Volume 1 Issue 3 August 2011

Volume 1 Issue 3 2 August 2011

Volume 1 Issue 3 3 August 2011

Volume 1 Issue 3 4 August 2011

Table of Contents Pg. 5-Temerity...the first word by Chad T. Everson

Pg. 6-SuperJammyGit’s Historic Gift by Chad T. Everson

Pg. 7-SuperJammyGit & Temerity Magazine

Pg. 8-SuperJammyGit Cover Photo Contest

Pg. 9-SuperJammyGit Subscription Contest

Pg. 11-The Silver Half Crown-“Queen of the Desert” By Colleen & Warren in Austra-lia NQExplorers

Pg. 16-Buffalo Nickel Classified By Chad T. Everson

Pg. 17-Metal Detecting – Changes & Innovations to the Hobby By Ian Hughes

Pg. 23-Interview with Anti-Que & Uncle Vintie Interview By YardsaleCzarina

Pg. 29- Meteorite Hunting In "blow out areas" with Skip Wilson & Ruben Garcia! By Ruben Garcia

Pg. 33-REDDIRTDIGGER Interview By Chad T. Everson

Pg. 40-“Do you ever find anything worthwhile?” By Derik (aka Pulltabpirate)

Pg. 44-Research and Perseverance – Essential Tools of the Treasure Hunter. By NQExplorers

Pg. 49-“THE MOOSE” By Evelyn Mohlke

Pg. 50-The Moose Tree of Oronoco, Minnesota By Evelyn Mohlke

Pg. 54-There's treasure to be found and you don't need a metal detector, shovel, or a pirate map to find it. By Will Wright @Terminal99

Pg. 60-I Was Garage Saling Before Garage Saling Was Cool! By Hoardermart

Pg. 65-Uncovered Treasures By Virginia Chojnowski VCStar5

Pg. 66-The Metal Detecting Site of My Dreams BY: Ryan Cowden RecoverngRelics

Pg. 70-NOVICE 2 NOVICE Part 2: THE HUNT By Tom in SC

Pg. 73-Oronoco Gold Rush Days Visit By Chad T. Everson

Pg.84-You may have noticed By Chad T. Everson

Volume 1 Issue 3 5 August 2011

Temerity...the first word.

I want to thank every one of our authors who had the temerity to get

grizzly with us here in this Temerity Magazine August issue! It was so

fun getting in all these great articles and photos to weave together into

this issue and publish it for you, our Temerity Magazine readers!

We have so many Grizzly Relic & Treasure hunters for you to enjoy in

this issue! The countries of Australia, England, & USA are represented.

I want to take this time to invite you to submit your article for our next

issue! No matter where you are in the world, just have the temerity to

send your voice, thought and image to Editor@TemerityMagazine.com

by October 20th, 2011.

SuperJammyGit has gifted Temerity Magazine with 5 really historic

coins he has metal detected and found in his Grizzly Backyard. Two

coins will be won by November’s Cover Photo submitter and winner.

Three coins will be won by a subscriber of either SuperJammyGit or

GrizzlyGroundswell on YouTube or a Temerity Magazine Promo Video

publisher.

I am really touched that every author and SuperJammyGit are so sup-

portive of our Temerity Magazine effort, lifting up one another and this

great Relic & Treasure passion we all share.

This is our third issue of Temerity Magazine and we are slowly growing

in readership and submissions. I am so proud to share with you all the

great relic and treasure hunters’ skills, knowledge, expertise and pas-

sion for this great addiction we all have in common.

Anything that I can do to bring more people to Relic & Treasure hobby,

industry and way of life, I will do as will our Temer-

ity Magazine authors found here within these

pages.

We are here to inspire and motivate you to join us

and share your experiences in Temerity Magazine.

Get Grizzly!

Volume 1 Issue 3 6 August 2011

I received this package in the mail

containing some old coins that I

have never seen before. SuperJam-

myGit had contacted me previously

and said he wanted to help raise

awareness of Temerity Magazine

and that he would be sending me

some coins that I could use in a con-

test to raise awareness for Temerity

Magazine.

I had no idea that the coins would

be this spectacular! I have to admit

the thought of keeping these coins

did cross my mind! Yet, what a his-

toric gift given by SuperJammyGit

to help Temerity Magazine grow! I

sat there admiring and holding

these coins, just soaking in the his-

tory in my hands.

Could these coins assist Temerity

Magazine in gaining the readers our

authors deserve? I pray they do.

Volume 1 Issue 3 7 August 2011

Prize for Temerity Magazine Cover

Photo Contest:

1. Elizabeth the first hammered silver penny 1558

1603 believed to be second issue

obverse crowned bust

reverse quarted royal arms over long cross

fourches

2. 1860 Victoria D:C: Britt Reg F:D: Farthing

Prize for Subscription, Friend and

Promo Video Contest

1. Hammered Roman coin of probus about 277

AD obverse legend reads - “Virtvs probi avg”

radiate helmeted cuirassed ,bust left

holding spear and shield. Reverse reads

“adventvs probi avg”

emperor riding with right hand raised holding

scepter with captive at feet.

2. Georgius III Rex Britannia 1773 Copper coin

3. Georgius III D.G. Rex 1806 Britannia Copper

coin

You may find these coins on SuperJammyGit’s videos

on his YouTube Channel. If you win, they will be a su-

perior addition to your collection!

Help us spread the word about Temerity Magazine!

Editor@TemerityMagazine.com

Volume 1 Issue 3 8 August 2011

These two outstanding coins gifted

to Temerity Magazine by SuperJam-

myGit, will be won by the person

with the temerity to win the Cover

Image Contest with their photo sub-

mission.

Everyone, except SuperJammyGit

and myself. is eligible to enter and

win. Even if you have already sub-

mitted the photo to Temerity Maga-

zine for your article, submit it again

for November’s Cover Image. Every

person that enters gets one entry no

matter how many photos they sub-

mit. However, if one of your photos

wins, these two coins are yours, and

your photo will represent Temerity

Magazine in the November Issue.

Submit your photo to:

Editor@TemerityMagazine.com

Volume 1 Issue 3 9 August 2011

These three awesome coins will be

won by one lucky subscriber Nov.

3rd, 2011! That is right! One lucky

subscriber, and that person could be

you if you just do this to enter this

great contest!

Subscribe or Friend

SuperJammyGit

=1 entry

Subscribe or Friend

GrizzlyGroundswell

=1 entry

Produce and publish a great

Temerity Magazine

promotional Video

= 10 entries

Yes, you could earn up to 12 en-

tries to win these great coins

gifted to Temerity Magazine to

promote this great magazine!

All promotional video links

must be sent to

editor@TemerityMagazine.com

to assure you get your 10 en-

tries!

Random.org will pick the win-

ner on October 31st and pub-

lished in November’s Temerity

Magazine.

Additional entries will be given

for innovative Temerity Maga-

zine promotions!

Help us get the word out!

Volume 1 Issue 3 10 August 2011

Volume 1 Issue 3 11 August 2011

The Silver Half Crown –

“Queen of the Desert”

By Colleen & Warren in Australia -

NQExplorers

Australian relic and coin hunters have no shortage of ground to cover, with an area roughly equivalent to the Continental United States, Australia has a much smaller population – there are only around 23 million of us Aussies. So there is plenty of ground and a lot less people

hunting it. Here in North Queensland we have a rich heritage of mining, from gold and silver to vast reserves of copper, zinc, nickel and lead. The western, arid areas of Queensland are sprinkled with ghost towns dating from the late 19th and early 20th century, boom and bust settle-ments that rode to glory on high metal prices and then disappeared just as quickly. Most were served by long-abandoned railway lines and often had their own smelters or treatment plants. Populations varied from just a few hun-dred to over 2,000 in the larger towns. Very little remains of them now.

Volume 1 Issue 3 12 August 2011

Visits to these remote, arid areas need to be well planned. You need a well equipped four wheel drive with plenty of fuel and water, tools and spares, and good communications equipment. We often travel with two vehicles for safety‟s sake.

The area we visited is around 1,200 kilo-meters (750 miles) and 15 hours driving time from home. It is a very remote spot in arid spinifex country.

