72141888 treasure hunter ebook 2010a11

From Noted Author, Soldier of Fortune and Treasure HunterJACK THOMPSON

Of

An Illustrated Easy-to-Follow Reference for Beginners andExperienced Metal Detectors that Includes Never Before

Revealed Information about finding Lost Treasure

This Book is Intended for the MoreSerious Minded and Intrepid Individual

The Holy GrailTreasure Hunting

A COMPLETE AND COMPREHENSIVE GUIDETO TREASURE HUNTING FOR A LIVING

Table of ContentsPreface..............................................................................................Page 1Dedication.........................................................................................Page 2Introduction......................................................................................Page 3

Chapter OneWhat this Book is not about...............................................................Page 7Other aspects of treasure hunting........................................................Page 8Educating yourself - Know the Law....................................................Page 9

Chapter TwoSelf Survival - A serious reality check.................................................Page 11Consider the Possibilities.................................................................Page 12Keeping the dream alive....................................................................Page 13Anything in moderation....................................................................Page 14Modern Day Pirates.........................................................................Page 15Boobie Traps...................................................................................Page 16

Chapter ThreeSetting youself up for success..........................................................Page 17Cosmic Intervention.........................................................................Page 18Things in your favor.........................................................................Page 19Long history of lost treasure.............................................................Page 20Other unique finds...........................................................................Page 21Using Google Earth..........................................................................Page 22

Chapter FourDiscretion........................................................................................Page 23

Chapter FiveDifferent types of treasure hunting....................................................Page 25

Chapter SixChoosing a metal detector................................................................Page 27Dowsing..........................................................................................Page 28

Chapter SevenHope and Research..........................................................................Page 31Faith, Trust and Determination..........................................................Page 32

Chapter EightEquipment - Tools of the trade.........................................................Page 34Common Sense and Safety...............................................................Page 36

Table of ContentsChapter Nine

Site Reading - Conceptual InterpretationOld Forts and Batteries............................................................................37Using your instincts..................................................................................39Gidding and Plotting................................................................................41Getting the Edge......................................................................................42

Chapter TenGhost Towns and Old Homesteads..........................................................43

Chapter ElevenBeaches, Shore lines, Shallow and Deep Water..........................................44The Beach Zone.......................................................................................48The Hard-Packed Zone............................................................................49The Shallows Zone..................................................................................50The Activity Zone....................................................................................51The Deep Zone........................................................................................52Cuts and Channels...................................................................................53

Sub-Chapter ElevenShipwrecks and Scuba Diving..................................................................56Water hides a vast amount of treasure.......................................................57

Chapter TwelveSearch Techniques..................................................................................59

Chapter ThirteenMaps Old and New..................................................................................62Summery Review...................................................................................64Metal Detecting Sites............................................................................66

Weather you want to pursue treasure hunting as a part time or full timeventure you can now approach it with the confidence of a seasoned profes-sional. Never before has there been a book like this one. A complete andcomprehensive guide to finding lost and buried treasure.

You are about to become the benefactor of more well kept secrets thanyouve ever imagined. You will be able to enter the world of treasure huntingwith real world knowledge of how to actually go about it.

My name is Jack Thompson and Ive spent almost 50 years of my life ac-quiring this knowledge and information in tiny little bits and pieces along theway. Sometimes at great personal cost. It would only make sense for any ofyou to wonder why am I willing to divulge all of these well guarded and timehonored secrets among treasure hunters?

Well thats just it. Time! The one thing I no longer have an abundance of istime. Besides, Ive already had my share of success and limited notoriety.After all, what else do people do at the end of their run but write a bookabout their exploits. Whats the point of a lifetimes work and achievement ifyou cant pass it along.

This is why Ive decided to let you in on all the untold secrets of this alluringworld of adventure and discovery. This book will reveal to you many of theproven techniques and methods that successful treasure hunters use and havekept to themselves from the very beginnings of early salvors and ancientrecovery vessels to modern times.

This is also going to make some people very unhappy. My apologies to anyand all of you - Deal with it!

Real World Treasure

Preface

1

THE RICHEST TREASURE I ever found was my loving and devotedwife Lynn who I met on one of those rare occasions when I wasnt lookingfor something. Truly the very best way to find anything. A real siren of thesea her sweet and melodic song lured me into her arms and have held methere to this day. She has put up with my unconventional ideas and misad-ventures without hesitation or regard for her own feelings for as long asweve been together. It is only because of her that I am what I am today.Her love and loyalty throughout the years has always been my inspiration toseek out the treasures of life and see the good in people. Over the years mylove and passion for treasure has gradually faded and been replaced com-pletely by my love for her in what I see as my greatest find ever. No amountof treasure could ever replace her importance and value in my life. So for allthe time weve spent apart, and all the time it took me to put this book to-gether and take away from you, once again I say thank you for being mywife. You are truly my golden goddess of luck and good fortune and in myeyes shine brighter than any treasure Ive ever looked upon.

Dedication

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Love is thegreatest treasureof all. I loveyou wife.

SINCE I WAS A BOY growing up in Key West, Ive been hunting fortreasure. With little or nothing for a young boy to do back in the early1960s, the Keys did offer one particular thing: Many stories of buried pirateplunder, sunken Spanish treasure ships, salvors and ships that were deliber-ately scuttled on the reefs. Finding gold dou- bloons,pieces of eight and the like always peeked my interest.Heck, it peeked every bodys interest for that matter.Unfortunately, there wasnt much a 12 year old boycould do to locate any of that sort of thing until onefateful day - my father - who worked in a shipyard, brought home a strangelooking piece of equipment. Its a Metal Detector! He exclaimed. Youuse it to find stuff and they were going to throw it away. I dont knowhow it works or even if it works, but you can fool around with it if youwant. He said.

I COULDNT BELIEVE MY EARS. A metal detector! Wow! Uhh,OK... Wait a minute, whats a metal detector? I asked. You can findmetal things like coins and rings. My dad said. I had never even heard of ametal detector before but upon hearing that I couldnt wait to try it out. Itonly had a couple of knobs and an on/off switch so how hard could it be tofigure out how to use it, right? It took some kind of battery that Id neverseen before and I tried my best to find some way to make it work. But it wasan effort in futility, even after rigging a power source it still didnt work!

Real World TreasureReal World Treasure

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

The road less traveled is also the road to riches and fame.Follow the road that one twelve year old boy decided to takeand find out just how far he went and what he discovered!

Introduction

3

THERE WAS NO ONE who could help me with the electronics. Not inKey West anyway. But that wasnt going to stop me. That fact that I nowknew there was such a thing as a metal detector was all that mattered and all I

did was badger my father day in and day out to get meone. (At this point Im sure he was sorry he ever broughtit home.) Why if I had a metal detector just think of thepossibilities. All my dreams and aspirations were attain-able. Id be rich, recognized and well thought of in thecommunity. Buried treasure was just on the horizon. Itwas just outside my door on the beach or perhaps in the

park or some of the smaller islands and Cays. I tingled with excitement andanticipation. Day dreaming became a full time pass time.

BUT METAL DETECTORS were a hard item to come by back inthose days and the Sears and Roebuck catalog didnt carry them either.Man, if Sears didnt have them nobody did. At least thats what my fathersaid. I think he was just trying to discourage me or put me off once and forall. Admittedly, I was a bit of a pain in backside about it. But nothing wasgoing to stop me. I was determined. Owning my own metal detector wasmy way off of this dinky, nothing to do, no where to go swamp of an island!(I wish I could afford to live there today... But thats another chapter Imgoing to write in my next book: Things I should have done!) But I di-gress!

OK, SO ONE AFTERNOON I was sulking and kicking dirt down atthe boat yard when one my fathers co-workers yells hey kid! - Did youever get that thing to work? I looked over at him... He was smiling a bit andlooked harmless enough so I said no, that piece of crap! All it does is beepand hum. Thats what its supposed to do kid! He said with a biggersmile. What! I exclaimed! What do you mean thats what it does. Iasked. Yeah, and when you go over top a piece of metal it makes sort of awhistle or some other kind of noise. I used it around here to find parts andstuff we dropped in the sand. He added.

Real World Treasure

4

Real World Treasure

I WAS STYMIED for a few seconds. I never thought of putting some-thing down on the ground and going over top of it. How could I have beenso stupid, so naive, so lacking in vision. Oh my god! I thought to myself.That thing could actually have been working all along.

