The Treasure Hunters Nightmare

[Dan Hughes]

The Treasure Hunter's Nightmare

Somebody asks you to use your metal detector to hunt for his mother's wedding ring. He describes it, and where she lost it a decade ago, and you recognize it because you found it three years ago, and sold it to a gold dealer.

What do you tell this person?

You're digging in your own yard and you find a human skeleton. Do you tell the authorities? Even if you know it's going to cost you $5,000, like it did a Canadian citizen a few weeks ago?

Ethical dilemmas, morality problems. What to do?

It's all in my latest In the Treasure Corner podcast, show #127 at In the Corner with Dan Hughes.

 

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[ivan salis]

is the skeleton a "fresh body" or is it very very old?--if very very old rebury and leave alone --if fresh report it as a "possible foul play" victim" since it might be one. -- tell the ring fellow that you seem to recall that someone hunting in that area found a ring matching the description of his ring long ago ( the fact that the "someone" was you , well that you do not have to say) ==so that stops him from wasting his time , and lets him down easy.

 

[Maburger]

Both tough senarios. As always, you must let your concscious be your guide. As for my opinion, since you asked, I believe the truth is always the best answer.

 

[Dan Hughes]

is the skeleton a "fresh body" or is it very very old?--if very very old rebury and leave alone --if fresh report it as a "possible foul play" victim" since it might be one. -- tell the ring fellow that you seem to recall that someone hunting in that area found a ring matching the description of his ring long ago ( the fact that the "someone" was you , well that you do not have to say) ==so that stops him from wasting his time , and lets him down easy.

Turned out, the skeleton was 400 years old.

And your way of handling the ring situation sounds pretty good. Making the best of a bad situtation....

 

[BVI Hunter]

While working on a construction site we found a skeleton -

after 3 weeks of investigation (and NO PAY for the crew) the job site was reopened as the authorities determined it was over 100yrs old and no foul play etc.

next week we found another....

two choices.... - go thru another 3 weeks of no pay

or...

well, lets just say the Dumpster won.......

 

[doc-d]

Out here in rural America, there are many lost and forgotten graves.......seems to me that the dead are best left undisturbed.......so unless clear signs of foul play and it being a recent skeleton; forget it, leave them alone in their final resting place.
If a road or construction site, it would be better it seems to contact the "authorities" and have the skeleton re-located.

 

[onfire]

better nightmare. what if you found the ring on a skeleton? and you sold both?

 

[Dan Hughes]

better nightmare. what if you found the ring on a skeleton? and you sold both?

Zowie! Didn't know there was a market for used skeletons!

 

[austin]

There is a market in this country for EVERYTHING. Just stop by Goodwill and check it out. People buy good stuff and well, not so good stuff...

 

[Keppy]

..... No problem for me i would never tell any one any thing about those finds ..... The ring i would tell him here is my detector have fun but i don't think you will find it.......... The skeleton as i cover it back up...I would say to my self i never saw any thing,,,,,.... No nightmares for me ............... It would just be a nightmare for the ones that like to tell every one about every thing they do or find... Or that are worry about nothing ........

 

[Keppy]

better nightmare. what if you found the ring on a skeleton? and you sold both?

......What nightmare if i sold them it just means more money in my pocket..........No problem or nightmare..

 

[BosnMate]

The high desert of central Oregon has lots of rim rocks and lava flows. There was a construction crew digging a ditch, and in an area close to an old time wagon trail, they uncovered a void in some lava rock. The void contained a human skeleton. I don't totally agree with what they did, but the archies have the laws so hen house anymore, and nobody wants to deal with their BS, so it took very few minutes for a D-8 get rid of any evidence that anything was ever there. And that's life in the United States anymore, the do gooders are screwing history and themselves with their CS ways. Nobody wants to deal with them, when it comes to the archies and libs, no good deed goes unpunished.

 

[jeff of pa]

Somebody asks you to use your metal detector to hunt for his mother's wedding ring. He describes it, and where she lost it a decade ago, and you recognize it because you found it three years ago, and sold it to a gold dealer.

What do you tell this person?

My response would be something like:

" I say this to everyone, I can't guarantee I'll find it , But, I'll Give it a Look ."

Why ruin both our days ?

You're digging in your own yard and you find a human skeleton. Do you tell the authorities? Even if you know it's going to cost you $5,000, like it did a Canadian citizen a few weeks ago?

Depends on age, & of course if on My property that would mean it's old,
So I would either add the skull to my finds collection (Display) , or rebury.
since it hasn't happened I can only guess at this time. condition & odor would be
a large part of the decision.

