Treasure Hunter eBook 2010a11

From Noted Author, Soldier of Fortune and Treasure Hunter

JACK THOMPSON

Of

An Illustrated Easy-to-Follow Reference for Beginners and

Experienced Metal Detectors that Includes Never BeforeRevealed Information about finding Lost Treasure

This Book is Intended for the More

Serious Minded and Intrepid Individual

The Holy GrailTreasure Hunting

A COMPLETE AND COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

TO TREASURE HUNTING FOR A LIVING

Table of Contents

Preface..............................................................................................Page 1

Dedication.........................................................................................Page 2

Introduction......................................................................................Page 3

Chapter One

What this Book is not about...............................................................Page 7

Other aspects of treasure hunting........................................................Page 8

Educating yourself - Know the Law....................................................Page 9

Chapter Two

Self Survival - A serious reality check.................................................Page 11

Consider the Possibilities.................................................................Page 12

Keeping the dream alive....................................................................Page 13

Anything in moderation....................................................................Page 14

Modern Day Pirates.........................................................................Page 15

Boobie Traps...................................................................................Page 16

Chapter Three

Setting youself up for success..........................................................Page 17

Cosmic Intervention.........................................................................Page 18

Things in your favor.........................................................................Page 19

Long history of lost treasure.............................................................Page 20

Other unique finds...........................................................................Page 21

Using Google Earth..........................................................................Page 22

Chapter Four

Discretion........................................................................................Page 23

Chapter Five

Different types of treasure hunting....................................................Page 25

Chapter Six

Choosing a metal detector................................................................Page 27

Dowsing..........................................................................................Page 28

Chapter Seven

Hope and Research..........................................................................Page 31

Faith, Trust and Determination..........................................................Page 32

Chapter Eight

Equipment - Tools of the trade.........................................................Page 34

Common Sense and Safety...............................................................Page 36

Table of Contents

Chapter Nine

Site Reading - Conceptual Interpretation

Old Forts and Batteries............................................................................37

Using your instincts..................................................................................39

Gidding and Plotting................................................................................41

Getting the Edge......................................................................................42

Chapter Ten

Ghost Towns and Old Homesteads..........................................................43

Chapter Eleven

Beaches, Shore lines, Shallow and Deep Water..........................................44

The Beach Zone.......................................................................................48

The Hard-Packed Zone............................................................................49

The Shallows Zone..................................................................................50

The Activity Zone....................................................................................51

The Deep Zone........................................................................................52

Cuts and Channels...................................................................................53

Sub-Chapter Eleven

Shipwrecks and Scuba Diving..................................................................56

Water hides a vast amount of treasure.......................................................57

Chapter Twelve

Search Techniques..................................................................................59

Chapter Thirteen

Maps Old and New..................................................................................62

Summery Review...................................................................................64

Metal Detecting Sites............................................................................66

Weather you want to pursue treasure hunting as a part time or full time

venture you can now approach it with the confidence of a seasoned profes-

sional. Never before has there been a book like this one. A complete and

comprehensive guide to finding lost and buried treasure.

You are about to become the benefactor of more well kept secrets than

you’ve ever imagined. You will be able to enter the world of treasure hunting

with real world knowledge of how to actually go about it.

My name is Jack Thompson and I’ve spent almost 50 years of my life ac-

quiring this knowledge and information in tiny little bits and pieces along the

way. Sometimes at great personal cost. It would only make sense for any of

you to wonder why am I willing to divulge all of these well guarded and time

honored secrets among treasure hunters?

Well that’s just it. Time! The one thing I no longer have an abundance of is

time. Besides, I’ve already had my share of success and limited notoriety.

After all, what else do people do at the end of their run but write a book

about their exploits. What’s the point of a lifetime’s work and achievement if

you can’t pass it along.

This is why I’ve decided to let you in on all the untold secrets of this alluring

world of adventure and discovery. This book will reveal to you many of the

proven techniques and methods that successful treasure hunters use and have

kept to themselves from the very beginnings of early salvors and ancient

recovery vessels to modern times.

This is also going to make some people very unhappy. My apologies to any

and all of you - Deal with it!

Real World Treasure

Preface

1

THE RICHEST TREASURE I ever found was my loving and devoted

wife Lynn who I met on one of those rare occasions when I wasn’t looking

for something. Truly the very best way to find anything. A real siren of the

sea her sweet and melodic song lured me into her arms and have held me

there to this day. She has put up with my unconventional ideas and misad-

ventures without hesitation or regard for her own feelings for as long as

we’ve been together. It is only because of her that I am what I am today.

Her love and loyalty throughout the years has always been my inspiration to

seek out the treasures of life and see the good in people. Over the years my

love and passion for treasure has gradually faded and been replaced com-

pletely by my love for her in what I see as my greatest find ever. No amount

of treasure could ever replace her importance and value in my life. So for all

the time we’ve spent apart, and all the time it took me to put this book to-

gether and take away from you, once again I say thank you for being my

wife. You are truly my golden goddess of luck and good fortune and in my

eyes shine brighter than any treasure I’ve ever looked upon.

Dedication

Real World Treasure

2

Love is the

greatest treasure

of all. I love

you wife.

SINCE I WAS A BOY growing up in Key West, I’ve been hunting for

treasure. With little or nothing for a young boy to do back in the early

1960’s, the Keys did offer one particular thing: Many stories of buried pirate

plunder, sunken Spanish treasure ships, salvors and ships that were deliber-

ately scuttled on the reefs. Finding gold dou- bloons,

pieces of eight and the like always peeked my interest.

Heck, it peeked every body’s interest for that matter.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much a 12 year old boy

could do to locate any of that sort of thing until one

fateful day - my father - who worked in a shipyard, brought home a strange

looking piece of equipment. “It’s a Metal Detector!” He exclaimed. “You

use it to find stuff and they were going to throw it away.” “I don’t know

how it works or even if it works, but you can fool around with it if you

want.” He said.

I COULDN’T BELIEVE MY EARS. “A metal detector! Wow! Uhh,

OK... Wait a minute, what’s a metal detector?” I asked. “You can find

metal things like coins and rings.” My dad said. I had never even heard of a

metal detector before but upon hearing that I couldn’t wait to try it out. It

only had a couple of knobs and an on/off switch so how hard could it be to

figure out how to use it, right? It took some kind of battery that I’d never

seen before and I tried my best to find some way to make it work. But it was

an effort in futility, even after rigging a power source it still didn’t work!

Real World TreasureReal World Treasure

“THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED”

The road less traveled is also the road to riches and fame.Follow the road that one twelve year old boy decided to takeand find out just how far he went and what he discovered!

Introduction

3

THERE WAS NO ONE who could help me with the electronics. Not in

Key West anyway. But that wasn’t going to stop me. That fact that I now

knew there was such a thing as a metal detector was all that mattered and all I

did was badger my father day in and day out to get me

one. (At this point I’m sure he was sorry he ever brought

it home.) Why if I had a metal detector just think of the

possibilities. All my dreams and aspirations were attain-

able. I’d be rich, recognized and well thought of in the

community. Buried treasure was just on the horizon. It

was just outside my door on the beach or perhaps in the

park or some of the smaller islands and Cays. I tingled with excitement and

anticipation. Day dreaming became a full time pass time.

BUT METAL DETECTORS were a hard item to come by back in

those days and the Sears and Roebuck catalog didn’t carry them either.

“Man, if Sears didn’t have them nobody did.” At least that’s what my father

said. I think he was just trying to discourage me or put me off once and for

all. Admittedly, I was a bit of a pain in backside about it. But nothing was

going to stop me. I was determined. Owning my own metal detector was

my way off of this dinky, nothing to do, no where to go swamp of an island!

(I wish I could afford to live there today... But that’s another chapter I’m

going to write in my next book: “Things I should have done!”) But I di-

gress!

OK, SO ONE AFTERNOON I was sulking and kicking dirt down at

the boat yard when one my father’s co-workers yells “hey kid! - Did you

ever get that thing to work?” I looked over at him... He was smiling a bit and

looked harmless enough so I said “no, that piece of crap! All it does is beep

and hum.” “That’s what it’s supposed to do kid!” He said with a bigger

smile. “What!” I exclaimed! “What do you mean that’s what it does.” I

asked. “Yeah, and when you go over top a piece of metal it makes sort of a

whistle or some other kind of noise. I used it around here to find parts and

stuff we dropped in the sand.” He added.

Real World Treasure

4

Real World Treasure

I WAS STYMIED for a few seconds. I never thought of putting some-

thing down on the ground and going over top of it. How could I have been

so stupid, so naive, so lacking in vision. “Oh my god!” I thought to myself.

That thing could actually have been working all along.

ALL OF THIS went through my brain in a couple of seconds. Upon

bringing myself to this realization and gathering my thoughts I virtually

“landed” on the poor guy. So many questions pored through my head I

could hardly ask them one at a time. “Woah, woah, woah, kid!” He said.

“First of all your old man left the charging chord here. I think it’s still in the

shop. So I don’t know how you could tell if it worked or not.” He contin-

ued. I told him about my rigging up a power supply but the only thing I

could get it to do is squeal, beep and whistle. He laughed out loud much to

my chagrin.

I WAS FEELING like a complete moron but so excited with the pros-

pect that it actually worked I didn’t know

what to do next. The guy’s name turned

out to be “Sully” short for “Sullivan”

probably. I would have called him

“Dad” if he would show me how the

metal detector worked. We walked over

to the shop and by godzilla, there was the

charging chord. “Hot Damn, one step

closer to fame and freedom” I thought to

myself.

SULLY SAID: “you go home and charge the battery, it’ll take all night,

and then tomorrow bring it here on my lunch break and I’ll show you what I

know.” Holy cow! It was all I could do to contain myself. I ran home and

plugged it in with nervous anticipation and sure enough, the charging light

came on! I was on my way to fame and fortune! When my old man came

home (I was going to say “Dad” but for now Sully was my new “Dad”) I

told him what happened that afternoon and asked why he never said anything

about Sully. “I don’t know.” He said with a puzzled look on his face. “I

never new what he was doing with it I guess.”

The boat yard where my old manand “Sully” worked!

5

Real World Treasure

HARDLY AN EXCUSE of any kind I thought. Parents are supposed to

know everything. At least that’s what they kept telling me. I couldn’t stop

going into my room and checking to see if the light did anything. I woke up

during the night to check it’s progress several times... Nothing. When I

woke up the light was green and a whole new world awaited me. I started

waving that thing over nails in the floor, change from the old man’s ash tray

and anything else I ran across or over - all the time paying particular attention

to the sounds and tones.

I AMUSED MYSELF all morning and then went over to see Sully. He

said there used to be a manual but it had long since disappeared. Mostly

what he did was just confirm what I had already learned that morning. He

was hardly an expert with it and told me he just responded to most any

sound it made in the area he was searching. We tried screws and different

types of metal, springs and small parts of all kinds. When I brought his

attention to the different sounds it made over different objects he said “well

I’ll be darned, it does make different sounds. I never noticed that.” I knew

at that point that Sully would no longer be of any help to me. Sully didn’t

have the “ear” for it. He was tone deaf. But thanks to him a whole new

world of adventure opened up for me and put me on a course that has taken

me to where I am today. (Not that that’s any big deal.)

THIS WAS MY INTRODUCTION into the fascinating world of Metal

Detecting. If you’re just starting out I hope it holds as much excitement and

wonder for you as it always has for me. But there are some perils and pitfalls

along the way. How you start your adventure has everything to do with how

successful you will be in the end. So read on, read carefully and don’t skip

any important steps or be in a hurry. The treasure will always be there wait-

ing for you - the trick is finding it and that’s what this book is all about.

6


7

Chapter One

What this Book is not about!

The information in this book is intended for serious mindedand intrepid individuals who wish to pursue treasure huntingbeyond the scope of a hobby! THERE ARE AT BEST a couple of dozen books out there on metal

detecting and treasure hunting and I’ve read every one of them. I’ve also

visited the many on-line web sites and I’ve got to say that if you combined all

of that information you still wouldn’t have enough to attempt to make a living

at it or even enjoy it as a hobby. Any useful information has been purposely

left out and what is given is comprised of useless advise like wearing sun

screen and comfortable clothing. What this book is not about is what I would

consider everyday common sense and the natural law of “assumption.” What

that means is I’m assuming that you have enough sense to know that treasure

hunting for a living has some drawbacks and you already know how to pack a

lunch.

SOME OF THE RAMBLINGS and nonsense I’ve read that’s in print

and actually published lends way too much credibility to the phrase “The

dumbing down of America.” If someone actually has to tell you not to dive

into shark infested waters or play out in traffic, please find some other source

of self fulfillment. Filling in the holes you dig, cleaning your finds, and look-

ing for treasure in your own backyard is not what your going to find on these

pages.

THIS BOOK is dedicated to serious minded individuals who are savvy in

the ways of the world, have a sense of taking risks and don’t have to be told

to tie their boots. I’m not trying to dissuade any one new to the sport of

treasure hunting, in fact, for you beginners, this is without a doubt the best

thing you could have hit upon.

INTREPID - DEFINITION: Fearless, Courageous, Bold, and Daring - Resolute -Determined

An eye openingexperience forbeginners but...

Seasoned professionals will

benifit as well

Real World Treasure

8

THOSE WHO WANT to better their chances of becoming a successful

treasure hunter are going to be enlightened, enthused and enriched by the

secrets you’re about to discover in this book.