ALL OF THIS went through my brain in a couple of seconds. Uponbringing myself to this realization and gathering my thoughts I virtuallylanded on the poor guy. So many questions pored through my head Icould hardly ask them one at a time. Woah, woah, woah, kid! He said.First of all your old man left the charging chord here. I think its still in theshop. So I dont know how you could tell if it worked or not. He contin-ued. I told him about my rigging up a power supply but the only thing Icould get it to do is squeal, beep and whistle. He laughed out loud much tomy chagrin.

I WAS FEELING like a complete moron but so excited with the pros-pect that it actually worked I didnt knowwhat to do next. The guys name turnedout to be Sully short for Sullivanprobably. I would have called himDad if he would show me how themetal detector worked. We walked overto the shop and by godzilla, there was thecharging chord. Hot Damn, one stepcloser to fame and freedom I thought tomyself.

SULLY SAID: you go home and charge the battery, itll take all night,and then tomorrow bring it here on my lunch break and Ill show you what Iknow. Holy cow! It was all I could do to contain myself. I ran home andplugged it in with nervous anticipation and sure enough, the charging lightcame on! I was on my way to fame and fortune! When my old man camehome (I was going to say Dad but for now Sully was my new Dad) Itold him what happened that afternoon and asked why he never said anythingabout Sully. I dont know. He said with a puzzled look on his face. Inever new what he was doing with it I guess.

The boat yard where my old manand Sully worked!

5

Real World Treasure

HARDLY AN EXCUSE of any kind I thought. Parents are supposed toknow everything. At least thats what they kept telling me. I couldnt stopgoing into my room and checking to see if the light did anything. I woke upduring the night to check its progress several times... Nothing. When Iwoke up the light was green and a whole new world awaited me. I startedwaving that thing over nails in the floor, change from the old mans ash trayand anything else I ran across or over - all the time paying particular attentionto the sounds and tones.

I AMUSED MYSELF all morning and then went over to see Sully. Hesaid there used to be a manual but it had long since disappeared. Mostlywhat he did was just confirm what I had already learned that morning. Hewas hardly an expert with it and told me he just responded to most anysound it made in the area he was searching. We tried screws and differenttypes of metal, springs and small parts of all kinds. When I brought hisattention to the different sounds it made over different objects he said wellIll be darned, it does make different sounds. I never noticed that. I knewat that point that Sully would no longer be of any help to me. Sully didnthave the ear for it. He was tone deaf. But thanks to him a whole newworld of adventure opened up for me and put me on a course that has takenme to where I am today. (Not that thats any big deal.)

THIS WAS MY INTRODUCTION into the fascinating world of MetalDetecting. If youre just starting out I hope it holds as much excitement andwonder for you as it always has for me. But there are some perils and pitfallsalong the way. How you start your adventure has everything to do with howsuccessful you will be in the end. So read on, read carefully and dont skipany important steps or be in a hurry. The treasure will always be there wait-ing for you - the trick is finding it and thats what this book is all about.

6


7

Chapter One

What this Book is not about! The information in this book is intended for serious mindedand intrepid individuals who wish to pursue treasure huntingbeyond the scope of a hobby! THERE ARE AT BEST a couple of dozen books out there on metaldetecting and treasure hunting and Ive read every one of them. Ive alsovisited the many on-line web sites and Ive got to say that if you combined allof that information you still wouldnt have enough to attempt to make a livingat it or even enjoy it as a hobby. Any useful information has been purposelyleft out and what is given is comprised of useless advise like wearing sunscreen and comfortable clothing. What this book is not about is what I wouldconsider everyday common sense and the natural law of assumption. Whatthat means is Im assuming that you have enough sense to know that treasurehunting for a living has some drawbacks and you already know how to pack alunch.

SOME OF THE RAMBLINGS and nonsense Ive read thats in printand actually published lends way too much credibility to the phrase Thedumbing down of America. If someone actually has to tell you not to diveinto shark infested waters or play out in traffic, please find some other sourceof self fulfillment. Filling in the holes you dig, cleaning your finds, and look-ing for treasure in your own backyard is not what your going to find on thesepages.

THIS BOOK is dedicated to serious minded individuals who are savvy inthe ways of the world, have a sense of taking risks and dont have to be toldto tie their boots. Im not trying to dissuade any one new to the sport oftreasure hunting, in fact, for you beginners, this is without a doubt the bestthing you could have hit upon.

INTREPID - DEFINITION: Fearless, Courageous, Bold, and Daring - Resolute -Determined

An eye openingexperience forbeginners but...

Seasoned professionals will

benifit as well

Real World Treasure

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THOSE WHO WANT to better their chances of becoming a successfultreasure hunter are going to be enlightened, enthused and enriched by thesecrets youre about to discover in this book.Of course other informative books on trea-sure hunting have been written, but most ofthem focus exclusively on one particularaspect like Coin hunting, shallow water hunt-ing or relic hunting for example. And ifyoure looking for dimes, nickels and beltbuckles thats fine too.

I AM ASSUMING of course that this isnot the only book youve read or are going toread about treasure hunting. There are someother books out there worth reading but theydont cover the entire process and fall woe-fully short of any serious educational value. They are usually dedicated to aspecific type of metal detecting, visual hunting, digging in trash pits for oldbottles, going to garage sales and Flea Markets or panning for gold instreams. They talk about how to prepare for a treasure hunt by packing anice picnic lunch, slathering on sun block and waiting for years for stormsand hurricanes to uncover potential finds.

TALKING ABOUT HOW to avoid poison ivy and chiggers is not whatmy idea of useful information and Im assuming you have already consid-ered the risks and rewards. Im not going to tell you about the rules all goodtreasure hunters should follow like filling in the holes you dig and the manybenefits of doing community service. This book is geared toward realworld treasure hunting not archeology, or looking for primitive artifacts likespear heads and arrow points. Notwithstanding youneed to do research on these other things as well asthey are not without merit or potential value. Andyou do not want to leave anything of potentialvalue no matter what it is.

Carpe Diem - Sieze the Day!


9

THERE ARE OTHER THINGS you need to know about like; legalitiesconcerning private property, contracts, local ordinances, state parks, federalland, treasure trove laws, third party claims and other such things. Thisinformation is available and easily accessible but Im not trying to fill uppages in a book by offering advise like wear Dr. Scholls insert cushions inyour shoes. This book is the informational meat and potatoes of treasurehunting - mostly the meat.

YOU NEED to be as well informed and educated as possible in anyventure you pursue full time as a means of income and treasure hunting is notan exception. Professional gamblers live their lives dealing with risks,odds and possibilities. But they narrow down the edge and improve theirchances by learning every thing they can and factoring in a littleluck. Insurance companies are really nothing more than bookmakers (theyre called actuaries because it soundsdignified than bookie,) who calculate the odds ofinjury, accident or death mathematically. There areother examples I could use to convince you thatrisk is an acceptable part of life and should betaken in stride, but Im not trying to do that.Treasure hunting involves risk, so again, what this bookis not about is a promise or guarantee of success, butit will most definitely narrow down the odds and provideyou with the edge.

Know the Law in your Stateregarding metal detecting

and treasure hunting!

INFORM AND EDUCATE YOURSELF

more

Real World Treasure

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IF YOU WANT to join a treasure hunting club for whatever reason bemy guest. Some people derive a lot of enjoyment from it for one reason oranother. Will any of them share good information with you? Well, that re-mains to be seen. But dont count on it. If you dont like feeling that yourea bit out of the norm and you share a certain kindred spirit with the boysin the club, I would consider that as a good reason because we are at best, anunusual bunch.

BUT SUCH IS NOT the intent of this book. Im not going to tell you tokeep a journal, ask permission to be on someones property or make sureyouve got gas in your tank. One eBook I read consisted of 43 pages includ-ing the front and back cover. Now I know that most eBooks are usually notmore than 50 pages but this one was double spaced, used a size 14 font hadhuge pictures between every 3 or 4 lines of words per page, had about 6 halfpages, had 6 or 7 pages of permission slips for home owners 5 pages ofabsolute gibberish and nonsense, 5 pages of things that dont pertain to theUSA at all and the remaining pages filled with the most useless informationIve ever read and to top it off looks like a 6 year old put it together. And allthis for the everyday low price of almost $40.00. Oh well - Every lessonworth learning in life costs something. Even if its learning what not to do.

If anything this book is not - Its that! Youre going tospend some money doing research. You should expect to. Books are re-search. If you think treasure hunting is without cost and you can use a metaldetector you found at a garage sale for $10.00 youre being unrealistic andneed to re-evaluate your approach. There are people who will argue thispoint but they are hobbyists not serious minded hunters. This book holdsmany real world secrets that are worth real money and is about real worldtreasure hunting and metal detecting. So if this is what youre looking for -keep reading - you wont be disappointed!

