godisnum1
Silver Member
- Joined
- May 7, 2005
- Messages
- 3,668
- Reaction score
- 451
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Saint Petersburg, FL
- Detector(s) used
- Nokta Legend Pro Pack, Nokta Legend WHP w/ LG24 coil, Nokta Pulse Dive Pinpointer, White's IDX Pro (x2), Vibraprobe 570
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
- #1
Thread Owner
Since the prior thread was closed to discussion, I thought I'd jump on (rare occasion these days) and voice my own opinion.
T-Net was my original home in this "hobby" (and I STRESS "hobby") about 20 years ago now. Back then, I was just a young 20-something college kid with not a lot of money in my pocket (some things never change in life, am I right? 🤣) and big dreams of grandeur, hoping to follow & locate some hidden treasure leads... and about 6 years of previous experience digging & cataloging Native artifacts here in Florida, prior to heading off to college. One old timer here on the site saw my posts and gave me a shot in the hobby by mailing me his first machine, accessories, treasure lead books, and a bit of cash to get my first pinpointer. That was my humble start in the hobby, pretty much just finding bag loads of coins in the local parks (which more than paid for my laundry money the rest of the way through school).
Fast forward 20 years and I'm now in my early 40's, working the same 9-5 job in the promotional industry over the last 13-1/2 years, helping a couple local business owners on the side, and representing & traveling for one of the major metal detecting manufacturers (Nokta Detectors) as a Nomad on their Global Team.
Between college & now, I haven't uncovered "hoards" of vast riches (monetarily, anyway)... but I have gleaned a TON of fellow Treasure Hunter/Detectorist friends in the hobby over the years, which is probably my most valuable & meaningful find in this hobby to this day. I'm talking people who I met & befriended on this site, who decided to come (from around the country) to attend my wedding back in Missouri years ago, and people I'm still friends with to this day.
Yes, I have found some really awesome things in the hobby over the years. My best & oldest is still my 1783 Spanish 2 Reale from a few years ago... but I have box full of rings & jewelry from our beaches, relics all over the place (in Ziplocs, none-the-less 😂), and a zeal for discovering the lost/unknown history in the ground... that has never ceased to fade away over the years.
The first thing I tend to tell people when discussing the hobby (again, I stress that word) is that there is no point in getting into it to "get rich". Sure, we ALL have a hidden hope in our soul that we'll someday dig something up that will make our heart literally stop as we stand/sit there staring at it in unbelief. But realistically, you have to expect about 80%-90% of what you dig on average will end up being trash (yes, avoiding the "should I dig it or not dig it" discussion) if you don't cherry pick targets. That's just how it goes. The very small percentage of non-trash targets will come, as will the even smaller percentage of good or great finds... if you invest enough of your time actually detecting, getting to know your machine, and increasing your chances by getting out there and actually searching.
Though there are very rare instances where someone picks up a detector and finds something substantial right out of the gate (ex. diamond ring, old coins, hidden treasure hoards, etc.)... it's just not going to happen with that little effort & time for the majority of people who get into this hobby. It's really all about being in the right area (sometimes at the right time) and getting your coil over the right target, then deciding to dig it up and find out what it is. But that prospect of finding something great is what pushes many or most of us to press on and keep trying, no matter if it was a bust of a trip or a life-changing outing.
What I've learned with experience over the years is to set my bar of expectations VERY low (so I'm never disappointed), spend as much time as I can getting out there and searching, and being extremely patient and waiting for that great target to pass under my coil. Overall, just have fun and appreciate everyone you come across in the hobby who shares the same zeal & dreams you do... especially if they do it for the history and not for the money, or to "get rich". That's mostly how I've been encouraged to stay at it so long (I know, I'm still a youngin to some of y'all... even though I'm no longer a college kid in my 20's 😁)
I hope this post makes sense and resonates with whoever reads it. I don't often get on here to make posts... but I thought I'd get on and share my own experience thus far. 😊
Bran <><
T-Net was my original home in this "hobby" (and I STRESS "hobby") about 20 years ago now. Back then, I was just a young 20-something college kid with not a lot of money in my pocket (some things never change in life, am I right? 🤣) and big dreams of grandeur, hoping to follow & locate some hidden treasure leads... and about 6 years of previous experience digging & cataloging Native artifacts here in Florida, prior to heading off to college. One old timer here on the site saw my posts and gave me a shot in the hobby by mailing me his first machine, accessories, treasure lead books, and a bit of cash to get my first pinpointer. That was my humble start in the hobby, pretty much just finding bag loads of coins in the local parks (which more than paid for my laundry money the rest of the way through school).
Fast forward 20 years and I'm now in my early 40's, working the same 9-5 job in the promotional industry over the last 13-1/2 years, helping a couple local business owners on the side, and representing & traveling for one of the major metal detecting manufacturers (Nokta Detectors) as a Nomad on their Global Team.
Between college & now, I haven't uncovered "hoards" of vast riches (monetarily, anyway)... but I have gleaned a TON of fellow Treasure Hunter/Detectorist friends in the hobby over the years, which is probably my most valuable & meaningful find in this hobby to this day. I'm talking people who I met & befriended on this site, who decided to come (from around the country) to attend my wedding back in Missouri years ago, and people I'm still friends with to this day.
Yes, I have found some really awesome things in the hobby over the years. My best & oldest is still my 1783 Spanish 2 Reale from a few years ago... but I have box full of rings & jewelry from our beaches, relics all over the place (in Ziplocs, none-the-less 😂), and a zeal for discovering the lost/unknown history in the ground... that has never ceased to fade away over the years.
The first thing I tend to tell people when discussing the hobby (again, I stress that word) is that there is no point in getting into it to "get rich". Sure, we ALL have a hidden hope in our soul that we'll someday dig something up that will make our heart literally stop as we stand/sit there staring at it in unbelief. But realistically, you have to expect about 80%-90% of what you dig on average will end up being trash (yes, avoiding the "should I dig it or not dig it" discussion) if you don't cherry pick targets. That's just how it goes. The very small percentage of non-trash targets will come, as will the even smaller percentage of good or great finds... if you invest enough of your time actually detecting, getting to know your machine, and increasing your chances by getting out there and actually searching.
Though there are very rare instances where someone picks up a detector and finds something substantial right out of the gate (ex. diamond ring, old coins, hidden treasure hoards, etc.)... it's just not going to happen with that little effort & time for the majority of people who get into this hobby. It's really all about being in the right area (sometimes at the right time) and getting your coil over the right target, then deciding to dig it up and find out what it is. But that prospect of finding something great is what pushes many or most of us to press on and keep trying, no matter if it was a bust of a trip or a life-changing outing.
What I've learned with experience over the years is to set my bar of expectations VERY low (so I'm never disappointed), spend as much time as I can getting out there and searching, and being extremely patient and waiting for that great target to pass under my coil. Overall, just have fun and appreciate everyone you come across in the hobby who shares the same zeal & dreams you do... especially if they do it for the history and not for the money, or to "get rich". That's mostly how I've been encouraged to stay at it so long (I know, I'm still a youngin to some of y'all... even though I'm no longer a college kid in my 20's 😁)
I hope this post makes sense and resonates with whoever reads it. I don't often get on here to make posts... but I thought I'd get on and share my own experience thus far. 😊
Bran <><
Last edited:
