in the public access easement.
He--You find anything good? Maybe gold? Maybe bucket of coins? My friend one time in Sicily find bucket of coins worth $16,000.
I--No, nothing like that, just a few coins.
He--Old coins?
I--No, just a few modern coins.
He--You know, this illegal in Europe. Police see you, they arrest you. They ask if you find anything, you say no, they don't believe you.
I--Well I know they detect in England.
He--England not so strict.
I--Well (looking down and hoping to get back to detecting)
He--How much that cost? (indicating the detector)
I--(Intentionally lowballing) $1500.
He--You make back $1500?
I--No, not yet...
He--How much you make today? How long you work?
I--Oh, just a few coins. I've been out about three hours, but I haven't found much today.
He--I see your coins? (I show them) Oh, just junk! No gold, no silver....
I--Yeah.
He--I call Italy. My friends not believe it.
I--What?
He--I tell them, "Today I meet a guy, he pay $1500 then he work three hours to get 44 cents! I better leave you alone, some day you might find quarter!"
I just stood there with my mouth open.......
I had a free day yesterday so I decided to try my luck in the parking strip easements in lovely Springfield, Oregon. I wasn't having much luck finding fresh sites, as just about everything worth doing has been hit pretty hard. I would find a small spot, give it a try, then spend a lot of time driving around and finding another one. All told, I'm sure I spent more time in the car than I did detecting, and I had only come up with a few coins after about three hours. Finally, I found a spot that looked OK outside of a house that was vacant and for sale. I had just started detecting there when the next door neighbor man came out and approached me.
The conversation that followed was pretty funny. The fellow had a fairly thick Italian accent, so you have to imagine his side of the conversation that way if you can.
Here's a paraphrase:
He--What you doing here?
I--I'm metal detecting here in the public access easement.
He--You find anything good? Maybe gold? Maybe bucket of coins? My friend one time in Sicily find bucket of coins worth $16,000.
I--No, nothing like that, just a few coins.
He--Old coins?
I--No, just a few modern coins.
He--You know, this illegal in Europe. Police see you, they arrest you. They ask if you find anything, you say no, they don't believe you.
I--Well I know they detect in England.
He--England not so strict.
I--Well (looking down and hoping to get back to detecting)
He--How much that cost? (indicating the detector)
I--(Intentionally lowballing) $1500.
He--You make back $1500?
I--No, not yet...
He--How much you make today? How long you work?
I--Oh, just a few coins. I've been out about three hours, but I haven't found much today.
He--I see your coins? (I show them) Oh, just junk! No gold, no silver....
I--Yeah.
He--I call Italy. My friends not believe it.
I--What?
He--I tell them, "Today I meet a guy, he pay $1500 then he work three hours to get 44 cents! I better leave you alone, some day you might find quarter!"
I just stood there with my mouth open.......
I bet he has had a tough life and worked hard for everything he owns.