1

December 2019 Volume 1 Issue 7

2

With Christmas right around the corner we thought it might

be a great time to do a buyers guide.

With the popularity of metal detecting picking up over the

last several years we’ve seen new manufacturers and models

coming out, all trying to get a piece of the market.

Please understand this is just a general guide and our opinion. It is always best before you

buy a new metal detector to find out what others are using in your area and through

research, which metal detector will fit you and your needs the best.

If you have any questions about metal detectors and what might fit you and your needs the

best you’re welcome to reach out to us here at Dirt Digest magazine and we will help you!

For many, Metal detecting is over until spring. Don’t forget to wash up your detectors,

remove batteries, store all of your stuff together so you don’t lose it. Remove all of your

stuff from the vehicle and make sure you get it stored for the winter months! Its never fun to

be waiting for the weather to break and when it finally does your busy trying to track down

your equipment and mess with things like leaky batteries!

From the staff here at Dirt Digest magazine, Merry Christmas to all and happy new year!!

From the Editor

3

4

Articles

11. Most expensive large cent

35. through the past, darkly

55. John Hunt Morgan Ch.4

Columns

2. From the team

15. The Old Pro’s Corner

45. Nokta/Makro Simplex Review

Field hunting research Metal Detector buyers guide Obsessions

Simplex review Find of a lifetime

Pg. 7 Pg.25

Pg.28

Pg. 46

Pg. 50

5

This magazine and the content within including

images, articles and advertisement in no way is to

be reproduced or used without the written consent

from the publishers permission.

Dirt Digest works hard to ensure that the

information contained within is accurate and

original but can not be held responsible for

inaccurate information that may be provided

within its pages.

If you have any questions regarding the

magazine, the possibility of using images, original

articles or anything else contained in the magazine

please contact the publisher Dirt Digest at

craig@dirtdigestmagazine.com

Article submissions

Here at Dirt Digest we are always looking for articles.

Please submit articles, along with pictures to:

mhaer@dirtdigestmagazine.com

Monthly deadline is the 15th

Finds submissions

Every month we publish pictures of finds along with a

brief explanation of the find. You can submit those

finds here.

Advertising

If you would like to advertise with Dirt Digest

Magazine please contact Mike Fuson

mike@dirtdigestmagazine.com

Front Cover

Keith Wills – East Texas Metal Detectors

Thank you!!!

We would like to express our appreciation to all who make this magazine possible and for everyone’s

continued support, without you Dirt Digest wouldn’t be possible!

Join us on FaceBook

6

7

Metal Detector buyers guide

With Christmas right around the corner we here at Dirt Digest magazine thought it

would be a great time to discuss detectors we think are some of the best out there in each

price range.

With so many detectors on the market it can be very difficult to choose which one to

buy especially if you’re not a detectorist but trying to buy for someone else.

It is important to know a few things before I get started listing and discussing detectors.

First off, I have not used all of these detectors. What I have done though is talked to many

people who have helped put this list together. It’s also important to note depending on

your ground conditions and what you’re wanting to do with the detector, any particular

detector listed here might not work for your conditions or needs.

What I hope you get out of this is a good start on your research on what will best fit

you in any particular price range.

It must also be noted this list will be compiled of general use detectors. They can be

used for different hunting such as gold, relic detecting

but we are not going to get into metal detectors designed

specifically for one type of detecting.

$200 dollars and lower

Garrett Ace 200 – I think it would be hard to do this

article without mentioning the Garrett Ace series. They

have been around for a long time and are very well-

known detectors that have made a lot of great finds over

the years.

8

Quest X-10 – The November issue of

Dirt Digest magazine I did a review on the

Quest X-10. From the number of people

who have brought the Quest name up to me

over the past few months I can tell you they

are really getting noticed in the metal

detecting community.

I found the X-10 to be a brilliant little

detector with some features you never see

below the 200-dollar price range. Things

like a DD coil, backlight and ground balance make it a real stand out in this price range. I

can tell you from using the X-10 it’s also no slouch in the performance department. It

worked great in trash with great recovery speed and the coil is a great match. In my personal

opinion this is the real stand out in this price range.

9

200 – 400 dollar detectors

Teknetics Patriot- Although I’ve

never used a Patriot, I have used a

Fisher F70. The patriot I am told is the

same detector just less expensive and

carrying the Teknetics name. The

Patriot comes with an 11-inch DD coil

and operates at 13 KhZ frequency

making it a good, all around detector at

a bargain price compared to the Fisher

F-70

Garrett Ace 400 – Another great

detector that has been around for a

while and a proven performer. It has

been described as being similar to a

Garrett AT Gold that isn’t waterproof to me by a few people. It is a very popular detector

that has made a lot of great finds.

10

Nokta/Makro Simplex – this

detector is new to the market but

it’s taking the metal detecting

world by storm. Having many

hours now on this detector I can

tell you that this detector does not

belong in this price range. From

features to performance it has

everything you would find in

much more expensive detectors.

You won’t find all the features

you would find on Nokta/Makros more expensive detectors, but it has what I want and

need with no extras making it a simple detector even for someone new to metal detecting.

You will find an 11-inch DD coil, manual ground balance, 4 great programs, backlit

screen, amazing performance including depth and separation and one of my favorites,

Iron audio. Giving the user the ability to run it wide open and turn down the iron audio as

not to cause ear fatigue. Did I mention it is also waterproof? This detector has left many

of us scratching our heads asking, “how did Nokta/Makro pull this off?” I don’t think we

are alone. I believe you will see other manufacturers scrambling to try and come up with

something comparable in this price range but I have to say at least for now, it stands way

ahead of the pack.

Continued on page 32

11

Jeff and Katie Yeary

started listening to the All

Metal Mode podcast

several months back and

we quickly became

friends. Both are very new

to the hobby and I told

them I would like to have

them down from

Cleveland Ohio area when

I was in Ohio.

I made it to Ohio, got a site lined up and invited them down. They drove down the night

before because it was about a 3 ½ hour drive. While they were driving I was talking to Jeff

and game hunting came up as a conversation. I explained that I used to be a hunter but I just

metal detect now. I went on to say how if you add up all of your expenses like license,

processing fees, arrows, bow, camo and everything

else, you could have a cow in your freezer, we had

a laugh about it.

Jeff and Katie got here the night before our metal

detecting adventure and got a hotel room.

Unfortunately, they were late the next morning or

should I say, early afternoon. I’m not sure what

happened but I believe it had something to do with

Katies shopping addiction, who am I to judge!

They brought Randy a cool toy car, my mom a

gift basket and me case of fancy Great Lakes beer.

Katie got all googly eyed over Randy before we

left to go metal detecting.

So, I had a site lined up where at each end of the

field were houses on the 1858 map and a house still

standing between the two. I wanted to start in the

Article By: Mike Haer

12

field away from modern trash. The

one site was at an intersection so I

knew there would be some trash

from the road.

I picked the house site at the other

end of the field to get started. It

should have been easy to find as it

wasn’t too far from the road but

after about an hour of walking the

field looking for it, I told them let’s

give up. I must tell you; I was a little

concerned. There are no guarantees

in metal detecting, but I wanted to

see them both find some old things

and we were off to a rough start. All

we had to show from it was some

miles on our fitbits.

Next, we went to the site up in the corner. We literally stepped out of the truck and was

met with multiple iron tones coming through, well that’s a good sign! Although the site was

just ok it did give up a few decent finds. Jeff managed to find an 1842 Large cent which

absolutely made his day. It was such a great moment and I’m glad I got to share that with

him!

Towards the end of the day I asked Katie if she found anything and she said “not really”

but she had found a few things. Not knowing what it was she pulled out a really unique

button that I thought was really cool! When she

found it, I think she would have been a lot more

excited if she would have known how rare it really

is to find old buttons with designs on them.

I think the highlight of the day for me was Katie

got a good, repeatable signal with my Tesoro

Mojave. Jeff told her he was just over that and it

was just iron. The Mojave was repeatably sounding

off good though on the Mojave so Katie dug it and

came up with a nice flat button. I don’t know if that

little Tesoro is just that good or Katie is just a

better hunter than Jeff, but I would like to think a

little of both!

We finished the day, each of us with a couple

13

keepers and I talked them into going out to

dinner. We picked up my mom and Randy and

went to my favorite Mexican restaurant here

in the Dayton area. Jeff bought dinner (after I

accidently left my wallet at home… yea

accidently � ) Then we came back to the

house to clean our treasures and go through

everything that had been found.

I kept Jeff and Katie here so long they

decided they better not try to make the long

drive back home and got another hotel room

for the night. I did offer them to stay with me,

I told Katie she could snuggle with Randy and

I would snuggle with Jeff. She was all for it,

but Jeff couldn’t get out of here quick

enough!

I don’t know what they spent on their

Dayton trip to be honest but I do know what

they spent on the trip, gifts, hotel rooms,

dinner but the next day, after they left I thought about how Jeff and I had a conversation

about how cheap metal detecting was and how silly I felt after that conversation. Again, I

don’t know how much they spent but that has to be one of the most expensive large cents in

the history of metal detecting!

I really don’t know what they spent on their trip. Gifts, gas, hotel room for two nights,

dinner, food, Katie’s shopping habit and everything else to make the trip possible but I do

know the next day, when I thought back to Jeff’s and I conversation about how expensive

deer hunting is I felt really silly when I started adding up how much money this trip cost

them!

