Any treasure hunters / gold prospectors here?

I enjoy treasure hunting and gold panning. Sometimes the results can be very rewarding. It's actually a lot of fun to get a gold dredge and vacuum all the sediments off the bottom of a creek, run it through a sluice, and see what you find. I've had more luck gold panning then I've had metal detecting. I hope to one day find an old silver coin if not better. My friend has found meteorites.

If anybody here does any of that kinda thing let me know. I'm working on a design project where I want to either improve the tools and performance of a gold dredge/gold prospecting tools, or maybe design a tool for metal detectors to make their jobs easier.

If any of you know anything about this topic or know of something that needs improvement in your treasure hunting equipment, post it here.

Also, feel free to post any treasure hunting stories!

 

I used to be into geocaching, that counts as treasure hunting right?
A master of garage sales too. That probably doesn't count though.

 

Cool topic! I'm going to rent a metal detector and go around my house and a old school house down the road. Some stranger asked if he could metal detect on my place once. I told him no cause I planned to do it. I found a 1939 penny on top of a mole mound of dirt once so I know there's treasures to be found. ALso, the original owners son who's around 80 now, told me where the original privy was located. Plan to dig cause I heard that old privy's are good for archeological finds. Good luck with prospecting!

 

My husband and I used to do that on river property in N.C. We still have all the equipment but haven't been there to do it in some time.

 

Well I originally didn't plan on garage sale finds. But technically people have found amazing things there. So I don't see why not. So go ahead and share some of your valuable garage sale finds. :2thumbsup:

 

Iv'e Had The Misfortune To Meet A Few "Gold Diggers" In My Lifetime...



Cheers Glen.

 

It's amazing what those moles will dig up, isn't it? Great find!

That reminds me of the time my friend and I found an Obsidian arrowhead on top of a gopher hill. It was a phenomenal find. Probably my best one yet. You ought to get yourself a good metal detector and see what sort of things you'll find on the property. Often construction sites naturally excavate deep areas that will uncover some old stuff, from what I've heard. You can take advantage of that with a metal detector.

 

Whats really freaky is i found it and gave it to my sons mom cause I couldnt read the date but I knew it was old. The date was her grandmothers birth year who died two months earlier. My sons mom freaked and knows it was a sign from her grandma that she was OK and watching over us.

Nice! One of our kids found a arrowhead in a rock garden that was from dirt dug up when they made the driveway. The kid was only 4 or 5 and knew it was a special find. A crystal was growing in the center of the arrow head. In perfect condition! Also found a stone knife or scraper while walking thru a cornmaze. ITs orange colored so really stood out. It fits perfectly in the hand and is still very sharp!

 

I've got 2 hide scrapers I found near the creek.

 

My son just got a good metal detector and we're gonna check out the old homesites here on the farm. I know of 3 places where houses once stood, some have been gone for over a hundred years. There's an old, long abandoned wagon road on part of my property too. The old iron wheels cut a deep trench where the road bed was. We'll walk all of that too.

Back when I was a kid grandpa still didn't trust banks so he buried money in the dirt(shit) floor of the chicken house and barns. It wasn't the kind of place people would be digging around...too much shit. I'm sure gonna check around inside all the old barn sites. Also there are lots of First Peoples artifacts around here too. We got great clay for pottery and find shards all the time...nothing special though.

Its great fun to look though.

 

When my boys were younger and would find a nice arrow, spear or whatever I told them that it was a gift to them from the people who were here before us. We would kneel in the dirt and thank the person who made that rock tool. Often we would make up a story about what happened on the day they lost it...in a hunt or battle or a raid. We would ask them to walk with us to show us more of their art. It would make fun days for us. A lunch packed and a full day of adventure. We sometimes would call out to our friends across the years to visit and join us.

Hummm, great topic for rediscovered memories

 

Pretty sure the coolest thing I've found at a sale was something that very well could be a Neolithic stone tool.
The coolest thing about it is was clearly crafted for a left hander (like me!)
I'm not claiming to know if it is real or not, but hell, I like to think it is

 

Yes, I have treasure hunting from age 16 (never gold panning). I can post photographs soon, if you would like? I have found from Roman, Medieval to Nazi German currency.

A place best to search is Volgograd, very popular for Historians. Here you will find bullets, (full weapons, even), coins, shells, and it is very common! The Volga Uplands you are certain almost to find something, you would have terrible luck to not. I was told a tank was found in the River, I have found human remains there.

I also have found many wonderful items in ghost cities to my collection!

 

All the gold we have found is the size of a Rice Crispie or smaller but gold prospecting is such an enjoyable hobby that the fun is in the looking.

 

Cool, cool, cool, I'd love to see a few of your finds.
I've been through a few ghost towns. Never with a metal detector. I want to someday. There's a few old western mining towns and some abandoned homesteads. I suppose that would be good places to go looking.

The oldest relics I've found are arrowheads, broken spear heads and things like that. Typically these things are found in dry lake beds and receded lake shores. Water naturally washes these things ashore. They are also prime areas to find meteorites.

 

Not but I occasionally watch Meteorite Men on the Science Channel :2thumbsup:


Hotwater

 

I don't have any technical ideas, but I do love panning for gold. I don't really make anything from it, I just think it's fun.

 

Have turned up a few pieces of spanish gold and fruit jars with coins.