We were detecting at the site of a former copper mining and smelting town which started in the 1880s, boomed during the

first World War, then died and disap-peared in the late 1920s when copper prices went through the floor and the de-pression set in. It was a reasonably large place, around 2,500 people, 4 pubs and a big school and even a well-equipped hos-pital.

We spent two full days detecting, but as the town area covers several square kilo-meters, there is a lot of ground to cover. Early on the first day, I was lucky to find a rare (key date) 1918 Australian silver Sixpence in the ruins of the hospital. I was confident that this would get me the "Find of the Day Award" back at camp that evening.

Volume 1 Issue 3 13 August 2011

Colleen was trying her luck in the re-mains of the railway station (just an old concrete platform). We always carry little hand-held UHF radios in these places for safety as it is very easy to get 'bushed' or bitten by a snake. Just after our morning tea break, back detecting and well out of sight of each other, the radio came to life.

The conversation went something like this: (Ill never forget it)

C: "Hey, I think I‟ve found some-thing here"

W: "... OK what is it"

C: "It‟s big, round and silver"

W: "Is it a coin" (hopefully)

C: "It looks like a coin, but it‟s too big I think, too big for a coin. . I‟ll just clean it and have a look"

Several minutes of radio silence followed.

W: (increasingly frustrated) "Well . . .what is it?"

C: "I‟m not sure but I think it‟s Queen Victoria on one side and on the other side it says something . . CROWN"

Volume 1 Issue 3 14 August 2011

I didn't reply, just dropped everything and belted across the 300-400 yards to where she was detecting.

Well, we cleaned it properly and couldn't believe it, a great big silver coin. It was a 1900 Queen Victoria "veiled head" Half Crown (two shillings and sixpence 2/6). A truly beautiful coin and a stunning find in such a desolate place.

To date this is our greatest coin find. Col-leen always manages to outdo me when we are out together, which I don't mind, and on this occasion, she definitely got the "Find of the Day". Luckily we had

the camera there to record the occasion and the look on her face says it all. You can see Queen Victoria in all her glory on the coin.

The 1900 Half Crown coin, as minted weighs in at 14.1 grams (0.45 oz), that‟s almost half an ounce of sterling silver. Ours is a bit more circulated and worn than 14 grams, but remains a beautifully designed coin featuring the elderly Queen Victoria in all her regal beauty. It was truly a memorable moment when she saw the sunlight again after more than 100 years lost in the desert.

Volume 1 Issue 3 15 August 2011

We have another trip planned into the area as there are more than a dozen old towns and settlements to explore and de-tect. In reality, they receive very few visi-tors, partly because of their remote loca-tion, sometimes difficult access and pre-dominantly very hot, dry conditions. But for those reasons, they are relic hunters dream! But you must be well prepared and equipped to venture into these areas and it is always advisable to give your itin-erary to friends or family, or even the lo-cal police who are happy to look out for you.

That was our “Queen of the Desert” coin, a truly remarkable find in such a place, lost so long ago, but saved, treas-ured and preserved, and now taking the pride of place in our coin collection.

Colleen & Warren

NQExplorers.com www.youtube.com/user/NQExplorers

Volume 1 Issue 3 16 August 2011

Buffalo Nickel Classified just launched

and already finding success. It is Theo-

dore Media‟s online store front where you

can purchase the great Grizzly Garage

Sale finds from your home.

Recently an authentic Pearl Bethel Min-

nesota Spear Fishing Decoy was pur-

chased and saved from a local garage sale.

It only took three days before the buyer

had purchased both the decoy and one of

the Spear Fishing spears.

As luck would turn out the buyer was no

other than Tim of FishDecoy.net. He

has one of the largest spear fishing de-

coys collections for sale today. So it was

a great sale and contact to be made.

Pearl Bethel was born in 1864 and died in

1960. He lived in Park Rapids, Minne-

sota. His Spear Fishing Decoys are

highly prized and collected. Pearl is the

great grandfather to over 5 generations

of Minnesota spear fishing decoy makers.

Truly a Historic find now in a collection.

Volume 1 Issue 3 17 August 2011

Volume 1 Issue 3 18 August 2011

Metal Detecting – Changes & Innovations

to the Hobby.

Hi, my name‟s Ian Hughes, I‟m a metal Detectorist from Carlisle in the UK, up on the border between England and Scotland. I‟ve been metal detecting since the 1990‟s but then had a long break from detecting, spending 10 years work-ing overseas in the Middle East. I retired back to the UK last year, and, once I got settled back in at home I decided to take up metal detecting again. Once I started though, I found that there was a world of difference to detecting today than there was back in the dying years of the last century. Many new inno-vations had made the hobby a lot easier and a lot more fun, some very high tech and some extremely low tech, but just as effective in their own way. No longer just a case of wandering into a field and waving a detector round a bit, I found now that, not only could I sit at home and see a field on Google Earth and Google Maps from above, but I could also see traces of ancient footpaths and building sites in the grass, where there was nothing visible at ground level. I could research the history of a site us-ing some of the thousands of pages of historical data on the internet and use tens of thousands of other pages to re-search my finds. There are websites that I can go to in order to log my really good finds so anyone can look at them, sites such as UKDFD [UK Detector Finds

Database] and the PAS [Portable Antiqui-ties Scheme] website. The time comes, though, when you have to get out and about and the personal touch comes into play. I started by going round to see farmers and land owners nearby and asking them for permission to search. Almost everyone I contacted agreed and gave me permission, much better results than writing letters or emails and waiting to see if anyone gets back. Other useful sources of informa-tion were the local „old timers‟, usually very knowledgeable about the history of a place and very often, once they started chatting, they‟d point me in directions to hunt that I wouldn‟t normally have con-sidered. Once I had the permissions to hunt, I put together my bag of goodies, loads of cold drinks, sandwiches (known here as butties) and snacks before heading out into the fields with my old detector (rapidly exchanged for a new one) and my new pin pointer, another high tech piece of kit that wasn‟t around when I was previously detecting. So, out in the field, I found that one of the problems that I‟d come across before was still bugging me, this was that when-ever I was trying to walk a straight line in a field I found myself veering to the right. Whether this was because I was looking down at the detector when walk-ing or whether it‟s just a natural thing, I‟m still not sure. Anyway, I realised I was ac-tually missing large parts of the field and as a result, losing, potentially, loads of finds. After a bit of thought, I came up

Volume 1 Issue 3 19 August 2011

with a solution, very sim-ple, very cheap and not at all high tech. I bought a roll of parcel string, around 25 yards long from a local stationer then slipped into the wife‟s greenhouse and stole a couple of bamboo stakes from her tomato plants. I cut the stakes into 12 inch lengths and tied one to the end of a roll of string. Once I was out in the field I staked this end into the grass and rolled out the string, tying another stake to the other end and giving me a line to detect against. I‟ve now developed this a bit further and, using two rolls of string, I get a fifty yard line out, then measure two detector swings out to the side and set out an-other two rolls of string. This gives me four „lanes‟ to detect at a time, cover-ing roughly 600 square yards and no missing patches. It‟s very easy to move the lines along once the four lanes are finished and it‟s amazing how quickly and effectively a field, lot or piece of park-land can be covered in this way while it also ensures you cover all the ground and can hoover up all the

finds. Admittedly it is a bit of a pain having to roll up the strings again at the end of a day but I think the re-sults are well worth it. Obviously, this is not much use on a beach or in wood-land or rough terrain but it works a treat in pasture-land, ploughed fields and parks or gardens. Once I get a „hit‟ in a field I usually dig a much bigger hole than is probably nec-essary so I can avoid breaking an artefact with the shovel or scratching a coin, I can get away with this in a field but have to be more delicate and a bit more precise when detect-ing a garden or in parkland so use a smaller trowel and a probe to locate the find. When I‟ve pinpointed the find I dig it out with a trowel that has a plastic or Teflon coating which helps to avoid scratching the finds. I now carry a plastic spray bottle, once used for household cleaners, but now filled with water for initial cleaning of finds in the field without rubbing and damaging them. Then comes the logging of the finds, no longer a quick pencilled note in an old notebook, now I can use

the GPS locator on my mobile phone to log the exact find coordinates. This leads me back to Google Maps where I can input the GPS coordinates of finds and add a pointer on the map of the site. As the finds come in so the finds information builds up and I start to see pat-terns of finds emerging. On one site the patterns formed a wavy line across the map, suggesting there may have been an old foot-path across the land. The ends of the line finished at the edges of the field but, I reasoned, if this was a footpath then it probably continued onto the neighbouring fields. Unfor-tunately on this occasion I couldn‟t get permission to search the neighbours land but the usefulness of high tech in detecting was estab-lished for me. I do a fair bit of reading during the frequent spells of very wet weather here and was surprised by how often I came across refer-ences in detecting articles to guys that found silver or gold on land that had been detected many times be-fore. I decided to test this out and went back to some