Of course other informative books on trea-

sure hunting have been written, but most of

them focus exclusively on one particular

aspect like Coin hunting, shallow water hunt-

ing or relic hunting for example. And if

you’re looking for dimes, nickels and belt

buckles that’s fine too.

I AM ASSUMING of course that this is

not the only book you’ve read or are going to

read about treasure hunting. There are some

other books out there worth reading but they

don’t cover the entire process and fall woe-

fully short of any serious educational value. They are usually dedicated to a

specific type of metal detecting, visual hunting, digging in trash pits for old

bottles, going to garage sales and Flea Markets or panning for gold in

streams. They talk about how to prepare for a treasure hunt by packing a

nice picnic lunch, slathering on sun block and waiting for years for storms

and hurricanes to uncover potential finds.

TALKING ABOUT HOW to avoid poison ivy and chiggers is not what

my idea of useful information and I’m assuming you have already consid-

ered the risks and rewards. I’m not going to tell you about the rules all good

treasure hunters should follow like filling in the holes you dig and the many

benefits of doing community service. This book is geared toward real

world treasure hunting not archeology, or looking for primitive artifacts like

spear heads and arrow points. Notwithstanding you

need to do research on these other things as well as

they are not without merit or potential value. And

you do not want to leave anything of potential

value no matter what it is.

“Carpe Diem” - Sieze the Day!


9

THERE ARE OTHER THINGS you need to know about like; legalities

concerning private property, contracts, local ordinances, state parks, federal

land, treasure trove laws, third party claims and other such things. This

information is available and easily accessible but I’m not trying to fill up

pages in a book by offering advise like “wear Dr. Scholl’s insert cushions in

your shoes.” This book is the informational meat and potatoes of treasure

hunting - mostly the meat.

YOU NEED to be as well informed and educated as possible in any

venture you pursue full time as a means of income and treasure hunting is not

an exception. Professional gamblers live their lives dealing with risks,

odds and possibilities. But they narrow down the edge and improve their

chances by learning every thing they can and factoring in a little

luck. Insurance companies are really nothing more than book

makers (they’re called actuaries because it sounds

dignified than bookie,) who calculate the odds of

injury, accident or death mathematically. There are

other examples I could use to convince you that

risk is an acceptable part of life and should be

taken in stride, but I’m not trying to do that.

Treasure hunting involves risk, so again, what this book

is not about is a promise or guarantee of success, but

it will most definitely narrow down the odds and provide

you with the edge.

Know the Law in your State

regarding metal detecting

and treasure hunting!

INFORM AND EDUCATE YOURSELF

more

Real World Treasure

10

IF YOU WANT to join a treasure hunting club for whatever reason be

my guest. Some people derive a lot of enjoyment from it for one reason or

another. Will any of them share good information with you? Well, that re-

mains to be seen. But don’t count on it. If you don’t like feeling that you’re

“a bit out of the norm” and you share a certain kindred spirit with the boys

in the club, I would consider that as a good reason because we are at best, an

unusual bunch.

BUT SUCH IS NOT the intent of this book. I’m not going to tell you to

keep a journal, ask permission to be on someone’s property or make sure

you’ve got gas in your tank. One eBook I read consisted of 43 pages includ-

ing the front and back cover. Now I know that most eBooks are usually not

more than 50 pages but this one was double spaced, used a size 14 font had

huge pictures between every 3 or 4 lines of words per page, had about 6 half

pages, had 6 or 7 pages of permission slips for home owners 5 pages of

absolute gibberish and nonsense, 5 pages of things that don’t pertain to the

USA at all and the remaining pages filled with the most useless information

I’ve ever read and to top it off looks like a 6 year old put it together. And all

this for the everyday low price of almost $40.00. Oh well - Every lesson

worth learning in life costs something. Even if it’s learning what not to do.

If anything this book is not - It’s that! You’re going to

spend some money doing research. You should expect to. Books are re-

search. If you think treasure hunting is without cost and you can use a metal

detector you found at a garage sale for $10.00 you’re being unrealistic and

need to re-evaluate your approach. There are people who will argue this

point but they are hobbyists not serious minded hunters. This book holds

many real world secrets that are worth real money and is about real world

treasure hunting and metal detecting. So if this is what you’re looking for -

keep reading - you won’t be disappointed!

A certain kindred spirit!

MOST BOOKS you read will be very disappointing


11

Chapter Two

Self survival - A serious reality checkKeeping a reasonable perspective and a level head on yourshoulders - gold fever is a condition not a symptom

TREASURE HUNTING as a hobby is a great pass

time and has it’s own rewards but making it your full time

job is going to require some self analysis. Questions have to

asked and answered concerning your intensions and level of

commitment. Your individual psychological profile, personal

finances, marital and family status, zest for adventure, avail-

able time and so on are all questions you should ask and

answer to yourself before you continue. Perhaps your a

daydreamer and just curious about the subject. That’s fine too.

BUT FOR THOSE of you with true intentions, understand that treasure

hunting can be a cruel mistress that can only be handled by certain types of

individuals in a financial position to do so, and only you know your own

limitations. This is why so many metal detectors end up collecting dust in the

garage. It sure sounds like a good idea at the time but without a certain

amount of success you will soon become frustrated, disillusioned and give

up the dream.

THE TWO REASONS most new business ventures fail are the lack of

money to carry them over until a reasonable return is realized and the lack of

knowledge or education regarding what they’re doing. I don’t know what

your monetary situation is but I do know the information contained in this

book will give you a proper education. So let’s begin your education with a

reality check: Is lost treasure real or is it just fantasy? Does treasure really

exist? How much is it out there? Can people who are looking for treasure

actually find it? What are my chances? Can you make a living at it?

Let’s get Real!

Think about it-

Don’t quit your

day job just yet

Real World Treasure

12

The Lost City of Troy

Trojan relic believed to bethe “death mask” of KingPriam whose reign endedwith the sacking of the cityof Troy by the Greeks leadby rival King Agamemnonalong with many Greekheroes of the age like Ajax,Achilles and Ulysses.

Consider the possibilities!

GoldReale

Pendantfrom the wreck of

theAtocha

THE ANSWER to these compelling questions is quite simply “yes!”Yes to all of them. It’s not fantasy, it really does exist, there’s an abundance

of it that’s not yet been found, people who look for it do indeed find it, and

your chances are actually pretty

good believe it or not. If you

want more encouragement let’s

consider one famous treasure

hunter by the name of Kip

Wagner who doggedly searched

the eastern shores of Florida’s

beaches for remanence of the

1715 Spanish treasure fleet that

went down during a fierce hurri-

cane and found several of those

ships just off the coast. To this day, people are still finding gold and silver

coins on those same beaches.

A WELL KNOWN treasure hunter named Mel Fisher (who worked with

Kip Wagner for a time) and his quest for the Spanish treasure ship Nuestra

Senora de Atocha brought headlines around the world. How about the real

life Indian Jones; archeologist Dr. John Russell who’s exploits of finding and

preserving the Treasures of Nineveh in the middle east have brought him

fame and fortune or Dr. Robert Ballard who found the Titanic in 1985 and

has gone on to find many lost sunken treasure ships across the seven seas.

Several other famous treasure hunters are; Art McKee,

Heinrich Schliemann (Lost City of Troy), Cork Graham,

Mike Hatcher, Robert Marx, Lee Spence, Bob Weller,

Bobby Klein, Craig Hamilton, Marty Meylach, and

Tom Gurr who you may want to read about have all

made their contributions as well. Although these people

have had local, national and world wide acclaim there are many others who

have found treasure hordes and never mentioned it to anyone - ever. I know

this because I’m one of them.


13

WHAT I FOUND in Key West as a young boy is something I’ve never

told anyone to this day and I will take it’s secret to my grave. There are

treasure hunters out there who don’t want the notoriety or fame just so other

people won’t attempt to make claim to it. Inviting the prying eyes of the IRS

is not very desirable and there are always those that would relieve you of it in

other ways. It’s like hitting the lottery, people come from everywhere.

Friends, family, total strangers, investment firms, accountants, lawyers, the

list is unending.

THOSE THAT HAVE been through it will tell you it just takes any

pleasure you might have enjoyed right out of the entire experience. But let’s

not put the cart before the horse. You’ve got to find the treasure first! You

can deal with your success later. I mentioned that I was going to tell you

everything about treasure hunting and this is a very real part of it. So the

reality check goes on.

BEFORE YOU COMMIT yourself to anything you should know ev-

erything about it including yourself. There are lots of people who dream

about or even practice treasure hunting or metal detecting on weekends and

off hours as a hobby. This satisfies most of their dreams and illusions. It

also keeps them level in their world where they may have a larger commitment

to their family and putting food on the table. Unless you’re independently

wealthy or have a life whereby you are able to devote your time, money and

resources to treasure hunting the reality of doing it on a full time basis starts

to become very limited. This is the main reason there are so few people that

actually do it for a living.

THE ONE THING that keeps the dream alive is

the distinct possibility that on any given day someone

with or without a metal detector will find treasure!

Many times when they’re not even looking for it. It

may not be a large cache of gold and silver. It might

not be more than a coin from more recent times. The

point is they found it!

OTHER CONSIDERATIONSKeeping the dream alive

Real World Treasure

14

It’s been lost or forgotten about but it’s been

laying there just out of sight, hidden away all the while

just waiting to be found. (Not that long ago some

lucky fisherman literally stumbled onto a chest of gold on one of the smaller

cays near Key West.)

SO LET’S GET BACK to knowing yourself by asking some basic

questions: Do you have a compulsion to seek out treasure that is an abso-

lute driving force in you life? Is it one that would make you abandon your

family, friends, stability, career, or any hope of a secure future? If it is...

Then you’ve got the “treasure bug” and I would advise you to control your

urges of self destruction and abandonment and get a grip on reality. No, I am

not trying to discourage you, not in the least. I’m telling you I’ve seen this

happen and it’s not pretty.

DON’T LOOK AT THE WORLD of treasure hunting through a rose

colored spyglass. The end result can be devastating. I’m telling you to find

a reasonable balance with a realistic plan and goals. This is an absolute must

for your own salvation and survival. “Anything in moderation.” You’ve

heard that before somewhere right? Don’t sacrifice everything for the possi-

bility of nothing! I would encourage you to act accordingly within the con-

fines of your own particular circumstances and responsibilities in life. Being

sensible, patient and moderate is an important part of treasure hunting any-

way. Start practicing.

ON THE UP SIDE I can tell you that there are individuals that seek

treasure as a full time occupation and are very successful.

There are a number of treasure hunting, deep sea recov-

ery, and other related companies that derive all of their

revenues from finding unclaimed treasure. They are very

legitimate companies; some of which are actually traded on the NASDAQ

stock exchange. Don’t ever think treasure hunting is just for dreamers and

romantics.

Anything in moderation

YOU NEED TO GET A GRIP


15

ON THE DOWN SIDE I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you there is the

possibility that you may never find anything. It isn’t likely but it is a possibil-

ity you have to consider and always keep it in mind. It’s better that I tell you

all these things up front so that you can make an informed and intelligent

decision about treasure hunting for a living.

THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE I have to share with you: Believe it

or not, pirates still exist and in fact, are on the rise. They are very much

active all around the world and continue their age old customs. In recent

times more hijackings on the high seas are occurring claiming international

attention. Somalian pirates have had the audacity to attack U.S. cargo ships

and hold them for ransom. Imagine the fate of the many private vessels with

their passengers and crews who have never been heard from again. Truth be

told and the devil be damned - piracy has never really ended. The Gulf of

Mexico and the Caribbean have been their home and haunt for centuries and

contrary to popular belief, they have not vanished into history. Today,

whether it’s drug money, rich cargo, an expensive sailing vessel or scuttling

boats for insurance claims, they are constantly on the prowl.

THERE ARE - and I must tell you, some rather unsavory people in this

business. Most people don’t realize there is great competition among trea-

sure hunters which has many times lead to blood shed and death. Fights

over treasure, salvage rights or who got there first has sent many a brave

soul to his maker. Those few successful treasure hunters of today are

closely watched by others. Their movements and activities are monitored

constantly by those that would stop at nothing to claim the bounty of trea-

sure including cuttin’ a few throats!

What pirates?

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Some other things you didn’t want to know:

Real World Treasure

16

Regrettably, I need to warn

you about the unthinkable...

Booby traps left by people who

buried or hid their goods and

treasure. Mine shafts have been

rigged to collapse or flood by the

ancient Aztecs (among others) to

protect their precious sources

hundreds if not thousands of years

ago. Be extremely careful when

your digging something up. If

you’re not dead certain of what it

is you may become just that...

Dead!

“The two pan death trap”is the story of a man who buried

his treasure in the ground using

two cast iron frying pans. He set

the first on top of his money then took a WWII hand grenade, pulled the pin,

put a rubber band around the trip lever, soaked that with lighter fluid,

smashed it into a wad of plumbers putty handle towards the top, set the other

frying pan on top of that and filled in the hole. Lighter fluid has an almost

immediate degenerating effect on a rubber band so the only thing holding the

trip lever down is the weight of the upper frying pan and the dirt.

The neighbor, seeing him burying something in the ground waits pa-

tiently for months for the man to take his annual vacation and guess what? It

worked perfectly. Protecting the money from the explosion and completely

decapitating the neighbor. I want you reap the rewards but this is also part of

the reality. So, if you’re still with me and you’re not deterred by the profit of

doom and gloom let’s get on with it and learn how to search for and find lost

or hidden treasure.

One last thing!


17

Chapter Three

PEOPLE WHO DECIDE to and are able to pursue treasure hunting as

a full time job must be very committed - or should be committed either one.