I had such a great time and it was so good to Meet the Yeary’s! This hobby isn’t all about

the finds, it’s about the adventures, the friendships and although that large cent didn’t come

cheap, Katie and I would have spent twice as much of Jeff’s money to see that big smile

again!

14

Adam Sellers Fundraiser Help us raise money to get Adam Sellers a Track

wheelchair so he can fully enjoy metal detecting!

HOW YOU CAN HELP

GO FUND ME— Simply search “help get Adam a track chair”

Visit the Facebook group: Fundraiser to help get Adam Sellers a track chair

SHARE! Please share anywhere you can. Social media, forums, groups, all

appreciated!!

15

When we think of logic and logical, we associate those words with courses of action that

“make sense” to us or are “the right thing to do.” “Ill-logical,” on the other hand, means

just the opposite to us… the thing being considered does not make sense… or as much

sense… as other courses of action available to us.

So… if the statement were made that “We should always be LOGICAL in our approach to

metal detecting to be successful,” most would nod their heads in agreement immediately.

For example: It is LOGICAL to conclude that if a site has been heavily worked by over a

hundred other hunters with good metal detectors, it is going to be just about impossible, at

best, to come up with any quantity of good finds there… maybe a few decent ones can be

coaxed out of these sites but not many. And most of us would agree that is ALWAYS going

to be the case. Therefore, it would be LOGICAL to say, “If a site has been heavily worked,

then don’t waste a lot of time there… move on to sites that have never been detected or only

detected lightly… right? Not necessarily.

Probably the site that gave the most evidence of being hunted that I ever encountered was at

Fairfax Station in Northern, Virginia. This was where hundreds of Union wounded soldiers

were brought to be treated after the famous battle of Bull Run. At the time I saw the site, it

was several acres of woods next to a railroad track. The woods were scheduled to be

bulldozed for a new subdivision and anyone was permitted to metal detect the site before

the dozers moved in and began work. And so the local relic hunters by the dozens had… I

parked and walked into the woods and saw a sight I had NEVER seen before! As far as the

eye could see, there were fresh open dig holes in every part of the woods about 3’ apart.

Nobody who had hunted it had bothered to fill their holes because it was going to be dozed

anyway.

LOGIC immediately said to me, the reason no one else is here hunting is because everything

that can be found… has been found… I mean the dig holes are so close together… how

could they have missed anything? As I gazed on this incredible scene, LOGIC was

screaming at me to just forget it and look for another site that had not been so worked to

The Old Pro’s Corner THE GOOD, THE BAD… AND THE

UGLY… OF “LOGICAL” METAL

DETECTING.

16

death.

At the same time, the “voice of experience” is whispering to me, “You KNOW they never get

it all, no matter how hard they hunt it… and besides… this may be the closest you ever get to

relics that are associated wth the most famous Battle of Bull Run… you don’t want to pass

up that opportunity!” By this time, I had already started walking back out of the woods

toward my truck when suddenly, EXPERIENCE won the arm-wrestling match going on in

my mind with LOGIC and I stopped in my tracks. I ILLOGICALLY decided to go back

into the site and see if I could find at least a relic or two.

ILLOGICALLY, again, what I thought might take an hour or more, happened in less than 10

minutes. I started finding relics in between all the dig holes… and I don’t mean just one or

two! I was finding at least one every ten minutes of hunting… dropped bullets of several

types, buttons, knapsack hooks and coins also. About 30 minutes after I began hunting, I got

a signal in or under a rotten log about a foot thick with dig holes all around it. The target

was under the log and proved to be a US cartridge box plate about a foot deep! Incredible…

how could all the hunters have missed that??? But they did… and because I had defied

LOGIC, and chosen to hunt the site, it was MINE!

And while that plate would have made my day all by itself, it would NOT be my best find

on that site! After more Minie Balls and other smaller relics I dug a brass bridal rosette

from a Union cavalry horse that was embossed with the letters and number… E/2C for “E

Company, 2nd Cavalry.” This turned out to be the only one ever known to be found by a

detectorist and thus was quite rare… rarer than a CS Belt Buckle! I kept on hunting and the

relics kept on being found. I passed my detector over a dig hole 18” wide and a foot deep

and got a strong signal. It turned out that whoever had dug the hole had left 36 dropped

Sharps-Hankins cavalry carbine bullets in the dirt… probably dug a cartridge box plate and

never checked the hole to see if anything else was in there.

Bottomline: At the end of the day’s hunt at Fairfax Station, against all LOGIC, I came out of

the woods with my pouch literally full of relics! To this very day, it remains one of the

greatest relic hunts I have ever experienced.

17

NOTE: Sorry about the blurriness… had to make this blow-up from an old photo…the only

one I have of those artifacts.

Another time, I was hunting for clues to a treasure I was researching in Arkansas. I was in

the middle of a couple million acres of woods looking for carved rock markers… nothing

else… when I stumbled by chance onto a Civil War soldier’s campsite, obviously on top of a

small wooded hill. There was an absolutely beautiful line of rifle pits (guard posts dug like

foxholes) dug into the hillside about half-way up and circling the entire hill at the regulation

distance of one every 70’. The hilltop showed signs of having been leveled in spots to

accommodate tents. It was out in the middle of nowhere and there were no signs that it had

ever been detected and I was SURE that I was going to get a bonanza of relics from it… it

was only LOGICAL. I did not have my detector with me that day and it was late afternoon

when I found it so I planned to make a trip back there soon. When I did, full of anticipation,

I discovered to my complete surprise that there were almost NO metal signals at all in that

obviously carefully prepared campsite. I hunted nearly all day all over that hill and only got

two metal signals… one was a shotgun shell and the other a typical camp square nail. No

one had been there before me and cleaned it out. AGAINST ALL LOGIC… the camp had

been well prepared but never used by the soldiers who made it so there was virtually nothing

lost there… a rare situation indeed.

So… “logical metal detection” can both work for you… and against you. “Illogical metal

detection” can do the same. Sometimes that old site that looks so good to your eyes,

combined to your historical research is a complete dud… a waste of time detecting… and

not just because someone else got there first. Sometimes the worst hunted sites,

ILLOGICALLY, produce the best… and even the most… finds.

Another example: This happened when I was relic hunting Robert E. Lee’s camp at Mine

Run, Virginia. I stopped there for a quick hunt while on a trip through Virginia. When I

walked into the main part of the camp on top of a hill, I immediately saw there were open

dig holes everywhere… holes that should have been filled by the diggers that made them.

18

The situation reminded me of Fairfax Station, that I mentioned at the beginning of this

article but that property was NOT scheduled for development at that time. But… with that

experience under my belt, I was not so discouraged this time by the sight of the dig holes,

now knowing that relics had surely been missed. I did not expect a “bonanza” of Civil War

relics that day but I DID expect to find a few… it was only LOGICAL that I would.

The site had been both a camp and battle site so it was LOGICAL that I would find relics

from both with my detector. And, indeed, I did. There were fired and dropped minie balls

all over that hill… MANY more than I would ever have expected because… it just was not

LOGICAL to do so. I dug 50 in just a few hours and could have kept on digging more but I

noticed a freshly plowed field just across the big creek at the bottom of the hill. I decided to

try to find a way across the creek which was about 4’ deep and hunt the edge of that field to

see if the field held potential for less hunted relics. If I started finding anything good, then I

would go find the farmer who owned it and get permission to hunt the whole field which

was big with no houses in sight. I walked along the creek until I came to a stacked rock dam

with about 6” of water flowing over it and decided, I could wade across with my boots and

keep my feet dry. LOGIC tells you that any visible major relics from a site like this are long

gone but I always keep my eyes out for such anyway. As I reached the middle of the dam,

which was about 20’ wide, I looked down into the clear water at the vertical clay bank on

the opposite of the creek to my right and could not believe my eyes! AGAINST ALL

LOGIC, and in plain sight for anyone crossing that dam to see… was a Confederate 12 lb.

explosive cannonball with half of it sticking out of the bank into the water!!! What an

amazing find! HOW could it have been missed by the hundred or more previous relic

hunters who had worked this famous site??? Nevertheless… they DID miss it and once I

got the fuse and black powder out of it (which was still dry) it came home to grace my Civil

War artifact collection!

19

I could tell you about the Civil War Springfield Rifle ramrod I found sticking out of the

ground and only 12 inches from a trail used by hundreds of relic hunters to access a major

battle spot on the Port Hudson, LA battlefield… missed by all of them… totally AGAINST

LOGIC. In fact, I could probably recall enough incidents like this about relic hunting finds

to fill up this whole issue of the magazine, but I think the point is made with these

examples… let’s talk about coin hunting and LOGIC now.

Good coin finds, for me, over the past 5 decades, have frequently been tied to the defiance

of LOGIC. I recall one time back in the late 70’s while I was working for Charles Garrett

that a detecting acquaintance from Kansas City stopped by the factory, while his plane was

being repaired in Dallas (He was a freight pilot.), and said to me, “I’ve got the rest of the

day free… let’s go hunt your favorite Park for silver.” I agreed and we took off to Turtle

Creek Park… a long and narrow park that followed the creek north from the downtown edge

of Dallas for several miles. This park had always been good to me when it came to finding

silver coins there. We pulled up to where I planned for us to hunt and my friend said to me,

“I sure would like to find a 1916-D Mercury Dime.” I replied in the joking, competitive

way that hunting buddies do, “Well Dean, I might just get busy and dig one up in a few

minutes.” He smirked at me and said, “Yeah… right” because we both knew the odds of that

happening were at least a million to one. To say that you were going to dig one in a few

minutes is so ILLOGICAL as to be clear off the charts! I mean… by that time in my

“detecting career” I had dug well over 20,000 coins without finding a 16-D Mercury. Most

detectorists will never dig one of those in a lifetime of hunting because they are so rare!