Volume 1 Issue 3 20 August 2011

of my early sites to detect them again. I started mak-ing finds straight away. Even when I met up with another Detectorist, with a very expensive high tech machine, who told me not to bother going in a certain part of the site as he‟d al-ready „done it‟, I carried on and made a couple of nice finds. I‟ve demonstrated in my videos, several times, how lots of good finds can be missed no matter how carefully you think you‟ve covered the ground. So, I never think it‟s a waste of

time to hit a spot that someone else has already done, no matter how good they are, there‟s very often something else just waiting to be uncovered. Another change to the hobby came from a discus-sion with a local archaeolo-gist who advised me not to get hung up on “metal” detecting as there‟s very often other stuff out there that‟s worth fetching home, for instance, flint arrow heads, knives and tools, even bits of pottery. So I‟m now collecting the bits of pottery I come across

when I‟m digging in the hope that I‟ll eventually hand in some fragment of roman, Anglo-Saxon or earlier pottery that may point the way to a new and maybe undiscovered ar-chaeological site. Yet another change to my way of detecting came about when I was watching a TV program and the pre-senter held up a small green bronze thing telling the cameraman that it was an ancient Roman button. I immediately recognised this as I‟d dug one up a few days before but had con-

Volume 1 Issue 3 21 August 2011

signed it to the scrap bin. On checking with the local museum this turned out to be a Roman toggle button

dating from 100BC to AD300. [ Fig 1.] So now I always wash and check my scrap metal finds after I get

home. Usually they really are scrap but I‟ve lost count of the number of times I‟ve made a find and

Volume 1 Issue 3 22 August 2011

stated it was scrap metal only to find out it was sil-ver or an ancient artefact. A couple of recent exam-ples of this are the lump of lead that turned out to be a pilgrims ampulla dat-ing from 12th-15th century[Fig.2] and the bit of scrap metal that turned out to be a fragment of a Roman sil-ver denarius dating AD183 to AD235 [Fig 3.] The most far reaching innovation for the hobby though, as far as I‟m concerned, has to be the ability to film my hunts, string the clips together as a video and upload the videos to the inter-net, where they can be viewed by anyone world-wide. It‟s really a bit awe inspiring to know that my metal detecting days out are being watched and, seemingly, appreci-ated by detectorists from around the world, in places such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Latvia, Italy, Nor-way, The Netherlands and even China, as well as by many detectorists in the UK.

If anyone would like to view any of my hunts from the last 12 months or so, live on video, they are all online at „Janhyooz‟ you-tube channel, in a series of videos entitled :

Metal Detecting… ...In Cumbria

Good luck and happy hunting.

Volume 1 Issue 3 23 August 2011

Q1. How did you come by your names?

AQ: It started years ago when I decided that our town needed a yard sale code en-forcer. So, I created the position and be-came the “self-appointed Yard Sale Cza-rina”. I do not have any official authority, but I try to help people in the community organize, promote and run successful yard sales. In the Fall of 2010, we started “The Yard Sale Show” on YouTube as a way to chronicle all the “stuff ” that we buy. We needed pseudonyms for the show, so I came up with Anti-que,

{pronounced Auntie K) Yard Sale Czarina (AQ) and Uncle Vintie, the Vintage Tool Man (UV)

Q2. When do you first remember go-ing to a yard or garage sale?

UV: We started going to yard sales and flea markets back when we were college students in Texas. It was an inexpensive way to furnish and decorate our apart-ments. In fact, we found some beautiful antique pieces that we still have today! AQ also frequented the Goodwill store.

Volume 1 Issue 3 24 August 2011

Back then, you could find vintage clothes, jewelry and antiques for next to nothing.

Q3. What ignited your passion about antiques and sales?

AQ: I guess that happened ~ 10 years ago when we were visiting my Uncle in St. Louis, MO. He took us to the Wentz-ville, MO Flea Market!! WOW!!! We were hooked!! We crammed as many stone-ware crocks and jugs in our little Honda Insight as we possibly could. After that, we started collecting antique stoneware. Then, it expanded to cast iron items (kettles, irons, banks, potbelly stoves, pumps, etc) and now it‟s just about any utilitarian Americana antique or tool. Un-cle Vintie‟s grandfather and father both owned ice plants, so we also have a lot of old items from them that we really cher-ish.

Q4. Your YouTube videos and chan-nel is both entertaining and very in-formative giving others tips and en-couragement to go out there and find that next great pick! How did you get started as pickers?

AQ: We have been pick‟n for a long time now. In fact, (sing along), “we were pick-ers, when pick‟n wasn‟t cool”!!! Right now, we are what you would call, part-time pickers. We both have “day” jobs. Uncle Vintie is a physicist and I am an exercise physiologist. I often joke about writing a Picker Physical Fitness Training Manual and I might do that someday. Al-though we both enjoy our “day” jobs,

Saturday (i.e., yard sale day,) is our favor-ite dayd of the week! For us, pick‟n is a hobby that started with collecting and ex-panded to buying, selling and trading.

Q5. There is really a great Pick'n fam-ily on YouTube and more joining in the fun everyday! Tell Temerity Maga-zine readers how they can find you on YouTube and what to expect from your great channel!

UV The picker network on YouTube is a wonderful resource! There are so many outstanding videos, it is difficult to keep up with all of them! Our YouTube chan-nel is YardSaleCzarina and the name of our show is: The Yard Sale Show with Anti-que, Yard Sale Czarina and Uncle Vintie, the Vintage Tool Man. We really enjoy finding interesting items, research-ing them and sharing that information with our viewers. We try to make the shows educational and entertaining. In the future, we plan to mix it up a bit by interviewing some of the local collectors, antique dealers, auctioneers, estate sale company owners, etc., and doing more educational segments. For example, AQ is actually going to try to use the spinning wheel (that should be interesting). We‟ll also show how we restore a variety of items including a couple of old steamer trunks that we‟re currently working on. Plus, more tricks of the trade!!!

Q5. You have a lot of fun in your vid-eos and always come home with some amazing finds, what is your winning

Volume 1 Issue 3 25 August 2011

strategy?

AQ: For one thing, we are in a great loca-tion for antiques. Annapolis is steeped in history and teeming with antiques. We also make a good tag team….. It‟s amaz-ing what one person misses. I can‟t tell you how many times UV finds a really cool item that I overlooked and vice versa!

Q6. AQ, what is your most valuable find and was it the one you cherish the most?

AQ: That is a tough question. It‟s almost like choosing a favorite child! I‟ve gotten some really great bargains on antiques at yard sales and those are the ones that I treasure the most. I guess I would say

that my most prized possession is the last great deal that I got. Currently, that would be an awesome old Larkin clothes wringer. I only paid $24 and it is worth a lot more! You can see it in the July 9th show.

Q7. UV, what is your most valuable find and was it the one you cherish the most?

UV: I would say the most valuable (current item) is the vintage new –old stock croquet set that we bought for $5 and sold on ebay for $168.50! Another one is the free vintage set of horseshoes that sold for $30.00. I‟m more about the $$$ than AQ.

Volume 1 Issue 3 26 August 2011

Q8. Both of you have strong interests in what you purchase and are looking for. Is there anything that you wish your spouse would quit buying? (LOL! My wife wishes I would quit buying old tools I will never use, but it‟s not going to happen! I wish she would quit buying Kitsch!)