Words of encouragement and words of warning are conflicting but of equal

importance when considering treasure hunting as a full time endeavour. Trea-

sure hunting could make you rich but I say this with the same hesitation as I

would say losing your job could be the best thing that ever happened to you.

USUALLY when people make a dramatic decision to do something as

unusual such as go to Hollywood to become a “star,” they are met with a

certain negative or at least questionable response from their families and

piers. “You’re What?!” They ask. Just saying the phrase “I’ve decided to

become a treasure hunter” to most people evokes questions about your

sanity and sound judgement making capabilities. So be prepared. This

pursuit is so out of the ordinary that most people just can’t get their head

around it. It’s fantasy not reality to them. Which means in turn that you

don’t live in reality!

SO GET USED TO IT if this is what you

decide to do. I can tell you from personal expe-

rience and a lifetime of naysayers it’s one of the

hardest obstacles to overcome. That is of

course until you find something. Now you’re

for real. You’ve got credibility. You may have

celebrity status. These same people now think

there might be something to this treasure hunting

thing. It doesn’t take much. It doesn’t have to

be a large cache of treasure or a horde of gold

reales. Just one little thing. Why? Because now

the fantasy has become the reality simply by a

“show of proof.”

Setting yourself up for success

TreasureHunting-

The lastFrontier!

Real World Treasure

18

If ONE LITTLE THING is found, that in itself is proof positive that

other things can be found. That’s it! And the same principle should tell you

the same thing. Be assured that finding treasure is not a pipe dream. People

find it all the time weather they’re looking or not. You’ve heard the old saying:

“I’d rather be lucky than skilled.” Well luck is definitely a factor in life. We

even call some people “lucky.” They always seem to be there when something

good happens. So, what is the luck factor?

CALL IT what you want kismet, luck, good fortune, fate, cosmic coinci-

dence, favor of the Gods, whatever. Luck may be intangible, but it cannot be

denied. It happens, it’s real and therefor exists. And

in the same vein of logic, so does lost treasure. To

accentuate the positive side of looking for lost

treasure let’s discuss why the odds might be in your

favor. Weather or not you believe in things like univer-

sal, spiritual or natural law they do indeed exist.

Just like the word “pseudoscience” is used in this

book there are things in the world that can’t be proven

but at the same time can’t be denied either. Here’s a secret for you: The

power of positive thinking works. Don’t ever doubt it. It’s better explained

and understood if we break it down into THREE PARTS:

THE FIRST PART being “focus.” You must focus on the finding aspect

by increasing your awareness of the world around you and particularly your

immediate surroundings. Heightened awareness is part of developing a “trea-

sure hunting mind set.”

THE SECOND PART is a universal law referred to as “the law of at-

traction.” When you visualize yourself being surrounded by treasure you will

attract it into your life. It’s a simple statement but it actually works.

Cosmic Intervention?Do you believe in astrology,card reading or mediums?

Well here’s some rather interesting and helpful information!

MEDITATION - CHI (q’i) - FENG SHUI - CLAIRVOYANCE - INTUITION ...?


19

THE THIRD PART is what’s called a “spiritual law” that works in

harmony with “what ever you focus on, you will attract” and in doing so will

further develop the treasure hunting mind set by believing in yourself. I’m

not one who believes in mystics, psychics, palm readers or the possibility

that God is going to lead me to treasure, but in this business you would be

wise use anything and everything that might help! It’s a powerful combina-

tion.

BUT THAT’S CERTAINLY NOT the only thing you’ve got going for

you. Shear numbers - Your largest asset. The amount of treasure that’s been

lost and forgotten about is beyond numeric calculation.

There are so many factual accounts of people finding

walls full of coins, treasures in the attic, personal caches

of gold, army payrolls, lost mines, sunken Spanish trea-

sure, bank robbers’ booty, train robbers’ takin’s, gang-

ster loot, pirate plunder and so on, that volumes of books have been written

on the subject.

BUT HERE’S THE GOOD PART; most estimates based on what’s

out there and what’s been found are to say the least very encouraging. There

are billions of dollars in currency that are not accounted for. And that’s just

currency. Think about that! This kind of information will help you develop a

mind set. This is the beginning and essential building block of setting your-

self up for success.

MORE MONEY has been lost and hidden than there is in circulation

today. Try to think in those terms. Better yet try to imagine from the time the

first coin was pressed (which is believed to be the Lydian electrum trite

minted by King Alyattes in Sardis, Lydia, Asia Minor which is now present-

day Turkey, c. 610-600 BC,) until now how many coins have been minted,

and then lost, buried, hidden or sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

Here’s a good example of spiritual law: Two equal and opposing armies

face each other on the field of battle. Which one wins? - The one with

the superior attitude. Why? - The power of positive thinking!

20

WE COULD NOT conceive the number of wars and

battles that raged in every corner of the globe or the raids

that were made by foreign invaders in far off lands. Hos-

tile hordes of barbarians, Roman legions and armies of

unknown origins have killed tens of millions of people

from antiquity to modern times all over the world.

IN THIS COUNTRY alone from the time of it’s

earliest settlers to present day think about the battles and

skirmishes with the explorers who encountered the savage

Indians and met their end and the many wars that occurred

throughout our brief history. All of these events are con-

tributory to the enormous amounts of personal and gov-

ernment treasure that’s been lost.

FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES of people fleeing

invading armies or attacks by rival tribes have had to hide and bury their

valuables so they wouldn’t be taken. Soldiers buried their pay and armies

buried their payroll to avoid its capture by the enemy. There are so many

case scenarios why people buried their personal treasures it staggers the

imagination. What’s more, many of them never returned to collect it. Done

in by villains, consumed by fever, killed by wars, shanghaied or put in jail

themselves, their treasure still remains right were they left it.

FROM Stagecoach hold ups to Lost Dutchman Mines, Mexican Bandits,

Moonshiners, Rum Runners, Stick Up Artists, Train Robbers (and the list

goes on,) all have hidden or buried treasure and for one reason or another

never come back to recover it. Treasure can virtually be anywhere. No

matter how the landscape has changed or how much time has gone by

someone’s treasure big or small can be right under your feet. This is a real

possibility. You can’t rule out or discount any location.

Grasping the concept

The world has a long historyof lost treasure ...

The

Los

t Te

mpl

ar T

reas

ure

has

neve

r be

en f

ound

!

Real World Treasure


21

Other uniquefinds...

THOSE WHO ARE ACTIVELY

LOOKING FOR TREASURE ARE

MORE LIKELY TO FIND IT!

ODDS ARE there is as much chance of a treasure being under your

swing set as there is anywhere else. There’s no way of knowing but math-

ematically the odds are the same. People as a rule buried things no further

down than arms length. That doesn’t sound like much but guess what - it’s

still just out of the average present day metal detectors range. Isn’t that a

kick in the head. And all of this is just on land. What’s been lost at sea is so

beyond human comprehension that Professor Steven Hawking (world-re-

nowned physicist and mathematician,) couldn’t venture a guess.

If it was reported that one Spanish treasure ship went down you can bet there

were two or possibly three. Their manifests deliberately misreported the

amount of gold, silver, precious gems and other valuable items

they were carrying. It was always twice as much or

more. Thousand of ships have gone down without

being reported who were carrying inconceivable

riches in their holds. The numbers are staggering

but irrelevant. Why? - Be cause to put it in a nut-

shell, we have barely found a fraction of what’s been

lost. I think a conservative es timate of possibly 1-2%

would be an exaggerated number and this just applies to what would be

considered large treasure hordes. You must also understand that finding the

right “penny” with the right date and mintmark could theoretically set you up

for life. (A 1943 copper penny minted in San Francisco is worth about

$80,000.)

THERE ARE OTHER unique finds that can produce the same results.

Don’t limit your thinking in this arena to finding caves full of stashed Templar

treasure. And, let’s for now, keep our thoughts in realm of reality and strong

possibility at least. So what’s the lesson to be learned here? - There’s no

shortage of lost treasure believe me, and simply put; those who are actively

looking for treasure are more likely to find it.

THE LUCK FACTOR comes into play by the fact that you are putting

yourself in the realm of possibility, circumstance and favorable conditions.

Even numerically you increase your odds of finding something simply be-

cause you’re looking for it.

IF YOU’RE DOING proper research you have put yourself in a certain

geographic location or area. That, in and of itself dramatically increases your

chance of discovery. This all sounds very simple but when you put all of

these things together along with some modern technology like the internet, a

good metal detector or side scan sonar you are very likely going to be suc-

cessful in your search.

HERE’S a little known secret for you: Using Google Earth, a Los Ange-

les-based musician named Nathan Smith thinks he’s found a lost treasure

ship that sank in a river somewhere north of Corpus Christi during a hurri-

cane in 1822. Technology has played a major role in finding lost treasure and

this is just in the last couple of years. Think about it. Add Google Earth to

your arsenal and use it for all it’s worth where ever you can. You will be

amazed and astounded at what you can find.

Real World Treasure

22

Although the river has changed

course over the years Smith

thinks he can clearly see where

the ship lies now partially on dry

land. The farmer who owns the

field would not give Smith per-

mission to dig the site and Smith

is seeking legal access through

the courts.The Spanish or Mexican Barquentine lies somewhere in this Google photo

Favorable Conditions Change your luckChange your luckChange your luckChange your luckChange your luck

YOU’VE HEARD the phrase “discretion is the greater part of valor”

I’m sure. Well in this business you must be able to act with discretion. If

you can’t keep a secret you’re in trouble already. This is a short chapter I

decided to include in this book because of its essential observation. Al-

though you may have never heard of me per say, our circles are small and

quiet, and as I’ve said, some treasure hunters choose not to be in the lime-

light but remain anonymous enjoying the rewards of their adventures and the

pursuit of the next one.

DISCRETION is a valuable asset in this business. Don’t be too quick

to tell someone about your finds no matter how small. It opens doors that

you will wish you had left closed. A good example is world renowned trea-

sure hunter Mel Fisher who was sued by the State of Florida by which they

claimed to have ownership in his discovery of the Spanish treasure ships

Nuestra Señora de Atocha, the Santa Margarita, and the Henrietta

Marie ( the latter was actually a slaver).

THESE SHIPS were found miles outside of Florida waters and if you

can believe it, these greedy bureaucrats and politicians were going to try and

sidestep hundreds of years of well established international maritime salvage

laws to get their fat, sweaty corrupt little hands on it. They lost - this time!

But it took 7 years, 141 hearings and went all the way to the Supreme Court

to do it. Mr. Fisher still had to agree to give the State of Florida 20% of

everything and first pick of what he found.

Real World Treasure

23

Chapter Four

Discretion - The order of the day

in this business!Shakespear’s Sir John Falstaff claiming “discretionto be the greater part of valour” in the play Henry V.

Real World Treasure

SPAIN HAS LAID CLAIM to the discovery of three Spanish ships (one

called The Black Swan) by noted treasure hunter Dr. Robert Ballard and the

discovery ship Odyssey’s crew, claiming that they are of Spanish heritage and

therefor any of it’s treasure belongs to Spain. Now let’s not lose sight of the

fact that the Spanish tortured and decimated the indigenous people of central

America like the Aztecs, Incas, Myans and anyone else who got in their way -

stole the gold from them in the first place - sold any survivors into slavery and

terrorized the Caribbean for many years in their unquenchable thirst for gold.

Greed, averice and the lust for gold makes people and countries do very

unsavory things even in the light of world news coverage.

UNFORTUNATELY these types of big discoveries are world news

events and hard to keep quiet, but any find no matter how large or small can

be contested and therefor held by authorities for an indefinite period of time

until litigation has run it’s course. There are other incidents but you get the

gist of what I’m trying to tell you. Whenever anyone asks “where did you

find that?” The answer should always be given with the utmost discretion: “I

found it in my backyard.” Or something to that effect. If I am going to pass

along this sensitive information you must have an appreciation for it.

THIS KIND of information is important. Don’t put yourself in

someone’s cross-hairs. Be “discrete” in your treasure hunting activities.

There’s nothing worse than finding something and then have to give it up!

Real World Treasure

24

On July 7, 1521 HernandoCortez and his conquista-dors ransacked andburned the Aztec city ofTenochtitlan destroyingthier temples and killingthe men, women andchildren in thier quest forgold and silver.

Tenochtitlan

The end of a dynasty

“PERCEPTION IS REALITY.” This phrase has never applied to any-

thing quite like treasure hunting. There are as many different types of treasure

hunting as there are perceptions about the word “treasure.” Nature’s Trea-

sures for example are things like seashells and driftwood, that some people

think are absolutely priceless and beyond value on a monetary scale. Beach-

combing has for hundred of years been one way of treasure hunting for many

people looking for seashells, artifacts, gold and silver

coins and so on. But we’re not talking about this kind

of treasure hunting. We’re talking about the real deal.

Pirate plunder, Military payroll gold, private stashes

and fabulous hordes of untold wealth.

NEVER THE LESS, there are a few other types

of treasure hunting worth noting: There are hunters

who look for meteorites. They’re extremely valuable

and some museums have paid millions for them no

bigger than a stone. Some search for dinosaur bones

and shark’s teeth. Again very valuable. Panning and

mining for gold and silver, Shipwreck and underwater

treasure hunting attract some people. Relic hunting is it’s own category with

subcategories that are broken down even further to specific kinds like war

relics, ancient historical relics and artifacts, religious relics and others. And

let’s not leave out the Urban Treasure Hunters who are not seeking any one

particular thing but many different types of treasure or valuable artifacts.