Well, be that as it may, we started detecting and I got not more than 20’ from the truck and

got a good signal and dug my first coin of the day… A 1916-D MERCURY DIME in

excellent condition!!! So much for LOGIC that day! LOGIC is a “fickle mistress…” one

day she is totally dependable and kind to you in every way and the next… she spits in your

face and behaves in a totally ‘ILLOGICAL manner. In this case, I lost a friend over this

great find… and my 16-D Mercury.

We found plenty of coins that day after I found the dime. At one point I opened my truck

door and emptied my pocket of coins and made a little stack on the floor of the driver’s side

by the seat. To this day, I don’t know why I put that dime in the pile with the other coins, it

was not LOGICAL to do so… but I did. I went back to hunting and happened to notice my

hunting buddy over by the driver’s door but did not think anything amiss at the time. We

finished up our hunt and headed back to the Garrett factory and I noticed Dean seemed upset

and non-communicative. I realized that my find had hurt him emotionally… I just did not

know how much until he hurriedly said goodbye and left. I retrieved my pile of coins from

the truck floor and only then did I discover that my 16-D Mercury dime was gone! The

other silver coins I found were all there… just the dime was missing. My buddy Dean had

20

stolen it while I was detecting the park… it was the only possible reason for it alone to be

gone. LOGIC had told me that my hunting buddy would NEVER steal a coin from me just

because he was upset that I had found it and not him. ILLOGICALLY… that is what he did.

I knew I would never see my rare dime nor my EX-friend again and I did not!

Another example of coin hunting LOGIC gone awry: When I lived in Dallas in a lower

middle-class neighborhood, there was a one-story brick elementary school, built in the 50’s,

close to my house with a big playground. It was only LOGICAL that it should be a target

for metal detecting in the summer when no one was there. From the very first hunt there, I

did well, finding many coins every time I detected the playground, including an unusual

number of Buffalo nickels… which was a little ILLOGICAL, but not in a major way.

Anyone who detects, even people new to the activity, know that it is NOT LOGICAL to

expect to find a cache of treasure buried in the dirt of an elementary school playground.

So… no one goes to schools to hunt caches… only individual lost coins.

On that fateful summer day, I decided to crawl in behind the chest high hedge in front of the

classroom windows to see if the kids had tossed some coins out the window over the years

that did not make it past the hedge and fell in the dirt behind it. I LOGICALLY expected to

find some pennies at least. What I found, instead, right away, was something that my

detector screamed at me about right over where a piece of plastic bag was sticking out of the

powdery dirt. When I pulled on the plastic bag I found it was very heavy with something

inside. Using both hands I pulled it out of its hiding place and saw to my complete shock

and amazement that it was FULL OF DIMES… 300 silver Mercuries, to be exact! I will

never know why that cache of coins was there… it just wasn’t LOGICAL!

ILLOGICAL coin finds have come far more frequently for me than I could have ever

imagined because I kind of pride myself on being a LOGICAL person. On one occasion I

got a brand-new detector from a manufacturer to field test for them and wanted to take it out

for a trial run ASAP. There happened to be an old abandoned house site just down the road

a mile or two from where I lived in the East Texas Woods at the time. Only the stone

chimney remained of the house and it was right on the main highway. The property owner

had let everyone hunt it for at least 20 years and so it was LOGICAL to expect all the easy

finds to be gone already. It was totally ILLOGICAL to go in there with a brand- new

detector I was unfamiliar with and expect to make a number of great coin finds. But…

LOGIC, ever the “fickle mistress,” failed me again… but in an amazing way! I kind of

“scouted” the new site for about 20 minutes with the new detector to begin to get used to its

sounds and to attempt to get it adjusted correctly and then got down to business. I slowed

down and begi++n to seriously hunt what had once been the yard around the house. To my

amazement, coins… all in the 1800’s… began to come out of the ground, one after another

until after only an hour of hunting I had 8 (see pic)!

21

The first find was an Indianhead Penny, the next… another old Indianhead, the next… a real

surprise… a Barber Quarter. Then I got a Seated Dime… my first… and another old

Indianhead. That was followed by a Barber dime in beautiful condition. After that came

another “bucket-lister…” an 1852 Seated Half Dime in excellent condition! I finished off

the hunt with one last Indianhead.

As I began the short drive back to my home, I marveled in my mind about having just dug 8

- 1800’s coins in a row… off a heavily worked site… a new record for me… and HALF of

them being silver!

AGAINST ALL LOGIC… I had just enjoyed one of the best coin hunts ever… when all I

was expecting to do was to start getting used to a new detector.

Now how ILLOGICAL is that?

On another occasion, after moving out of Texas and re-settling in Northern KY near

Cincinnati, I headed out on an exploratory relic hunt to a major Indian war battle site on the

ground now occupied by downtown Ft. Recovery, Ohio West of Dayton. In that battle,

which occurred in the 1790’s, and now called St. Clair’s Defeat, the fledgling U.S. Army

and Kentucky Militia forces numbering 1200 men, were attacked by over 3000 Indians that

massacred over 800 of the soldiers. It remains to this very day on the books as the worst

defeat EVER suffered by the U.S. Army.

Being such a famous battle, it was only natural that I would want to find some fired

musketballs from it to add to my relic collection. This being my first trip to this battle site I

did not really know what to expect in the way of open ground that might be hunted. I figured

there had to be a few pastures on the site that one might get permission to hunt. Boy was I

ever wrong! Turned out that they had built downtown Ft. Recovery right smack dab on top

of St. Clair’s camp where the fighting took place! There was NO open ground to be found

where I needed to hunt… it looked like I had driven 75 miles one-way for nothing.

As I drove up and down Main St. trying to decide what to do, I suddenly saw a vacant large

lot at the intersection of a side street on the eastern outskirts of the downtown area. It was

nothing but raw dirt, having been freshly bulldozed after removal of a building there (which

turned out to be an old church that had been torn down to make way for a new structure of

some sort.). I figured in all that dirt there had to be a musketball or two to be found from

that battle… it was only LOGICAL to assume that. I lucked out and found the owner of the

lot quickly and received permission to hunt it and keep what I found. Keep in mind that I

am NOT thinking coins here and certainly not expecting anything in that regard of much

significance from this site. I WANTED MUSKETBALLS!

I eagerly unlimbered by trusty Fisher 1266-X that had found thousands of coins and artifacts

for me and went to work. ILLOGICALLY… after two hard hours of hunting, I had found

22

NOTHING but junk… not even a modern penny! The iron and large non-ferrous trash

signals were so many and so close together that it was the worst site I had ever tried to hunt

at that time.

LOGIC was now telling me that this hunt was going to be a complete bust… just a waste of

time. It was COMPLETELY ILLOGICAL to even imagine that I was about to experience a

record-breaking day of metal detecting in several different really GOOD ways!

Right at the 2-hour mark, I heard a signal that sound both good and bad… like others I had

already refused to dig because I thought they were junk. I decided to dig this one just to see

what kind of junk was making these strange signals in my headphones. To my great

surprise, it was a silver dime… right next to a big square nail! Well, I went back over the

site and began digging similar signals and coins started coming out of the ground

everywhere! Soon, I got my first fired musketball from the battle… one of five I would find

before I quit that day. LOGIC had paid off in my concluding that there had to be some

musketballs from the battle in that dirt.

What was so ILLOGICAL about this hunt was the fact that I would dig 34 silver coins of

various types… a mixture of old and newer… to break my record for most silver coins ever

dug in a day off one site. ILLOGICALLY, again… I found TWICE AS MANY silver coins

as I did non-silver. Counting the pennies and nickels and a 3-Cent piece, I would recover 50

23

coins from that city lot before I quit hunting. I also found religious jewelry… a small silver

medallion, two gold crosses and a small gold ring with rubies set in it… a great trade token,

a small foreign silver coin and the other objects shown in the picture which follows. For all

of that great silver, I still prize those 5 fired musketballs… 4 fired by the soldiers… one

fired by an Indian using a big British Brown Bess musket that fired a very large ball as the

picture shows.

It was LOGIC drew me to this site but the results were indeed unexpected and…

ILLOGICAL!

Okay… do you remember that I put the words GOOD, BAD and UGLY in the title? Well I

was NOT kidding! Here is a true story about how UGLY… LOGICAL METAL

DETECTING can be.

Just a few years ago, I went through a 2-year “silver drought” during which I could NOT

find a piece of silver, no matter how good the site was… it was really “ugly!” During this

most frustrating period of my detecting experience I was hunting 1700’s and early 1800’s

long-gone house sites with a buddy. Every single time we would go out together, he would

find at least a silver coin or two and I would find none… not even a silver ring or thimble or

spoon… nothing! But don’t get me wrong, here, I DID find old coins… usually as many as

he did and some were pretty deep. The problem was… during this entire two years my coin

finds were all copper or nickel. Very old Large Cents were no problem to find or Shield

Nickels but not even a single silver “Rosy” dime could I put my detector over. This

occurred on several dozen hunts and try though I did, I COULD NOT find a LOGICAL

reason for my lack of silver finds. When it FINALLY ended… it ended with a bang! Now

a different set of results would defy LOGICAL metal detecting.

