Do relic huntig partnerships work?

[ynpto804]

Anyone ever been involved with a group of who shared and split up their finds?? If you did how did you create a equal split amount the finds? Ive been involved in a group of 4 guys that have secured permission that other wise I don't believe we would have alone. The current idea is to assign a fair market value to each item found and then there would be a option at the conclusion of the dig to make a even split that way. 2 of the guys just like to dig and don't care about what is found (which I don't care for). So there would be the option as well to buy the other guys out.
Any thoughts would be awesome.

 

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[U.K. Brian]

They can work but the small groups I've worked with always set a value point where things become joint finds. Say $600 and above. Below that what you find is yours. All subject to the deal done with the landowner. Single detectorists often do a 50/50 split with the landowner. If there's two searching plus the owner as a silent partner he might want half still but I would press for third shares.
Your totally right to think about this now. All I would change is to allow a member of the group to buy an item at the market value if its something they are really interested in. If two both want it the one who offers most gets it.

Do get something down in writing !

 

[pong12211]

I hunt with a buddy of mine quite a bit.. Never hunted in a group though.. I for one would have no problem sharing if I were to hunt in a group.. But you know what they say money is the root of all evil..

 

[diggummup]

Unless the landowner wants a split then I say finders keepers. Personally I think whatever you dig is your own. If someone wants to trade/barter or sell an item to another then so be it. JMHO

 

[damiani1]

Hmm, I personally don't know as I just hunt alone. But I feel it would get a bit annoying. Even if you are alone and find something really good with no one around you have to tell the others and then sell it and divvy it up As you said 2 of the guys don't care about what is dug. What if you are the only passionate one who is trying your best and those guys tag along for the free ride? If it is like that, it seems like highway robbery.

 

[ynpto804]

Well, I will let every one know how it works out.

 

[pwcguy]

I've been lucky so far. Everyone I hunt with lets you keep what you find. But if I was offered a deal like yours and get to hunt a spot I wouldn't other wise get to hunt I would try it out.

 

[rock]

If nothing else put all the finds in a bag and take turns reaching in sight unseen and then picking them out as yours to keep. Id be more into if I dug it then its mine thing unless it takes more than myself to dig it. If it takes more than one to dig it then split it up. I would probably pocket my finds if nobody was looking my way. Just saying, lol.

 

[Keppy]

I have always hunted alone and will keep doing so... Then i have no problems .......

 

[dholland02]

Hunt alone I just learned my leason the hard way.

 

[gman17]

Be careful, I had a person trying to be my friend for the wrong reasons, just trying and begging to get me to take him to my spots, with all these promises of the great spots he had. but when it came down to it, he was a lier with no spots. I almost feel robbed. Crazy people out there.

 

[Muddyhandz]

I've never split my finds with anyone in 30 years detecting and cannot imagine doing so in the future.
Don't care for the direction this hobby is heading (Thanks to reality shows) where EVERYTHING now has a market value.
I sell jewelry and 100 year old coins and collectables but how can you put a price on some historic finds?
What if someone finds a one of a kind, historically significant artifact that no one has ever sold before?
How do you figure out the value? Who's gonna fork out the cash? What if one of the hunters wants to keep the item?
Sounds like trouble!
If I had pay to hunt a site or pay to keep one of my finds, then forget it. I'd rather not hunt there at all.
Finding good sites to hunt (for free) has never been a problem for me.
Cheers,
Dave.

 

[damiani1]

I don't think I could sell relics, I find that old items are so cool!

 

[Iron Patch]

Absolutely doomed to fail, and everything might go ok until someone hits something really good and it will change. Keep what you each find and have fun.

The only way it ever works is if you sell everything and split the cash, but it's amazing how many people will get shady over a few dollars and start hiding things. I actually know guys that have deals and they back stab each other like crazy for both sites and finds. They haven't killed each other yet, but the group I hunt with just shakes their head and can't imagine ever making deals.

 

[ynpto804]

I will say that this hasn't been easy. The quantity and quality of the finds we made is unreal. (I will make a post on them with in the week) I'm not sure if I will ever go in on a hunt like this ever again. It has basically turned into 3 of us making all the finds and one person not doing any digging. He is the one who "secured" the site. I will do a big update on wens or thurs of this week.

 

[DentonSandy]

30 odd years ago I went to an abandoned house with a male cousin. We were back by the kitchen door and under the steps were some old bottles. We looked at each other and I said well aren't you going to bring them out. When he didn't answer I went under the steps and I can put up with spiders but not their webs so I only used one hand to grab a bottle. When I was back next to him he said give me the bottle and I answered No, I got it now you get one. It was an old milk bottle with thumbprint bottom which unfortunately broke during one of my moves. We never talked after that.

I would prefer MDing with someone. Should there be rules? After two divorces rules are only for those who follow them

 

[ToastedWheatie]

Unless the landowner wants a split then I say finders keepers. Personally I think whatever you dig is your own. If someone wants to trade/barter or sell an item to another then so be it. JMHO

I hunt with a partner. i find it more enjoyable ("Hey, what kinda signal do YOU get here?").
But if we didn't have some kind of share agreement, then we have trouble on a site, with both of us jockeying for the "best" spot. That would make like hunting with a starnger. No fun.

Much easier with "I'll start here, you start there. Meet ya in the middle".

We never did quite formalize what that dollar value is that seperates the keeper from the share.... guess we need to have a discussion.

 

[ynpto804]

I think a few folks might not understand. This isn't about hunting with a partner(which I do most of the time). This is about hunt with 3 other people. Kinda like a co-op. this is the first time I have done this. It has lead to a site that we as a group have dug 25+ confederate buttons in a matter of a week. The site is now unhuntable. Again more back story later.

 

[ToastedWheatie]

I think a few folks might not understand. This isn't about hunting with a partner(which I do most of the time). This is about hunt with 3 other people. Kinda like a co-op. this is the first time I have done this. It has lead to a site that we as a group have dug 25+ confederate buttons in a matter of a week. The site is now unhuntable. Again more back story later.

I also have two other people that occasionally hunt with my partner and I, making a group of four. People I'm friendly with, but not friends with.

I have my concerns, and they don't get to come to the honey holes. But I spend the time setting up the hunts, finding locations, researching history, negotiating/sweet talking homeowner, etc. They show up and hunt.

I don't mind in a group setting that small things are finders keepers, but the rules you apply to two hunters should apply to four, or five, or six. Set a dollar amount in value. Under that you keep, over that you split (don't forget property owner). Agree in advance who is in charge, and makes the call. In my group, that will be me. Or they can find their own place to hunt.

Fair market value is easy to set. eBay is great resource. Gold jewelry is 60% of spot price is fair.

Personally I wouldn't care if a fellow hunter found something of value, say $500, and wanted to keep it. It's not about the money. But if he was selling it, a split might be in order. If he finds that cache of Morgan silvers in the place that I walked him over and said, "Search here", we should splint something, don't ya think?

Set the value high. None of you are there to get rich. So you don't want money to get in the way. And if it's just about the relics, I don't want to collect any relic found by someone else anyway. That's not what it's about. So I wouldn't care about splitting them.

If I really want a musketball or Dandy button dug by another hunter, I'll just buy one....

 

[finderskeepers]

NOPE!!