A certain kindred spirit!

MOST BOOKS you read will be very disappointing


11

Chapter Two

Self survival - A serious reality checkKeeping a reasonable perspective and a level head on yourshoulders - gold fever is a condition not a symptom

TREASURE HUNTING as a hobby is a great passtime and has its own rewards but making it your full timejob is going to require some self analysis. Questions have toasked and answered concerning your intensions and level ofcommitment. Your individual psychological profile, personalfinances, marital and family status, zest for adventure, avail-able time and so on are all questions you should ask andanswer to yourself before you continue. Perhaps your a

daydreamer and just curious about the subject. Thats fine too.

BUT FOR THOSE of you with true intentions, understand that treasurehunting can be a cruel mistress that can only be handled by certain types ofindividuals in a financial position to do so, and only you know your ownlimitations. This is why so many metal detectors end up collecting dust in thegarage. It sure sounds like a good idea at the time but without a certainamount of success you will soon become frustrated, disillusioned and giveup the dream.

THE TWO REASONS most new business ventures fail are the lack ofmoney to carry them over until a reasonable return is realized and the lack ofknowledge or education regarding what theyre doing. I dont know whatyour monetary situation is but I do know the information contained in thisbook will give you a proper education. So lets begin your education with areality check: Is lost treasure real or is it just fantasy? Does treasure reallyexist? How much is it out there? Can people who are looking for treasureactually find it? What are my chances? Can you make a living at it?

Lets get Real!Think about it-

Dont quit yourday job just yet

Real World Treasure

12

The Lost City of Troy

Trojan relic believed to bethe death mask of KingPriam whose reign endedwith the sacking of the cityof Troy by the Greeks leadby rival King Agamemnonalong with many Greekheroes of the age like Ajax,Achilles and Ulysses.

Consider the possibilities!

GoldReale

Pendantfrom the wreck of

theAtocha

THE ANSWER to these compelling questions is quite simply yes!Yes to all of them. Its not fantasy, it really does exist, theres an abundanceof it thats not yet been found, people who look for it do indeed find it, and

your chances are actually prettygood believe it or not. If youwant more encouragement letsconsider one famous treasurehunter by the name of KipWagner who doggedly searchedthe eastern shores of Floridasbeaches for remanence of the1715 Spanish treasure fleet thatwent down during a fierce hurri-cane and found several of those

ships just off the coast. To this day, people are still finding gold and silvercoins on those same beaches.

A WELL KNOWN treasure hunter named Mel Fisher (who worked withKip Wagner for a time) and his quest for the Spanish treasure ship NuestraSenora de Atocha brought headlines around the world. How about the reallife Indian Jones; archeologist Dr. John Russell whos exploits of finding andpreserving the Treasures of Nineveh in the middle east have brought himfame and fortune or Dr. Robert Ballard who found the Titanic in 1985 andhas gone on to find many lost sunken treasure ships across the seven seas.

Several other famous treasure hunters are; Art McKee,Heinrich Schliemann (Lost City of Troy), Cork Graham,Mike Hatcher, Robert Marx, Lee Spence, Bob Weller,Bobby Klein, Craig Hamilton, Marty Meylach, andTom Gurr who you may want to read about have allmade their contributions as well. Although these peoplehave had local, national and world wide acclaim there are many others whohave found treasure hordes and never mentioned it to anyone - ever. I knowthis because Im one of them.


13

WHAT I FOUND in Key West as a young boy is something Ive nevertold anyone to this day and I will take its secret to my grave. There aretreasure hunters out there who dont want the notoriety or fame just so otherpeople wont attempt to make claim to it. Inviting the prying eyes of the IRSis not very desirable and there are always those that would relieve you of it inother ways. Its like hitting the lottery, people come from everywhere.Friends, family, total strangers, investment firms, accountants, lawyers, thelist is unending.

THOSE THAT HAVE been through it will tell you it just takes anypleasure you might have enjoyed right out of the entire experience. But letsnot put the cart before the horse. Youve got to find the treasure first! Youcan deal with your success later. I mentioned that I was going to tell youeverything about treasure hunting and this is a very real part of it. So thereality check goes on.

BEFORE YOU COMMIT yourself to anything you should know ev-erything about it including yourself. There are lots of people who dreamabout or even practice treasure hunting or metal detecting on weekends andoff hours as a hobby. This satisfies most of their dreams and illusions. Italso keeps them level in their world where they may have a larger commitmentto their family and putting food on the table. Unless youre independentlywealthy or have a life whereby you are able to devote your time, money andresources to treasure hunting the reality of doing it on a full time basis startsto become very limited. This is the main reason there are so few people thatactually do it for a living.

THE ONE THING that keeps the dream alive isthe distinct possibility that on any given day someonewith or without a metal detector will find treasure!Many times when theyre not even looking for it. Itmay not be a large cache of gold and silver. It mightnot be more than a coin from more recent times. Thepoint is they found it!

OTHER CONSIDERATIONSKeeping the dream alive

Real World Treasure

14

Its been lost or forgotten about but its beenlaying there just out of sight, hidden away all the whilejust waiting to be found. (Not that long ago some

lucky fisherman literally stumbled onto a chest of gold on one of the smallercays near Key West.)

SO LETS GET BACK to knowing yourself by asking some basicquestions: Do you have a compulsion to seek out treasure that is an abso-lute driving force in you life? Is it one that would make you abandon yourfamily, friends, stability, career, or any hope of a secure future? If it is...Then youve got the treasure bug and I would advise you to control yoururges of self destruction and abandonment and get a grip on reality. No, I amnot trying to discourage you, not in the least. Im telling you Ive seen thishappen and its not pretty.

DONT LOOK AT THE WORLD of treasure hunting through a rosecolored spyglass. The end result can be devastating. Im telling you to finda reasonable balance with a realistic plan and goals. This is an absolute mustfor your own salvation and survival. Anything in moderation. Youveheard that before somewhere right? Dont sacrifice everything for the possi-bility of nothing! I would encourage you to act accordingly within the con-fines of your own particular circumstances and responsibilities in life. Beingsensible, patient and moderate is an important part of treasure hunting any-way. Start practicing.

ON THE UP SIDE I can tell you that there are individuals that seektreasure as a full time occupation and are very successful.There are a number of treasure hunting, deep sea recov-ery, and other related companies that derive all of theirrevenues from finding unclaimed treasure. They are verylegitimate companies; some of which are actually traded on the NASDAQstock exchange. Dont ever think treasure hunting is just for dreamers andromantics.

Anything in moderation

YOU NEED TO GET A GRIP


15

ON THE DOWN SIDE I would be remiss if I didnt tell you there is thepossibility that you may never find anything. It isnt likely but it is a possibil-ity you have to consider and always keep it in mind. Its better that I tell youall these things up front so that you can make an informed and intelligentdecision about treasure hunting for a living.

THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE I have to share with you: Believe itor not, pirates still exist and in fact, are on the rise. They are very muchactive all around the world and continue their age old customs. In recenttimes more hijackings on the high seas are occurring claiming internationalattention. Somalian pirates have had the audacity to attack U.S. cargo shipsand hold them for ransom. Imagine the fate of the many private vessels withtheir passengers and crews who have never been heard from again. Truth betold and the devil be damned - piracy has never really ended. The Gulf ofMexico and the Caribbean have been their home and haunt for centuries andcontrary to popular belief, they have not vanished into history. Today,whether its drug money, rich cargo, an expensive sailing vessel or scuttlingboats for insurance claims, they are constantly on the prowl.

THERE ARE - and I must tell you, some rather unsavory people in thisbusiness. Most people dont realize there is great competition among trea-sure hunters which has many times lead to blood shed and death. Fightsover treasure, salvage rights or who got there first has sent many a bravesoul to his maker. Those few successful treasure hunters of today areclosely watched by others. Their movements and activities are monitoredconstantly by those that would stop at nothing to claim the bounty of trea-sure including cuttin a few throats!

What pirates?Dont say I didnt warn you!

Some other things you didnt want to know:

Real World Treasure

16

Regrettably, I need to warnyou about the unthinkable...Booby traps left by people whoburied or hid their goods andtreasure. Mine shafts have beenrigged to collapse or flood by theancient Aztecs (among others) toprotect their precious sourceshundreds if not thousands of yearsago. Be extremely careful whenyour digging something up. Ifyoure not dead certain of what itis you may become just that...Dead!