Still using the same detector, I found my first ever Seated Quarter on a site and my 2nd

Seated Quarter on another site the very next day all the way across on the other side of the

county. What were the odds on that happening after many thousands of hours of detecting?

For the next eleven straight hunts I found VERY OLD silver coins every time I went out, no

matter where I went. I found cut Spanish silver coins, 3-Cent silver piece, Seated Dimes,

Barber Quarters and a Barber Half… on the same kinds of sites that had produced NO silver

for two straight years! Some of these silver coins even came from the same sites that had

produced none for me during my “silver drought.” The 12th hunt produced a Washington

silver quarter. After that… my detecting finds went back to “normal…” some hunts I found

silver and some I did not. BOTH SITUATIONS… first the 2-year “drought” and then the

period of silver finds every time I went out, DEFIED ALL LOGIC… but they DID happen!

The point is… LOGICAL DETECTING may work for you most of the time… but not

always… you are going to find treasure with your detector in the form of relics, coins,

24

jewelry or caches in places you expect to and… in places you NEVER expected to in your

wildest imaginations! As a result of this REALITY, that every detectorist will encounter, it

is good to check out new places that LOGIC tells your mind will NOT produce any good

finds… BECAUSE… a certain percentage of the time, THOSE sites will produce some of

your VERY BEST FINDS.

Thanks for visiting the Old Pro’s Corner… it’s only LOGICAL that I wish you great finds!

Be safe this holiday season!

25

Obsess [ɘb’-ses] verb: to persistently or abnormally dominate or preoccupy a person’s

thoughts, feelings, or desires.

In the mid-1800's America saw a tremendous westward expansion that was fueled by a

single obsession; to strike it rich in the gold fields. Thousands of people pulled up roots and

made the arduous journey for their chance at instant wealth. Once arriving in California

many of them soon realized the tales of

big gold nuggets strewn about, ripe for the

picking was far from reality. Lawless

squalid encampments sprouted throughout

the well-known gold-bearing regions and

the "easy" gold had already been scooped

up. Most were unprepared for the rough

conditions of the land where miners were

in many places working a shovels length

apart.

Very few had the knowledge or the luck

needed to become successful miners.

While the treasure they sought may have

abated, their urge to seek it did not. A

growing number of small miners found

themselves seeking gold in several other

far-flung lands from Brazil to Canada and

from Alaska to Australia. Today, Gold

prospecting clubs and organizations across

the country have been enjoying growing

memberships. I do not believe it is due

only to slowly increasing gold prices but

more as an inexpensive way to get out and

by Patrick O’Masters

Ava and Suzie feeding the high banker

26

enjoy the outdoors with family

and friends. One association

my family is a part of holds

monthly meetings where we

set up group digging

operations called “common

digs” where groups of

newcomers of all ages and

seasoned miners work side by

side to generate concentrated

gold bearing material to share.

It is not uncommon to have a

large crowd gather to watch

people shoveling gravel into

the concentrating equipment.

In conversation it is not

unusual to be asked, “What do

you do for a living?” I always

answer, “I do construction

work for my money, I treasure

hunt for my living.” Since

most people have a hidden

desire to hunt for one sort of

treasure or another or are

“properly constructed” as

Mark Twain put it, this answer

usually leads to some

predictable questions which I

am very happy to answer.

When I mention that I am a gold prospector most people seem surprised. Few realize that

there are still many people roaming the countryside prospecting for gold. The notion of

shoveling gravel doesn’t sound like much fun but when adding the possibility of gold being

in that gravel many people will gladly take up a shovel.

Most small miners do not prospect as an alternative to working a job. Even with

equipment much improved over what the old-timers of the California gold rush had

available, we still must put out a lot of effort just to get a few tiny bits of the yellow metal.

Our reward almost always

has a value far less than the cost of fuel to drive to the hunt site and operate our

Author digging a hole

27

equipment. That does not stop us from

our search. There are many types of

treasure being sought by people of

every walk of life. Many people like to

visit resale shops looking for bargains

while others use metal detectors to

recover buried artifacts. Some folks

sort through change looking for the old

or improperly-stamped “error” coins

while others have made the leap to

form expeditions following historical

data to recover lost treasures.

So, what is it that drives treasure

hunters? Is it the same spirit that sent

Sir Walter Raleigh seeking the riches

of El Dorado that sends hopeful

diggers into the creeks and

mountainsides? Is it just a way for a

person or family to get out and enjoy

the outdoors, maybe taking home a

few natural souvenirs? Could it be the

thrill of the hunt and the burst of endorphins when we chance upon what we consider

treasure? For me it is definitely a bit of all these things. Each time I am visiting a gold claim

or a gem hunting site there is always the dream of a huge score but the reality rarely matches

that dream. Surely the gold I find has

some value but the value is only

monetary if I were to sell it. I imagine

my grandchildren will be fussing over

my “little yellow rocks” when I am

gone. In the meantime, I take in the

moments and enjoy them for what they

are, irreplaceable memories.

I know a lot of prospectors and

nearly all of them share the sentiment

that it’s less about how much gold we

find but the pleasure in finding it. The

memories of outings with family and

friends is the real treasure many of us

are obsessed with.

Ava is quite the little gold panner

Small bits of golden treasure!

28

Reader’s Submissions

Treasure’s From The Dirt

While farm field hunting on Oct. 24th 2019, at a

former home site of a Civil War veteran. He

served with the 111th Reg., Co. F, Ohio volunteer

Infantry. I unearthed this beautiful Virginia state

seal web cross belt plate. My XP Deus was

screaming old brass valve but much to my

surprise out came a stamped brass object that I

recognized as being a possible breastplate

however it was missing the lead back. After field

cleaning it I recognized the Virginia state seal and

knew I had something pretty spectacular. this is

an outstanding find for any part of the nation but

to find it in northwest Ohio was just ridiculous.

Found By: Mike Speiser

29

Treasure’s From The Dirt Reader’s Submissions

I was on a collaboration hunt with REDBEAM58 in Central Michigan in a farm field We located the iron signature of where the home sat. I was swinging my Teknetics T2+. The key was very shallow. I yelled so loud when I pulled it from the ground Neil heard me all the way across the field & he came running. A video of the dig can be found on my YouTube Channel- Diggin with Deej. Link to the video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Lk3s_zNk10w&t=412s Found by: Debra Minnock

In November, 3 years ago, I was out detecting. I had started preparing for Christmas, yet I was happy the ground was still thawed and was able to dig. I pulled up this little beauty of a Christmas light/decoration. Thankfully it was fully intact! Found by: Amanda “Digger” Degaz

30

Treasure’s From The Dirt Reader’s Submissions

Civil war store card from Goshen, Indiana Found in a farm field in Warsaw In. Civil war store card token from Goshen, Indiana Found by: Weston Hinds

It was in Chesapeake Virginia. The site consisted of a house that dates back to 1680. But was

burned in the civil war. The lady who owned the house was helping the Confederate army when

the union soldiers found out the kill the lady and burned the house. the foundation was still there

and after the war rebuilt the house on the original foundation. But as far as I know it was a very

wealthy family they had slaves and the houses were they stayed also on the property. was also a

event dig put on by JUST DIG IT VA Found by: Woody Wiley

31

Treasure’s From The Dirt Reader’s Submissions

I've been detecting since the late 1970's, I have found lots of coins of all denominations, relics, toys and much, much more, I have attended many seeded hunts in the late 70's and early 80's. Made many friends in the detecting world. I even sold Garrett metal detec-tors in the early 80's until life changes changed every-thing. Here are 3 tokens I've found in the last 2 weeks dur-ing my field hunts with my AT PRO. The 2 Caar Canning company to-kens were found in a field that previously had been a fair-grounds in the late 1800's, near the site of the Caar Can-ning company that opened in 1917. All 3 tokens have also been entered into the Token Catalog. The tokens are from a local Canning company, one is for 25 buckets, one is for 1/2 bucket. Presumably for buckets of tomatoes that the person picked. The other to-ken is from Muncie, Indi-ana for 5 ?, found in a field 25 miles +/-, from Muncie. Found By: Marvin Towell Jr.

32

600-800 dollar detectors

Nokta/Makro Anfibio Multi - A solid performer with many customizable options yet

easy to navigate and use.

Very well built, great

balance and all-around

excellent metal detector.

It’s one I’ve chose to

keep in my arsenal.

Another waterproof

detector that also comes

with waterproof

headphones. It has

become one of my favorite metal detectors. If you don’t need all three frequencies, you

can also buy it in the 14 Khz or 19 Khz version.

Equinox 600 – I have had an opportunity now to put a little time on both the Minealb

Equinox 600 and 800. I have to admit they

are impressive detectors. There have been

some issues with them such as arm cuffs and

coil tabs breaking. I have had the chance to

swing one with and without an aftermarket

carbon fiber shaft and I have to say it felt a

lot better with the carbon fiber shaft and I

would highly suggest one.

It is a solid performer and there is

something magical happening with the

33

simultaneous, multiple frequency technology. Lightning fast recovery, lightweight and all

-around great performing, versatile metal detector.

XP ORX – Recently I’ve had the

chance to swing this detector a few

different times and it was super

impressive. This has to be the

lightest metal detector on the market

yet still takes a beating. Crazy fast

response time, deep and just a

fantastic performer. It was a real joy

swinging this detector and I had a lot of fun with it.