AQ: No, I‟m fine with UV buying what-ever he wants. However, I suspect he‟ll have a list of items that he wishes I would quit buying.

UV: We don‟t need anymore oil lamps, crocks and large stuff! Right now, we have filled up two houses, so it is times to start seriously selling!

AQ: Or, we could just build a bigger house or a barn! I like that idea better!

Q10. Can you describe your ideal ga-rage sale for both of you?

AQ: That would be one with a ton of vintage tools and antiques. Every once in a while, we come across a house and/or garage that is jammed packed with old items. For example, last Fall, we went to an estate sale at a rather small home in Annapolis. Initially, UV didn‟t even want to go in because he didn‟t think they would have any tools. Boy, was he wrong! It was vintage tool picker paradise. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr4ozB-wojM

Q11. Can you share a few tips on pick'n for our Temerity Magazine Readers?

Get Connected: We are on the email list for all the local estate sale companies, auction houses and flea markets so we receive notification of upcoming events.

Volume 1 Issue 3 27 August 2011

Plan ahead: We also search the local pa-pers (most post the classifieds free online) and Craig‟s List for garage sales in our area. We narrow the search to an-tiques and tools. If we find one that has both, then that‟s our first stop. Unfortu-nately, we don‟t always get it right. Some sales sound wonderful on paper, but turn out not to be very good. That‟s just the way it is….. it‟s like a box of chocolates.

The early bird gets the good stuff: In our area Saturday is Yard and Estate Sale

Day. The sales generally run from 8:00 AM – 12:00 NOON so you only have a limited amount of time. We get up early and leave at the crack of dawn, which is why most of our friends don‟t go with usJ

Estate Sales: The estate sales in our area attract a lot of dealers, pickers, collectors, etc. so it is very competitive. You need to get there early and pick up a number. Some of the dealers actually sleep in their trucks overnight so they can be first in line. Most estate sale companies post pic-tures of the items on their website, so we check those postings the night before and make note of any particular items that we are interested in. That way we can run and grab them right away. It really is like a bargain basement sale. Uncle Vintie and I split up so we can cover more area. We grab anything that we might be interested in and start a “pile” by the cashier. Then before we check out, we scrutinize the items to make sure they‟re in good condi-tion and that they‟re not reproductions, etc. Most estate sales won‟t deal very much the first day. However, we always try to negotiate a lower price, or come back the 2nd day of the sale when prices are reduced.

.Keep an eye on your “pile” These sales are usually jam packed with people every-where. So, someone may inadvertently “pick” your pile. Usually they are just un-aware, but there are some unscrupulous people out there. One time, a man grabbed an air compressor that UV put

Volume 1 Issue 3 28 August 2011

in our pile, quickly paid for it and was making a quick get-away when Anti-que (a.k.a. the Pitbull) cut him off at the pass. Trust me, he will never do that again!! Don‟t mess with AQ!!!

Check prices on eBay: A good tactic is to use your cell phone to check prices on eBay. Be sure to check the “closed” price so you can see what the item actually sold for. A lot of people aren‟t aware that you can do that. They look on eBay and think that something is worth an outrageous amount of money because someone listed it for that price. People can list items at whatever price they want, the im-portant crite-ria is what they SELL FOR!! Ebay essentially sets the prices these days, so that is a valuable tool!!

Freebie items: Always look in the free-bie bin. We have gotten some great free items. Most recently, UV bought a radial arm saw for $20, which was a great deal in and of itself, but when we went back to pick it up, the seller gave us a barely used microwave /convection oven - for free. It‟s white and his wife wanted stainless steel. It works great and we love it. He also gave us some vintage horse-shoes that we sold for $30 on eBay.

If you don‟t know what it is: There is a saying, “if you don‟t know what it is, then you probably don‟t need it”, but AQ ap-proaches it a bit differently. If she doesn‟t know what it is, then she buys it so she can find out. I know, that sounds crazy, but she usually “lucks out”. However, there are a few items in our “what the heck is it” box. Perhaps we‟ll do a seg-ment on that.. I‟m sure that some of our fellow pickers will be able to help us identify those items.

Don‟t sweat the small stuff: If you pay too much for something (and that does

happen on occa-sion) don‟t beat your self up about it. Just learn from the experience and be wiser next time.

Have Fun! Enjoy yourself!! Yard Saling is green, it‟s

economical, it can be lucrative and it‟s fun. It‟s like a treasure hunt. You never know what you‟ll find or who you‟ll meet. Sometimes the people are as, if not more, interesting than the “stuff ”

So, please strive to be a good steward of the land, the animals and the antiquities.

Anti-que and Uncle Vintie

YardSaleCzarina on eBay

“Caution!!! We brake for yard sales”

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Volume 1 Issue 3 30 August 2011

Meteorite Hunting

In "blow out areas" with Skip Wilson & Ruben Garcia!

This has been a very interesting and rewarding year with respect to mete-orite hunting. Not only did I have the opportunity to take part in the filming of a few meteorite related TV shows - and a movie called “Heaven Strewn.” I‟ve also had some wonderful hunting excursions. These treks into the wil-derness have yielded some beautiful pallasites, siderites and of course

chondrites both classified and unclas-sified.

While all of this has been great, I must admit that one experience stands out among the rest. This year I had the pleasure of meeting and get-ting to know America‟s Greatest Me-teorite Hunter.

This prolific hunter has found over one hundred and twenty five unique meteorite classifications. These in-clude two urelites, one achondrite and a beautiful Portales Valley meteorite that nearly struck his house.

His name is Skip Wilson, and for nearly forty years he has been scour-ing remote areas of New Mexico for

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extra-terrestrial treasure.

An amazing fact about Skip is that all two hundred and eleven of his finds were made in New Mexico. One me-teorite came from De Baca County, three from Lea County, four from Curry County and the remaining two hundred and three coming from within Roosevelt County.

How did Skip find so many unique meteorite classifications in such a small area? The answer may surprise you, as he did it by hunting mostly in areas called “blow outs.”

A blow out is a bowl-shaped area that is virtually devoid of any sand. The constant wind in these particular ar-eas formed the bowl by scooping out the sand, and exposing the hard clay-like surface below. In the process of removing the sand, the wind also un-covered hundreds of tiny stones. These stones that once rested upon the sand, now lay on the bottom of the blow out. Occasionally, hidden among these terrestrial stones are me-teorites.

Skip told me that he found his first meteorite in 1967 and that it took him two more years to find the second. This is partly because he didn‟t know how to go about finding meteorites in an area of the state covered by farm land and sand dunes.

It wasn‟t until he realized that these blow out areas held meteorites, and that all he had to do was be able to recognize them in order to find them.

Recognize them he did. Skip found nearly fifty meteorites on just one blow out that was about 40 acres in size. Incredibly, Skip didn‟t find them all in a single day. Inner-mixed with terrestrial stones the meteorites blended in so well it took him years to collect them all.

Over the next four decades Skip sim-ply went from blow out to blow out collecting meteorites. It seems strange that these areas could hold so many meteorites until one realizes that the ground upon which they rested is very old. Ground samples collected by Skip were studied and some scientists have estimated these blow out areas to be over one hundred thousand years old.

This is important because if the ground has remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years, then it has had plenty of time to collect falling stars. Oddly enough all blow out areas did not produce meteorites. In fact Skip says that many more blow outs were completely void of meteorites than those that held them. This is something that no one has been quite able to explain.

Skip Wilson and others like him have paved the way for meteorite hunters like me. It was a pleasure meeting him and getting to experience first hand what he does so well. I can‟t imagine what it would have been like to be a meteorite hunter forty years ago with such little information avail-able on the subject. Somehow Skip

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made the quantum leap in logic between know-ing meteorites exist and being able to find them. In fact he did it so well that it may be quite some time before an-other American meteor-ite hunter can even come close.

Skip still hunts meteor-ites as time, and his knees permit and actu-ally found yet another new unclassified stone earlier this year. I‟m sure that no matter how the meteorite market changes, Skip Wilson will still be out silently doing what he does best, proving that he is, Amer-ica‟s Greatest Meteorite Hunter.

