Cache Hunting Houses

[swizzle]

Ok, I'm pretty well versed in where to look in houses for caches. I've read up on cache hunting and know a bit about it. What I've read and what I've done is 2 completely different things at this point. Long story short a women I've done some work for has a hobby of buying houses with full estates, cleaning, clearing and selling the contents and then basically flipping the house for re-sale. This is the second woman that I know of that is in this line of work, but this women is going to allow me full access to at least one home, hopefully more, before she sells the place. I already plan on training my dog to sniff out paper money. The trouble is I can't find the two books that I'm looking for to start the training. I'm sure that training my dog to find a ball is basically the same process. The authors are Miles Forte & Joseph Two Dogs. I'm not sure which one wrote which book but the titles are The Game & Money Dogs. In the meantime before this pup is trained to pay for his own kibble & treats I'd like to see what's in everyones cache hunting tool kit. I lost my mirror on a stick so I'll need a new one of those. Mini flash light, metal detector, is a blacklight worth the bother? What do you guys bring with you and what have you found in the lines of caches. I know that not all caches are going to be money. Any help would be appreciated and pics of anything you've found would be awesome. I already have a decent feeling on this one. The previous owner was a horder. She cleaned out the garage and said it was absolutely packed full of stuff and she set most of it out on the sidewalk with a big free sign. I might very well end up helping her clean and clear estates for free if I can get a few decent antiques out of the deal or the rights to cache hunt and bottle dig like I have with this one. Come on guys, spill the beans lets get some good tips and tricks going. Thanx for reading, Swiz

 

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[lastleg]

Hoaders don't necessarily hide valuables. And what they hoard is usually not
valuable. The addiction to save worthless items is a mental condition. But you
might find a few keepsakes here and there. In a structure I would want to
carry a good quality pinpointer instead of an MD. I have used bfo's in houses
to check walls but so far no caches. I have found stuff in pockets of clothes
and once found a bonaza in a half burned house. All I needed there was sacks.
It had been long abandoned and since a person had died there the neighbors
would not enter.
If you don't mind getting filty dirty a decrepit house can pay off. Be sure to
wear old clothes, long sleeves and gloves. A first aid kit might come in handy.
Check crawl spaces and attics. At the time I was doing abandoned house
searches I did not protect myself properly. I recommend masks to keep from
breathing old putrid dust. Rat and mice leavings are dangerous.
I have quit that kind of pursuit and only hunt in fresh air now.

 

[swizzle]

I don't mind old dusty, dirty, moldy, rotten houses. I'm not afraid of getting dirty but a dust mask does seem like it should be a part of a decent cache hunters tool kit. Nice tip, Thanx, Swiz

 

[boogeyman]

Safety glasses, dust mask, gloves, , boots with good soles are kneepads (if you crawl attics) are #1.

I carry a couple probes made out of bicycle spokes with wood handles. Allows probing a wall without making anything larger than a nail for a picture would. I have an older than dirt TR detector that has a shaft that will reach a ceiling from waist high.
A black light which is a battery camp lantern with the bulbs replaced with 1 longwave & 1 shortwave blacklight bulbs. This helps spotting wall pendants (holes that have been plastered over) even under several layers of wallpaper and sometimes you can see floorboards that have been replaced that you'd miss inregular light. And the assortment of other tools. cow magnet on a string. and a 7' piece of fishtape bent into a hook on the end.

 

[stevesno]

I got into an old house a year and a half ago that the county had condemned....Cat poop several inches deep in every room....There were even dead cats on the back porch in cages....The county workers were seen loading a bulldozer bucket from the top floor with furniture and odds and ends. The day before the demolition I got permission to enter the house after the workers had quit for the day.....In the attic floor leaning against the wall was an old German Fraktur....dated 1847. It appraised between 2500.00 and 5000.00....I sold it at a major auction company for 1500.00...a little disappointing but it was all profit!...Steve

 

[BloodyBelle]

Safety glasses, dust mask, gloves, , boots with good soles are kneepads (if you crawl attics) are #1.