Garrett A/T Max – At least the people I talk to on a regular basis I would have to say

in this price range it’s probably the most

overlooked. In my opinion I think some

people were turned off by the idea that it

was in the same housing and design as the

AT pro and others who were ok with that

and bought it thought it would be easy to

learn and much like the AT pro.

This is the only detector in this price

range that I haven’t used but there are

people who I trust very much who have

mastered this metal detector and love it.

They are seeing some great performance

out it over the AT Pro.

34

800 dollars and up

Minelab Equinox 800 – If you’ve been in metal detecting even for a hot moment

you’ve heard of the Equinox 800. It

is an awesome performer and much

like the 600 it’s a simultaneous,

multiple frequency metal detector. I

love how fast this detector recovers

from one target to the next and it

really latches on. It’s just as good

on saltwater beaches as it is relic

hunting an iron infested site or a

trashy park. I have to say I

personally haven’t heard from

anyone prospecting with it but I would bet it does good there too. It has to be one of the

most versatile detectors ever made to date!

XP Deus – Although it has been

around a long time the XP is still hot and

very relevant. One of the great things

about the Deus is every so often XP

releases new software. I have heard from

XP users who say some of the updates

makes the Deus like a brand-new

detector! Lightweight, lightning fast,

multiple frequency detector that is a very

popular metal detector.

Continued on page 40

35

Bob finally arrived home after a very precarious drive cross country and a short trip along a

virtually deserted by-pass, everybody seemingly finding the warmth of their house or the

local pub preferable to a ramble or cycle out in the countryside in such bad weather.

Opening the back door of the small cottage, he noticed a note on the kitchen table to inform

him his wife, Laura, had gone to visit a friend and ‘not’ to clean any finds in the kitchen

sink.

After gently cleaning his finds in

the kitchen sink and spreading

them out on kitchen roll to dry, he

photographed them and made a

cup of tea before heading off to

his study to research and

catalogue the finds. Bob transfers

all the photos of the morning’s

outing into a freshly created

folder, under the name of Black

Rook Farm: Waterby Moor. and

adds all the maps and a scan of the search agreement into it. More printing, checking and

sending emails, Google Maps, Old Maps, Local History Society websites, more maps, more

printing ….. Bob still had not received an email from Sid and decided to call it a day once

his wife arrived home and sending an email with the photographs of the day’s finds to the

farm. Weary from the day and with the storm still raging outside, he and his wife have

supper and retire to bed. A folder containing all the information he had printed off lay on his

bedside table.

Sid did not get back to him the next day, nor the day after that. Four days later he was

checking his emails and finally received a reply:

Hi Bob,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I have completed a small amount of research into

the farm and history of the surrounding land and have some information for you.

Bob's Research:

Through the Past, Darkly. Part 2.

36

There has been an occupation of the farm since the late 1600’s, the farm once being part of a

larger manorial estate at an earlier time. The census returns give some good information

about the families who lived there and I enclose copies as attachments. I have also traced the

military records of the two boys who died during the first world

war, leaving one younger brother and an older sister with their parents. Both parents died

shortly after the end of the war. One of the boys (Jack) died on the Somme in July 1916, the

other boy (William) was very badly mentally scarred during the battle, and returned home

after military hospitalisation in October 1916. Unfortunately he took his own life shortly

after returning. Both were in the Royal Field Artillery working as ostlers initially within the

large Howitzer gun emplacements on the front line.

There is not much further public information, so I have delved into some old local

newspapers of the time and have a friend who specialises in military history who has looked

at some of the old records and newspaper reports for the regiment. Unfortunately William

was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the wooded area near to the farm,

which devastated the family, as you would imagine. There is a local publication with old

historical photographs and information about the locality available at the local shop if you

wish to purchase it, very interesting with images of local farms and places of interest. (Also

available through the Society for £7.99 + p&p).

If you are in need of further information, please feel free to get back to me. I may come up

on Sunday myself, we can meet up and I will show you the dig site. It is a little distance

inside the wood and I would be interested in any old artefacts you could unearth with your

metal detection. I am a friend of Bill and Mary so it would not be a problem for them if I

joined you. I enclose some information for you which may, or indeed may not be of interest.

If you wish to become a member of the History Society, membership is £15.00 per annum.

Kind Regards, Sid.

Bob read and re-read the

email before opening the

attachments, of which many

were of lists of families who

once lived on the farm from

the International Genealogical

Index, some papers from the

Commonwealth War Graves

Commission website, plus

37

some scanned old photographs of the local village and some of the villagers sat outside the

local pub, or milling around the old market place. All was quiet in his small room apart from

the ticking of the old mantel clock which Bob always found relaxing when working.

Opening the photographs from his outing, he put them in slideshow mode to study the

images - field, field with the edge of the wood, detector on spade, detector leaning on a tree,

across the field towards the wood, detector and finds box, farm house close-up, farm house

from across the yard, …. ‘Cup of tea?’ Laura asks, popping her head round the door ‘ …..

Who’s that?’ She said pointing at the computer screen. Bob turned round, it was a photo

taken at the edge of the wood, standing next to a tree looking directly towards the camera,

was the hazy figure of a man with tousled, sandy coloured hair, dressed in an open necked

collarless shirt, and loose khaki pants with braces. ‘No idea, there was nobody else up there

all day from what I could see’ Bob said, a little nonplussed.

They both looked closely at the picture, definitely looked like the image of a man, although

slightly hazy it was clear it was ‘somebody’ in the woods that morning. Laura looked at Bob

‘Is it a Night Owl?’ Bob laughed ‘Night-Hawker. No I don’t think so, I didn’t see anybody

else all day apart from up at the farm’. As they both scrutinised the image in silence, the

clock suddenly stopped ticking and they both looked at each other.

Saturday afternoon, and Laura and her friends are all sat in the kitchen (the yoghurt and

yoga brigade, Bob calls them), all late middle aged, self-absorbed and very opinionated Bob

has found over the years. ‘Found any treasure?’ is an often used and somewhat annoying

enquiry. He also knew they called him ‘Buttons Bobby’ when he was not around. He leaves

them to their opinions, gossip and wine and headed off to his study to look at the

photographs again.

Bob opened up the photograph on his laptop. The image of the figure was not very clear

and Bob zoomed in, zoomed out again and tried to clean up and enhance the image,

although it still remained slightly hazy, there was definitely a figure there. Bob took out the

cleaned up cap badge he had found and put it to the side while he tried various sites of the

regimental website to gain a clearer picture of his findings. The cap badge contained the

motto ‘ Quo fas et gloria ducunt’ which meant ‘Wherever right and glory lead’.

Bob took out a small notebook and wrote down the information he had and put some of the

old maps and IGI pages in a plastic A4 wallet to take with him. He printed off a copy of the

ghostly image, but decided he was not going to mention it to the farmer and his wife in case

it upset them.

Bob gathered his stuff together and put it in the hallway for the early morning start, ignoring

the goings on in the kitchen, which had now turned to laughter and the clinking of glasses

combined with the sound of a cork coming out of a bottle. Bob smiled to himself, he liked to

hear laughter in the house with it being generally quiet throughout the week.

Laura was still asleep when he awoke, the kitchen was now tidied and an egg and bacon

38

sandwich was in the fridge with a note attached ‘Have a good day, good luck and be careful.

X’. Having made a flask of coffee and putting the sandwich in foil, he loaded up the car and

headed off into the

Autumn darkness.

Bob arrived still in the

semi-darkness, just the

faint beginnings of the day

with light coming up

through the inky skies

amongst the clouds. Once

organised, he made his

way to the edge of the

wood and fired up his

detector, ground balancing

and set his controls to the

usual ‘zero disc’. Placing the headphones over his ears, he swept slowly and methodically

over the grass, the small distinct buzz of iron in the ground coming through. After half an

hour or so, the day was fully beginning with the dull gloom of a typical November morning,

which brought with it a chill breeze across the field. Curious, Bob entered the wood to look

for the dig site that Sid had mentioned and with leaves and small branches crunching

underfoot headed deeper into the undergrowth. Scanning the wood with the coil low to the

ground as he walked along, the high pitched tones coming through brought him various old

pennies and some ‘modern’ decimal coinage from the 60’s and early 70’s, …. A couple of

buckles, shotgun shells, pull-tabs, foil and buttons. All standard fayre for a metal detectorist,

although some of the digging was harder with many tree roots and the drier compacted soil.

All thoughts of ghostly goings on had not been an issue for him as the thrill of finding a

good amount of things had surpassed any initial trepidation he had. With his finds box

getting quite full, Bob sat down on a tree stump to consume his breakfast and a much

needed cup of coffee. He took out his plastic box and cleaned some of the more interesting

coins up with a spray of water and brushed some of the mud from the buckles and buttons

with his grubby old toothbrush. Looking around him he saw … nothing, all was still and

quiet, save for the rooks flitting around in the branches above, jostling for position and some

small animal or other snuffling around in the undergrowth. Bob suddenly felt tired and

really sleepy, possibly a combination of the early start, hard digging and having something

to eat and a hot drink. He found a tree to sit against and sat with his back to it, his detector

turned off and leaning up against the well used spade nearby. Bob closed his eyes and

promptly fell into a doze, with the sounds of the woods and birds comforting him.

As he drifted off, the birds in the trees went silent and shifted uneasily in the canopy of the

trees, a startled badger ran out of the woods and across the field and there was a distinct

39

smell of cigarette smoke in the air, with wisps

of blue smoke curling into the air around where

Bob sat, asleep and oblivious.