The two pan death trapis the story of a man who buriedhis treasure in the ground usingtwo cast iron frying pans. He set

the first on top of his money then took a WWII hand grenade, pulled the pin,put a rubber band around the trip lever, soaked that with lighter fluid,smashed it into a wad of plumbers putty handle towards the top, set the otherfrying pan on top of that and filled in the hole. Lighter fluid has an almostimmediate degenerating effect on a rubber band so the only thing holding thetrip lever down is the weight of the upper frying pan and the dirt.

The neighbor, seeing him burying something in the ground waits pa-tiently for months for the man to take his annual vacation and guess what? Itworked perfectly. Protecting the money from the explosion and completelydecapitating the neighbor. I want you reap the rewards but this is also part ofthe reality. So, if youre still with me and youre not deterred by the profit ofdoom and gloom lets get on with it and learn how to search for and find lostor hidden treasure.

One last thing!


17

Chapter Three

PEOPLE WHO DECIDE to and are able to pursue treasure hunting asa full time job must be very committed - or should be committed either one.Words of encouragement and words of warning are conflicting but of equalimportance when considering treasure hunting as a full time endeavour. Trea-sure hunting could make you rich but I say this with the same hesitation as Iwould say losing your job could be the best thing that ever happened to you.

USUALLY when people make a dramatic decision to do something asunusual such as go to Hollywood to become a star, they are met with acertain negative or at least questionable response from their families andpiers. Youre What?! They ask. Just saying the phrase Ive decided tobecome a treasure hunter to most people evokes questions about yoursanity and sound judgement making capabilities. So be prepared. Thispursuit is so out of the ordinary that most people just cant get their headaround it. Its fantasy not reality to them. Which means in turn that youdont live in reality!

SO GET USED TO IT if this is what youdecide to do. I can tell you from personal expe-rience and a lifetime of naysayers its one of thehardest obstacles to overcome. That is ofcourse until you find something. Now yourefor real. Youve got credibility. You may havecelebrity status. These same people now thinkthere might be something to this treasure huntingthing. It doesnt take much. It doesnt have tobe a large cache of treasure or a horde of goldreales. Just one little thing. Why? Because nowthe fantasy has become the reality simply by ashow of proof.

Setting yourself up for success

TreasureHunting-

The lastFrontier!

Real World Treasure

18

If ONE LITTLE THING is found, that in itself is proof positive thatother things can be found. Thats it! And the same principle should tell youthe same thing. Be assured that finding treasure is not a pipe dream. Peoplefind it all the time weather theyre looking or not. Youve heard the old saying:Id rather be lucky than skilled. Well luck is definitely a factor in life. Weeven call some people lucky. They always seem to be there when somethinggood happens. So, what is the luck factor?

CALL IT what you want kismet, luck, good fortune, fate, cosmic coinci-dence, favor of the Gods, whatever. Luck may be intangible, but it cannot bedenied. It happens, its real and therefor exists. Andin the same vein of logic, so does lost treasure. Toaccentuate the positive side of looking for losttreasure lets discuss why the odds might be in yourfavor. Weather or not you believe in things like univer-sal, spiritual or natural law they do indeed exist.Just like the word pseudoscience is used in thisbook there are things in the world that cant be provenbut at the same time cant be denied either. Heres a secret for you: Thepower of positive thinking works. Dont ever doubt it. Its better explainedand understood if we break it down into THREE PARTS:

THE FIRST PART being focus. You must focus on the finding aspectby increasing your awareness of the world around you and particularly yourimmediate surroundings. Heightened awareness is part of developing a trea-sure hunting mind set.

THE SECOND PART is a universal law referred to as the law of at-traction. When you visualize yourself being surrounded by treasure you willattract it into your life. Its a simple statement but it actually works.

Cosmic Intervention?Do you believe in astrology,card reading or mediums?Well heres some rather interesting and helpful information!

MEDITATION - CHI (qi) - FENG SHUI - CLAIRVOYANCE - INTUITION ...?


19

THE THIRD PART is whats called a spiritual law that works inharmony with what ever you focus on, you will attract and in doing so willfurther develop the treasure hunting mind set by believing in yourself. Imnot one who believes in mystics, psychics, palm readers or the possibilitythat God is going to lead me to treasure, but in this business you would bewise use anything and everything that might help! Its a powerful combina-tion.

BUT THATS CERTAINLY NOT the only thing youve got going foryou. Shear numbers - Your largest asset. The amount of treasure thats beenlost and forgotten about is beyond numeric calculation.There are so many factual accounts of people findingwalls full of coins, treasures in the attic, personal cachesof gold, army payrolls, lost mines, sunken Spanish trea-sure, bank robbers booty, train robbers takins, gang-ster loot, pirate plunder and so on, that volumes of books have been writtenon the subject.

BUT HERES THE GOOD PART; most estimates based on whatsout there and whats been found are to say the least very encouraging. Thereare billions of dollars in currency that are not accounted for. And thats justcurrency. Think about that! This kind of information will help you develop amind set. This is the beginning and essential building block of setting your-self up for success.

MORE MONEY has been lost and hidden than there is in circulationtoday. Try to think in those terms. Better yet try to imagine from the time thefirst coin was pressed (which is believed to be the Lydian electrum triteminted by King Alyattes in Sardis, Lydia, Asia Minor which is now present-day Turkey, c. 610-600 BC,) until now how many coins have been minted,and then lost, buried, hidden or sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

Heres a good example of spiritual law: Two equal and opposing armiesface each other on the field of battle. Which one wins? - The one withthe superior attitude. Why? - The power of positive thinking!

20

WE COULD NOT conceive the number of wars andbattles that raged in every corner of the globe or the raidsthat were made by foreign invaders in far off lands. Hos-tile hordes of barbarians, Roman legions and armies ofunknown origins have killed tens of millions of peoplefrom antiquity to modern times all over the world.

IN THIS COUNTRY alone from the time of itsearliest settlers to present day think about the battles andskirmishes with the explorers who encountered the savageIndians and met their end and the many wars that occurredthroughout our brief history. All of these events are con-tributory to the enormous amounts of personal and gov-ernment treasure thats been lost.

FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES of people fleeinginvading armies or attacks by rival tribes have had to hide and bury theirvaluables so they wouldnt be taken. Soldiers buried their pay and armiesburied their payroll to avoid its capture by the enemy. There are so manycase scenarios why people buried their personal treasures it staggers theimagination. Whats more, many of them never returned to collect it. Donein by villains, consumed by fever, killed by wars, shanghaied or put in jailthemselves, their treasure still remains right were they left it.

FROM Stagecoach hold ups to Lost Dutchman Mines, Mexican Bandits,Moonshiners, Rum Runners, Stick Up Artists, Train Robbers (and the listgoes on,) all have hidden or buried treasure and for one reason or anothernever come back to recover it. Treasure can virtually be anywhere. Nomatter how the landscape has changed or how much time has gone bysomeones treasure big or small can be right under your feet. This is a realpossibility. You cant rule out or discount any location.

Grasping the concept

The world has a long historyof lost treasure ...

The L

ost Te

mpla

r Tre

asur

e ha

s nev

er be

en fo

und!

Real World Treasure


21

Other uniquefinds...

THOSE WHO ARE ACTIVELYLOOKING FOR TREASURE AREMORE LIKELY TO FIND IT!

ODDS ARE there is as much chance of a treasure being under yourswing set as there is anywhere else. Theres no way of knowing but math-ematically the odds are the same. People as a rule buried things no furtherdown than arms length. That doesnt sound like much but guess what - itsstill just out of the average present day metal detectors range. Isnt that akick in the head. And all of this is just on land. Whats been lost at sea is sobeyond human comprehension that Professor Steven Hawking (world-re-nowned physicist and mathematician,) couldnt venture a guess.

If it was reported that one Spanish treasure ship went down you can bet therewere two or possibly three. Their manifests deliberately misreported theamount of gold, silver, precious gems and other valuable itemsthey were carrying. It was always twice as much ormore. Thousand of ships have gone down withoutbeing reported who were carrying inconceivableriches in their holds. The numbers are staggeringbut irrelevant. Why? - Be cause to put it in a nut-shell, we have barely found a fraction of whats beenlost. I think a conservative es timate of possibly 1-2%would be an exaggerated number and this just applies to what would beconsidered large treasure hordes. You must also understand that finding theright penny with the right date and mintmark could theoretically set you upfor life. (A 1943 copper penny minted in San Francisco is worth about$80,000.)

