I HAVE A DILEMMA

[against the wind]

Today I stopped by a garage sale. Lots of stuff and cheap. I spoke to the young man and his wife who are holding the garage sale in preparation of selling their house. Very interesting fellow. He has an interest in tropical fish and was selling off some of his tanks. That's a great hobby, so I told him I was a treasure hunter. I handed him my card and he started to tell me about how he and his boy dug out a Koy pond in the backyard. In the process of digging, he came across an Indian Head Penny. He ran upstairs to get it and show me. I told him, "So Cool!" Then I asked if he would show me the pond. We went to the backyard and I started asking questions that would lead up to me getting permission to hunt his acre of land. I also managed to get permission to hunt with another Tnetter. There is also an old Farmhouse in back of his property where the owner passed away. He has permission to be on that land from the farmer's son.
We bought a few tools and then left. When I called him back to tell him I would be there on Sunday, he started to say things like, "Well you know if you find anything of value, its on my land, so it belongs to me.
After a conversation that explained how rarely does a person give us permission and then ask for us to give him whatever we find. I explained that we search for old coins but it is rare that we find a coin that is worth a ton of money. He said,, well I do want to see what you find. I may want to sell it.
We left it at, let's see what we find. I even offered to give him any jewelry we might find. So we are set to hunt it on Sunday. Do you guys think I should bother. My partner already gave me a suggestion that we split up and only show him the clad. Do you guys think I should even bother??

 

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[junkhunt]

Don't show him anything junk. If he fallows around just leave.

 

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[against the wind]

We ended up hunting the property at the old house for 3 hours. I gave the owner all the clad we found. I kept the oldest coin found, (a 1942 Canadian penny), and a Brass Hail Mary Prayer Medallion. The owners are going to try to get us permission to do the old farm across the creek.

 

[DigToChina]

That is a smart move atw. [emoji1303]

You gave up clad for another permission so totally worth it but I'm also thinking "Oh brother ! This guy must really be a cheapskate if he took the clad" [emoji848]

 

[motherlode77]

Don't do it for this reason: If you make a rich find, you will be torn between respecting yourself for not being a little ***** and handing it over to him, and respecting yourself for keeping your word. Either way, you lose your self respect, which is a treasure worth safeguarding.

 

[Mdbri]

Two choices, dig and show it all like he said he wanted, or not do it, don’t play sneaky Pete , no other way, he said show all and he might want to sell all. You know that going in. I would wait for new owner, say you stopped by before but didn’t follow up.

 

[against the wind]

I gave him a deal he couldn't refuse.
A bird in the hand is better than 2 in the bush. I gave him 5 Mercury Dimes before we started. They are in coin folders and are graded good +. I let him know that each one is worth at least $5. at his garage sale.
I explained that we may not find any old coins but if we find any silver, we are keeping it. He could have the clad. We will show him the finds. Then I told him, if I don't find any silver, he has to give me $5. for each Mercury Dime that I gave him.
We both laughed. It turned out okay and we are welcome to come back.

 

[Carolina Tom]

Good luck ATW, with whatever you decide.

I don't like dopey people, so I most likely would pass on that one.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Last year Steve & I went door knocking - well, Steve actually did the knocking while I stood there looking stupid.

The owner gave us permission to hunt, but he wanted to keep everything we found. We hunted anyway, each found silver dimes. At the end of the hunt we poured out our finds on a table for him to take any or all.

He just chuckled and said for us to keep our finds.

There's always room for humor in this world - though I personally would pass on the dude you're dealing with here.

 

[Normsel]

1st of all I would stay away from it and if I did agree to it I would live up to the agreement. That's just me. I am to honest to try and hide stuff for myself. For me it's the thrill of the find not the value or what it is.

I been screwed many times because I am so honest but one thing for sure I have a clear conscience .

 

[hvacker]

I wouldn't cheat the guy. As what happens so often when someone sleeps on an offer or speaks to another, minds change..
Many things have no value until someone else wants it.
I once had a job where I went into homes. I was working with antiques at the time. If I saw something wasting away in a wet basement I might ask if it was for sale. At first I saw a "yes" in their eyes then suspicion, then No, I think my daughter wants that. After a few of these I quit asking.
In this instance, I might create an agreement in advance to insure the owner of his end. Half of all finds would be fair IMO.
An agreement might make the owner more suspicious but win some loose some.
In instances where there is no one looking over my shoulder take Casca's advice: "Your a pirate, take all you can, give nothing back - Jack Sparrow".

 

[s2ndjetli]

First. You noticed already at the beginning how he turncoated. He isn't gonna remove his spots...remember that. Second. Get everything in writing. Can't chance anything today. Selling treasure for an attorney makes hunting work and not fun

 

[Timebandit]

Guys,

ATW already said that he hunted the house and the owner took all the clad. Like digtochina said...guy must be a real cheapskate LOL. It sounds like the real win is that you are getting help from the guy to get permission to hunt the old farmhouse, right? Please keep us posted as I think we all want to know what you find at the farmhouse

 

[trdking]

Run away fast. Not worth the trouble. You did say he was preparing to sell and move? That is an excellent intro to the new buyer. Hey the last owner gave me permission to hunt. Do you mind if I continue?

 

[gold-dog]

I wouldn't waste my time. If you do He expects everything and you incur the expenses and your time. That's ludicrous He would probable sue you for damages to his yard

 

[Dual Hunter]

don't feel bad , i asked for permission on a Civil War area farm around Fox's gap in Maryland and was told yes you can detect here but i get everything you find....... i offered half and was told all or nothing.......needless to say i declined