You Can Find Ruben Garcia on YouTube.

MeteorFright

His great Website

Mr-Meteorite.net

Volume 1 Issue 3 33 August 2011

REDDIRTDIGGER

Interview

By Chad T. Everson

I had the great opportunity to catch up with RedDirtDigger, or RDD, on a hot July summer day. I was complaining of the 95 degrees with humidity until RDD told me it was 107 degrees in his Grizzly Backyard and there was high humidity! Boy that is hot!

RDD is blessed with having a great fam-ily centered employer in Walmart that al-lows him to work the late shift during the summer months so he can enjoy his kids

as they grow and get in some metal de-tecting!

We both wanted to get his first year of metal detecting shared with the readers of Temerity Magazine. But with such a busy schedule, it was easier to talk on the phone and have me write up the inter-view than to take away time from RDD‟s growing family to type up a regular arti-cle. I enjoy catching up with metal de-tecting friends and enjoy these interviews, so I obliged so that I could get his voice and expertise here for our Temerity Magazine readers.

As of July 8th , it has been one year since RDD went down to his local Whites dealer to look at metal detectors. A Whites Prism 5 walked in as a wife wanted to resell it after her husband tragi-cally had passed away from a heart attack before being able to use it. It was brand new in the box and she wanted to sell it back to the dealer. She was not happy with the price so she returned to her car to bring it back home. RDD talked with her in the parking lot and took her phone number to possibly purchase it. RDD called her a few days later. She said on the phone that she had a few other things she would like to show him that she had for sale.

RDD purchased the Whites Prism 5 and she threw in a sand scoop, Whites head-phones and a vintage military bayonet that was her late husband‟s.

RDD sensed a presence with him those first few times out hunting, as if this widow‟s late husband was along for the thrill and adventure of the hobby he

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never was able to pursue. On the sec-ond day the third target was a beautiful 1942 mercury dime. RDD never video-taped or shared this find with anyone ex-cept the widow he had purchased his metal detector from until today. RDD just knew that this was not his coin, but instead it was the widow‟s late husband‟s who had been joining him that day on the hunt.

Placing this coin in the hands of the widow brought her great joy. It was re-warding for RDD to share this coin, this great find that he never considered his in the hands of the rightful owner. It gave the widow much joy and a bit of closure after having to sell a gift she had pur-chased for her husband that he had never had the chance to use, and looked so for-ward to using it.

This experience really helped RDD gain confidence in his ability and skill in this new hobby of his to start sharing it with the world on YouTube with his metal de-tecting videos. RDD had spent 6 months watching metal detecting videos on You-Tube before he ever set foot in that Whites dealership. Most of that time, he did not comment on videos because he never had a YouTube account. Watching these videos on YouTube gave him a knowledge base to know what to look for and purchase.

It must have worked because RDD hit the ground running. His strategy of fol-lowing the bodies of water in his Okla-homa Grizzly Backyard have really paid off with some great finds. RDD points out that his Grizzly Backyard is filled

with shoreline around bodies of water. Every human inhabitant of his great state one way or another revolved around the water ways. From cattle drives, to early settlement, life was never too far away from water. As RDD talked about his strategy it occurred to me that coming from North Dakota where roadways are laid out in patch work quilt patterns across the landscape, that RDD‟d strategy was very insightful and made me look at my own strategies in a new way. To find the old coins and relics I was approaching the landscape from a roadway mentality, but the relic and treasure I seek was be-fore roads and relied here in Minnesota instead upon the waterways. This Water-way Strategy of RDD‟s is one I have since adopted. It is brilliant.

I asked RDD what was his favorite or most special find in this first year of metal detecting. RDD has had a lot of great finds, but his favorite, he feels was never his own. It was that 1942 Mercury Dime he gave to the widow that sold him his metal detector. Not the Standing Lib-erty, the Shield Nickel or any of the other great finds, but instead his favorite is the one that is not in his collection, but in-stead in the hands of a widow that never was afforded the opportunity to see her

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gift give her late husband so much joy. Or did it? I think it did.

When asked why he metal detects, RDD was brutally honest. RDD stated that he likes to gamble, and each plug he digs and tar-get he recovers is a cheap way of pulling a lever be-cause you truly don‟t know what is going to be in the bottom of that plug! This was what first attracted RDD to this metal detect-ing addiction.

The research quickly be-came another exciting as-pect to this metal detecting hobby that has really ex-cited and kept RDD going. RDD also added that it is

the great ethical reason-ing behind the hobby that he really grew to love it. The asking of per-mission to hunt private property, the leaving the location better than you found it ethical principles that he holds dear and wants to share with his kids and others through his videos and this interview. These are all great reasons to promote and enjoy this great metal detecting hobby.

I then asked RDD what was next for him in his sec-ond year of metal detect-ing. He said he was work-ing on expanding his Wa-terways strategy to that of hunting thick woods along-

side waterways where hu-mans would have camped and set up outposts. He has a great many locations researched and will be be-ginning to hunt these areas later this fall.

We had to cut our inter-view short as we could have talked for hours, but RDD had to take his daughter to swimming les-sons. One blessed father, enjoying his young children and the hobby of metal detecting that he loves and shares on his youtube channel:

REDDIRTDIGGER

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“Do you ever find anything worthwhile?”

by Derik (aka Pulltabpirate) I recently have had many people come and question me while detecting. The most common questions are, “what kind of detector should I get to do this?” or “Do you ever find anything worthwhile?” I give the usual answers such as, “It‟s more about getting to know what your machine is telling you than what machine you have” or, for the second question, I just pull out a handful of silver coins that I recently dug in response. Lately though I have found myself giving REAL an-swers to these questions mostly because these said questions suddenly started to remind me of when I was just beginning my short, yet relatively successful, metal

detecting career. It started back in February of 2011. I watched some YouTube videos, thought to myself that it looked easy enough, or-dered my Ace 350 and Pro-pointer and it was off to find treasure. The first place I detected was an old 1801 stagecoach stop which yielded my first wheat cent and a pile of clad. The next two months were spent metal detecting random areas that were open to the public and I just could-n‟t seem to find that elusive silver coin. I was already contemplating who I could sell the detector to in order to recoup my money when I detected my own yard and found a 1942 Mercury Dime! I was im-mediately hooked…. at least for the next week of digging clad and again started to think of ways to unload my detector. Then, again in my own yard, I dug my second silver…an 1891 Seated Liberty Dime! This gave me enough fuel to keep going for a while but then again the silver mine closed. It was at this time that many people from

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both YouTube and from detecting fo-rums befriended me and provided some much needed encouragement to keep go-ing. They helped me figure my machine out and also helped point me in the di-rection of research, which is ultimately key in successful detecting. I ended up digging my first Barber dime as well as more Mercs and Rosies to get my total to eleven. It was about the time I felt I had mastered the Ace 350 when I decided to make the leap as I knew I would never stop this great hobby and bought a Minelab E-trac. This machine was far more than anything I had messed with before but I did my due diligence. I researched videos of oth-ers using this machine, looked up the metal detecting terminology that I was still unfamiliar with, spent countless hours digging even remotely close signals to better understand what it was telling me and played with settings until I finally felt comfortable. I had several friends on forums and on YouTube again offering their assistance. Then I decided to hit an early 1800‟s farm house and my addiction went from occasional use to an all out

addict. In two days detecting I dug 4 large cents (the earliest being 1798), my first Barber quarter, a few Mercs and Barber dimes, an 1881 Indian Head Penny along with other 1900‟s Indian Heads, a silver Washington and a Walking Liberty Half Dollar. Since that time I‟ve now collected my 100th silver coin (Inluded are 3 Barber Quarters, 2 Walking Liberty Halves, 2 Seated Dimes, 1 Barber Half and 12 Bar-ber Dimes), 10 Buffalo Nickels, 6 V Nickels, 11 Indian Head Pennies, 5 Large Cents as well as several old foreign coins and have had more fun with this hobby than anything else I‟ve done in my life. So, when I am asked those questions now, I think about the million questions that went through my mind for those first six months and try my best to answer them all. If I‟d not had help from others where would I be? I suppose the whole point of this article is to remind people that we all were once newbies or even just had passing interest and chances are others helped us. Isn‟t it only fair to re-turn the favor for someone else?