URBAN TREASURE HUNTING is a very broad and diverse type of

modern day treasure hunting adding and melding many aspects archeology,

architecture and geography to exploring a city’s hidden under belly, dark

passages, back alleys and history as a whole.


25

Chapter Five

There are many different types of treasure hunting

Making a Choice

COIN SHOOTERS, Beach and Shallow Water hunters and Locating

Companies that find metal objects like boundary markers, tools, equipment

parts, water and gas lines, cable and electrical wires. The list goes on and

there are probably some I’m not aware of but there are many to choose

from. Different kinds of treasure attract different kinds of treasure hunters.

But which ever kind of treasure hunting you choose really doesn’t matter or

define you as a human being as long as it fulfills the zest for adventure and

the thrill of the hunt.

YOU MAY CHOOSE to engage in only one or all of the aforementioned

activities but for the moment we’re trying to narrow down the choice of metal

detectors. You can expand your horizons as you go. We will explore all

these different types of treasure hunting more in depth as we go on but for

now just be aware that there is more than one kind and the words “treasure

hunter” are very general and non-defining. Most treasure hunters refer to

themselves as “coin shooters,” “wreck divers,” or “relic hunters.” Rarely

have I ever heard any real world type refer to themselves as a “treasure

hunter.”

Real World Treasure

26

Not all treasureis found whereyou mightthink - Thiswas found atthe bottom ofan old wellwith anunderwatercamera. Thebox has longsince rottedaway but youcan still makepart of it out.

Think outside the box


27

Selection - Choose your weapon!

EVERY DAY new technology impacts and changes our lives. It changes

the way we think, live and perceive everything from recreation to work and

leisure. It has also influenced the engineering and design of metal detectors

and even though fundamentally the concept of operation is still unchanged,

they’ve come a long way since I first used one. Although the basic design

remains ergonomically similar, there are now more types and models with so

many features and functions they almost require a degree to operate with any

proficiency. But you’ve got to start somewhere.

CHOOSING A METAL DETECTOR, like choosing the type of

treasure hunting your going to pursue, takes a considerable amount of time,

money and research. It is an infinitely

important choice because what you’ve

chosen to do will dictate your choice of

which metal detector(s) to use. So let’s

explore the types and uses of metal

detectors. First a little history: The

first metal detector was developed by

Alexander Graham Bell in 1881. It was

an electromagnetic devise he called “The Induction Balance.” It was a crude

and hastily built unit for the purpose of finding an assassin’s bullet lodged

deeply in dying president James Garfield.

IN 1925 GERHARD FISCHER invented a portable metal detector.

Fischar’s model was first sold commercially in 1931 and Gerhard Fischar

was behind the first large-scale production of metal detectors. Basically, they

use electromagnetic induction to detect metal. There’s a bit more to it than

that, but that’s basically how they work.

Chapter Six

Different Types of

Metal Detectors

are used

for different

types of

treasure hunting

Bell checking the sensitivity of one

of his early designs with a bullet

Real World Treasure

COMMON REFERENCES to the different types are VLF (Very Low

Frequency,) VLF/TR, (TR standing for Transmitter Receiver,) PI (Pulse

Induction,) BFO (Beat Frequency Oscillator) and Induction Balance. The

BFO and TR metal detectors were once very popular but are no longer being

made. The BFO detectors are still manufactured but they are usually made

very cheaply and not used by serious treasure hunters. The VLF metal detec-

tor is in essence a motion detector. It is by far the most common detector

type used and the preferred choice is a VLF/TR motion discriminator that

has a silent search feature. These detectors can control the trash and mineral-

ization simultaneously.

BEYOND these various types they divided into categories: (General or

All Purpose,) (Beach, Surf and Water,) (Gold Metal,) (Relic Metal,) (Profes-

sional Land and Water,) (Two Box Deep Searching,) (Long Range Triangula-

tion,) (Deep Process or Ground Penetrating Radar,) (Commercial

and Industrial,) (Mag netrometers,) (Side Scan Sonar -

used as a substitute) and there may be more but I

think this just about cover them. More to

the point is you must do the required

amount of research prior to spending what

could be thousands of dollars for a piece of equipment

that may not suite your particular needs. Some metal detectors

are best suited for land, others for beach and surf, some are

completely submersible down to certain depths, some are

designed for locating gold or other precious metals, some made for relic

metal, others more suited for jewelry and coins.

THERE IS ONE other type of detecting and metal detector rarely men-

tioned. These treasure hunters are referred to a “the quiet profiteers” and this

particular method is called “Dowsing.” Contrary to popular belief dowsing is

not just about finding water. This lesser known type of detecting has suc-

cessfully been used to find treasure, oil, underground springs, boundaries,

metal, mines, minerals and other hidden things.

Dowsing for dollars?

28


29

THE ART of using the “L” Rod, Forked Twig or the Rod of Jacob as it’s

been called is something that would be thought of as a pseudoscience at best

but let’s consider the facts. Dowsing is the earliest form of treasure hunting

dating back to the time of Moses and Aaron producing water from the rock.

(Exodus.) Dowsers are engraved in ancient Egyptian stonework, and on a

statue of a Chinese Emperor dated around 2200 BC.

IN THE MID 16th century one famous dowser found over 150 large

deposits of iron, gold, silver and other minerals but was subsequently arrested

by the Church for practicing the “black arts!” There

was a book written on it later that same century but

any reference to it seems to have died out after that.

Probably due to the Church condemning it as part of

the occult and the work of the devil. Science gained

accreditation and the Church softened it’s position during the renaissance and

dowsing became so widely used that entire societies were devoted to its uses

and potential. Albert Einstein himself performed some amazing feats with

different types of dowsing devises.

GOVERNMENTS, industry, Armies and individuals

still use dowsing to this day as a dependable method of

locating things. During the Vietnam War dowsing skills

were taught to Marines to find land mines, booby traps and

underground tunnels occupied by the enemy. They are

living testament and validation to the practice of dowsing.

All right, so we know there is a lot of equipment out there

to help you in your search. From a tree branch to satellite

technology and every type of metal detector you can imagine. Still the ques-

tion remains - which one do I choose?

ONE REASON that there is still so much treasure left to find is that most

people don’t appreciate the process. They don’t follow procedure or take

appropriate measures to insure their success. Proper selection of the right

equipment is part of the process.

The Renaissance

Real World Treasure

BE THANKFUL that most people have never known how to go about

finding treasure. They stumble about spending inordinate amounts of money,

time and effort only to meet with failure, so they give up and go back to

whatever they did or something else. All the better I say. That leaves more

for the rest of us to find. I can’t pick out a metal detector for you anymore

than some floor walker working at a sporting goods store can. What I can

tell you is that all the information you could possibly need is on the internet in

abundance. A never ending stream of information that may confuse and

confound you in the beginning but will assure the correct choice of a metal

detector in the end.

YOU CAN’T DO ENOUGH RESEARCH when it comes to choosing

your most important tool. As far as using a metal detector, which ever

type you choose, I expect you to become proficient with it

before you venture into the realm of this book.

There are some finer points to learn with their use

like: proper swing techniques, gridding an area, search

patterns, tone interpretation, volume, ground dis-

crimination, gain, threshold and others. But you will

learn how to use most of those things when you buy

a metal detector, the rest you will learn from this book.

The first thing you have to do is decide on what type of

treasure hunting you’re going to do before you can even begin to

look at metal detectors. So let’s put firsts things first and finish the book

before you do anything else. Prepare yourself for the journey.

You’ve got to have a travel

plan before you buy a ticket

right? You also need to know

what you’re going to do be-

fore you buy a metal detector

30

Real World Treasure

31

I’VE WARNED YOU, I’ve tempted you, I’ve encouraged you and now

I’m going to tell you something else you may not want to hear: “Treasure

Hunting is a full time job!” Yes, you read that right. “A job!” (This is where

I will lose many of you.) “A job...!” “What...?!” “Nobody ever said any-

thing about a job!” First of all, if you can’t deal with frustration and disap-

pointment you’re not going to be a successful treasure hunter, period. You

will spend most of your time in the field not finding anything. (Right about

now is when most people lose interest and put their metal detector on ebay.)

But for the rest of you intrepid enthusiasts who just can’t get enough disillu-

sionment, disappointment and discouragement, our journey begins.

I’D BE DOING you a disservice if I didn’t impress

upon you how important research is in hunting for trea-

sure. If you want to be successful you will be spending

the majority of your time doing research. Fundamentally

the rest is not that difficult. I read somewhere that finding

treasure with a metal detector is easy; “All you have to

do is locate it then put your metal detector squarely overtop of it.” That’s an

under statement to say the least but there is some truth in it.

RESEARCH IS ABOUT homing in on the most likely location so you

can do just that, not stumbling around wasting time. You are trying to achieve

a balance of time spent searching and success. Efficiency is what counts.

You want to limit the amount of time you’re in the field looking and increase

the number of items you’re finding. It’s a simple concept but nobody ever

tells you about it. This is why it’s so important to become “one” with you

metal detector. Your skill with that piece of equipment is all important. It

keeps you from wasting valuable time in the field. Making more finds will

greatly improve your self esteem and confidence in what you’re doing.

Chapter SevenHope is

good -

Research is

far better

It’s a simple concept - But nobody ever tells you about it


32

PRACTICING YOUR SKILLS and honing your talents

will put you head and shoulders above your competitors and

reading this book will do the rest. Mel Fisher spent about 10

years searching for the Nuestra Señora de Atocha and each

morning he met the new day and dealt with the previous day’s

disappointment by saying; “Today’s the day!” He always main-

tained a positive outlook. But he didn’t keep his dream alive by

just hoping he would find it, he spent years researching in the Spanish ship-

ping archives in Seville Spain and any and all other information he could get

his hands on. He begged, borrowed and promised God knows how many

investors, who knows what, to achieve his goal.

THE POINT IS, it was his endless resolve, dogged determination and

positive attitude that eventually brought him success. He didn’t have the

advantage of today’s technology either. Imagine the vast amount of ocean

bottom and area he must have searched without satellite imagery, side scan

sonar or a robotic submersible apparatus. Even with the loss of his son Dirk

and Dirk’s wife Angel along with two others who drowned during the search

and more obstacles than you can imagine, he stuck to his dream. He was an

inspiration to treasure hunters everywhere.

SO IF DETERMINATION is not one of your strong suites stop now,

close the book, turn on the television and watch “Pirates of the Caribbean”

or something. Just don’t pursue the actual job of treasure hunting please!

The type of individuals who can accept and embrace this way of life are built

of a certain timber. They are built for endurance. They are structurally

sound. They never lose sight of the dream. They are the true treasure hunt-

ers. Research will always be the key element in setting the course for your

treasure hunting expedition. Having faith and trusting your instincts are good

qualities but research is always first and foremost.

Go ahead - Have a whack at it

You have to have fYou have to have fYou have to have fYou have to have fYou have to have faith and trustaith and trustaith and trustaith and trustaith and trust your instincts your instincts your instincts your instincts your instincts

HOW MANY TIMES have I seen awould be treasure hunter go into a sportinggoods store and ask a sales person whichmetal detector to they should buy. “Are youkidding?!” Ask a sales clerk to determine yoursuccess or failure! The very idea that someonehas not done adequate research first to deter-mine what type of treasure hunting they’regoing to be doing and then dug deeply into theamazing array of metal detectors and theirspecific uses destines them to failure from the

start. I told you not to skip ahead in the earlier chapters. That’s because thisis a process.

THERE ARE PROCEDURES and steps that must be followed if youwant to have any success. Weather you’re a beginner or self proclaimedexpert if you follow the steps and procedures outlined in this book you willenjoy a significant amount of success. (By the way, someone wrote there isno such thing as a treasure hunting expert and I’m inclined to agree.) Thedifference between an “expert” and a “successful” treasure hunter is that thelatter works at it twenty four hours a day, seven days a week and they alwaysstart with research.

Real World Treasure

33

Success - It’s a process

Research has its own rewards

“““““TTTTTodaodaodaodaoday’s the Day’s the Day’s the Day’s the Day’s the Day!”y!”y!”y!”y!”

- Mell Fisher- Mell Fisher- Mell Fisher- Mell Fisher- Mell Fisher


34

Chapter EightEquipment and

tools of the trade

wHAT’S Required

and WHAT’S Optional

Are you going to need sani-wipes or a tourniquet? AS FAR AS INVESTING in a business is concerned; aside from wash-

ing windows, delivering newspapers or cutting lawns which would be minimal

yet profitable for some enterprising individuals. I can’t think of any other

businesses with this kind of potential you can get into

for such a small investment. I can’t count a vehicle

because just about everyone already has one. So

buying a metal detector is about it. At least at the

entry level of treasure hunting not too much is re-

quired. (Entry level being more of a hobbyist.)

MOST OF the other things you might need are usually lying around the

house. Coolers, buckets, containers, trowels, shovels, hats, bug

spray and that kind of thing are in everyone’s household arsenal. So

let’s consider that one all important piece of equipment: “Your

Metal Detector.” Your metal detector is your most valuable

asset. It’s a tool not to be taken lightly or chosen without

careful consideration. If you are going to do something

to this level of commitment you better have spent your

last dime and any money you could borrow on your metal detector(s).

The quality of you equipment will likely determine your success or failure.

Don’t skimp on any of your equipment for that matter.

YOU MAY NEED a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle, boat, scuba gear or a mag-

netometer, it depends on your choice of interest and direction you’re taking.