THERE ARE OTHER unique finds that can produce the same results.Dont limit your thinking in this arena to finding caves full of stashed Templartreasure. And, lets for now, keep our thoughts in realm of reality and strongpossibility at least. So whats the lesson to be learned here? - Theres noshortage of lost treasure believe me, and simply put; those who are activelylooking for treasure are more likely to find it.

THE LUCK FACTOR comes into play by the fact that you are puttingyourself in the realm of possibility, circumstance and favorable conditions.Even numerically you increase your odds of finding something simply be-cause youre looking for it.

IF YOURE DOING proper research you have put yourself in a certaingeographic location or area. That, in and of itself dramatically increases yourchance of discovery. This all sounds very simple but when you put all ofthese things together along with some modern technology like the internet, agood metal detector or side scan sonar you are very likely going to be suc-cessful in your search.

HERES a little known secret for you: Using Google Earth, a Los Ange-les-based musician named Nathan Smith thinks hes found a lost treasureship that sank in a river somewhere north of Corpus Christi during a hurri-cane in 1822. Technology has played a major role in finding lost treasure andthis is just in the last couple of years. Think about it. Add Google Earth toyour arsenal and use it for all its worth where ever you can. You will beamazed and astounded at what you can find.

Real World Treasure

22

Although the river has changedcourse over the years Smiththinks he can clearly see wherethe ship lies now partially on dryland. The farmer who owns thefield would not give Smith per-mission to dig the site and Smithis seeking legal access throughthe courts.The Spanish or Mexican Barquentine lies somewhere in this Google photo

Favorable Conditions Change your luckChange your luckChange your luckChange your luckChange your luck

YOUVE HEARD the phrase discretion is the greater part of valorIm sure. Well in this business you must be able to act with discretion. Ifyou cant keep a secret youre in trouble already. This is a short chapter Idecided to include in this book because of its essential observation. Al-though you may have never heard of me per say, our circles are small andquiet, and as Ive said, some treasure hunters choose not to be in the lime-light but remain anonymous enjoying the rewards of their adventures and thepursuit of the next one.

DISCRETION is a valuable asset in this business. Dont be too quickto tell someone about your finds no matter how small. It opens doors thatyou will wish you had left closed. A good example is world renowned trea-sure hunter Mel Fisher who was sued by the State of Florida by which theyclaimed to have ownership in his discovery of the Spanish treasure shipsNuestra Seora de Atocha, the Santa Margarita, and the HenriettaMarie ( the latter was actually a slaver).

THESE SHIPS were found miles outside of Florida waters and if youcan believe it, these greedy bureaucrats and politicians were going to try andsidestep hundreds of years of well established international maritime salvagelaws to get their fat, sweaty corrupt little hands on it. They lost - this time!But it took 7 years, 141 hearings and went all the way to the Supreme Courtto do it. Mr. Fisher still had to agree to give the State of Florida 20% ofeverything and first pick of what he found.

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Chapter Four

Discretion - The order of the dayin this business!

Shakespears Sir John Falstaff claiming discretionto be the greater part of valour in the play Henry V.

Real World Treasure

SPAIN HAS LAID CLAIM to the discovery of three Spanish ships (onecalled The Black Swan) by noted treasure hunter Dr. Robert Ballard and thediscovery ship Odysseys crew, claiming that they are of Spanish heritage andtherefor any of its treasure belongs to Spain. Now lets not lose sight of thefact that the Spanish tortured and decimated the indigenous people of centralAmerica like the Aztecs, Incas, Myans and anyone else who got in their way -stole the gold from them in the first place - sold any survivors into slavery andterrorized the Caribbean for many years in their unquenchable thirst for gold.Greed, averice and the lust for gold makes people and countries do veryunsavory things even in the light of world news coverage.

UNFORTUNATELY these types of big discoveries are world newsevents and hard to keep quiet, but any find no matter how large or small canbe contested and therefor held by authorities for an indefinite period of timeuntil litigation has run its course. There are other incidents but you get thegist of what Im trying to tell you. Whenever anyone asks where did youfind that? The answer should always be given with the utmost discretion: Ifound it in my backyard. Or something to that effect. If I am going to passalong this sensitive information you must have an appreciation for it.

THIS KIND of information is important. Dont put yourself insomeones cross-hairs. Be discrete in your treasure hunting activities.Theres nothing worse than finding something and then have to give it up!

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On July 7, 1521 HernandoCortez and his conquista-dors ransacked andburned the Aztec city ofTenochtitlan destroyingthier temples and killingthe men, women andchildren in thier quest forgold and silver.

Tenochtitlan

The end of a dynasty

PERCEPTION IS REALITY. This phrase has never applied to any-thing quite like treasure hunting. There are as many different types of treasurehunting as there are perceptions about the word treasure. Natures Trea-sures for example are things like seashells and driftwood, that some peoplethink are absolutely priceless and beyond value on a monetary scale. Beach-combing has for hundred of years been one way of treasure hunting for manypeople looking for seashells, artifacts, gold and silvercoins and so on. But were not talking about this kindof treasure hunting. Were talking about the real deal.Pirate plunder, Military payroll gold, private stashesand fabulous hordes of untold wealth.

NEVER THE LESS, there are a few other typesof treasure hunting worth noting: There are hunterswho look for meteorites. Theyre extremely valuableand some museums have paid millions for them nobigger than a stone. Some search for dinosaur bonesand sharks teeth. Again very valuable. Panning andmining for gold and silver, Shipwreck and underwatertreasure hunting attract some people. Relic hunting is its own category withsubcategories that are broken down even further to specific kinds like warrelics, ancient historical relics and artifacts, religious relics and others. Andlets not leave out the Urban Treasure Hunters who are not seeking any oneparticular thing but many different types of treasure or valuable artifacts.

URBAN TREASURE HUNTING is a very broad and diverse type ofmodern day treasure hunting adding and melding many aspects archeology,architecture and geography to exploring a citys hidden under belly, darkpassages, back alleys and history as a whole.


25

Chapter Five

There are many different types of treasure hunting

Making a Choice

COIN SHOOTERS, Beach and Shallow Water hunters and LocatingCompanies that find metal objects like boundary markers, tools, equipmentparts, water and gas lines, cable and electrical wires. The list goes on andthere are probably some Im not aware of but there are many to choosefrom. Different kinds of treasure attract different kinds of treasure hunters.But which ever kind of treasure hunting you choose really doesnt matter ordefine you as a human being as long as it fulfills the zest for adventure andthe thrill of the hunt.

YOU MAY CHOOSE to engage in only one or all of the aforementionedactivities but for the moment were trying to narrow down the choice of metaldetectors. You can expand your horizons as you go. We will explore allthese different types of treasure hunting more in depth as we go on but fornow just be aware that there is more than one kind and the words treasurehunter are very general and non-defining. Most treasure hunters refer tothemselves as coin shooters, wreck divers, or relic hunters. Rarelyhave I ever heard any real world type refer to themselves as a treasurehunter.

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Not all treasureis found whereyou mightthink - Thiswas found atthe bottom ofan old wellwith anunderwatercamera. Thebox has longsince rottedaway but youcan still makepart of it out.

Think outside the box


27

Selection - Choose your weapon! EVERY DAY new technology impacts and changes our lives. It changesthe way we think, live and perceive everything from recreation to work andleisure. It has also influenced the engineering and design of metal detectorsand even though fundamentally the concept of operation is still unchanged,theyve come a long way since I first used one. Although the basic designremains ergonomically similar, there are now more types and models with somany features and functions they almost require a degree to operate with anyproficiency. But youve got to start somewhere.

CHOOSING A METAL DETECTOR, like choosing the type oftreasure hunting your going to pursue, takes a considerable amount of time,

money and research. It is an infinitelyimportant choice because what youvechosen to do will dictate your choice ofwhich metal detector(s) to use. So letsexplore the types and uses of metaldetectors. First a little history: Thefirst metal detector was developed byAlexander Graham Bell in 1881. It was

an electromagnetic devise he called The Induction Balance. It was a crudeand hastily built unit for the purpose of finding an assassins bullet lodgeddeeply in dying president James Garfield.

IN 1925 GERHARD FISCHER invented a portable metal detector.Fischars model was first sold commercially in 1931 and Gerhard Fischarwas behind the first large-scale production of metal detectors. Basically, theyuse electromagnetic induction to detect metal. Theres a bit more to it thanthat, but thats basically how they work.