“The ground shook underneath him with a

barrage of loud booming noises, machine gun

fire and screaming of men that filled Bob’s ears,

he saw lines of barbed wire with bodies of

soldiers riddled with bullets, hung over them

like so much dirty, discarded washing on a line,

mud … so much endless mud, in a treeless

desolate vision of hell itself. Soldiers bark orders, horses cut down by machine gun fire and

screams of the dead and dying.

Out of a cloud of smoke come two soldiers, one is carrying the other’s corpse with the arms

and legs dangling and dancing around as he runs, like some bloody, stringless marionette

being taken away from a dark theatre of death. ‘Help me, please’ says the soldier, eyes wide

and wild with fear and desperation as he stumbles forward, boots being sucked into the

sticky mud as more machine gun bullets smash deeply into the back of the body over his

shoulders. The face turns to look at Bob and with tears streaking through the mud on his

face says ‘He’s my brother, please help me’. Bob looks at him and sees the fear, confusion

and sadness of the young boy, while all around are explosions, fire, mud, blood soaked

bodies and what appears to be a hailstorm of bullets peppering the mud, horses and soldiers

all around. Bob opens his mouth to say something but couldn’t form any words, stretching

out his arms to offer assistance to him …..

‘Bob! …. Bob!’ … he feels a violent

shaking in his shoulders and the red

hazy world spins around as he opens

his eyes ‘... thought you’d had a heart

attack, …… come and look at what I

have found’. It was Sid wearing some

antiquated, oversized Fedora hat. While

Bob tried to figure out this was not

another weird dream, Sid was excitedly

heading off deeper into the dark wood

with his trusty wooden handled trowel

in his hand. Bob watched as Sid

plodded off deeper into the wood,

jabbering on about some old wooden

box he had unearthed.

Bob started gathering together his

40

Honorable mentions and more

There are some European manufactures

that are making some great detectors that

are worth mentioning. The Rutus Alter 71

is one that if it was available here in the

U.S. would be at the top of the list. For the

most part it has become my go to digital

metal detector that is a very versatile

detector that works just as great in heavy

iron as it does in a site with a lot of

modern trash. 71 frequencies adjustable

from 4.4 to 18.4 , lightning fast, deep with

a range from 1-120 with iron audio and a load of options to tune it for any occasion

including personal preferences. I have had a few people lately here in the US who have

bought them from

England after hearing

me talk about it and

they are just as happy as

I am.

It seems like lately

every time I turn around

someone is talking

about one of the Golden

Mask metal detectors.

Rutus Alter 71

Golden Mask 5*

41

They can be purchased here in the United States but still not known well here in the U.S.

not using one I can’t talk too much on it obviously but knowing a few trusted sources

who have spoken very highly of their detectors I for sure would love to give one a try.

I recently got to use and review the Quest X10. I would

love to try some of their more expensive detectors! The

X10 is a zippy, lightweight and very capable metal

detector. I have to say I am only hearing good things about

their higher end detectors as well.

If you’re in the market for a new metal detector I hope

this guide will at least help you get started. No matter what

you pick I would highly recommend sticking with a name

brand detector! If you have any questions you can email

me anytime at mhaer@dirtdigestmagazine.com

Continued on page 43

42

detector, spade and bag. ‘You’re opening it!’ Bob shouted after him, recalling a movie he

had once seen many years ago. He set off to follow Sid who he could see just ahead of him,

his old archaeological enthusiasm now fired up, Bob was surprised he wasn’t hacking at the

low hanging branches with a machete as he made his way ahead of him.

As he followed Sid to the unearthed box, Bob was curious, but also filled with trepidation

about the contents.

Bob thought to himself as he walked, ‘So, ….. I am following an over-enthusiastic

archaeologist wearing an oversized fedora hat, and we are about to open some old wooden

box in the middle of nowhere … what could possibly go wrong?’

“Quo fas et gloria ducunt. …… Et mors desperandum” Whispered a voice in his ear.

…. To be continued.

Paul Alexander

43

And the winner is…

For a few years now, ever since I got the Nokta Impact, I have been speaking out a lot

about the Nokta/Makro brand metal detectors. In my personal opinion they are the top

company right now. Their customer service is second to none, they are building

innovative metal detectors and there is no doubt they are working hard to be the leader to

44

follow in the industry. When the Simplex was announced I had no doubts that it would be

a great metal detector but I had no idea that a metal detector that can be bought for

$254.00 could ever impress me like the Simplex has.

The Simplex will be one of my go to detectors now, moving ahead of some much more

expensive metal detectors. Trying to figure out in my head how many hours I have on it I

can safely say over 20 and yet I still find myself smiling when I use it and getting

surprised at the performance I’m seeing out of a detector that is priced at the entry level

range.

Things can change quickly in this industry and I can assure you I’m not brand loyal, if

you were to look in my metal detector closet you would find something from about every

major manufacturer but I am confident in saying there is nothing even close to the

Simplex in this price range currently and I don’t see any competition coming soon.

If you are new to metal detecting and you’re in the market for a versatile, easy to use

metal detector or if you’re a seasoned pro wanting to add another tool to your collection,

this is the detector I would recommend.

There is nothing about the Simplex that represents its affordable price tag and I can

assure you it will outperform some of the much more expensive metal detectors on the

market!

45

46

I would first like to state that I am no expert on

research. I am sure that there are plenty of ways to

acquire the information that I am about to share.

There are a lot of folks out there that have a lot more

experience than I do in this area, but I think I have a

few things that I can contribute to the discussion.

Hopefully this article will help the new up and

comers to our fine hobby and guide them on the path

to success in the fields.

When I am out driving through the countryside,

passing the many fields that I have obtained

permission for, something that I like to look for are

things that are out of place. However, if you are new

to the idea of field hunting and have never spent

much time in the rural areas then this may be a

foreign concept. I am fond of calling it “Retraining

the Brain.”

One big indicator of a possible, long gone homesite is the presence of large, old trees,

growing in or near a planted field. When old homes are torn

down the trees that were near them are often left,

sometimes standing in the middle of what is now nothing

more than open farm land. This will give you a good

starting place to begin researching a field for a potential

hunting location.

Also, you should look for tiger lilies, or other non-wild

flowers, growing in the ditch next to a field. The presence

of these flowers usually means that you are near the road

entrance to a homesite.

Another indicator would be property markers. Brick

squares or concrete pillars around 4 foot tall were once

used to mark property boundaries and are a good sign when

By Mike Fuson

47

looking for hunting locations.

Once you have located a potential location, you will

need to gain permission to hunt the site. A modern plat

map, usually available at the local library, will give you

a good starting point for who owns the property. This is

unless you happen to catch the farmer in the field and

are able to ask at that point. But it is important to note

that even though that farmer is working that field does

not mean that they actually own the land. Most farmers

work fields that they cash rent along with their own.

So if the farmer gives you the go ahead, make sure that

they own the field, if not, then you should also obtain

permission from the landowner as well, to make sure

that there are no problems down the road.

When approaching farmers about hunting their land

you should make sure to let them know that you are offering a service. Let them know that

you will remove all large pieces of iron and trash from the field while you are hunting. I

always keep a bucket of these items with me when asking for permission, so they have a

visual to go along with the service. A large piece of iron junk through a combine can lead to

thousands of dollars of repair and the associated downtime that goes along with it.

One piece of advice...when the farmers are in the field

during the plant or the harvest, do not chase them

down like a kid chasing the ice cream truck, trying to

get permission. During these times the farmers have

one thing on their mind and it is not stopping to chat

with you about metal detecting.

Now for actual site research you are going to want to

know exactly when the house was there and when it

was torn down. For this I like to use

historicmapworks.com. They have a massive

collection of maps, including plat maps, that are a

valuable resource for those that are trying to find the

best possible site for metal detecting.

When I have found a specific area, I go to

historicmapworks.com and find the oldest plat map

available. So if there was a house there at that point

then I go to the newest map and determine if the house

is still showing.

48

An example...You go to a map, say 1880, and find the

location and see a homesite. Then you would go to

1901, which is the newest available. If the house site

is gone then you know that somewhere between 1880

and 1901 the home was torn down and the land used

for other purposes.

Now on the plat maps each section has a number,

which is important. Each numbered section is one

square mile which is 640 square acres. So you have to

understand how much land a person owns based on

these sections. As a general rule, the more land a

person owned the more money they had. However,

they could have obtained the land via the Homestead

Act of 1862. But actually tracking the land via that

act is difficult.

In doing this type of research it is wise to note the

names of the plat owners and then check them against known soldiers of the Civil War,

which may help you date the property prior to the oldest plat maps.

Now back to the marked sections. If you take a piece of paper and mark it off in tenths, then

you can hold it against the plat map and know how far from the nearest crossroad that your

location is. This is valuable information when you are trying to locate the site. Then once

you are out there in a vehicle you can stop at that crossroad, reset your trip odometer and

then count off the tenths of a mile until you reach your destination.

All of this is possible through historicmapworks.com (see the banner on the Dirt Digest

Magazine website.)

Now the work is not done...You have chosen and researched the location but you still have

to physically find it. The first order of business is to head to the highest point in the field.

Homes were built on high ground to avoid flooding. So head for the peaks and start looking.

