Relic Hunter? Treasure Hunter? Amateur Archaeologist?

[kiara]

I see a lot of posts where people use different words to identify what they are. Relic hunter, treasure hunter, amateur archaeologist, metal detectorist, amateur collector. Are relic hunters out for high value stuff, same for treasure hunter? Relic and treasure hunter sound way more exciting than amateur collector!

 

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[kiara]

Someone posted on another thread:

Detectorist is a good all around reference, no matter what people detect for.
Treasure hunter gives the wrong impression.
Relic hunter is fine for those that only detect relics.
We are NOT archeologists so that would give a false impression.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I'm a coin shooter but any science interests me: archeology, anthropology, paleontology, entomology, zoology, biology, etc.

 

[Trokair]

I go by Treasure Hunter as I am most interested in jewelry on the beaches and coins. I think it is all up to you and how detecting makes you feel/what you do with it. I get jokingly ribbed for being the "old guy with the metal detector" by my friends to which I shoot right back "How many of you have found gold? I'm a successful Treasure Hunter".

 

[fyrffytr1]

I consider myself a relic hunter because I also look for artifacts that can't be found with a metal detector.

 

[smallfoot]

I'm a finder of lost things and believe me, it's not all treasure...

 

[Honest Samuel]

I agree with # 6. Not all things that i dig up is treasure.

 

[BillA]

I am a recycler, only a looter if I get the chance.

 

[kiara]

Thanks! But what differentiates a treasure hunter from a relic hunter? I mean aren’t all treasures relics and all relics treasure? What relics can’t be found without a detector? All I can think of is coins, jewelry, mini-hoards/dumps etc-all metal.

 

[kiara]

BillA doesn’t that term have a lot of negative press? Looter sounds so bad, and relic hunter sounds more like Indiana Jones.

 

[kiara]

Trokair-I think treasure hunter sounds wayyyyy cooler than metal detectorist.

 

[kiara]

Charlie p. Because of you interest in science would you consider yourself an amateur archaeologist? A friend in the uk said that term was super popular over there. Because they work more closely with detectorists and have a relationship detectorists are sometimes invited to help on digs etc. I guess they kinda see themselves are educated in methodology, excavation techniques etc and have more knowledge than the average person in the hobby. I guess like an archaeological groupie? ����

 

[ToddsPoint]

Old man trying to get a little exercise. That's me. Gary

 

[Muddyhandz]

I wear the term "relic hunter" like a badge of honour, like it's something I graduated from.

You see, as a coin hunter, I spent years of discriminating targets and sites. They build fancy detectors for coin hunters because they hate digging junk and want to cherry pick coins only.
They will find copper and silver relics because of digging high tones in the coin range. Never dug anything in the ferrous range and would be sick to my stomach if I saw rust in the hole!

A beach hunter will go to the beach and dig everything because they know that gold falls in the pull tab/foil range and a fine chain could even be close to the ferrous range.
Hopefully, there's less junk at the beach than most green spaces and one will put in the work to strike gold.
A beach hunter uses way less discrimination than a coin hunter and is willing to dig junk more frequently.

A relic hunter has a quest to dig at least all non-ferrous at their sites because they know that buttons, badges, and a wide range of artifacts fall below the coin range.
They use the same work ethic as a beach hunter digging a lot of junk but are content as long as the junk is old and know a nice keeper or two will come out of those junk signals.
A relic hunter will still easily dig up coins and jewellery if they are present and will even dig those iffy signals, knowing it could be non-ferrous mixed with iron.
At really old sites, I will dig larger ferrous signals and if the soil is kind, even dig up beautiful rose-head nails!
I have converted coin hunters into relic hunters after they saw the crazy axes, knives, and gun parts that are ferrous coming out of the soil.
A relic hunter also has trained eyes and can spend hours eye-balling metal finds where they dumped garbage long ago or finding non-metal artifacts like prehistoric stone implements in fields and shorelines.

Arrow head hunters are more likely "artifact hunters" than relic hunters but I am both and use the relic hunter title but I spend a lot of time coin hunting as well.

If you know anyone here that gets a permit to detect historic sites and spend hours graphing soil stratospheres, flagging finds only to excavate in a square, gridding every find slowly and tediously while recording every fish and rodent bone with plant seeds and a few berry pits......Then you could call them an amateur archaeologist.

Everyone has their own idea of what treasure is but we're ALL looking treasure in some form or another, so that makes us all treasure hunters!

 

[Toecutter]

I usually just say "I love digging dirt for goodies" if they ask what kind Ill say anything old and neat....

 

[Trezurehunter]

I consider myself a "Sophisticated junk collector" !! No, really, I use the term Metal Detecting Hobbyist. It works well.

 

[fyrffytr1]

Thanks! But what differentiates a treasure hunter from a relic hunter? I mean aren’t all treasures relics and all relics treasure? What relics can’t be found without a detector? All I can think of is coins, jewelry, mini-hoards/dumps etc-all metal.

Some examples of relics that can't be found with a detector would include bottles, native American artifacts and fossils.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Charlie p. Because of you interest in science would you consider yourself an amateur archaeologist? A friend in the uk said that term was super popular over there. Because they work more closely with detectorists and have a relationship detectorists are sometimes invited to help on digs etc. I guess they kinda see themselves are educated in methodology, excavation techniques etc and have more knowledge than the average person in the hobby. I guess like an archaeological groupie? ����

Well, I'm certainly not a professional. I find coins but it is not my primary source of income by any stretch. I guess in the same way I consider myself an amateur fisherman because no one pays me to go fishing. I just enjoy it and occasionally eat my catch.

However, you can put me down as a professional scientist/ecologist because I get paid to keep a water reclamation plant running. My degree is in human(organizational) behavior . . . of all things. Weird science for sure. Though I do have a technique for where to concentrate a search when using my detector and I keep a log of results. Both valid scientific methods.

 

[tinpan]

Hi, You left mutants and unusual species off the list .TP

 

[BillA]

BillA doesn’t that term have a lot of negative press? Looter sounds so bad, and relic hunter sounds more like Indiana Jones.

looting implies theft, but if no owner ?
or if the owner does not act in their interest ?

and how one makes their living has often nothing to do with their hobbies or activities
I worked as an engineer, that does not make me a mining engineer when I shake a gold pan.