Chapter SixDifferent Types ofMetal Detectorsare used

for differenttypes of

treasure hunting

Bell checking the sensitivity of oneof his early designs with a bullet

Real World Treasure

COMMON REFERENCES to the different types are VLF (Very LowFrequency,) VLF/TR, (TR standing for Transmitter Receiver,) PI (PulseInduction,) BFO (Beat Frequency Oscillator) and Induction Balance. TheBFO and TR metal detectors were once very popular but are no longer beingmade. The BFO detectors are still manufactured but they are usually madevery cheaply and not used by serious treasure hunters. The VLF metal detec-tor is in essence a motion detector. It is by far the most common detectortype used and the preferred choice is a VLF/TR motion discriminator thathas a silent search feature. These detectors can control the trash and mineral-ization simultaneously.

BEYOND these various types they divided into categories: (General orAll Purpose,) (Beach, Surf and Water,) (Gold Metal,) (Relic Metal,) (Profes-sional Land and Water,) (Two Box Deep Searching,) (Long Range Triangula-tion,) (Deep Process or Ground Penetrating Radar,) (Commercialand Industrial,) (Mag netrometers,) (Side Scan Sonar -used as a substitute) and there may be more but Ithink this just about cover them. More tothe point is you must do the requiredamount of research prior to spending whatcould be thousands of dollars for a piece of equipmentthat may not suite your particular needs. Some metal detectorsare best suited for land, others for beach and surf, some arecompletely submersible down to certain depths, some aredesigned for locating gold or other precious metals, some made for relicmetal, others more suited for jewelry and coins.

THERE IS ONE other type of detecting and metal detector rarely men-tioned. These treasure hunters are referred to a the quiet profiteers and thisparticular method is called Dowsing. Contrary to popular belief dowsing isnot just about finding water. This lesser known type of detecting has suc-cessfully been used to find treasure, oil, underground springs, boundaries,metal, mines, minerals and other hidden things.

Dowsing for dollars?

28


29

THE ART of using the L Rod, Forked Twig or the Rod of Jacob as itsbeen called is something that would be thought of as a pseudoscience at bestbut lets consider the facts. Dowsing is the earliest form of treasure huntingdating back to the time of Moses and Aaron producing water from the rock.(Exodus.) Dowsers are engraved in ancient Egyptian stonework, and on astatue of a Chinese Emperor dated around 2200 BC.

IN THE MID 16th century one famous dowser found over 150 largedeposits of iron, gold, silver and other minerals but was subsequently arrestedby the Church for practicing the black arts! Therewas a book written on it later that same century butany reference to it seems to have died out after that.Probably due to the Church condemning it as part ofthe occult and the work of the devil. Science gainedaccreditation and the Church softened its position during the renaissance anddowsing became so widely used that entire societies were devoted to its usesand potential. Albert Einstein himself performed some amazing feats withdifferent types of dowsing devises.

GOVERNMENTS, industry, Armies and individualsstill use dowsing to this day as a dependable method oflocating things. During the Vietnam War dowsing skillswere taught to Marines to find land mines, booby traps andunderground tunnels occupied by the enemy. They areliving testament and validation to the practice of dowsing.All right, so we know there is a lot of equipment out thereto help you in your search. From a tree branch to satellite

technology and every type of metal detector you can imagine. Still the ques-tion remains - which one do I choose?

ONE REASON that there is still so much treasure left to find is that mostpeople dont appreciate the process. They dont follow procedure or takeappropriate measures to insure their success. Proper selection of the rightequipment is part of the process.

The Renaissance

Real World Treasure

BE THANKFUL that most people have never known how to go aboutfinding treasure. They stumble about spending inordinate amounts of money,time and effort only to meet with failure, so they give up and go back towhatever they did or something else. All the better I say. That leaves morefor the rest of us to find. I cant pick out a metal detector for you anymorethan some floor walker working at a sporting goods store can. What I cantell you is that all the information you could possibly need is on the internet inabundance. A never ending stream of information that may confuse andconfound you in the beginning but will assure the correct choice of a metaldetector in the end.

YOU CANT DO ENOUGH RESEARCH when it comes to choosingyour most important tool. As far as using a metal detector, which evertype you choose, I expect you to become proficient with itbefore you venture into the realm of this book.There are some finer points to learn with their uselike: proper swing techniques, gridding an area, searchpatterns, tone interpretation, volume, ground dis-crimination, gain, threshold and others. But you willlearn how to use most of those things when you buya metal detector, the rest you will learn from this book.The first thing you have to do is decide on what type oftreasure hunting youre going to do before you can even begin tolook at metal detectors. So lets put firsts things first and finish the bookbefore you do anything else. Prepare yourself for the journey.

Youve got to have a travelplan before you buy a ticketright? You also need to knowwhat youre going to do be-fore you buy a metal detector

30

Real World Treasure

31

IVE WARNED YOU, Ive tempted you, Ive encouraged you and nowIm going to tell you something else you may not want to hear: TreasureHunting is a full time job! Yes, you read that right. A job! (This is whereI will lose many of you.) A job...! What...?! Nobody ever said any-thing about a job! First of all, if you cant deal with frustration and disap-pointment youre not going to be a successful treasure hunter, period. Youwill spend most of your time in the field not finding anything. (Right aboutnow is when most people lose interest and put their metal detector on ebay.)But for the rest of you intrepid enthusiasts who just cant get enough disillu-sionment, disappointment and discouragement, our journey begins.

ID BE DOING you a disservice if I didnt impressupon you how important research is in hunting for trea-sure. If you want to be successful you will be spendingthe majority of your time doing research. Fundamentallythe rest is not that difficult. I read somewhere that findingtreasure with a metal detector is easy; All you have todo is locate it then put your metal detector squarely overtop of it. Thats anunder statement to say the least but there is some truth in it.

RESEARCH IS ABOUT homing in on the most likely location so youcan do just that, not stumbling around wasting time. You are trying to achievea balance of time spent searching and success. Efficiency is what counts.You want to limit the amount of time youre in the field looking and increasethe number of items youre finding. Its a simple concept but nobody evertells you about it. This is why its so important to become one with youmetal detector. Your skill with that piece of equipment is all important. Itkeeps you from wasting valuable time in the field. Making more finds willgreatly improve your self esteem and confidence in what youre doing.

Chapter SevenHope isgood -

Research isfar better

Its a simple concept - But nobody ever tells you about it


32

PRACTICING YOUR SKILLS and honing your talentswill put you head and shoulders above your competitors andreading this book will do the rest. Mel Fisher spent about 10years searching for the Nuestra Seora de Atocha and eachmorning he met the new day and dealt with the previous daysdisappointment by saying; Todays the day! He always main-tained a positive outlook. But he didnt keep his dream alive by

just hoping he would find it, he spent years researching in the Spanish ship-ping archives in Seville Spain and any and all other information he could gethis hands on. He begged, borrowed and promised God knows how manyinvestors, who knows what, to achieve his goal.

THE POINT IS, it was his endless resolve, dogged determination andpositive attitude that eventually brought him success. He didnt have theadvantage of todays technology either. Imagine the vast amount of oceanbottom and area he must have searched without satellite imagery, side scansonar or a robotic submersible apparatus. Even with the loss of his son Dirkand Dirks wife Angel along with two others who drowned during the searchand more obstacles than you can imagine, he stuck to his dream. He was aninspiration to treasure hunters everywhere.

SO IF DETERMINATION is not one of your strong suites stop now,close the book, turn on the television and watch Pirates of the Caribbeanor something. Just dont pursue the actual job of treasure hunting please!The type of individuals who can accept and embrace this way of life are builtof a certain timber. They are built for endurance. They are structurallysound. They never lose sight of the dream. They are the true treasure hunt-ers. Research will always be the key element in setting the course for yourtreasure hunting expedition. Having faith and trusting your instincts are goodqualities but research is always first and foremost.

Go ahead - Have a whack at it

You have to have fYou have to have fYou have to have fYou have to have fYou have to have faith and trustaith and trustaith and trustaith and trustaith and trust your instincts your instincts your instincts your instincts your instincts

HOW MANY TIMES have I seen awould be treasure hunter go into a sportinggoods store and ask a sales person whichmetal detector to they should buy. Are youkidding?! Ask a sales clerk to determine yoursuccess or failure! The very idea that someonehas not done adequate research first to deter-mine what type of treasure hunting theyregoing to be doing and then dug deeply into theamazing array of metal detectors and theirspecific uses destines them to failure from the

start. I told you not to skip ahead in the earlier chapters. Thats because thisis a process.

THERE ARE PROCEDURES and steps that must be followed if youwant to have any success. Weather youre a beginner or self proclaimedexpert if you follow the steps and procedures outlined in this book you willenjoy a significant amount of success. (By the way, someone wrote there isno such thing as a treasure hunting expert and Im inclined to agree.) Thedifference between an expert and a successful treasure hunter is that thelatter works at it twenty four hours a day, seven days a week and they alwaysstart with research.