Once you have found a peak then start looking for signs of life. Pottery and brick shards,

glass and iron are all good signs. You should also start running your detector, listening for

the grunts of iron, which will be present at old homesites. It is not always easy. I have a

couple sites where I have wandered around fields and never found the site. Don’t give up,

just keep at it. If your research is correct then you will eventually find it.

Recently I have started wandering around my fields just looking for signs. There are many

times where a homesite may pre-date the actual maps and would therefore be undiscovered

if not for some good old fashioned foot work.

So I hope that I have given some of the newer folks some insight into researching potential

sites. Happy Hunting!

49

50

Every so often us detectorists are fortunate enough to witness something truly amazing.

Great detectors come out every year but it’s usually several years before something comes

along that really shakes up the industry.

Arguably the last one was the Garrett AT Pro. I remember how it took off, it was an over-

night sensation and for good reason. It was performing as good as and even better than some

of the top end, much more expensive detectors and it was waterproof!

To be honest I never used an AT Pro other than to learn it well enough to show my cus-

tomers who wanted to purchase one. I have however had the opportunity to hunt with many

people using an AT Pro and I’ve seen what it’s

capable of many times over. In my opinion the

AT Pro is responsible for this shift in lower

priced, high end detectors as well… as far as

I’m concerned it was a real game changer.

I have been fortunate enough to use a lot of

great detectors throughout the years, but I have

to admit I haven’t seen anything that’s a real

game changer until now.

Admittedly I’ve never been excited about an

announcement over an entry level detector be-

fore in my life. I’ve been using expensive, high

end detectors for twenty years. The performance

you’re going to get out of a 200-400 dollar de-

tector does nothing for me. Although I’ve used a

few in that price range for reviews and to learn

to show customers and some of those have been

great detectors, none have got me excited.

51

At spring Detectival in England this

year Nokta/Makro announced the Sim-

plex. I have to admit I was excited for a

few reasons. First, if you follow me at

all you know I say Nokta/Makro is the

most innovative manufacturer out there.

Second, what caught my eye was the

great design and the fact they were call-

ing it an entry level detector that would

be waterproof and come with an 11” DD

coil. Rarely seen on detectors at this

price range.

Of course, looks aren’t everything

and I had to keep reminding myself of

that as I patiently waited on mine. As

more and more information came out, I

had to remind myself of the price range.

I was concerned I would disappoint my-

self and not give the Simplex a fair re-

view.

I would say one of the hardest things

to do when doing detector reviews is

keeping the price range in perspective.

When you only run high end detectors

on a regular basis it can be difficult to

not compare a less expensive detector to

the high-end detectors I use on a regular

basis.

After much anticipation I finally re-

ceived the Simplex. I unboxed it, put it

together and stared in amazement. The

quality is outstanding, heavy duty shafts,

great feel in my hands and collapses

down so small making it easy to

transport. I was itching to get out and bad!

Within a few days I was finally able to get out. It was a horrible time in Texas as the

ground was so dry, I couldn’t even dig. Basically, it was chance to get it out and listen to

tones. One thing that really stood out to me was how the deeper targets I could easily tell

they were deeper. It’s really hard for me to describe sounds but deeper targets were almost

By far the nicest Indian head penny I’ve ever pulled from a

field. Usually they are pretty crusty from the chemicals the

farmers use on their fields.

52

whinier which was really nice at the

trashy park I was in. Not much else was

gained from that trip and with the

ground being so dry I wasn’t even sure

if what little I learned was normal.

I left Texas for Ohio where I will be

for a few months and I now have several

hours on the Simplex. I have to admit

I’m more and more impressed each time

I go out with it! My first time using it

here in Ohio was actually in a farm field

where a blacksmith shop and house

were from 1858 to sometime in the

1880’s. I took four detectors with me

that day, two analog and two digital de-

tectors. I didn’t plan on using the digital

detectors at the field site I had just

brought them in case we hit the old

farmhouse on the same property that was

there in 1858 and still standing. We did-

n’t make it to the farmhouse and stayed in the field. Towards the end of the day I pulled out

the Simplex just for fun. If you know me you know I prefer analog metal detectors in the

field and smaller coils like an 8 inch or 5 inch, especially in the heavy iron you will find at

these kinds of sites.

I decided to use the field mode first, turned sensitivity down a little, iron audio to just one

bar, ground balanced and was off detecting.

Right away I was really surprised at how well

the big coil handled the iron. Even in the

thickest iron where most digital detectors real-

ly struggle the Simplex went through it with

no issues. I mean hardly any clipped tones,

wasn’t tripping up, the Simplex was running

so smooth! I could hear the iron at almost a

whisper, right where I want it to be and it was

latching on to good targets with ease. I found

an Indian head penny right off.

There are very few digital detectors that I

will use at these kinds of sites and the Simplex

passed with flying colors, again, it’s so hard to

Just a few of the relics I have found with the Simplex

53

believe the Simplex is in the entry

level price range. I didn’t run it

long at that field site but worth

noting I didn’t find one single

piece of iron. All detectors digital

or analog get fooled on some iron

in my experience.

Next up was the old farmhouse

that is still standing. A few days

later I went there and although not

much was found in the way of

good finds the Simplex continued

to impress me. I did dig two big,

deep pieces of iron but not even

knowing the detector well, yet I

suspected they were iron. One di-

rection was very scratchy, and the

numbers were jumping all over the

place.

Although much wasn’t found

worth mentioning It was confirmed to me that you can tell deeper targets completely by the

sound and I like that a lot!

Since then I have hunted a few more house sites and fields with the Simplex. It continues

to amaze and impress me. I can say with confidence that currently there is nothing in the

entry level price range that comes anywhere close to the features, quality and performance

capabilities of the Simplex. I’m going to make an even bolder statement. With its fast re-

covery speed and it’s incredible depth capabilities it will compete with the high end detec-

tors on the market! I assure you I do not make that statement lightly. I have had all of the

major, popular, high end detectors in my hands now and I have no doubt the Simplex’s per-

formance is right up there with them.

I have to say what most impresses me at this point is how well its handling these field sites

that are littered with iron. If you listen to the All Metal Mode podcast you know I preach

about how I use Analog metal detectors and smaller coils for relic hunting in the iron infest-

ed farm fields. Ironically, I’ve been choosing my Simplex for these sites over some of the

much more expensive metal detectors! The other day I took two metal detectors with me to

a field site. One of my favorite Analog metal detectors that was much more expensive and

the Simplex. I found myself struggling in the heavy iron with the Analog detector and went

back to the Simplex. It runs so smooth in all of that iron even with the 11 inch coil!

54

Pro’s

You won’t find a single thing about this detector that puts it in the entry level price range

Fast recovery speed

11-inch DD coil

Incredible depth capabilities

Simple to use

Well balanced

Well built

Telescoping shaft making it easy to transport and store

Cons

Buttons are stiff and being that I’m left-handed and the pinpoint button is on the left side I

have to twist my thumb back in an akward way to push a stiff button

A little on the heavy side but very well balanced which makes up for the weight

Currently (I wouldn’t be surprised if there is an update) it times out of navigating the set-

tings fairly quick

I don’t know how Nokta/Makro pulled off the Simplex at this price. While I sit here and

write this it’s just starting to get into the hands of the American users, and I have seen some

negative comments. Not from the people using it but the people doubting its performance ca-

pabilities. Some of the people using it, including myself are comparing it to much more expen-

sive metal detectors and people seem to have a problem with it. I remember when the AT pro

came out and it was being compared to much more expensive detectors and for good reason. I

also recall the Equinox series detectors being compared to the Minelab CTX and the XP Deus

yet I didn’t see people upset or doubting that so why now?

When I do a review, it is important to me to speak the truth and keep my reputation in place.

I like to avoid bold statements and do the most honest review possible; I take it seriously. So

when I say the Simplex is going to change the metal detecting industry and performance

wise it’s up there with the current high end detectors, I’m staking my reputation on it!

55

In this chapter… we see that the Civil War is starting to ramp up

in Kentucky as the political maneuvering is turning into almost des-

perate preparation for war and the first battle in the state, which would

have been fought in downtown Lexington, Ky, with Morgan and his

command right in the middle of it, is narrowly averted. The key to the

Secessionist conspiracy would prove to be who would possess the eight thou-

sand rifles sent to Lexington by rail by Federal authorities in Cincinnati. The

Rebs were determined to capture them and we will find out if they were success-

ful in this chapter. We will also use a few paragraphs to examine the romantic

episode in Morgan’s life that takes place at this early juncture in the Civil War.

After this chapter, we get into all the shooting, killing, raiding, capturing, plun-

dering, burning and terrorizing that the “THUNDERBOLT OF THE CON-

FEDERACY” and his men brought to Kentucky & surrounding states that

would continue most of the war.

In the last chapter, we learned that four to five thousand Federal troops were collected at Camp Dick Robinson at the time of the attempts by the secessionists to take Kentucky out of the Union. We also learned that these men were mostly

Tennessean refugees, who were poorly armed… if they were armed at all… with such weapons as shotguns and old flintlock Kentucky rifles. This force be-ing the only one of any size at all that the Federal Army had in Kentucky, it is

of little wonder that attempts would be made to get better weapons in their hands as quickly as possible… especially given the rapidly increasing threat

posed by the secessionists and their allies.