Ethics & morality ? over rated in today's society of Police states & Lawyers in my opinion.
I hope you didn't want me to blow smoke up your wazoo & say I'd
do the right thing or pray for
guidance

 

[dholland02]

Simple the Skelton would get covered up and id give him my ace and let him go to town to try to find the ring letting him think its still there.

 

[Frankn]

The skeleton, I would"never see", Might be an Indian and that is a can of worms I won't open. As for the ring, I would take a look for him. Hay, That found one just could have been another one. Frank...

 

[BosnMate]

The skeleton, I would"never see", Might be an Indian and that is a can of worms I won't open. As for the ring, I would take a look for him. Hay, That found one just could have been another one. Frank...

View attachment 824531

And you might just find something else you missed before. I've only been asked to find a ring once, and I eyeballed it on top of the ground before my coil passed over it, but when it comes to pipes and valves etc. I've been asked to find those a time or two. Never had any luck because the pipe or valve was many yards away from where they though it was. But I found sprinklers and hose nozzles, roof nails and odd change, nothing outstanding and wasn't much help except to point out areas where there wasn't anything. Then one time after we looked and looked here and there, he remembered the pipe was plastic. Which brings up a good story, a friend was called by a lady because she'd lost her engagement ring which had a good sized rock on it. She offered a reward, he showed up, and she showed him the ring with the diamond missing. He told her he was very sorry, but his machine wouldn't find a diamond and he couldn't help her. She was very disappointed, so he suggested that they pray about it and see what they might find, so they held hands and asked God for help. The lawn only had one bare spot where a gopher had dug and the mound had been flattened. In the middle of that small bare spot --- you guessed it --- the lost diamond. He turned down the reward, and asked her to put a little extra in the plate on Sunday.

 

[piegrande]

I live in a small rural village in Mexico. A builder told me that several years ago, they were building a new room for a man. They encountered 8 skeletons laying side by side, and 8 ceremonial cups, with the cups piled up.

The owner probably realized there might be some government interference with his property if they reported ancient skeletons. (The local church was here in 1620 and after that all burials would have been on consecrated ground. So, those skeletons had to be very old.) So, he sent them all home. When they came back the next morning, the skeletons and cups had all walked away to unknown locations.s See the comment about certain people causing grief for others.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Somebody asks you to use your metal detector to hunt for his mother's wedding ring. He describes it, and where she lost it a decade ago, and you recognize it because you found it three years ago, and sold it to a gold dealer.

What do you tell this person? ....

Dan, I won't comment on the skeleton one. Only the ring one. The "ethical dilema" in the ring one, did not begin at the time the lady asked you to find the ring (which you realize you sold 3 yrs. ago already). The "ethical dilema" begins when ANY of us even FINDS a gold ring, TO BEGIN WITH. Because you see, if you want to call it an "ethical dilema", then *technically speaking*, you were to have turned it in to the police, the day you found it, 3 yrs. ago. Assuming it was over a value-threshold of whatever your state has as the criteria by which lost & found laws are written. Usually something like "$100 value or more must be turned in to the police".

But .... a simple look at the beach forum, looking at the daily bragging rights of various beach hunters, and you'll see no shortage of us md'rs finding rings, all the time. Now you tell me: Do you think all those guys on T'net finds beach forums, are rushing down the police station each time? (be honest). Thus the "ethical dilema" started long before the lady asked you to help her find her gold ring

Oh, and for the record: I rush down to the police station every time I find a ring on the beach... that's the ticket!

Because as your story shows, EVEN 3 YRS later, someone can "still be looking for their ring". So we can not simply use the rationale that "sheeesk, it's been here for years, even decades perhaps, thus I bet no one cares, and it's long since been written off". Nope. The law makes no exceptions or allowances for when YOU think it was lost, or whether YOU think the person's given up or long since dead.

Now I expect all of you to do the same as I, and go turn in all your finds. In fact, send them all to me, and I'll absolve your conscience of all guilt. It's the least I can do for the furtherance of our fine hobby

 

[bigscoop]

I'd say the real problems start when it is later discovered that the gold ring actually belonged to the previous owner of the skeleton.

 

[JunkShopFiddler]

The lady knows where you hunt. She killed her husband and buried him at your favorite site and watched you dig up the ring and re-bury the skeleton. Then she went to the pawn shop and bought back the ring and got a description of you from the pawn dealer. She tells the police a crazy metal detector guy came to their door and asked permission to hunt their property. She says her husband told you no, but then you went berserk and whacked him in the head with a club that had ATPro written on it and yelled something like "BOOM BABY!" Then the police show up at your house and arrest you for assault with a deadly iron audio weapon. So you're found guilty and put in a prison cell with these two nutty guys who see you and exclaim, "ROUNDNESS IN THE ...I should probably stop right about here.