You may need more than one type of metal detector. Research the manufac-

turers and their products. Go to the many forums on the internet, join a local

treasure hunting club if there’s one nearby, they will share a lot of information

with you. Go on-line and read the comparisons on performance. There is

limitless information available to you via the internet when it comes to metal

detectors and other essential equipment.

Too much?

Too little?

Real World Treasure

35

The middle of nowhere . . .

Can you say: “Oh, sh - t!” I’m going to assume that you have already done this or you’re going to at

some point. I also want to share with you the importance of getting to know

your equipment and becoming proficient with it. There are books and

DVD’s that are dedicated to this subject and I can’t stress it enough. No

matter which metal detector(s) you’re using, you absolutely have to become

one with them. They all have subtle nuances and tones that you have to be

able to interpret precisely. This can take many hours of practice. And by the

way, if you happen to be tone deaf you’re going to be limited to certain kinds

of metal detectors that are more images on a monitor than tones in a set of

headphones.

Know your limitations if you have any. Inner ear problems might prohibit

you from diving with scuba gear. It won’t stop you from treasure hunting

you’ll just have to approach it from another angle. Remember - determina-

tion and a positive attitude. If you can’t do it one way - do it another. Other

equipment you may need will be solely based on the type of treasure hunting

you’re doing. You don’t need to be told you’re going to need a shovel or

trowel if you already know you’re going to have to dig things out of the

ground. You know what your going to do - plan for it, think about it. Do

you need sani-wipes or a tourniquet? If you’re going to be on the beach all

day I would suggest some sunscreen but this book isn’t about all that.

Deciding on what type of treasure hunting you’re going to do will deter-

mine what kind of equipment you will need and how much your initial invest-

ment might be. The point is “don’t buy cheap!” Imagine purchasing a ques-

tionably sound 4 wheel drive vehicle designed to get you out to the middle of

nowhere and then breaking down. Where are you? Yeah, that’s right - the

middle of nowhere! OK this is a stretch, but I’m thinking hmmm, middle of

nowhere...? No cell towers - No roads - No chance of getting help - Uh oh!

A little common sense goes a long way. Don’t put yourself in perilous situa-

tions when you’re hunting for treasure. Equipment is all important. Respect

and take good care of yours.


36

MAKE CERTAIN everything you’re

using is in good condition and serviceable.

If your destination is a long way off take

additional or backup equipment. Radios are

sometimes more practical than cell phones

and a simple canteen full of water could

ultimately save your life. So what do you

think; first aid kit?, flares?, food?, gun?, you

decide. Common sense and sound judge-

ment will get you back home at the end of

the day. Some treasure hunters stress the

importance of working with a partner for

safety’s sake. There again, your choice.

Where you’re going and what you’re looking

for should give you some indication of the

Common sense will get you back home at

the end of the day!

equipment you’re going to need and if a partner or two would be a good

idea. Being safety conscious and careful is not just for wimps, it’s good

practice like wearing a seat belt. (By the way - If you don’t trust the guy top-

side watching your air hose with your life, he’s probably a bad choice!)

YOU’RE GOING TO BE SURPRISED at some of places treasure

hunting will take you. Snake bites are a common occurrence in some loca-

tions. Did you bring a snake bite kit? From old mines, to fast running

streams, rock ledges, back woods, rip tides and underwater caverns, you can

get yourself in a dire situation that you didn’t prepare for. Be cautiously

optimistic in your preparation and approach to whatever treasure you seek.

The most important thing is that you live to see tomorrow. Use the best

equipment you can get your hands on and don’t take unnecessary chances

just because you forgot to bring something. The treasure will still be there

when you get back. Equipment and safety go hand in hand. Too many

treasure hunters have already given up the ghost under safe and secure condi-

tions. Don’t buy discount, cheap or used equipment that’s been untested.

Real World Treasure

37

Chapter Nine

Site Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:

ConceptualConceptualConceptualConceptualConceptual

InterpretInterpretInterpretInterpretInterpretaaaaationtiontiontiontion

•Perception•Perception•Perception•Perception•Perception

•Imagina•Imagina•Imagina•Imagina•Imaginationtiontiontiontion

•Instinct•Instinct•Instinct•Instinct•Instinct

Old Forts, Batteries and Encampments

Eastern view of the remains ofConfederate Fort Humbug occupied by

Gen, Richard Taylor and his troops

Southern view of the same area. Researchwill provide you with many similar search

sites. Check historical archives and maps.

tion.) The only thing that might be with you is hope, happenstance and pure

luck. (After all, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and again.)

You’ve got to narrow down the odds and remove at least one or two of these

negative aspects (I’ll take pure luck any day so let’s keep that one,) and bring

a little pseudoscience into the mix.

WHAT WE’RE DOING here in our procedure is the narrowing down

of where to look. You’ve done your research, you’ve found a potential

location or site. Great! It might be an old encampment or an old civil war

fort that’s long since disappeared. I’m going to give you an example so you

can understand and relate these concepts to any other locations you go to.

Hypothetically you’ve researched and found the general location of an old

civil war era fort.

LET’S ASSUME you’ve done your prelimi-

nary research and purchased the metal detector

appropriate for your particular interest. Now

what? It doesn’t matter how much you spent on

a metal detector, how well you can use it or where

you take it without this little piece of the puzzle.

THIS IS SOMETHING that no one has ever

written about or bothered to mentioned: Topo-

graphical interpretation or, the subtle art of “site

reading.” Oh sure, you’re all geared up and

ready to go find lost jewelry, coins and relics.

The problem is, unless you know about and

understand site reading you’re basically running

around the farm yard like a chicken. (A chicken

can’t take more than two steps in any one direc-

“A gold Double Eagle is not Golf terminology!”


38

This rare photo of Brandy StationChief Engineer’s encampment -Army of the Patomic 1864

YOU’VE JUST ARRIVED by whatever means possible and what

you’re looking at is a rather large tract of land with some trees and nothing

else immediately identifiable or recognizable. The very first thing you

should do upon arriving at any site is just stay back, take a breath and try

to imagine yourself at this place when it was alive with trade and activity.

You can’t just willy nilly cover the entire area with any degree of suc-

cess. You have to develop a search plan with a starting point. So

while you’re at a distance with a broad overview of area

try to visually determine where the tree line might be

different. That is to say a line of trees that might appear

to be older and larger. You might be able to see a

square area of these older trees even if you’re in a

wooded location. Walk around following one line to a

corner. These areas of possibly an acre or two were cut

down and cleared for the benefit of the forts defenses.

A clear line of site for warding off would be attackers. The fort would

have been in the middle of this clearing obviously so now we know at

least that much.

IN YOUR SEARCH of this fort you want to determine where the

two closest other forts and towns were that existed and were active at the

same time. Why? Because this is what will tell you a couple of things of

extreme importance: First the likely direction the fort was facing. This

will determine where the front gate was. Or at least which way it faced,

north, south, east or west. How do we do this?

Below is a brass civil war button wornby Connecticut soldiers bearing thestate seal which can be extremelyvaluable in such pristine condition.Relic hunters often find these buttonsamong other such historical artifacts.

Real World Treasure

39

Lasting Impressions AN ABSOLUTE

IN LOOKING AT AN OLD MAP or sometimes even a new one, we

can see where the old towns and other forts were in relationship to where you

are. Look at the map. Where would you have put the gate or the main en-

trance? Which direction would the fort most likely be facing? Most of the

time it’s pretty obvious. So with all the traffic coming to and leaving the fort

there would have been roads or at least trails that branched off in the direc-

tion of the two other forts and towns. (This is an absolute, not speculation.

It was standard operational procedure.) Now that

you know what you’re looking for it’s a lot easier to

see or at the very least, guess. Basic human instincts

never change and your instincts are the same as the

people from that location dur-

ing those times.

USE YOUR INSTINCTS.

Even if you’re guessing at it

you’re not going to be far off.

Finding the exact location of

the fort or encampment may be

a little more difficult but not

totally impossible. You’ve got

an idea where the center of the area is but in those days they didn’t have or

use concrete foundations. Possibly stone foundations around houses and

other buildings but only trees and wooden planks as a rule were used to build

forts. Yes there was some metal like hinges, hasps, locks and nails perhaps

but nothing to leave a permanent indication of exactly where the fort’s foot-

print was.

WHAT YOU CAN OFTEN FIND are the impressions or shallow

indentions of where the posts were buried in the ground and rotted away

leaving these impressions or holes. You may be able to see the entire layout

of the fort this way. You can find larger impressions where the root cellars

may have been or the unmistakable signs of the outhouses. (Trash pits and

outhouses may have been inside or outside the fort’s walls.)

A typical frontier sylefort of it’s day

You can still see the foot print of where the old fort sat


40

THE PRESENCE OF PEOPLE always leaves it’s mark in one form or

another and a trained eye can always spot them. Remember - It’s easy to see

something if you know what you’re looking for. Use “conceptual interpreta-

tion.” It doesn’t matter what you’re looking for or where you are just put

your instincts and imagination to work. Think of what you would do if you

were there living in those times. Where would you hide something? There

were no banks, no safe deposit boxes and you had to be able to find what

you hid even if you were gone for many years. There is usually one tree in the

area that is distinctive. One that is unmistakable from the others. It may be

hundreds of years old or it might be a tree that is not indigenous to the area.

It may have been brought there and planted for fruit or nuts or shade.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. Using conceptual interpretation will

always prove itself to be one of your most useful tools. Maybe that pond

you’re looking at in the middle of your site isn’t a pond at all but a depression

left in the ground of what used to be a basement or cellar that’s filled with rain

water. Don’t just think in one dimension. Well now that you’ve found some

remanence and possibly a trail or two, scouted the area with careful observa-

tion and noted any unusual deformities in the earth, stone walls, landmarks of

any kind and the most likely direction of travel in and out of the area you can

start “gridding” and narrowing down your search even further. Gridding is

simply breaking down a large area into smaller quadrants or sections.

THINK OF TRYING to search an area about an acre in size. A daunting

task to say the least. But being thorough in your search is critical. It doesn’t

take but one poor swing with your detector to miss a potential fortune.

Notice the older first-growth tree on

the right. Now take note of the new

saplings and then the original tree

line just beyond them. These are

definitive boundaries and a good

starting point. The inset picture

(lower left) is a small cache of gold

and silver coins buried under such

trees for easy locating when the

owner returned to the area.

LOW AND SLOW is a phrase that’s used in cooking to assure some-

thing turns out right. The phrase also applies to metal detecting technique.

These people who swing their metal detectors with wild abandon rarely find

much of anything. I’m always happy to see

them because I know that their presence has

had little or no effect on the potential finds in

that area. Keep your metal detector no more

than 1 or 2 inches at the most off the ground

and be slow about it. Some metal detectors go

so deep into the ground and it takes time for the

signal to bounce back to the coil. If you’re

moving too fast the coil is no longer over the

spot you just swept and misses the return signal

all together. I’m not going to belabor the proper use and techniques of metal

detecting. The assumption that you know how to use it is already there. So,

back to “gridding.”

I FIND THE BEST WAY to grid any area is to use

those orange flags you find in the home stores for land-

scape, irrigation or marking out sprinkler heads. (Any

color will do.) After choosing a starting point, mark out

an area of say 10’x10’ or 20’x20’ and “flag it.” Only

after thoroughly searching that area should you move on

to the next. If you’re going to be working this site for days, weeks or

months you’re going to have to keep a log or journal of some kind drawing a

map of what sections or grids you’ve already searched. It’s not a good idea

to leave the flags in the ground for obvious reasons. Once you have gridded

and worked the internal center you can do a couple of things: You can start

walking an ever enlarging circle (an outward spiral) around the site until

you’re satisfied.

YOU CAN START “trailing” if you can see or imagine where trails and

roads might have been. These are terrific areas to search.

Real World Treasure

41

Systematic, Calculating and Thorough Gridding & Plotting


42

OR, YOU CAN CHECK some of the unique (non-indigenous) or first-

growth trees or other landmarks and their immediate perimeters. Being sys-

tematic, calculating and thorough are tools that are extremely valuable, don’t

cost anything and will never fail you. Other similar concepts apply to other

types of sites. I want you to understand this type of thinking and how it puts

you ahead of your competition. Metal detecting has had a remarkable surge

of interest over the last couple of years that’s presented intense competition

that was never there before. It was a very small community for a very long

time.

FINDING A VIRGIN SITE is getting harder and only through your

superior skills and techniques will you be able to find treasure where others

cannot. This type of site is just one example but a comprehensive example

you should easily be able to expound on. All things being equal you still

want to be the one who prevails. You’re getting the edge right now! What

I’m trying to teach you should in all honesty be about a four year course.

I’m giving you the readers digest condensed version of it to increase your

edge as quickly as possible. You are not going to learn everything all at once.

This will take time and patience. Nothing worth learning comes easy. Stay

the course and pay attention. I’m just getting warmed up

Getting the edge

There’s no suchthing as a road tonowhere - Old Trailsare great prospectsfor finding treasureof all kinds and theyalways lead some-where!

Some Metal Detec-tors work old trails inthe woods exclu-sively claiming theyhave the mostpotential finds!

The Reader’s Digest version

Real World Treasure

43

THERE ARE SOME ghost towns where build-

ings are still standing and some where there’s nothing

to be seen. Much depends on how long ago the town

was abandoned and how structures were built during

that period. Most of the time you can find remanence

of stone foundations, walls or with any luck at all

chimneys. Just about every building had a chim-

ney whether it was a house or place of business. The

best thing about finding stone structures is that

they were frequently used to hide cashes of coins

and other valuables. There was almost always

a “loose stone” in a fire- place (inside or out) for

stashing things. Lose stones could also be in a well

surrounds, foundations or smoke pits.

