Treasure Classifieds Forum

One of the things I wanted to bring up to a lot of folks on this forum is the question of finds. I know a lot of the relic hunters use this same analogy, but I seem to find this pretty pertinent to other areas. And not just for relics.

Many of my finds come from a good deal of deductive logic. Not initially from finding silver or important relics. But from, of all things, foil and lead.

I can't count how many times I've gone over a new site and found foil signals all over the place and then, maybe some melted lead, and then silvers spills with IH's and V's. And then sometimes, an old campfire ring of stone. I'd been there had I lived in that time. But I'm here now, seeing where they were. It's such a thrill. Oh there's iron here and there but not to the extent of a city lot, for example. And I'm talking out in the woods people. Right next to civilization!

So I've looked at this from so many aspects it makes my head rattle, besides the bells in my ears. Look at the territory. That's the cusp of this statement. Was it a good place for a hunting campsite, construction area for pipelines, railroad construction or bridges long gone.

Not everything is on a map fellas. The maps are only clues. By location and use. Sometimes our detectors, and the users, tell us a lot of things that were never written down. We in the end become the writers of past history long forgotten by the general public. And that is not only our strongest legacy, but also our greatest challenge.

We are detectorists. We can find it. I have in my own small way and am simply amazed by what I find.

Have fun out there and HAPPY HUNTING!

ODF

ODF what maps do you look at ? I try to research but I have little luck in that regard. Google earth can only do so much.

(07-28-2015 10:41 PM)Ohio Dirt Fisher Wrote: [ -> ]One of the things I wanted to bring up to a lot of folks on this forum is the question of finds. I know a lot of the relic hunters use this same analogy, but I seem to find this pretty pertinent to other areas. And not just for relics.

Many of my finds come from a good deal of deductive logic. Not initially from finding silver or important relics. But from, of all things, foil and lead.

I can't count how many times I've gone over a new site and found foil signals all over the place and then, maybe some melted lead, and then silvers spills with IH's and V's. And then sometimes, an old campfire ring of stone. I'd been there had I lived in that time. But I'm here now, seeing where they were. It's such a thrill. Oh there's iron here and there but not to the extent of a city lot, for example. And I'm talking out in the woods people. Right next to civilization!

So I've looked at this from so many aspects it makes my head rattle, besides the bells in my ears. Look at the territory. That's the cusp of this statement. Was it a good place for a hunting campsite, construction area for pipelines, railroad construction or bridges long gone.

Not everything is on a map fellas. The maps are only clues. By location and use. Sometimes our detectors, and the users, tell us a lot of things that were never written down. We in the end become the writers of past history long forgotten by the general public. And that is not only our strongest legacy, but also our greatest challenge.

We are detectorists. We can find it. I have in my own small way and am simply amazed by what I find.

Have fun out there and HAPPY HUNTING!

ODF

Very well said, Ed The only thing I'd have to disagree with, is that I'm NOT amazed at how well you're doing You're using capable equupment, you're very proficient with it, you're putting in the required search time, and you're going off the beaten path, and hunting places that were well traveled. Hard work and dedication will always bear fruit in the long run.

And yes, although map work is important, and can yield some terrific spots that produce amazing finds, the map is only the starting point. The map GETS you there. Once there, it is up to you, the hunter, to start piecing everything together...the clues. And this is true whether hunting woods, the beach, or even an old park. What types of targets are you digging? What kind of junk is there, and from what period is it from? How come I'm finding so many shotgun shells, was this an old hunting area? The questions are many. And as we piece them together, a picture of the site itself starts emerging.

I think many detectorists (including myself, at times) due to haste or excitement can overlook certain clues about an area. But if one take the time, whether it happens conciously, or even unconciously, sooner or later a story will start being told.

I found an old heel plate with a heart cutout at one of my spots a couple of seasons ago. One of my favorites. But what was THAT doing there?! I knew there was troop activity in the area way back when, but not at this particular spot. Maybe it was a working girl who wore it, which is another theory. Bottom line, it was a clue. So, I started digging pretty much anything at this place, and was rewarded with old badges, tokens, etc. Maybe if I never found that, I would've been only cherry picking the coin signals, who knows. I happened to find it though, and changed strategies because of it, which paid off.

Landmarks and terrain are also huge tells. There are guys who can read a beach or wooded site like they were standing there 150 years ago.

As you said, the map is just the starting point. It'll get you there, but then it's time to put the thinking cap on and start doing some detective work.

Joe

(07-29-2015 06:45 AM)Kajunman Wrote: [ -> ]ODF what maps do you look at ? I try to research but I have little luck in that regard. Google earth can only do so much.

I look at google earth first for wooded areas. Then I look at historic map aerials from 1952 and do a comparison of the two. Then I may look at another site with maps that go back to 1857. I included all the map reference I use.

Believe it or not a lot of the woodland you see on google earth was farmland. I want to see where the woods were still woods back in the aerial photos and if there were any houses in that area on the old maps. Sometimes it's pretty difficult to do because either the roads had different names or they never existed. But it is doable.

http://www.historicmapworks.com

http://www.historicaerials.com
If you want to search an aerial site just put the zip code in!

ODF

I haven't been off of the path in a long time. I did research this past winter and only visited a few of those spots but they were busted. I'll have to do more research now that the weather is very hot.

Ed, you are doing great and you put in a real good effort - it hows in your results

Well said Ed and Joe, research is one thing but many of my finds come from sites I found by just driving around. As Joe knows here in New Jersey open land is getting harder to find, so many folks are starting to hunt on private property.

Thanks ODF. I really appreciate the info.