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Success - Its a process

Research has its own rewards

TTTTTodaodaodaodaodays the Days the Days the Days the Days the Day!y!y!y!y!

- Mell Fisher- Mell Fisher- Mell Fisher- Mell Fisher- Mell Fisher


34

Chapter EightEquipment andtools of the trade

wHATS Required

and WHATS Optional

Are you going to need sani-wipes or a tourniquet? AS FAR AS INVESTING in a business is concerned; aside from wash-ing windows, delivering newspapers or cutting lawns which would be minimalyet profitable for some enterprising individuals. I cant think of any otherbusinesses with this kind of potential you can get intofor such a small investment. I cant count a vehiclebecause just about everyone already has one. Sobuying a metal detector is about it. At least at theentry level of treasure hunting not too much is re-quired. (Entry level being more of a hobbyist.)

MOST OF the other things you might need are usually lying around thehouse. Coolers, buckets, containers, trowels, shovels, hats, bugspray and that kind of thing are in everyones household arsenal. Solets consider that one all important piece of equipment: YourMetal Detector. Your metal detector is your most valuableasset. Its a tool not to be taken lightly or chosen withoutcareful consideration. If you are going to do somethingto this level of commitment you better have spent yourlast dime and any money you could borrow on your metal detector(s).The quality of you equipment will likely determine your success or failure.Dont skimp on any of your equipment for that matter.

YOU MAY NEED a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle, boat, scuba gear or a mag-netometer, it depends on your choice of interest and direction youre taking.You may need more than one type of metal detector. Research the manufac-turers and their products. Go to the many forums on the internet, join a localtreasure hunting club if theres one nearby, they will share a lot of informationwith you. Go on-line and read the comparisons on performance. There islimitless information available to you via the internet when it comes to metaldetectors and other essential equipment.

Too much?

Too little?

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35

The middle of nowhere . . .

Can you say: Oh, sh - t! Im going to assume that you have already done this or youre going to atsome point. I also want to share with you the importance of getting to knowyour equipment and becoming proficient with it. There are books andDVDs that are dedicated to this subject and I cant stress it enough. Nomatter which metal detector(s) youre using, you absolutely have to becomeone with them. They all have subtle nuances and tones that you have to beable to interpret precisely. This can take many hours of practice. And by theway, if you happen to be tone deaf youre going to be limited to certain kindsof metal detectors that are more images on a monitor than tones in a set ofheadphones.

Know your limitations if you have any. Inner ear problems might prohibityou from diving with scuba gear. It wont stop you from treasure huntingyoull just have to approach it from another angle. Remember - determina-tion and a positive attitude. If you cant do it one way - do it another. Otherequipment you may need will be solely based on the type of treasure huntingyoure doing. You dont need to be told youre going to need a shovel ortrowel if you already know youre going to have to dig things out of theground. You know what your going to do - plan for it, think about it. Doyou need sani-wipes or a tourniquet? If youre going to be on the beach allday I would suggest some sunscreen but this book isnt about all that.

Deciding on what type of treasure hunting youre going to do will deter-mine what kind of equipment you will need and how much your initial invest-ment might be. The point is dont buy cheap! Imagine purchasing a ques-tionably sound 4 wheel drive vehicle designed to get you out to the middle ofnowhere and then breaking down. Where are you? Yeah, thats right - themiddle of nowhere! OK this is a stretch, but Im thinking hmmm, middle ofnowhere...? No cell towers - No roads - No chance of getting help - Uh oh!A little common sense goes a long way. Dont put yourself in perilous situa-tions when youre hunting for treasure. Equipment is all important. Respectand take good care of yours.


36

MAKE CERTAIN everything youreusing is in good condition and serviceable.If your destination is a long way off takeadditional or backup equipment. Radios aresometimes more practical than cell phonesand a simple canteen full of water couldultimately save your life. So what do youthink; first aid kit?, flares?, food?, gun?, youdecide. Common sense and sound judge-ment will get you back home at the end ofthe day. Some treasure hunters stress theimportance of working with a partner forsafetys sake. There again, your choice.Where youre going and what youre lookingfor should give you some indication of the

Common sense will get you back home atthe end of the day!

equipment youre going to need and if a partner or two would be a goodidea. Being safety conscious and careful is not just for wimps, its goodpractice like wearing a seat belt. (By the way - If you dont trust the guy top-side watching your air hose with your life, hes probably a bad choice!)

YOURE GOING TO BE SURPRISED at some of places treasurehunting will take you. Snake bites are a common occurrence in some loca-tions. Did you bring a snake bite kit? From old mines, to fast runningstreams, rock ledges, back woods, rip tides and underwater caverns, you canget yourself in a dire situation that you didnt prepare for. Be cautiouslyoptimistic in your preparation and approach to whatever treasure you seek.The most important thing is that you live to see tomorrow. Use the bestequipment you can get your hands on and dont take unnecessary chancesjust because you forgot to bring something. The treasure will still be therewhen you get back. Equipment and safety go hand in hand. Too manytreasure hunters have already given up the ghost under safe and secure condi-tions. Dont buy discount, cheap or used equipment thats been untested.

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37

Chapter NineSite Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:Site Reading:

ConceptualConceptualConceptualConceptualConceptual

InterpretInterpretInterpretInterpretInterpretaaaaationtiontiontiontion

PerceptionPerceptionPerceptionPerceptionPerception

ImaginaImaginaImaginaImaginaImaginationtiontiontiontion

InstinctInstinctInstinctInstinctInstinct

Old Forts, Batteries and Encampments

Eastern view of the remains ofConfederate Fort Humbug occupied by

Gen, Richard Taylor and his troops

Southern view of the same area. Researchwill provide you with many similar search

sites. Check historical archives and maps.

tion.) The only thing that might be with you is hope, happenstance and pureluck. (After all, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and again.)Youve got to narrow down the odds and remove at least one or two of thesenegative aspects (Ill take pure luck any day so lets keep that one,) and bringa little pseudoscience into the mix.

WHAT WERE DOING here in our procedure is the narrowing downof where to look. Youve done your research, youve found a potentiallocation or site. Great! It might be an old encampment or an old civil warfort thats long since disappeared. Im going to give you an example so youcan understand and relate these concepts to any other locations you go to.Hypothetically youve researched and found the general location of an oldcivil war era fort.

LETS ASSUME youve done your prelimi-nary research and purchased the metal detectorappropriate for your particular interest. Nowwhat? It doesnt matter how much you spent ona metal detector, how well you can use it or whereyou take it without this little piece of the puzzle.

THIS IS SOMETHING that no one has everwritten about or bothered to mentioned: Topo-graphical interpretation or, the subtle art of sitereading. Oh sure, youre all geared up andready to go find lost jewelry, coins and relics.The problem is, unless you know about andunderstand site reading youre basically runningaround the farm yard like a chicken. (A chickencant take more than two steps in any one direc-

A gold Double Eagle is not Golf terminology!


38

This rare photo of Brandy StationChief Engineers encampment -Army of the Patomic 1864

YOUVE JUST ARRIVED by whatever means possible and whatyoure looking at is a rather large tract of land with some trees and nothingelse immediately identifiable or recognizable. The very first thing youshould do upon arriving at any site is just stay back, take a breath and tryto imagine yourself at this place when it was alive with trade and activity.

You cant just willy nilly cover the entire area with any degree of suc-cess. You have to develop a search plan with a starting point. Sowhile youre at a distance with a broad overview of areatry to visually determine where the tree line might bedifferent. That is to say a line of trees that might appearto be older and larger. You might be able to see asquare area of these older trees even if youre in awooded location. Walk around following one line to acorner. These areas of possibly an acre or two were cutdown and cleared for the benefit of the forts defenses.A clear line of site for warding off would be attackers. The fort wouldhave been in the middle of this clearing obviously so now we know atleast that much.

IN YOUR SEARCH of this fort you want to determine where thetwo closest other forts and towns were that existed and were active at thesame time. Why? Because this is what will tell you a couple of things ofextreme importance: First the likely direction the fort was facing. Thiswill determine where the front gate was. Or at least which way it faced,north, south, east or west. How do we do this?

Below is a brass civil war button wornby Connecticut soldiers bearing thestate seal which can be extremelyvaluable in such pristine condition.Relic hunters often find these buttonsamong other such historical artifacts.