THE SAME APPLIES to other stone structures.

Stone walls were often used by people to hide things.

They could identify their spot by a certain color or

shape of stone or by counting a certain number of

stones from a permanent marker such as a tree across and down kind of like

a treasure map or combination safe. Where ever you find a pile of stones or

a chimney (standing or fallen,) check it thoroughly with your metal detector.

People buried their possessions and money for more reasons than you can

shake a stick at but the obvious and most common reason was simply se-

crecy.

Site Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:Conceptua lConceptua lConceptua lConceptua lConceptua l

Interpretat ionInterpretat ionInterpretat ionInterpretat ionInterpretat ion

•Percept ion•Percept ion•Percept ion•Percept ion•Percept ion•Imaginat ion•Imaginat ion•Imaginat ion•Imaginat ion•Imaginat ion

• Inst inct• Inst inct• Inst inct• Inst inct• Inst inct

Chapter Ten

Ghost Towns and Old Homesteads

The pictures above show what was once a thriving town with a train station and hotel fading intothe past and sitting as a quiet reminder of better times. Lower right is just one example of the

thousands of abandoned old homesteads ripe for treasure hunters with their metal detectors.


44

MOST FOLKS would hide their stash inside or outside their

home within close proximity. Somewhere they could see it when

they looked out their window. I mentioned before about “first-

growth trees.” Did you ever notice how often you would see a

farm field and there would be this giant oak tree in the middle of it? Whether

they were left there for shade, aesthetics or the farmers didn’t have enough

dynamite to blow it out of the ground remains unknown. But you can be

certain that many of these locations served as a gath-

ering point and a hiding place. If you ever find your-

self staring at a field with an old tree in the middle of

it and the opportunity presents itself, go check it out

with your metal detector. There is an extremely good

possibility you’ll find something!

FOR AS MANY REASONS as people have died and never told anyone

where they hid their valuables I can give you reasons for looking. Suffice it

to say that millions of people hoarding great wealth have died never retrieving

their cashes or telling anyone where it was. Again, this is an absolute - not

speculation. Think about how living with the hardships of days-gone-by

must have been. Many people died of things we would think impossible by

today’s standards. A mere infection could kill you. There were no inocula-

tions or antibiotics so things like yellow fever, typhus, diphtheria, cholera,

consumption, pneumonia, small pox, chicken pox, mumps and measles

could all lead to your death. Combine that with such things as accidents, the

complications from natural child birth and the overall unsafe and unsanitary

conditions they lived in, starvation, unsurvivable winters, murder, Indian

attacks or just plain old-age.

SO HOW DOES ALL THIS RELATE to site reading? Because some-

times disease wiped out entire towns leaving many forgotten hordes or

caches of treasure. So again conceptual perception comes into play. Con-

ceptual perception, imagination and instincts are tools that are every bit as

valuable as your metal detector - Sometimes more so. Where would you

hide something of great value if you were there?

Many reasons why

Real World Treasure

45

IF GHOST TOWNS and old homesteads are

your thing you have to imagine yourself being there

when it was alive and where possible, in your minds

eye, see the structure(s) as it/they might have been. This will give you a

“reference point.” Knowing where you’re standing in reference to the build-

ing can provide you with useful information. Finding things like door hinges,

latches and window locks with your metal detector can give you the “foot-

print” of the building thus giving you an overview and a starting point for

mapping or gridding. Look over the entire site and try to imagine how it was

back then. Paths, roads, trails, railway spurs are terrific indicators. Some

metal detectorists (if that’s really a word,) only work old roads and paths in

the woods. They find a substantial amounts of old coins, pendants, buttons,

relics and artifacts.

Personally, I LOVE A GOOD GHOST TOWN. The prospects of

finding a cache are extremely good and its a great adventure in itself. All

ghost towns are not listed on maps or even in state archives but they are

plentiful and easy to find.

It’s Great Adventure


46

Site Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:ConceptualConceptualConceptualConceptualConceptual

InterpretationInterpretationInterpretationInterpretationInterpretation

•Perception•Perception•Perception•Perception•Perception•Imagination•Imagination•Imagination•Imagination•Imagination

•Instinct•Instinct•Instinct•Instinct•Instinct

Beaches, Shore Lines,

Shallow Water and Deep Water

Chapter Eleven

THIS IS THE MOST written about type of treasure hunting. It’s what a

lot of us envision when we think about it. The pictures of a tropical shore

and the lone beach hunter swinging his trusty metal detector are images that

we have all seen or at least imagined. The most information and books about

treasure hunting cover this one particular arena. Some authors get a little too

technical in their approach to what should be relatively easy and rewarding.

A little good information goes a long way and a lot highly technical engineer-

ing data is just confusing and unnecessary for our purpose.

SOME BOOKS drone on about how to dig your finds and dressing for

cold weather. Others go so far in the other direction with technical data so in

depth like hiring a “Pitch Coach” for better signal interpretation it just takes

all the fun out of it. I want to keep the fun and adventure alive while keeping

it simple and telling you what really matters and how you can get the most out

of treasure hunting as a whole. Beach, shore line and shallow water detecting

is not as complicated as some authors would have you believe.

THE BEACH is one zone - that’s the sandy powdery part. The next is

the shore line. That’s the hard wet sand area from the low tide edge of the

water to the high tide mark. And the third of course is the shallow water.

The shallow water zone is from ankle deep to neck deep water regardless of

the tide. The entire shallow water zone is in actually two separate zones. The

first being from ankle to waist and the second from waist to neck. There’s a

reason for this that I’ll tell you about later in the chapter. Each one of these

areas or zones require a little know how and different techniques. Even

though together they seem as one entity (the beach) they are indeed broken

down and searched in different ways.

Real World Treasure

47

The beach bank $$$ Let’s make a withdraw SO LET’S FIRST DISCUSS the sandy or powdery area I refer to as

the “blanket zone.” This of course is where people lay their respective

towels, blankets and what have you. The patch of white stuff where you

stake out your territory, drop your gear, bask in the sun and enjoy the day.

Now oddly enough, and you’ve seen this but probably never paid much

attention to it, the first beach go-ers to arrive always line up with the lifeguard

stand up and down the beach. Perfect lines of towels and beach chairs. It’s

called a “line mentality.” It has to do with people unconsciously following

the “natural order of the cosmos.”

WHY I MENTION THIS is that one line of early arrivals are the ones

most likely to loose money and jewelry during the day. When you’re doing

your searching at the end of the day after most of them have gone you’ll want

to concentrate on this thin strip of the beach. This thin line of beach is the

one area that will produce the most finds. Let me expand on this. People

don’t always think things through. They go to the beach with their jewelry

on. They also bring wallets, purses, coin holders, beach bags, pocketbooks

and all sorts of other things to keep their possessions in. Well, where are

you? Your at the beach, right? If you want to go in the water what do you

do with your “stuff?” There’s no locker or safe deposit box handy. So what

do most people do? They sometimes put it on their blanket and cover it with

a towel but the most common thing they do is burry it in the sand under the

corner of their blanket.

I CAN’T TELL YOU how many times I’ve found crushed Dixie cups

holding someone’s jewelry in it that they buried and forgot about when they

left. The sand becomes the repository for money and jewelry. Now not

everyone removes their jewelry when they go in the water which is now where

they loose it. Why? These early arrivals go through the most “phases”

during the day. They lay in the sun literally baking like a roast of ham, swell-

ing and contracting from the radiant heat of the sun. Dehydrating and rehy-

drating all day. When they hit the water which is a lot cooler than their body

their fingers and toes shrink significantly.


48

The Beach Zone

THIS SOMEWHAT DRAMATIC contraction combined with the

copious amount of tanning oil and sun screen cause finger rings and toe rings

to fall off. The ones that had the foresight to remove their jewelry and bury it

have gone through so many phases by the end of the day the dehydration and

rehydration along with the effects of the sun have caused a loss of focus.

The neurotransmitters in the brain are sluggish and misfiring. The effects

may only be momentary but it has the same result. They get up and pick up

their towel or blanket instantly losing their reference point in the ground.

What was just a split second ago easy to find and access under the corner of

their towel has disappeared into the vastness of all the other sand.

WHERE YOU WERE becomes at best a guessing game. If you even

looked away from where you were or took just a couple of steps your valu-

ables are lost in a sea of sand. If you take and average engagement ring and

drop it from about 12 inches above the sand it will be swallowed up instantly

and if you’re not staring at the exact spot it landed, it is “gone baby, gone!”

Another thing that happens in the moment is people who are leaving will just

pick up their towel or blanket and shake it. Any jewelry that was laying on

that blanket or towel just vanished into the sand and will not likely be found

without a metal detector.

I’VE HAD TOO MANY people hunt me down on the beach when I’m

there to find their jewelry that confirms and re-enforces this little know fact.

You’re going to want to use a VLF (motion detector) or better yet, a water

proof Multi-Frequency type of metal detector in this area as they respond

more favorably in loose soil or powdery sand. You can use other types but

this is what I would recommend. Now that’s just the most productive strip

of the beach. You’ve still got an entire beach to cover if you want. There’s

plenty of opportunity just in the beach zone.

It is gone baby, gone!

Real World Treasure

The Hard-pack Zone Davey Jones’ Locker MOVING CLOSER to the water we come to the “wet or hard-pack

zone.” This is the area that changes width with the tide and obviously a low

tide reveals more of it. It extends from the lower beach zone or the “high

tide mark” down to the water where ever the current tide level is. This is a

productive area in its own right. It serves as a natural trap. I like to think of

it as nature’s jewelry box. Gold is heavy. It’s about 9 times heavier than

sand and all it wants to do is sink. In water or sand gold acts the same. It

will only stop when it hits a solid bottom. Sand itself is only about one or

two feet deep depending on the geology of the area and rides or “floats” on

top of the geological strata called “hard pan” which is usually sandstone or

some other type of rock The gold is stopped by the hard pan. It’s trapped.

That doesn’t mean its not going anywhere just not down any further. A gold

ring for example can be moved by the natural geological action of the sand a

half a mile or more in a years time.

THIS AREA is going to require another type of metal detector called a

“Pulse Induction.” They are better suited for hard packed wet sand and

underwater environments, but their biggest advantage is that they have better

ground penetration and send their signals deeper than the others. You could

use a Multi-Frequency but in this zone every inch of signal counts. As tech-

nology improves so does the depth and accuracy of metal detectors. Any

items that are not able to be found this year might be next year. That’s why

there is no such thing as an infertile or “sterile beach.” Wave action, shifting

sand, beach erosion, weather, dredging and re-nourishment are many

of the contributing factors to the ever changing contours of any

shoreline. What the natural erosion of wind, water and

weather may have caused could just be the one or

two inches of depth your metal detector needed

to hit bottom - The Davey Jones’ locker

of lost jewelry.

49

You can clearly see all the “Zones” in htis picture


50

HERE’S A TIP: Before you set out to explore any beach, find out if

there has been any re-nourishment projects there in the last few years. Be-

cause unless they dredged up some sunken treasure and distributed it on the

beach, you’re not likely to find anything. What took decades of beach go-

ers making deposits in the beach bank is now buried beyond the limits any

conventional metal detector. This is the kind of research that will pay off by

not wasting your time or causing disappointment and frustration.

WE NOW WADE into the shallow depths of the water sometimes re-

ferred to as “the shallows,” or “the splash area.” This is the first of those

two parts of shallow water we discussed earlier and is probably the least

productive area. Parents play with their small children and limit their younger

children to this part. There’s usually not any rough activity going on to cause

jewelry to go flying off and when someone does loose something it’s pretty

easy to spot it. A little splashing and cooling off, that’s about it. You are

also likely to find the most trash here as toys, safety pins, foil, pop tops, pull

tabs, bottle caps and other light metal objects are actually pulled down to this

area by tide and sand action.

THE FURTHER OUT into the water an object goes the less it moves

so wave action in deeper water has little or no effect on things and they usu-

ally stay where they are. The same applies to lakes and ponds, there’s no

wave action so things don’t move. This first part of the shallow water acts as

a “holding area” where trash and treasure mix but there’s a whole lot more

trash than treasure. The next part of this zone is where the wave action oc-

curs. It’s also where the money is! Don’t ever doubt it. From waste to

neck deep water is where all the activity is both natural and human. How

heavy the wave activity is will be determined by whatever beach you’re on.

Geology, underwater terrain, prevailing winds all play a part.

THE ATLANTIC SIDE of Florida for example is completely different

from the Gulf side. Wave action in the Gulf of Mexico is more like a lake

than an ocean. But wave action on most beaches can be rough, and I mean

knock you over rough!

The Shallows Zone Nature’s holding area

Real World Treasure

51

The Activity Zone In greater abundance This is A POSITIVE FORCE OF NATURE that works to our advan-

tage. This is where most people loose their jewelry. It’s knocked off by

waves and they don’t even realize it. This is also where “the big kids” play.

Horseplay among teenagers and young adults is by far the largest contributor

to lost jewelry in the water. Another thing to consider is that older people

actually have jewelry to loose. That can be broken down even further by age

group relative to the quality or quantity of jewelry they’re wearing. Simply

put, the older you are the more likely it is that you can afford more expensive

jewelry in greater abundance. Watches, rings, bracelets, necklaces, you name

it are wrenched, pulled, yanked or otherwise broken during these fun loving

frolics and sink directly to the bottom lost forever in the murky depths - or at

least until some enterprising individual with a metal detector comes along and

retrieves it!