I carry a couple probes made out of bicycle spokes with wood handles. Allows probing a wall without making anything larger than a nail for a picture would. I have an older than dirt TR detector that has a shaft that will reach a ceiling from waist high.
A black light which is a battery camp lantern with the bulbs replaced with 1 longwave & 1 shortwave blacklight bulbs. This helps spotting wall pendants (holes that have been plastered over) even under several layers of wallpaper and sometimes you can see floorboards that have been replaced that you'd miss inregular light. And the assortment of other tools. cow magnet on a string. and a 7' piece of fishtape bent into a hook on the end.

What do you use those probes for, or how? Do you do something to the ends to prevent scratching things or do you only use these indoors.

House hunting is my FAVE. I'm aware of a situation far from me. The son is clueless and within two minutes I got what I wanted to hear: The old man was a classic survivalist! Dang! Guy is finding stuff all over the place but the not the ________ his old man told him to find.

Dog and cat urine? Respirator time--forget a paper mask. A portable radio and lights left on a while to clear out any attic critters. And don't forget snakes like nice cool spots like crawlspaces when it's hot. Black lights good to check replaced brick or stackstones.

 

[Kentucky Kache]

Fiber Optic Bore Scope.



I don't have one, but it would be a good investment if you search a lot of houses. A detector is fine, but unless you have one that detects paper, you won't find everything with a detector. Get a borescope and look between every stud...every joist...inside every vent, etc.

 

[lastleg]

A cautionary warning should be given here on entering abandoned houses. If you
are not really familiar with surrounding neighbors and their habits you might find
yourself getting a free ride downtown. I know a guy who was in a house of an old
man who had died at age 103 checking out a rumor of a silver coin cache, and looked out a front window and saw a PD cruiser sitting at the curb. Turns out the
officer was just filling out some paperwork in an out of the way area. Cold day but
the sweat was running until he left. He didn't find any silver but did find a nice five
shot .38 revolver in the pocket of an overcoat.
The searcher was on speaking terms with all the neighbors and knew the old guy
and used to sit on his porch asking him about the old times. Old style ocean fishing
reels were also saved from deterioration.
Another danger in going into dumps you are unfaliar with is surprising homeless
characters in residence. I don't need to go into detail about what might occur next.
But it was lots of fun finding valuable stuff without having to dig for it.

 

[Lucky13]

Ok, I'm pretty well versed in where to look in houses for caches. I've read up on cache hunting and know a bit about it. What I've read and what I've done is 2 completely different things at this point. Long story short a women I've done some work for has a hobby of buying houses with full estates, cleaning, clearing and selling the contents and then basically flipping the house for re-sale. This is the second woman that I know of that is in this line of work, but this women is going to allow me full access to at least one home, hopefully more, before she sells the place. I already plan on training my dog to sniff out paper money. The trouble is I can't find the two books that I'm looking for to start the training. I'm sure that training my dog to find a ball is basically the same process. The authors are Miles Forte & Joseph Two Dogs. I'm not sure which one wrote which book but the titles are The Game & Money Dogs. In the meantime before this pup is trained to pay for his own kibble & treats I'd like to see what's in everyones cache hunting tool kit. I lost my mirror on a stick so I'll need a new one of those. Mini flash light, metal detector, is a blacklight worth the bother? What do you guys bring with you and what have you found in the lines of caches. I know that not all caches are going to be money. Any help would be appreciated and pics of anything you've found would be awesome. I already have a decent feeling on this one. The previous owner was a horder. She cleaned out the garage and said it was absolutely packed full of stuff and she set most of it out on the sidewalk with a big free sign. I might very well end up helping her clean and clear estates for free if I can get a few decent antiques out of the deal or the rights to cache hunt and bottle dig like I have with this one. Come on guys, spill the beans lets get some good tips and tricks going. Thanx for reading, Swiz

What You Will Need:
Metal Detector
Shovel
Fifth of Whiskey
Roll of Toilet Paper/Change of Underwear.Just in case you find what you`re looking for.