Many years ago I picked up a copy of Western and Eastern treasure at the grocery store while my wife was shopping. As I thumbed through the magazine I was amazed to see all the silver and gold that had been dug from the ground. I began reading everything I could find about detecting and knew I had to have one of those magical machines. Problem was, there wasn't a abundance of available money in our household at the time......so I continued reading and dreaming of the day I would be digging all that treasure from the earth. One month I saw a add from a detector dealer in W&E (which I had subscribed to and read from cover to cover every month) the dealer was not far from where I lived and the next Saturday I went to see him.
When I entered his shop I was amazed to see all the displays of recovered treasure he had on display....Civil war relics, gold jewelery, and heaps and heaps of old silver coins.....all found with the magic little machines......I had to have one!
As he demonstrated each machine in my price range,,,,,,, which was really low at the time......I finally settled on a Bounty Hunter that was priced at about $100.00. I gave him $25.00 down to put it in lay-a-way with the understanding that I would pay at least $10.00 per week on it until it was paid off. I made the payments each week and it was a exciting day when I paid it off and my mind was filled with images off all the silver and gold I KNEW I was going to find as I put it together and read the instruction manual
I cranked the discrimination up to the max before confidently heading out to my own front yard for the maiden voyage with my young son right behind me. Almost immediately I hit a good signal which when I tryed to dig came across my first problem........the ground was frozen as hard as a rock! Not a problem.....I retrieved a shop hammer,chisel and 5 gallon bucket and began chiseling chunks of frozen earth from the ground with the "treasure" still encased in the frozen dirt ....dropping each chunk into the bucket till I had it full....I then carried the bucket into the house to let the "treasure " thaw while I continued chiseling out the dozens of good hits I had made and filling another bucket.......by the time I had filled the second bucket....the first had started to thaw and the whole family gathered round the kitchen table to see what treasures lay in the frozen earth.
.I felt like a kid at Christmas as I held the first piece of thawing dirt in my hands and when a coin fell out as I began to crumble it up....I quickly snatched it up to see what it was.....I was thrilled to see a 1970 something memorial cent my first dug coin! This scene repeated itself dozens of times over the next couple of hours....and when the last bucket was emptied I had dug a couple of dozen all modern coins....mostly cents with a couple of dimes....I was thrilled if you can imagine that! (Much more to come if anyone is int rested....gotta go for now have company)
When I entered his shop I was amazed to see all the displays of recovered treasure he had on display....Civil war relics, gold jewelery, and heaps and heaps of old silver coins.....all found with the magic little machines......I had to have one!
As he demonstrated each machine in my price range,,,,,,, which was really low at the time......I finally settled on a Bounty Hunter that was priced at about $100.00. I gave him $25.00 down to put it in lay-a-way with the understanding that I would pay at least $10.00 per week on it until it was paid off. I made the payments each week and it was a exciting day when I paid it off and my mind was filled with images off all the silver and gold I KNEW I was going to find as I put it together and read the instruction manual
I cranked the discrimination up to the max before confidently heading out to my own front yard for the maiden voyage with my young son right behind me. Almost immediately I hit a good signal which when I tryed to dig came across my first problem........the ground was frozen as hard as a rock! Not a problem.....I retrieved a shop hammer,chisel and 5 gallon bucket and began chiseling chunks of frozen earth from the ground with the "treasure" still encased in the frozen dirt ....dropping each chunk into the bucket till I had it full....I then carried the bucket into the house to let the "treasure " thaw while I continued chiseling out the dozens of good hits I had made and filling another bucket.......by the time I had filled the second bucket....the first had started to thaw and the whole family gathered round the kitchen table to see what treasures lay in the frozen earth.
.I felt like a kid at Christmas as I held the first piece of thawing dirt in my hands and when a coin fell out as I began to crumble it up....I quickly snatched it up to see what it was.....I was thrilled to see a 1970 something memorial cent my first dug coin! This scene repeated itself dozens of times over the next couple of hours....and when the last bucket was emptied I had dug a couple of dozen all modern coins....mostly cents with a couple of dimes....I was thrilled if you can imagine that! (Much more to come if anyone is int rested....gotta go for now have company)
I took a new detector out in the frozen yard once and got a good signal but it was spring before I dug that clad quarter. It is a wonderful hobby. I wish I had enough hours in the day to do all that interests me
I remember well when both you and i were new here to the forum and as you said we all made such good friends here that we treasure still.