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In summary, I recently had a young boy following me around and I gave him all the clad I dug. His father noticed how amazed this boy was at simply pulling up 2 inch deep clad asked how much one of those (detectors) run. I told him first that it‟s important to get to know your ma-chine, then I basically told him what I

wrote in this whole article. That little boy is now the proud owner of a Bounty Hunter Tracker 4 and is having a blast just diggin!

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In September 2008, in a remote bush lo-cation in North Queensland, Australia, we arrived by four wheel drive at a long abandoned town site. So little remained of the place that it was virtually „invisible.‟ It was just another spot in the bush among the ironbark and bloodwood trees. The only indication that anyone had ever passed this way was a small dump of 19th century green beer bottles. On further investigation we discovered a stone pitched floor and some ceramic scatter, the few remains of one of the town‟s hotels which was a coach stop on the Cobb & Co stagecoach route to the west. After the obligatory cup of tea, out came the detectors and within 10 minutes we had 6 silver coins in our hands. This 19th century „pocket spill‟ comprised shil-ling and sixpence coins dating from 1873 to 1888. The thrill of those finds was the reward of several months of research and several days of searching for the site in the field.

We first learnt of the site from an out of print library book we had borrowed. The book documented the history of several

well-known former mining townships in the area. Research, however, can often mean „reading between the lines.‟ What we were looking for was not so much in-formation on the well known places, as that was readily available, but rather men-tion of maybe some more remote mining camp, settlement or coach stop hotel.

The site we eventually visited was only briefly mentioned in the historical refer-ences, but that was enough to arouse our interest. From what we understood, the place was established in the mid-1880s and by the time of the First World War had all but ceased to exist. What was even more intriguing was that the more we researched it, the less we found. There was very little information anywhere, on the internet, in historical reference books or even old maps and newspaper articles. This was what drove us to keep search-ing, because if such little information ex-isted about the place, there was a good chance very few people had ever visited the old town. That would mean there could be a wealth of historic relics and coins waiting to be found. We concluded that, the less we could find out about the place, the more we could find in the field!

After several weeks the research had hit a brick wall. Then it suddenly occurred to us to check one of the most obvious re-sources – the Topographical Survey Maps, of which we had an extensive col-lection right at home. To our amazement, the site was clearly marked on the map. So the very next weekend we packed up

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the camping gear and headed west, around 300km from home.

We set up camp that evening, eagerly an-ticipating the finds of the following day. Next morning bright and early, armed with the topographic map, we headed out to the site, on an old bush track. On arri-val, we double checked the position on the GPS, and spread out to look for evi-dence of the old townsite in the bush. Usual indicators are „old timers‟ iron rub-bish, bottle dumps, or if you are lucky, an old cemetery or the remains of a chim-ney will point the way. Two hours later we returned to the 4wd, without having found any trace of the old place. It sim-ply wasn‟t there. The metal detectors hadn‟t left the truck. Several weeks later

when passing through the area we stopped for a second search on foot but to no avail. The place didn‟t exist. More research was required.

Finally, the historical collection in the lo-cal library turned up a small article about the site, the most substantial information to date. We were aware the town serviced a silver mine which existed from the 1880s until the early twentieth century. The final piece of the puzzle came in an old newspaper article from the 1890s. It was written in the prosaic style of the time, where the reporter „Stood on the verandah of the upper floor of the hotel admiring the thriving township‟ before him and to the „distant hillside, the site of the silver mine a mile to the north.‟

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There it was, the last clue - the townsite and coach change was a mile south of the old silver mine. We knew the location of the old mine, we had seen the mullock heaps on a previous field trip. Now we finally had an accurate physical location for the townsite. Incredibly, the site of the former town was marked in error on the survey map approximately 3km south of its actual location.

The next weekend, off we went again, confident in the knowledge that we would find it „this time‟. Sure enough, armed with the GPS and venturing deeper into the bush in the 4wd, we came

across a small dump of green beer bot-tles. A quick search revealed old stone fireplaces (probably from tent houses), and a large area of stone flagging where the larger of the town‟s two hotels had once stood. It was a great feeling to stand on the very spot where that reporter hand penned those words, our final clue, 130 years earlier.

Out came the detectors. Just a few meters from the car, on the side of the old track opposite the hotel entrance, the first tar-get. It was shallow, sandy granite soil and a couple of scrapes with the prospecting pick and out flips a beautiful silver shil-

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ling, dated 1877. Now in our experience the old Western Queensland ghost towns are hard going for a metal detector, lots of old iron/tin trash in generally rugged terrain. We regard one or two 19th cen-tury coins in a day‟s hunting as a good day out. Imagine then, the feeling of a second target, less than a foot from the first, ringing high on the detector, indicat-ing a second silver coin. Unbelievably, a second silver shilling! We kept swinging and digging, unearthing four shillings and two sixpences, all in fine to very fine con-dition, untarnished and shallow targets. Clearly, the site had never seen a metal detector. In the next few hours of the hunt we recovered an 1865 English Vic-torian „bun‟ penny, buttons and artifacts that confirmed our suspicions that the site had never been hunted.

We returned to camp that night with large smiles on our faces, unlike, perhaps, the poor fellow who dropped the coins, as six shillings (total monetary value of the find) would be a very substantial amount of money in the 1880s.

Researching old sites is, to us, just as ex-citing as getting out in the field and find-ing the relics and saving the little pieces of history that make our hobby such a satisfying pastime. We hope to revisit the site later in the year, and while we don‟t expect to get that lucky a second time, we are confident many more treasures and relics await us. Happy hunting everyone.

NQExplorers

We purchased our first metal detector way back in the early 1980s, a second hand D-Tex BFO, starting out in the goldfields of Western Australia and Vic-toria. The old D-Tex eventually broke down and was hung up in the shed. We now live in North Queensland and re-turned to the hobby with the new genera-tion of electronic detectors a few years back. The area is rich in history dating from the 1860s and we go out camping, prospecting, gem and treasure hunting at every opportunity.

Warren & Colleen

The „NQExplorers‟

Volume 1 Issue 3 49 August 2011

“THE MOOSE” By Evelyn Mohlke

In a forest long ago

An American basswood began to grow.

For one hundred fifty years it grew,

Watching eagles as they flew.

This veteran tree became unique,

Adapting a moose like physique.

With three heads growing from its wood,

Those who gaze on it feel good.

If four souls could get inside,

They might lunch at a table three foot wide.

Arborists of Rochester and Hayes Trees

Want the “Moose” to always be

Strong as possible, dominant, commanding,

Long of tooth but ever standing.

Wind sway is reduced with dynamic cable,

Allowing adaptive growth while remaining stable.

Crown reduction minimizes stress

When howling winds blow their best.

Massive roots can thrive and spread

Safely „neath a bordered bed.

Adam Hoehne, Ed Hayes, Jon Marx

Saved this tree in Oronoco Park

To keep the “moose” before us strong,

Protected, safe, and living long.

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The Moose Tree of

Oronoco, Minnesota

By Evelyn Mohlke

Near the time that Leonard Hodges first

camped on the bank of the “Las Zam-

bras” [Zumbro River] March 13, 1854, a

basswood seedling started growing in a

forest and what is now Oronoco Park.

That “founders” tree is

now known as the

Moose tree because of

the unique formation

of at least three dis-

tinct moose heads.

The moose heads

formed as a natural

protection system for

the tree, created when

the tree grew more

wood to support a

branch or when it was

injured. The tree com-

mands a dominant po-

sition near the Oro-

noco Gold Rush monument. Visitors fa-

vor the site for the natural healing and

renewing feeling they claim to derive

from their stay on the nearby grounds.