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Lasting Impressions AN ABSOLUTE IN LOOKING AT AN OLD MAP or sometimes even a new one, wecan see where the old towns and other forts were in relationship to where youare. Look at the map. Where would you have put the gate or the main en-trance? Which direction would the fort most likely be facing? Most of thetime its pretty obvious. So with all the traffic coming to and leaving the fortthere would have been roads or at least trails that branched off in the direc-tion of the two other forts and towns. (This is an absolute, not speculation.

It was standard operational procedure.) Now thatyou know what youre looking for its a lot easier tosee or at the very least, guess. Basic human instinctsnever change and your instincts are the same as the

people from that location dur-ing those times.

USE YOUR INSTINCTS.Even if youre guessing at ityoure not going to be far off.Finding the exact location ofthe fort or encampment may bea little more difficult but nottotally impossible. Youve got

an idea where the center of the area is but in those days they didnt have oruse concrete foundations. Possibly stone foundations around houses andother buildings but only trees and wooden planks as a rule were used to buildforts. Yes there was some metal like hinges, hasps, locks and nails perhapsbut nothing to leave a permanent indication of exactly where the forts foot-print was.

WHAT YOU CAN OFTEN FIND are the impressions or shallowindentions of where the posts were buried in the ground and rotted awayleaving these impressions or holes. You may be able to see the entire layoutof the fort this way. You can find larger impressions where the root cellarsmay have been or the unmistakable signs of the outhouses. (Trash pits andouthouses may have been inside or outside the forts walls.)

A typical frontier sylefort of its day

You can still see the foot print of where the old fort sat


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THE PRESENCE OF PEOPLE always leaves its mark in one form oranother and a trained eye can always spot them. Remember - Its easy to seesomething if you know what youre looking for. Use conceptual interpreta-tion. It doesnt matter what youre looking for or where you are just putyour instincts and imagination to work. Think of what you would do if youwere there living in those times. Where would you hide something? Therewere no banks, no safe deposit boxes and you had to be able to find whatyou hid even if you were gone for many years. There is usually one tree in thearea that is distinctive. One that is unmistakable from the others. It may behundreds of years old or it might be a tree that is not indigenous to the area.It may have been brought there and planted for fruit or nuts or shade.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. Using conceptual interpretation willalways prove itself to be one of your most useful tools. Maybe that pondyoure looking at in the middle of your site isnt a pond at all but a depressionleft in the ground of what used to be a basement or cellar thats filled with rainwater. Dont just think in one dimension. Well now that youve found someremanence and possibly a trail or two, scouted the area with careful observa-tion and noted any unusual deformities in the earth, stone walls, landmarks ofany kind and the most likely direction of travel in and out of the area you canstart gridding and narrowing down your search even further. Gridding issimply breaking down a large area into smaller quadrants or sections.

THINK OF TRYING to search an area about an acre in size. A dauntingtask to say the least. But being thorough in your search is critical. It doesnttake but one poor swing with your detector to miss a potential fortune.

Notice the older first-growth tree onthe right. Now take note of the newsaplings and then the original treeline just beyond them. These aredefinitive boundaries and a goodstarting point. The inset picture(lower left) is a small cache of goldand silver coins buried under suchtrees for easy locating when theowner returned to the area.

LOW AND SLOW is a phrase thats used in cooking to assure some-thing turns out right. The phrase also applies to metal detecting technique.These people who swing their metal detectors with wild abandon rarely find

much of anything. Im always happy to seethem because I know that their presence hashad little or no effect on the potential finds inthat area. Keep your metal detector no morethan 1 or 2 inches at the most off the groundand be slow about it. Some metal detectors goso deep into the ground and it takes time for thesignal to bounce back to the coil. If youremoving too fast the coil is no longer over thespot you just swept and misses the return signal

all together. Im not going to belabor the proper use and techniques of metaldetecting. The assumption that you know how to use it is already there. So,back to gridding.

I FIND THE BEST WAY to grid any area is to usethose orange flags you find in the home stores for land-scape, irrigation or marking out sprinkler heads. (Anycolor will do.) After choosing a starting point, mark outan area of say 10x10 or 20x20 and flag it. Onlyafter thoroughly searching that area should you move onto the next. If youre going to be working this site for days, weeks ormonths youre going to have to keep a log or journal of some kind drawing amap of what sections or grids youve already searched. Its not a good ideato leave the flags in the ground for obvious reasons. Once you have griddedand worked the internal center you can do a couple of things: You can startwalking an ever enlarging circle (an outward spiral) around the site untilyoure satisfied.

YOU CAN START trailing if you can see or imagine where trails androads might have been. These are terrific areas to search.

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Systematic, Calculating and Thorough Gridding & Plotting


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OR, YOU CAN CHECK some of the unique (non-indigenous) or first-growth trees or other landmarks and their immediate perimeters. Being sys-tematic, calculating and thorough are tools that are extremely valuable, dontcost anything and will never fail you. Other similar concepts apply to othertypes of sites. I want you to understand this type of thinking and how it putsyou ahead of your competition. Metal detecting has had a remarkable surgeof interest over the last couple of years thats presented intense competitionthat was never there before. It was a very small community for a very longtime.

FINDING A VIRGIN SITE is getting harder and only through yoursuperior skills and techniques will you be able to find treasure where otherscannot. This type of site is just one example but a comprehensive exampleyou should easily be able to expound on. All things being equal you stillwant to be the one who prevails. Youre getting the edge right now! WhatIm trying to teach you should in all honesty be about a four year course.Im giving you the readers digest condensed version of it to increase youredge as quickly as possible. You are not going to learn everything all at once.This will take time and patience. Nothing worth learning comes easy. Staythe course and pay attention. Im just getting warmed up

Getting the edge

Theres no suchthing as a road tonowhere - Old Trailsare great prospectsfor finding treasureof all kinds and theyalways lead some-where!

Some Metal Detec-tors work old trails inthe woods exclu-sively claiming theyhave the mostpotential finds!

The Readers Digest version

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THERE ARE SOME ghost towns where build-ings are still standing and some where theres nothingto be seen. Much depends on how long ago the townwas abandoned and how structures were built duringthat period. Most of the time you can find remanenceof stone foundations, walls or with any luck at all

chimneys. Just about every building had a chim-ney whether it was a house or place of business. Thebest thing about finding stone structures is thatthey were frequently used to hide cashes of coinsand other valuables. There was almost alwaysa loose stone in a fire- place (inside or out) forstashing things. Lose stones could also be in a wellsurrounds, foundations or smoke pits.

THE SAME APPLIES to other stone structures.Stone walls were often used by people to hide things.They could identify their spot by a certain color orshape of stone or by counting a certain number ofstones from a permanent marker such as a tree across and down kind of likea treasure map or combination safe. Where ever you find a pile of stones ora chimney (standing or fallen,) check it thoroughly with your metal detector.People buried their possessions and money for more reasons than you canshake a stick at but the obvious and most common reason was simply se-crecy.

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Percept ionPercept ionPercept ionPercept ionPercept ionImaginat ionImaginat ionImaginat ionImaginat ionImaginat ion

Inst inct Inst inct Inst inct Inst inct Inst inct

Chapter Ten

Ghost Towns and Old Homesteads

The pictures above show what was once a thriving town with a train station and hotel fading intothe past and sitting as a quiet reminder of better times. Lower right is just one example of thethousands of abandoned old homesteads ripe for treasure hunters with their metal detectors.


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MOST FOLKS would hide their stash inside or outside theirhome within close proximity. Somewhere they could see it whenthey looked out their window. I mentioned before about first-growth trees. Did you ever notice how often you would see a

farm field and there would be this giant oak tree in the middle of it? Whetherthey were left there for shade, aesthetics or the farmers didnt have enoughdynamite to blow it out of the ground remains unknown. But you can becertain that many of these locations served as a gath-ering point and a hiding place. If you ever find your-self staring at a field with an old tree in the middle ofit and the opportunity presents itself, go check it outwith your metal detector. There is an extremely goodpossibility youll find something!

FOR AS MANY REASONS as people have died and never told anyonewhere they hid their valuables I can give you reasons for looking. Suffice itto say that millions of people hoarding great wealth have died never retrievingtheir cashes or telling anyone where it was. Again, this is an absolute - notspeculation. Think about how living with the hardships of days-gone-bymust have been. Many people died of things we would think impossible bytodays standards. A mere infection could kill you. There were no inocula-tions or antibiotics so things like yellow fever, typhus, diphtheria, cholera,consumption, pneumonia, small pox, chicken pox, mumps and measlescould all lead to your death. Combine that with such things as accidents, thecomplications from natural child birth and the overall unsafe and unsanitaryconditions they lived in, st

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