What drew you to this hobby?

[Jarl]

Metal Detecting for me is simply another extension of an already existing inclination of mine to discover brought on by continual, unrelenting and chronic bouts of curiosity, insatiability, probability and mystery. Haha, anyway, I remember as a young boy of about 11 or so, I had a fascination with the formation of diamonds and used to spend my 'bored' apartment life weekends flipping through the pages of a set of World Book Encyclopedias, reading about diamonds, gold and dynamite and many other things. I had also a fascination with collecting things that were gold colored. Of course seeing various films, like Indiana Jones, Romancing The Stone, Goonies...this had a serious effect on me. Specifically, I did not start detecting until some time in the late 90's. Bought a Bounty Hunter at Walmart...found a few nails, took it through some wet grass and ruined the machine...end of story, until...2010. A friend put up a detector for sale on FB, i had a handful of money and an up coming summer and bought it. It's been one of the most fulfilling hobbies I have had. This hobby gets you to open the books to learn...as I say, detectorists dig in the dirt and the books and often you gather things worthy of attention 'along the way', so it is always rewarding in some manner.

 

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[Beans]

I just want to find lost treasures, ones the will make me rich. History and lost items are interesting but just want to find that treasure chest. Treasure chest for me means lost gold or silver coins, jewelry, etc, does not have to be in a box or chest.

 

[Produce Guy]

When I was a kid I think I saw some show on Disney,on a sunday night,and people were metal detecting on a beach and finding coins.Years later a friend that lived next to me had a metal detector and we went out into the woods and found lots of beer cans,bottle tops,but no money,but we had fun! A couple of months later,we went further into the woods by are houses and found what was left of an old home,barn and a bottle dump. we md'ed all over the ground ,but only found iron,rusty metal and glass.Years later after I got a part time job(13 -15 years old) I saved enough money and bought my first MD,it was a Jetco,1 knob and a small 5 inch coil and it took a 9 volt battery.Now I started finding coins,metal and lots of can tabs.I went out almost everyday one summer and found almost $5 in coins,over the years ,jobs,school,girls and other distractions kept me away from treasure hunting.Back in 2008 I think i googled metal detecting and this site came up,I started reading the fourm page everyday,looking at all the great finds people were finding all over the place.After my twins went away to college,2010 I started going out with a friend who had a green garrett huntmaster?,I think. We would find coins and other metal junk.Finally in 2012 I made up my mind on a Garrett ace 250 and have found allot of coins,mainly pennies,but every time I go out I think of that show that was on Disney that sunday night.

 

[Capt Hook]

I left a story like this and got my Ba--'s busted.. But One has to consider the source .Right ?. bottom line I like to do this ....Hook

 

[Bum Luck]

As a young kid I swam really well, I used to find stuff on the bottom of the pool. Have excellent eyesight (even now) and have an uncanny ability to pick things out at distance. I can remember noticing an Indian Head penny barely sticking out of the ground and picking it up. I'm good at finding stone points.

More important though, is the Love of Learning. I can't describe it except to say that it is a beautiful thing to learn and intake information and roll it around in your brain like you would a fine wine in your mouth, savoring it for itself and also for the Beauty of Composition when you relate it with other knowledge.

How much of a story is truth? What do the words mean exactly? Can I "read" the guy's mind? I am fascinated by seeing things others can't - in the abstract. That's precisely why I so admire geologists. How about philologists? They can "see" back thousands of years following language clues. Read "The Mind in the Cave".

It's the thrill of finding someone's nice ring and putting a smile back on their face. Finding a trinket lost by a child long ago that could have been your great grandfather. Or finding a silver dollar - they're worth money but they're way cooler than mere money. Picking up a fluted ax and realizing you're the first person to hold it in 4500 years.

Feeling a little bit like the greats - Mel Fisher, Art McKee, William Phips, Heinrich Schliemann, Frogfoot Weller, Kip Wagner, Doug Armstrong, and guys here on the board itself.

Touching history.

Discovery!