56

General Nelson, commanding the Federal forces at Dick Robinson beseeched the Federal

military authorities in Washington for the weapons that were needed by his men and the au-

thorities responded by shipping “… eight thousand stand of arms, several cannons and other

munitions.” These armaments arrived safely by rail at Cincinnati, Ohio. They were then

transferred to the L & N Railroad (Louisville & Nashville) across the river in Covington,

Kentucky and started toward Lexington, which was about as close as the railroads of the day

came to Camp Dick Robinson. (Author’s note: The railroad today still mainly follows the

old route of the Civil War era L & N Railroad between Covington and Lexington.)

When the train got to Cynthiana, Kentucky it ran into a big problem… it was stopped and

searched for weapons by armed members of the “Vigilance Committee… a militant seces-

sionist organization. That might have been the end of this part of our story except that some-

one un-named in authority had gotten word of the planned seizure attempt and had wisely cut

the cars bearing the arms out of the train at some point after they left Covington and sent

them back to Cincinnati. So, while this move certainly kept the large supply of armaments

from falling into rebel hands it did not help the Federal troops at Dick Robinson resolve their

need for better and more weapons. The Vigilance Committee warned the railroad’s owners

that if they allowed it to be used to ship arms for the Federal troops that the railroad, itself,

would be destroyed.

The next attempt to get the eight thousand rifles and other armaments to General Nelson’s

Federal troops was by shipping them to Louisville and transferring them there to the railroad

that ran between Louisville and Lexington.

57

While this planned movement of the arms was made with all the cleverness, subterfuge and

secrecy the army could employ, it was nonetheless discovered by the secessionist spies.

Immediately the militant Kentucky secessionists made their own arrangements to capture the

weapons. They put men in position to tear up the track near Louisville and then placed bands

of men at different depots along the route, if by chance they should break through the other

intercept points along the way and make it to their destination at the Lexington depot.

The deliberately un-named individual from whom we get the details of what then happened

when the arms were shipped from Louisville describes it this way, “The plan was a good one,

and in skillful hands, and its success might have had a terrible, if not fatal, effect. But it

failed, as we might say, by a series of accidents, or, as was really the case, by extreme vigi-

lance and extreme promptitude in understanding and using small but significant circumstanc-

es. There were two telegraphic instruments (for sending and receiving telegrams) in Lexing-

ton connected with the wires to Louisville-one at the depot, one at the main office - capable of being used together or separately. The communication with the main one was found to

have been intentionally cut off. Investigation followed, and immediately the cause and the

object, and the remedy. The result was that things were put right, and the arms were sudden-

ly and quietly started from Louisville several hours in advance of previous arrangements;

and so their safe passage was secured at every point of danger. What remained was to pro-

tect them after they arrived. This was thought to be adequately provided for by assembling of

the Home Guards of the city in arms at the depot, on an agreed signal from their commander,

the late distinguished Dr. E. L. Dudley, who has since

58

died in the army while serving as a Colonel of a regiment of Kentucky Volunteers. But this

was somewhat changed in the following manner: A gentleman accidentally overheard a

conversation between some secessionists, the purport of which was that no arms should

leave the city for Union men.

Very soon this fact was made known to Colonel Dudley, who, prudent as he was brave,

thought it his duty to display such a force as would overawe opposition. He therefore imme-

diately dispatched messengers to Camp Dick Robinson, and the next day, Colonel Bramlette,

of the Third Kentucky Regiment, arrived at the Lexington depot at the head of several hun-

dred cavalry, nearly simultaneously with the arrival of the train of cars with the arms. By

this time the city was greatly excited, and the streets full of people.”

The description of what happened at that point continues; “Major Breckinridge (the high-

est ranking secessionist leader on the scene), fully aware of the bearing of the affair, whose

crisis was now reached, upon the whole plan of the conspiracy of the 17th of August, is said

to have declared that he would drive Bramlette’s force from the city, If fifty resolute

men would follow him; whereupon a force of between one and two hundred armed seces-

sionists was immediately collected, by sound of the bugle, at the armory of Captain John

Morgan’s rifle company. And this gathering was immediately followed by the assembling,

by sound of a bell at the depot, of between three and four hundred-armed Home Guards.

The united forces of Bramlette and Dudley rendered opposition fruitless on the part of the

inferior forces of the secessionists; and Major (now General) Breckinridge then spoke to the

assembled secessionists, exhorting them to abstain from any act of violence, and thereby

show what should be considered an act of unexampled forbearance. The arms were carried

safely to Camp Dick Robinson and put immediately in the hands of the loyal troops-among

the rest, the Kentucky regiments of Bramlette, Fry, Wolford, and Garrard, and the Tennessee

regiments of Carter and Byrd. In the latter part of October following, many of them did

good service in the victory of Wildcat over (Confederate General) Zollicoffer’s army and still

more of them in the rout of the still larger forces of Generals) Crittenden and Zollicoffer, at

Logan’s Field and Mill Springs (Kentucky), on the 19th of January, 1862. It was the posses-

sion of these arms by the small force under Nelson that made possible the movement which

broke the conspiracy in Kentucky to pieces.”

When the secessionist conspiracy in Kentucky was overthrown it is recorded that most of

the secessionist leaders and important men fled the state. John Hunt Morgan was one of

them. As we are going to see, however, Morgan used “retreat” only as a tool for immediate

survival and even while fleeing a threatening situation or enemy force you can bet he was

already mentally thinking out his next offensive move and / or return to the area he was be-

ing forced to flee from. Morgan would prove hundreds of times over the course of the war

that cowardice was NOT one of his weaknesses.

From this point on, we are going to be expending quite a bit of print space exploring John

Hunt

59

Morgan’s Civil War raids and battles in Kentucky. Just before we get into those actions, how-

ever,

I want to “show you a “picture” of his appearance, personality and the effect he had on the

opposite sex “painted” by the words of those who lived in that time and both saw and knew

him personally. Pastor Senour tells us in his book written during the Civil War that:

“General Morgan is said to be a lineal descendant of (Colonial General) Morgan of Revolu-

tionary (war) fame. He is the oldest of six brothers, all of whom were born and educated near the city of Lexington, Kentucky. He is unusually commanding in personal appearance, and is

about six feet in height and weighs one hundred and eighty pounds; has a broad, high fore-

head and bold countenance.”

Author’s note: It is said by historians more notable than I that the average height of a Civil War soldier was about

five feet, four inches. If that is true… and I believe it is possible because I saw a pile of Civil War soldier’s boots on display at

the Gettysburg National Battlefield museum that were all very small compared to my size 11’s… and I am six feet, one inch tall... then Morgan would have been considered quite a tall man at six feet.

“As to his character, it is but just to say that, previous to the commencement of the rebell-

ion, he was considered by the citizens of Lexington as a man of integrity in all his business

relations. In the estimation of the public he maintained a good character. At the commence-

ment of our present war he was engaged in

manufacturing woolen goods in Lexington.

Soon after open hostilities commenced, he

was arrested near the town of Harrodsburg

for attempting to send two wagon loads of

goods to his friends in Dixie. Morgan is a

universal favorite among the secessionist

chivalry, and especially with female seces-

sionists. In every raid that he has made

through Kentucky, he has been welcomed, fed,

honored, and cheered by women of Ken-

tucky.”

Senour goes on in this bit of commentary on John Morgan to give us an interesting look at part of the romantic side of his Civil War life. It seems that the Senour had met a young man as a fellow student at Hanover College in 1842. He says that the man was

“respectable” as a student but not otherwise remarkable in scholastic accomplishment. He gave his college friends indications that he intended to remain a bachelor and not marry. Af-ter he graduated, the pastor-to-be, lost track of him until he saw in a journal of Washington City (D.C.) his friend’s name (which he never reveals in his book) as a Congressman from one of the far Western states. While there as one of the youngest Congressmen to ever serve he became acquainted with the daughter

60

of a Congressman from Tennessee. She was beautiful and in spite of his original intentions

to remain single fell madly in love with her. Before he could tell her, however, the War broke

out and the Congressman and his daughter left Washington and returned to their home in

Murfreesboro, Tennessee well within the rebel lines.

1111

He resolved to pay her a visit at her home but found a “wall of bayonets” between him and

his true love in the form of the Rebel army. He concluded that the only hope of seeing her

was to march with the Army of the Cumberland, the Federal force charged with taking Ten-

nessee back from the Confederates who held it. He applied for an officer’s commission in

that army and it was granted. He ended up in the thick of the huge four day battle fought

along Stone’s River opposite Murfreesboro and withstood his “baptism by fire” very well, so

it was said.

He was overjoyed when the Federals won and captured Murfreesboro. As author Senour put

it, “He entered the little city of Murfreesboro with our proud and triumphant army, to learn

the startling fact that General Morgan, without the use of sword or saber, had defeated his

hopes, and captured the heart and hand of her for whose sake, in part, he had mounted the warrior’s steed. The lady referred to was Miss Ready, the daughter of Hon. Mr. Ready, an ex

-congressman of Tennessee, and now the wife of General Morgan. Even before her marriage,

she was devoted to the cause of the rebellion, and on one occasion presented a flag to one of

the Tennessee rebel regiments and accompanied it with a speech. Morgan was first married

to the accomplished Miss Rebecca Bruce soon after his return from the Mexican war. After years of suffering from sickness, she died about the commencement of the present war, and

thus was taken from the trouble to come.” I note that it is reported that Rebecca was a

strong supporter of the Union and her brothers all fought in the Federal Army.

NEXT MONTH in Chapter 5…

Be sure to rendezvous back here then because you will not want to be

left out of this raiding party… and make sure you bring plenty of am-

mo and rations with you!