A few years ago I was contacted by a reader of my metal detecting/treasure hunting website, which I have since shut down. I had pages regarding the treasures of each State. The individual read one of the pages that had stories about possible treasures in his State. He asked me if I had any more information about a certain cache of gold and silver coins that I had posted a story about. I told him what my fee was for research and that if I found more information I would tell him and then after payment, I would send the details. The following story regarding what happened follows. The person that contacted me permitted me to tell this story as long as I change his name and did not give the details as to what State or township he lived in. I of course agreed. I’ll call him Rick.
When I sent Rick the follow-up information regarding the treasure he was interested in I told him, as I always do, to research the information I gave him even further before he began to search.
A year passed and I had forgotten about Rick when I received an email from him stating he would like more research done on the treasure story he was interested in. He also asked if it was possible to call me.
I usually do not take phone calls from treasure hunters I don’t know or from anyone, I am not familiar with. I’ve had too many dipshits trying to scam me on some bogus treasure they wanted me to help them find. Or, some TV producer, director, or casting director that wants me to join them in their new blockbuster treasure-hunting show either to appear or to be a consultant but is never willing to pay me what I’m worth. And most of those “promising” shows never got off the cutting room floor, or they quickly flopped. Anyway, from our many emails back and forth I knew Rick was above board. So I told him, “No problem,” call me.
In his call to me, Rick said he believed that after reading the research I sent to him that the treasure he was interested in was on his property. His reasoning was because of what he had witnessed on his property and what he heard from his neighbors, as well as what research I sent him. But, he wanted more information if possible.
His story to me was this. A few years before Rick first contacted me he purchased an old farm that included 110 acres of land. When he bought the property he never intended to search for buried treasure. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and spent hours hunting game that populated his property, as well as fishing in the river that bordered it. But after he happened onto my website he became interested in the page of lost treasure stories I wrote about in his State. Rick noticed one of the stories I wrote was in the town he lived in. That story piqued his interest. So he contacted me for more research.
Rick then decided to buy a metal detector. He figured that in his spare time, he would go willy-nilly on a treasure hunt. At that time, he wasn’t sure where the treasure was buried. Or, if it was even on his property. He told his wife and young daughter. “Heck, I have no clue what I’m doing. But at least now I can call myself a treasure hunter.” And then in our phone call discussion, he told me that as he hiked his property, or when he walked the area to hunt, he was noticing open holes in the dirt, some were the size of basketballs. Rick told me there were hundreds of them. He didn’t think animals were digging holes that large. And he didn’t know of any animal in the area that would even dig those size holes. He also said his neighbors told him that over the years they had chased individuals with metal detectors off their properties. I told Rick, with that information it seems that treasure hunters were digging on your property and being in a hurry, they didn’t give a damn and left the holes unfilled. I said to him, “Rick. Maybe that treasure is on your property and there is more information about it that others have that we have missed. I’ll research for you additionally. No charge for this one. But if my research leads to a treasure, just throw me a gold and silver coin my way.” Rick was happy with that and agreed.
I found more information regarding that treasure and forwarded the information to Rick. I told him that based on all of the information he now has, this treasure is possibly on his property and is most likely buried deeper than most treasures, and if so, his metal detector and the coil on it will not be able to pick it up. “You need a “Two-Box” detector,” I told him.
Rick had no idea what a “Two-Box” metal detector was. I explained how they worked and why they are needed for deep treasures. I recommended a few models. One of which is no longer manufactured but can be purchased used. The cost was more than what Rick wanted to spend for another metal detector but figured that if he spent a lifetime searching for that treasure and never found it, at least he will have enjoyed the search. And of course, if he found it, then the “Two-Box” became paid for.
Rick purchased a “Two-Box” and once again set out searching his property.
Two years passed and I had forgotten about Rick and his treasure hunt. And then in the late fall of a year out of the blue, Rick called and left an excited, and loud voicemail message.
“FRANK. PLEASE CALL ME.”
When I called Rick back he answered and screamed, happily into the phone. “Frank, what I’m about to tell you please keep it to yourself.”
Of course, except for this article, I have never told Ricks's story to anyone. And of course, I changed the treasure finder's name and kept the location secret as promised.
Rick did find that treasure on his property. And it was the “Two-Box” detector that located it. He would have never found it had he not bought it.
Rick told me the cache was hidden two feet below the ground. He said he located the deep treasure in an area that was previously detected by the scumbags that illegally went onto his private property. Rick mentioned there were unfilled holes directly above the treasure. Obviously, the trespassing treasure hunters were using metal detectors with coils not large enough to detect the goodies. Score one for Rick, and zero for the reprobates.
Rick also said that finding the treasure has not changed his lifestyle. Except that now he’s caught the “treasure hunting bug”, and plans on searching for another treasure in his State. He will also use some of the money from sales of his find for adding trail cameras throughout his property and for remodeling his 1800s farmhouse.
My metal detecting/treasure hunting TV series, “Exploring History’s Treasures” EHT, was the first REAL, reality, show of its kind. There was no scripting, no planting or salting the ground with finds before we dug them. Exploring History’s Treasures can now be viewed here.
Gotta love the research, that's almost as much fun as the hunt :)
Always nice to hear these stories. Gives me some incentive to do more metal detecting.