Hayes Tree (www.edhayestree.com) and Arborists of Rochester (www.arboristsofrochester.com), two tree care companies, have come together

to assist Oronoco in protecting the 150 year old Veteran “Moose.” Their work is sorely needed to keep the tree healthy and safe. Ed Hayes, Jon Marx, and Adam Hoehne have adopted the “Moose” as a long term commitment. Assessment and planning commenced early this spring. A crown reduction will be done May 13, weather permitting. This involves reduc-ing individual branches in the outer crown there by reducing wind stress dur-ing storm events. Dynamic cabling will be

used to reinforce the tree‟s crown. Later, the surrounding area will be mulched and bordered to protect it from vehi-cles which could damage the massive root system. From Ed Hayes report:

“THE COLUMN DE-

CAY IN THE LOWER

STEM IS SO LARGE

THAT FOUR PEOPLE

[IF THEY COULD

GAIN ACCESS] COULD

SIT DOWN AROUND A

THREE FOOT WIDE

TABLE AT GROUND

LEVEL INSIDE THIS

TREE AND HAVE LUNCH!”

Ed Hayes (Hayes Tree), Jon Marx and

Adam Hoehne (both of Arborists of

Rochester) have all donated their exper-

tise, time, and labor for this much needed

and appreciated project and will continue

to monitor and oversee the future of the

“Moose”.

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There's treasure to be found and you don't need a metal detector, shovel, or a pirate map to find it.

By Will Wright @Terminal99 Every weekend across the country, mil-lions of items are placed out for sale on blankets and card tables at yard sales and flea markets. To some people, these sales represent nothing but piles of junk and they cannot imagine buying something at such a place. Many people, though, see these sales as an opportunity to save money by purchasing everyday items and

collectibles at a large discount to what retail stores are asking. A handful of peo-ple see these sales as potential gold mines. These people are called pickers.

What is a picker? A picker is someone who is looking not just for a bargain, they are looking to find something that is so cheap in price that they can then turn

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around and sell it at a profit.

Anyone can be a picker. They are as di-verse as the things they buy. Male or fe-male, young or old, pickers can be found scouring flea markets in the early morn-ing hours with flashlights in hand. A picker understands that if a seller has something good, it will not last long. These are the "early birds" that many yard sale advertisers tell keep away in their ads.

I am a picker and you can be one also. One thing I've learned is that if you pull up to a yard sale and everything is already set up, you're probably too late. I started learning about what to buy when I was a small child and my parents would haul

me around to thrift stores, antique shops, and flea markets. My mom and dad had a love of antiques and a fondness to find a hidden gem. This rubbed off on me and soon I was out scouring flea markets with them - a couple of dollars in hand. The thrill of the hunt got into my blood and I soon realized that the more I knew about antiques, the better the chance I had to find something good.

Picking is like metal detecting. You never know what you are going to turn up. Also, like metal detecting, if it was easy everyone would do it. You don't need much money, or knowledge to start. Where to start is your local yard sale or flea market.

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Not all flea markets are the same. The markets that you need to find as a picker are the ones that everyday people visit to unload their belongings. Some flea mar-kets sell nothing but new things or made in China junk. These are the ones to avoid..

What should you look for to buy? I would say start slowly with what you know best and expand your knowledge from there. Whether you like sports col-lectibles, dolls, tools, toys, clothing, musi-cal instruments, video games, jewelry - whatever it is, it will show up at a flea market or yard sale. There are many good videos on YouTube made by pickers which can give you some ideas of what to look for. A tour through some antique shops can educate you as to what to look for.

Once you buy some things to sell, where do you sell them? There are many outlets for selling your finds. Smaller items that are easy to mail are good to sell on eBay while larger things go well on Craigslist..

EBay charges a fee to list your item and they also take a percentage of the final value.. If payment is made using PayPal, which is usually the case, an additional fee is charged. It may seem like there are too many fees to use eBay. Some people will not use eBay because of the fees, how-ever I feel that it is the best place for sell-ing most things. eBay has a huge world wide audience that cannot be matched. Craigslist is nice that, at this time, it does not charge any fees. The drawback is that craigslist is only good for local sales.

Get out there this weekend and see what

you can find. Who knows, maybe you will come home with some treasure!

Will Wright @Terminal99

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I Was Garage Saling Before Garage Saling Was Cool! As in many realms of our socio-cultural development the times of garage sales have progressed and proudly I was a saling in the early times when saling was-n‟t necessarily cool! I was recruited un-willingly by my mother and her sisters who found the saling to be a fun and beneficial weekly adventure. Being the oldest of three sons my mother recruited me to be the designated carrier to the car of the vast array of purchases she and her sisters made at most every sale. As I advanced in age and got my beginners driver‟s license, I was designated as the official driver and carrier. Duties my fa-ther and uncles respectfully declined, in those days while not cool, it also was not manly. Perhaps it might be helpful to step back and review those days, which

found a female dominated group of saling members. Garage sales began to become a major weekly event in communities across our country in the 1950‟s and 1960‟s in part due to the rise in economic times and the increasing American dream of owning your house. Following World War II, housing developments increased and buy-ing your own home became the way. In addition, it was a time of increasing household tools and gadgets to make the housewife‟s job easier. With the homes came the garage, with the increase in household items and gadgets came an over surplus in some homes. Thus, the over surplus was taken to the garage area, signs placed and here came the other house wives to buy slightly used, new or unwanted items from the seller which all tended to be in the realms of running a

Volume 1 Issue 3 61 August 2011

household from a female perspective. In addition, hobbies and crafts supplies found there way into the piles as did books, many of the romantic novel types, clothing, purses and other female items of interest. In those days there simply weren‟t many men items found. Since the items were not particular wanted by the seller price haggling became a major part of the saling process and became more incorporated into both the buying and actual socialization of the garage sale adventure. In addition to the sales of the new more modern household inventions of the time older items became increas-ingly more into the sale piles and collect-ables became a increasing hobby as the economy grew and allowed more money for fun stuff. The 50‟s and 60‟s were a unique time with many new inventions and many new gadgets to make the world easier thus household surplus rapidly oc-curred and for the bargain seeking house-wife a saling trip was good! It was the founding wives of garage sales that led to a progression of the socio-economic

realms of today‟s garage sale world. In the 50‟s and 60‟s most autos didn‟t have air conditioning as standard equipment, no seat belts and the family car was pri-marily utilized by the husband for his daily to and from work. Television was black and white with rabbit ears, not 24 hours with no cable or satellite dishes. Telephones were in the home with a nice loud ring and a rotary dial attached to the wall with tangled cords. Many were the party-line shared system, with „someone‟ listening in. Computers where of the fu-ture, awaiting e-mail, internet and search engines--the bubble was yet to occur. ebay had not arrived. Priceless moments weren‟t associated with Mr. Visa or Mr. MasterCard and Sears was the main credit card and place for housewife‟s to shop. The price guides for collectables and older pieces tended to be a visit to the local antique shops where my mother and aunts would really be astonished when they had found something for ten cents that was marked in the Antique Store $5.00. Items such as rhinestone jewelry

Volume 1 Issue 3 62 August 2011

were in great abundance and often passed by be-cause they were consid-ered untrendy and not so popular, older style furni-ture and items were reflec-tive of the years of the de-pression and were consid-ered for „poor‟ people ,thus often passed by--as were pieces of pot-tery, etc. It was a time of wanting newer items and wanting to take the advan-tage of the many new gadgets to making the household duties easier while having episodically Sales to decrease the piles less traveled within the home. The early bird trend started and the few antique

dealers in town begin the serious buying of items at garage sales to increase their supplies and profits. These days were the pre-collectors days and the pre re-selling days which begin to expand in the 70‟s which continued the progression of the piles less traveled of the garage sale realm. It was a primitive saler‟s time as compared to the socio-economic bases garage sales offer today. While there are no accurate track-ing mechanisms of garage sales in our country there are „estimates‟ that there are between 7.5 to 9.5 mil-lion garage sales annually with revenues from such

adding 1.5 to 2.5 billion to the economy. The primi-tive salers launched a voy-age which has had signifi-cant influences on the socio-economic variables of the times and the future looks very bright on the horizon. We at the HoarderMart Institute con-tinue to enjoy the saling and welcome the contin-ued growth of the Pickers and eBayers as the garage sale realms continue a natural progression. Sec-ondhand Blu, Hoarderolo-gist, HoarderMart Insti-tute

Volume 1 Issue 3 63 August 2011

The mission of the Hoarder

Mart Institute is to assist hu-

manity, and the hoarders

there of, in reducing the piles

of hoarding to better serve

mankind.