EVEN WHEN SOMEONE is aware they’ve just lost something there’s

little or no chance of them ever finding it. Not at this depth anyway. Age,

activity and depth are other useful indicators for site reading beaches. Be

aware of people and their movements. Use nature and common sense to

improve your success. Understand that everybody comes from the parking

lot, everybody goes to the public rest rooms, most everybody goes to the

concession stand. These are pathways just like all other roads. Walt

Whitman suggested we all “take the road less traveled.” For the treasure

hunter the opposite is true. The more people coming and going the more

things are lost. You’re not going to find much at some remote beach no

matter how nice it is if people never went there. Even lakes, ponds and

swimming holes that were frequented mostly by the “working class” are not

going to be very productive for obvious reasons.

The METAL DETECTOR OF CHOICE in this area would be the

water proof “Pulse Induction” type. You could use a “Multi-Frequency” but

the Pulse Induction is more stable and unaffected by the salt water and it also

goes deeper. Either one must be water proof.


52

The Deep Zone Where the big money is WE’VE JUST COVERED “shallow water” hunting but I don’t want to

leave out the one area just beyond “neck deep” which would require snorkel-

ing or scuba gear. This area is what I call the “outer limits.” This is normally

used by the “swimmers.” These are the guys with more hair on their back

than on their head and wear about 3 to 4 pounds of gold around their neck.

The only thing that fits snugly any more is that tiny little black speedo bathing

suit they’re wearing. Everything else, and I do mean everything, is flopping

around. But I love these guys. They loose more expensive watches and

jewelry than you can imagine. Don’t think finding a Rolex or an Omega watch

won’t make your day. So if you’re so inclined to this type of hunting. Go for

it. It’s worth the extra effort. When you’re scuba diving or exploring ship-

wrecks you can use any of the different types of metal detectors as long as

they are water proof and are rated for the depth you’re using them.

THERE’S MORE ABOUT shallow water hunting you should know.

Some treasure hunters think of shallow water hunting as a science and the

most difficult kinds of metal detecting. Their logic is that the sand and shore-

lines are always on the move and that wind, currents and tides are continu-

ously changing its face and shape. I believe that those same elements offer

new possibilities and opportunities. Where beaches are loosing sand in some

places that same sand is being deposited elsewhere. Where the beach is

loosing sand is where you want to focus your efforts. Remember - less sand

uncovers more targets. A trained eye will always look for areas on a beach

that have less sand. You’ll notice that these areas have shells, pebbles and

small rocks that are left because they are heavier than the grains of sand that

have been swept away. Gold jewelry is even heavier and likely to be under-

neath these washed out areas.

OTHER GOOD AREAS are where the sand is rippled like a still shot of

the ocean’s surface. Scour these rippled areas carefully. Both of these areas

are in the wet hard-packed zone. I’m going to briefly talk about “channels”

and “cuts” as they’re commonly referred to. These are features that are

carved into the face of a beach by wind, rain and wave action.

Real World Treasure

53

Cuts and Channels Prime jewelry territory STORMS AND HEAVY RAINS etch out these channels or “cuts” and

sometimes cause long deep drops in the overall level of the beach. These

vast swaths of eroded and newly exposed beach caused by winter storms or

hurricanes are what excite a lot of metal detectors. These weather anomalies

can uncover some unbelievable finds. But even a good heavy rain will create

troughs or “channels” from the land’s edge, down the beach and into the

water. These too are highly productive areas, just on a smaller scale. Heavy

or saturating rains do something else for metal detectors, even up on land. It

increases their performance. The ground has more conductivity, signal is

improved and your metal detector can find deeper targets when the ground is

wet.

LET’S CONTINUE with the when and where of it. Tracking the tides in

you area is essential. You will read this in every book written about shallow

water detecting. Be there about two hours before the tide is out completely

so you can work your way out with the tide to its deepest ebb. This allows

you to go out farther and hit more targets while still keeping your head above

water. Working with the tide will give about 4 hours of deep water access in

the most productive area of any beach. The last 2 hours going out and the

first 2 hours coming in. There are times of the month when the tide is out to

an extreme. This is called a “Spring Tide.” Not having anything to do with

the seasons. Its origins have to do with the springing motion or full extension

of something. If you’re out “neck deep” in the lowest tide of the month,

you’re able to actually work in that outer limit swimming zone without scuba

gear. Another little secret you can take advantage of. Check you local tide

charts. They’re available on-line and on your local weather channel.

I want to give you a couple of WORDS OF WARNING at this point.

First of all be very aware of eddies, rip currents, rip tides and undertows

when you’re out this far. They can occur at any point during the outgoing or

incoming tide and it is not likely you will be able to escape their forces. You

will be dragged helplessly out to sea. Your equipment along with any weight

belt (if you’re wearing one,) will have to be sacrificed in your struggle to keep

your head above water.


54

Running wide open How cool is this?

HERE’S ANOTHER WARNING you would do well to head: I’ve

been with people who like to metal detect in the water at night. In my consid-

ered opinion this is not a good idea for any number of reasons. The first is;

on my side of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico “it’s feeding time!” That’s right,

“feeding time!” All those denizens of the deep with Hollywood theme songs

come in from the blue water (deeper) from dusk to dawn and sometimes

longer. In days gone by this didn’t seem to be a problem but in recent years

apparently the menu has been extended to include more human appetizers on

the half shell. The one experience I had at night, I was neck deep in the gulf

when I sensed and felt movement in the water. By the light of the moon I

could make out a dorsal fin, (and a large one at that,) within two feet of me

which sent a bolt of adrenaline surging through me that felt like I was just hit

by lightening. The next sensation was a great explosion of sound and water

hitting me so hard it stung.

THIS SECOND TRAUMA caused what I’m certain to this day was a

massive heart attack or some other primal response to intense fear. Kind of

like a deer goes into shock and convulses when it’s got a cougars jaws

gripped firmly around its throat. I completely resigned myself to the worst

kind of death imaginable - being eaten alive by a shark! It may sound funny

now but I can assure you at the time I filled the immediate gulf waters with

bodily fluids and solids. In seconds that seemed like an eternity of impend-

ing doom it turned out to be a dolphin breaking the surface to expel and fill

its lungs with air through its blow hole. I’m here (thank God) to tell you it

didn’t matter one iota and it was the last time I went in the water at night!

Another good reason is you can’t see anything and no one can see you either

for that matter. There are people out there with jet skis and boats that are that

are running wide open and way to close to shore. Some moron was out

there on a sail board yelling to his buddy: “how cool is this?!” Just prior to

running into him. Your senses are so heightened you can’t even begin to

focus on what you’re doing so just stick to the light of day, it offers enough

challenges.

Real World Treasure

55

WHEN, WHERE, WHY AND HOW. I’ve just given you enough

information to get you started on any beach and keep you busy for a lifetime.

You could theoretically spend the rest of your days just working the beach

and you still wouldn’t have enough time to cover all of it. And I’m just

talking about one local beach. Some enthusiasts travel all over the country

and the world treasure hunting on sunny Caribbean beaches and tropical

foreign shores. Traveling with a metal detector has some draw backs these

days with airport security being what it is but there are ways to make it easier.

Keep it in a “hard case” like you would golf clubs with all the parts neatly

broken down and displayed. Any hard to spot or hidden compartments

should be readily pointed out and opened. Keep your owners manual handy

that clearly shows all the parts. That way there’s no doubt about what else

these parts might be assembled into. Be prepared for some inconvenience.

Metal detectors don’t come through airports that often and some security

people may have never seen one prior to yours. And one last point: Do

check any destination concerning the use of metal detectors where ever

you’re going. There are some places

that have a ban on their use like Cuba,

St. Thomas and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Beach Bank In conclusion...

There are some

countries that

frown upon

metal detecting

enthusiasts andothers that carry heavy fines and

even lengthy prison sentences.

Be sure to check with the local

Tourism Bureau or Department

of the Interior prior to your

visiting any foreign destinations

This is not a

complete list by

the way, there are

many more.


56

Sub-Chapter Eleven

Shipwrecks: Scuba Diving with Metal Detectors

This is a WORLD OF TREASURE HUNTING that is set apart from

the normal land based to neck deep shallow water detecting. This is a whole

different thing. This type of treasure hunting requires (and excuse the expres-

sion,) a boat load of money and a seasoned crew of people with diversified

talents and skills. The equipment alone is cost prohibitive to all but a few.

There’s not a whole lot of information out there regarding shipwreck diving

except that it’s costly and dangerous. When I was young I use to go out in a

dingy by myself and dive off the keys looking for sunken ships. I had no

training, no supervision obviously and due to the nature of ocean bottoms

swallowing ships whole, very little success. I had no ideal what I was look-

ing for. I just assumed that entire sunken galleons, fully intact and sitting

upright on the sea floor, were there waiting for my arrival and inspection.

Much like the one in my aquarium at home. It’s a wonder I’m not resting in

Davey Jones’ locker myself. I took some amazing risks when I think back.

Ahh, the stupidity of youth. It is only by the grace of God I walk this earth

today such was my appetite for treasure and adventure.

THE FEW TIMES I was part of a team of treasure hunters, finding and

diving on shipwrecks were more misadventures than anything else and quite

expensive. But alas and alack, there wasn’t the technology that exists today

and I regret to think about what might have been had I had access to any of

it. If you are interested in this field I would suggest first getting certified as a

scuba diver by someone who is a recognized and certified themselves by

PADI. (Professional Association of Diving Instructors.) It would better

serve you to have some military training as well. Seek out forums on the

internet where real world treasure hunters may be trying to put together a

group of people for such an expedition. There are few ways to gain this kind

of experience and knowledge but it can be done. You may have to intern or

volunteer on research vessels or local shipwreck diving groups. You can

easily obtain maps of the actual locations of hundreds of shipwrecks on-line

and gain valuable experience from diving on these. But for the love of the

Cracken don’t go without a partner or two. This kind of passion for adven-

ture can easily be the end of you.

Real World Treasure

57

Sub-Chapter ElevenWater hides a

vast amount of treasure

OCEANS, GULFS, BAYS AND INLETS are only a part of metal de-

tecting in water. These are just the salt water cousins to the rest of the many

other bodies and tributaries of fresh water. Lakes, rivers, ponds, creeks,

swimming holes, quarry pits, reservoirs, streams and so on can be just as

bountiful as their salt water counterparts. When you look at a small lake in a

forest imagine how many pioneers, frontiersmen, traders, explorers, trackers,

settlers, trappers, soldiers, Indians, payroll wagons, survey crews, railway

builders, road workers and passersby have been there over the years. That

one body of water was a welcome sight and respite to many people. Think of

the items they may have dropped in their travels and how old some of those

items could be. The shores of lakes and rivers are littered with the relics,

money and artifacts from all these people. Lakes, ponds, rivers and streams

are a natural attraction to humans that provide life giving water and food.

People from prehistoric times till present day lived around, hunted, fished and

even played in just about every body of water on the planet.

DON’T JUST LOOK at a lake and think of it in the present day. Think

about all the visitors it had over the years. Colonies of people could have

been there for years trying to settle and farm the land around it making daily

trips to gather water, wash cloths, take baths, fish or swim. Lakes were often

used to hide confederate and union payroll and gold to keep the enemy from

capturing it and furthering their own war effort. They are the obvious choice

when it comes to hiding something quickly. When there’s no time to dig,

tossing it in the lake was the next best thing. Many stories of lost gold in

rivers, creeks and streams clutter history books and the internet. Most of

which are historical fact. Boats sunk in them too. Some were deliberately

scuttled to avoid enemy capture or were attacked and sunk by enemy flotillas.

THE POINT BEING: working the shores of a lake or bank of a river

can pay off big time. Treasure was thrown into sink holes in rivers and quag-

mires in swampy areas never to be seen again but they’re still there. It’s not

really a secret to know that Water hides a vast amount of treasure.

Real World Treasure

58

BELOW IS A LIST of wet places you may or may not have thought of.

If you’re in a drought area or go to one, you will be able to access land

where the water has receded that you never could before.

HERE ARE SOME CONDITIONS

AND SITUATIONS TO LOOK FOR:

•Drained or shrinking lakes.

•Reservoirs lowered for repair reasons or no longer in use.

•Streams and rivers diverted for construction purposes or farm irrigation.

•Dry creek beds or streams.

•Any swimming areas at times of low water.

•Ponds on golf courses that are drained to make changes or improvements.

•Agricultural ditches that dry up during droughts or seasonally.

•Exposed Lake-bottoms near boat docks when the water levels are low.

HERE’S ANOTHER SECRET FOR YOU: In Florida during a freeze

or freeze warning the farmers draw so much water out of the ground for

irrigation trying to protect their crops it causes sink holes - but it also dra-

matically lowers and sometimes completely empties the lakes and ponds in

the area. The lakes and ponds slowly recover naturally by surrounding

ground water intrusion but what a great opportunity for metal detecting. You

only have a small window of time but you can cover a lot of territory and

make some amazing finds in a couple of days.

Sub-Chapter Eleven

Is this an opportunity or what?Boats lying high and dry on a lakeemptied by Florida Citrus Growersin central Florida and not a metal

detector in sight! Are you kidding?

Water hides avast amount of treasure

Real World Treasure

59

SOMEWHERE IN THIS BOOK I have to tell you about search pat-

terns. They are an absolute part of the search procedure and important to

your success. We’ve discussed gridding in the previous chapters. Narrowing

down your search area and working it in 10’ x 10’ or 20’ x 20’ sections or

grids. It doesn’t matter what size you make them as long as they are a clear

reference to areas you’ve already covered using a thorough search pattern. I

know we’ve already covered some of this in earlier chapters however, over-

lapping your swings is something you should always take great care in doing.

Considering the size of a ring or a coin, one bad swing could easily cause you

to miss it and would constitute a poorly covered grid as a whole.

A METAL DETECTOR sends a signal

down from its coil in an inverted cone shape. The

signal closest to the coil being at its largest and

narrowing down to its furthest depth of say 1 to 2

feet. (It depends on your metal detector how far

down the signal goes.) The signal nearest the coil

could be 12 or more inches in diameter but only 1

or 2 inches in diameter at its lowest point. In that

foot or two of depth just imagine from the top to the bottom of that signal

how much ground area is missed. We miss enough targets that are just out of

reach in depth without adding to our failure rate by not overlapping. We also

talked about going low and slow. You are missing targets when moving too

fast for your metal detector to keep up. If you find yourself in an extremely

productive area I strongly recommended as your swing your coil don’t move

it forward more than an inch or two per swing. This little used secret will

produce more finds than you can imagine.

WE LIVE IN an “instant - right now” world and we’re accustomed to

things responding right away but when it comes to increasing your success

rate and finding more targets you absolutely must slow down your swing.

Chapter TwelveSearch

TechniquesGrids and

Search patterns

Real World Treasure

60

Your’re in the Zone

S ome people suggest that one full swing (that’s back and

forth,) should take about 4 seconds. How fast your swing isshould be, at least in part, determined by the metal detector you’re using.

How deep it goes will determine how fast the signal comes back to the coil.

Some of the common search patterns are zig zags, circles, spirals and

straight lines. If you’ve got some other way like from corner to corner that’s

fine. But let’s say you’re working the beach. Take one section that’s not too

long. Let’s say 40 to 50 feet of beach right in front of where the most people

congregate on a regular basis. From where ever the tide is - from about knee

deep up to the sandy zone (that’s the wet hard packed zone and a little more

into the shallows) start walking in an up and down zig zag pattern with over-

lapping swings until you’ve covered that section of beach.

KEEP TRACK of what you’ve done by dragging your scoop or some-

thing other to mark in the sand where you’ve already been. I’ve read that this

is a deterrent to other metal detectorists in that they can see

that someone has already “gridded” the beach so they turn

around and go home. I can assure you it wouldn’t stop me,

but that’s why I’m writing this book. Most detectorists are

so sloppy and without discipline of any kind in their search

techniques they rarely if ever find anything. So don’t worry

if you ever see “gridding” on the beach. Many times I’ve

followed right behind someone else and made great finds! Don’t let it put

you off.

BACK TO SEARCH PATTERNS: You could take this same strip of

beach and walk in a straight line back and forth lengthwise looking at your

own footsteps to guide you and accomplish the same thing. It really doesn’t

matter what pattern you use as long as you’re thorough in your search. The

spiral pattern we’ve discussed. That is better used and suited for finding

cashes in a field or working an area from its internal center. Again, just be

thorough in your search. FYI the zig zag search pattern is used by underwa-

ter treasure hunters using side scan sonar to map out potential targets on

large areas of the ocean bottom.

Real World Treasure

Working the Beach Zoneat the end of the day willpay off in more ways thanone. Relax and enjoy it.It’s good therapy!

61

WHEN YOU’RE WORKING a beach using an up and down zig zag

pattern you will notice at a certain point between the water and the sand an

area that has coins or other targets. This particular area is where nature has

deposited these items based on their weight in relationship to the sand and

solid content. You can stop at this point and direct your search at this lati-

tude up and down the beach. This is the beach’s natural repository line.

You used the zig zag search pattern and found this area now using this spot

on the beach work that on the parallel to the beach. You will dig some trash

along with coins and jewelry, mostly trash. But trash and treasure are always

together here and digging trash is part of the deal. Nature will deposit just

about everything in one parallel line due to the geography and make up of the

sand and soil. It fits and settles in the ground dynamically with the size and

weight of everything around it.

HERE’S ANOTHER little secret for you: Sometimes you will find

pockets of coins all in the same place. Again nature has deposited them there

along with things like rings and other jewelry. The gold is heavier so in most

cases you can anticipate finding a ring or two underneath these pockets of

coins when you hit them. It would not be unusual to find as many as 100

coins. Keep checking the hole to make sure you haven’t left anything and

use a spiral search pattern around the area to confirm.

MAPS CAN BE one of your greatest assets. Old maps can be the key

to treasure hunting success. Learn about all of the different types of maps

and where to get them for your area. There are dozens of resources. Re-

search old maps in your local library, historical society or the internet. They

can actually show you where old towns used to be and in some cases you

can even find old photographs, drawings and pictures of old towns so you

can actually see where the buildings were. This is as good as it gets! Re-

search is the key to success. Learn to use maps and you’ll learn to find

treasure.

KNOW THE MANY different types of maps as well. These interesting

old maps are called by many names: property-owner maps, homeowner

maps, cadastral maps, landowner maps or Beer’s maps (the Beers family

were engaged in the business of map making in the late 1800’s) These old

maps detail historical towns showing the location of homes with the names

of the homeowner, school-houses, churches, the jailhouse, businesses, black-

smith shops, sawmills and gristmills, quarries, livery stables, railroad tracks

and stations, telegraph offices, ponds, and many other features.

ALL MAPS, no matter what type, show blank areas or voids. Sometimes

these were baron areas, swamps, considered uninhabitable or impassable.

These blank areas sometimes called white areas are potential targets. There

may have been a town there once but has long been forgotten about and

never put on any map. This is more common than you think. Perhaps it was

just one building like a sawmill or brick foundry or ice house. The point is

more often than not something was there. If you ever see an old road or path

no matter how overgrown, follow it. It lead somewhere. There’s no such

thing as a “dead end” when you’re treasure hunting. By using the benefit of

maps old and new you can easily see discrepancies where things on an old

map are no longer on a new one. Bingo..! A target in your sites. No pun

intended.

Real World Treasure

Chapter ThirteenOldeWorldMaps

hold unlimited potential and so do new onesOld Beer’s Maps are still available anda great source for locating treasure

62

Real World Treasure

Maps hold secrets ...and a lot of them too!

IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY that you will ever run across an old treasure

map but they do still turn up every now and again. Sometimes they go up for

sale at auctions or even on ebay. They may or may not have any credibility

or validation and their origins are questionable at best. But guess what..? It

could also be real. For as many people who could remember where they hid

their loot there were as many who had to make a map simply because they

were forgetful or the place they buried it was unfamiliar or foreign. Land-

marks that the maps were based on may have changed dramatically or been

erased completely by development. Be cautious if you’re looking to pur-

chase an “authentic treasure map” because even if it’s real it could probably

only be interpreted by the individual who designed and constructed it. But

let’s not be too hasty, there is one other situation. Take into account the

treasure map that was found in the state of Maryland at a yard sale between a

tintype photo of some old geezer and the mat on the back. This map was

hidden. Not meant to be found. Now we’re talking treasure! What hap-

pened is anybody’s guess. The man that found it hasn’t been heard from

since and that was back in the late 1980’s.

THAT DOESN’T MEAN something evil befell him. It just means he

probably found what he was looking for and did the smart thing. He became

anonymous and lives a quiet and very comfortable life somewhere tropical

and breezy, spending most of his time in a hammock sipping little drinks with

umbrellas in them. (Whoops! Sorry, I got carried away there.) That’s what

I would do anyway. So be careful when it comes to buying treasure maps

it’s a risky throw of the dice. But hey, some people like a good puzzle, so if

you’re on of them - go for it! You can discover forgotten places ripe for

finding treasure just by learning about and using maps. And by the way,

most of the time they’re free or you might have to pay .25 cents for a copy.

Here’s another secret: Using old and new maps along with google earth you

can easily find lakes, ponds and even entire sections of rivers (diverted by the

Army Corps of Engineers for example,) that are drained or just gone for one

reason or another. The reason doesn’t matter, they’re painfully easy geo-

graphic sites to locate and fantastic sites to metal detect in. You can thank

me later.

63

Real World Treasure

LET’S REVIEW what you should know and understand at this point.

This should make easier to take in and digest all this information. You will

probably have to read this book a few times to take it all in. I expect you to

read everything you can get your hands on, not just this book. I also expect

you to investigate any and all resources available to you in order to maximize

the chances of your success. I want you to succeed and become famous so

when you’re asked about your good fortune you can say I owe my success

to a book written by Jack Thompson. That way I’m never forgotten about -

I’ve become immortal and it mattered that I was here once upon a time.

Summary Review

Hopefully you understand that this book is the “no non-sense” approach to finding treasure no matter what typeyou seek.

Fundamental concepts, ideas and understandings you should havederived from this book. Choices, commitments and decisions have tobe made and held to. You must know and understand the following:

•You must choose your particular path.

•It can be approached as a hobby or a

career.

•Know your limitations.

•Be safety conscious.

•Exercise common sense.

•Know that treasure exists.

•You should be driven but not obsessed.

•There are different levels of commit-

ment.

•Work is required on your part.

•Success is real and attainable.

•There are procedures to follow.

•Research is necessary.

•Risk is involved.

•You must be realistic.

•You must have a proper mind set.

•Use all the laws of the universe to your

advantage.

•You must be discrete.

•Be thorough, methodical and patient.

•Use the metal detector best suited for

your purpose.

•Use only the best equipment and learn

how to use it with proficiency.

•Use conceptual perception.

•Use site reading techniques.

•Use maps, GPS’s and satellite imagery

(google.)

•Use libraries, State Archives and Histori-

cal Societies.

•Know how to properly search an area by

gridding and using search patterns.

•Narrow down your search.

•Increase your odds.

•Visualize (put yourself there.)

•Use your imagination as a tool.

•How to work ghost towns, old home-

steads, encampments, fields, old roads tonowhere, derelict buildings, old out-houses, freshwater lakes and ponds, andthe three zones of salt water beaches(working the tides.)

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Real World Treasure

I’VE JUST TOLD YOU EVERYTHING I KNOW THAT’S TAKEN ME

A LIFETIME TO ACQUIRE.

Well, maybe not everything... I never did tell you what I found in Key

West as a boy. Suffice it to say that some things just can’t be told and what I

found could never be shared for a thousand reasons. Not in my lifetime

anyway. I never told my father, my wife, my best friend or my priest - No

one! Even as a boy when I discovered it I knew it was never meant to be

found and I was compelled to honor its very existence and hide its location

once again. Ancient scholars have speculated its existence for hundreds of

years never really knowing if it was fact or fiction. As much as I would like

to have told somebody, the discovery itself prohibits the telling by centuries

of trust and secrecy. I have left information regarding this amazing find in my

last will and testament and for those who purchased this book, you will be

sent via email or home address, all the details regarding this discovery of a

lifetime and understand for yourself why its secret had to be kept and I had

to remain anonymous all these years. The secret to its present location will

die with me but maybe someone else will stumble on it one day. If they do I

hope they have the courage and the strength of character to do the right thing

the next time. I hope you enjoyed this book and the many secrets it had to

offer. May they give you the success you’re looking for.

In Conclusion ...and one more secret!

65

Do your research!

Good Luck, Good Fortune and Happy Hunting!

Real World Treasure

BELOW IS AN ENTIRE LIST of places you can go to get in some all impor-tant practice and insight. You may run into other enthusiasts. Talk to them.Ask them what equipment they use and why. You have a lot in common sobe outgoing and forthcoming with information. It’ll broaden your horizons.I also get tired of hearing people complain about having nowhere to huntwith their metal detectors:

Abandoned Structures - Old

Abandoned Cemeteries - Old

Amusement Parks - Under Board-

walks

Areas Around Skating Ponds

Band Stands or Shells - Old

Barns & Outbuildings - Old

Battle Sites - Old

Beaches

Bridges

Campgrounds

Churches - Old

Church Revival Areas

City & County Parks

Circus, Carnival and Fair Sites

College Campuses

Disaster Sites

Drive Ins - Old

Farmers Market Areas

Fence Posts or Markers

Fishing Holes

Fishing Camps

Flea Market Areas

Forts & Encampment Sites - Old

Garbage Dumps & Trash Pits

Gas Stations & General Stores - Old

Ghost Towns

Hiking Trails

Historical Markers

Homestead Sites - Old

Hunting Lodges & Camp Grounds

Mailboxes (In rural areas)

Military Camp & Bivouac Sites - Old

Mining Camps - Old

Motels - Old

Newly Graded Construction Sites

Parking Spots or Lover’s Lanes

Picnic Grounds

Playgrounds

Racetracks

Railroad Stations and Junctions

Roads or Paths - Old

Rodeo Arenas

Roadside Fruit & Vegetable Stands

Roadside Rest Stops

Town Squares

Scenic Overlook Sites

School Yards - Old

Scout Camps

Sidewalk Grassy Areas

Ski Slopes

Sports & Athletic Fields

Stone or Rock Quarries

Stone Walls or Boundary Walls

Swimming Holes, Lakes and Reser-

voirs - Old

Urban Lots and Scapes

Vacant Lots

Wells & Outhouses - Old

Winter Sledding Areas

This is certainly not all the places you can look but it should get you started.Once again do your research. Find and look at old maps, talk to older localresidents, check the local library, the Historical Societies, State and localarchives, The Library of Congress etc.

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Documents

Treasure Hunter eBook 2010a11