It is our goal to conduct on-

going research, develop

comprehensive studies and

progressively find ways to

assist all hoarders in the

„cleaner up‟ realms on a indi-

vidualized and collective

sphere of the world. The

times of mankind are chang-

ing--today we have the tech-

nological developments to

conduct and apply the meth-

odologies and we shall seek

to provide a progressive and

sound milieu to provide the

various realms of services

from such.

The Hoarder Mart Institute:

The Hoarder Mart site al-

lows by a social media com-

munity the availability for all

hoarder‟s to find a benefit for

themselves and humanity by

accessing all realms of the

Institute.

Chief Hoarderologist Sec-

ondhand Blu will serve as the

Institute‟s noted Life Coach

on hoarding and over see the

research of, program devel-

opments and hoarderologi-

cal/motivational realms in

seeking sound ways to turn a

hoarder‟s dysfunction into a

functional behavior to better

serve humanity. Hoarderolo-

gist Blu will utilize concepts

of „honesty, belief, trust and

acceptance‟ in a intraper-

sonal format, „organizing

within‟ to allow a higher level

for success for the hoarder to

transform from

„dysfunctional‟ to „functional‟

and serve humanity by

„organizing without„ his or

her piles.

Communication, and the

tools of, will be a intrical part

of the program with empha-

sis on how to control

„emotional diarrhea‟ as well

the preventive measures of

longer term affects of

„emotional hemorrhoids‟.

Technological availability to

easily and painlessly sell

down those piles for a profit

or perhaps buying just one

more needed item as we ven-

ture through the “Piles Less

Traveled--and begin a new

journey of“.

Secondhand Blu, Hoarde-

rologist will also be available

to present inspirational and

motivational in-services to

organizations, businesses

and all other groups of hu-

manity.

For those who may have an

interest in the field of

Hoarderology the Institute is

accepting applications for

those interested in a chal-

lenging life in this field. You

may apply to the program by

submitting a request for ap-

plication on- line at the

Hoarder Mart site. Upon

successful completion of the

course work you will receive

a Certification of Recogni-

tion as a Hoarderologist As-

sociate from the Hoarder

Mart Institution.

Volume 1 Issue 3 64 August 2011

Volume 1 Issue 3 65 August 2011

Hello everyone. My name is Virginia Chojnowski, aka vcstar5 on YouTube. I also am starting a BlogSpot blog at Uncov-ered Treasure. One of my passions is Metal Detecting which I have been doing persistently since 1999. This is when I joined the Michigan Treas-ure Hunters Club located in Livonia, Michigan. This is the best club that I have ever been in and the people in the club are the greatest bunch of people that I have ever known. They also have a great forum for members and non members to post their finds! Being a woman metal detectorist in

really what would be considered a

man’s hobby can be challenging on

occasions. I can hold my best with

most of the men in the club, but

sometimes I do have difficulty dig-

ging and even swinging my detector

for long periods. My detector of

choice is the Minelab Explorer II,

and it is a heavy detector, but I love

it. I limit my detecting areas to local

parks or schools because of the dan-

ger of detecting alone and being a

woman. I have had occasions where

there were not so friendly of charac-

ters approach me. This is very scary

so I always have to be aware of my

location and who is around me. It is

also difficult to find a detecting

buddy so that you can watch each

other’s back.

I love the hobby and I will never let

fear get in the way of finding treas-

ure even if I can’t go digging

through the woods, because it is al-

ways exciting to *uncover treas-

ures*!

Virginia Chojnowski

Michigan Treasure Hunters Club

Michigan Treasure Hunters Club Forum

Volume 1 Issue 3 66 August 2011

The Metal Detecting Site of My Dreams

BY: Ryan Cowden

As a little kid, I would often dream about a particular house that lay in the middle of the woods, not even a mile from my own house.. It was a reoccur-ring dream, and it wasn‟t exactly pleasant. The dream would start out calm and peaceful; the part where I was walking in the woods. Then all of sudden, the house appeared. For some reason which I may never know, the sight of the house just gave me an eerie and uneasy feeling. I would stop dead in my tracks and just

stare at the house. Seeing the house im-mediately gave me a sense of danger and death. It was a large, light blue farm-house, with three floors and large win-dows on every floor. It sat directly next to a large pond. The house appeared to be in good condition, it was definitely abandoned, but it had remained in good condition. It was in a clearing in the woods, which was totally surrounded by pine trees. In the dream I got the feeling like I shouldn‟t have been there. I would stand still in complete shock for about ten seconds, and then the dream would end.

I continued to have this same dream for several years. Back then, the dream was just random and unimportant to me. I didn‟t think much about why I

Volume 1 Issue 3 67 August 2011

kept having the dream over and over again. Eventually, I stopped having the dream and I totally forgot about the whole thing. Sometime after the dream stopped, I started getting into metal de-tecting. I liked exploring old places in the woods and using my metal detector at these various places hoping to find silver coins and old relics. The dream was now long since forgotten. I continued with metal detecting and searching old places out in the woods.

In September, 2010, out of no-where, I had the dream again.. It was completely out of the blue. The dream hit me like a freight train. I had com-pletely forgotten about the dream and hadn‟t thought of it in years. Completely out of nowhere, I had the dream again. It was the strangest thing. This time though, things were a little different. This time I was exploring the woods, when all of a sudden I stumbled upon a big old blue farmhouse. The house had deterio-rated a little bit compared to the last time I saw it in my dreams. Although I was much older since the last time I had the dream, the sight of the house still gave me the exact same feelings it had before. I felt like I shouldn‟t be there; I sensed danger and death. If you knew me well enough, you would know that even this wouldn‟t stop me from exploring an old abandoned house in the middle of the woods. I approached the house and as I neared the back of it, the feeling of dan-ger grew and I was almost in panic-mode. I kept getting closer, and I finally was able to see the other side of the

house. It looked pretty much the same as the other side did. Then the dream unex-pectedly ended and when I woke up my heart was racing. I still don‟t know what made the sight of the house so frighten-ing to me.

After having the dream again, I decided that I should do some research on it. I knew where in the woods this was taking place, because it‟s less than a mile away from my own house, so I was able to look at old aerial photos and maps. I

looked over to where I believed this house to be on a map from 1879. When I saw the dot marking the site of a house I was stunned. I honestly couldn‟t believe that there was an actual house there the

Volume 1 Issue 3 68 August 2011

whole time. I continued looking at old maps and aerial photos. The house was still there on my oldest maps from 1833.

My neighbors have done a lot of research on our area, and had lent me a binder of information they had put together of the area we live in. In the binder was a list of people who lived in each house and listed their jobs and their ages. In the house that I dreamed of, lived the White family. At one point, the house consisted of a grandfather, husband and wife, and three children. The house had been in the White‟s family for several generations. After learning so much about the prop-erty, all I could think about was metal de-tecting there. I figured there had to be a reason for these dreams over the years. At the same time I was nervous to go there considering the dreams had been nightmares. I obviously chose to go any-ways.

My dad and I went there in May to ex-plore and do some metal detecting. We walked down a long dirt driveway that

was hidden by several trees where the en-trance used to be. As we were walking, I noticed an opening in the woods. I saw a beautiful tree, I‟m not sure of the kind, but it was covered with flowers. When I saw that I knew we had to be close. As we turned the corner of the driveway, I finally saw it. It wasn‟t what it looked like in my dreams, and I wasn‟t scared to see it either. It was actually a nice New Eng-land cellar hole, with a large tree right next to it. The area surrounding it was just as nice. There were several clearings in the woods which used to be fields, and several natural paths that we followed that led us to multiple bottle dumps throughout the woods. We also discov-ered an old well not too far from the foundation. I captured the adventure on video. We didn‟t do a lot of metal detect-ing that day, but in a short time we were able to recover an old piece to a lantern and my dad was able to find a nice little buckle. We will be going back there again soon to dig that place up good. There has to be something great there waiting for me to find.

Volume 1 Issue 3 69 August 2011

This is something I will never forget and it‟s a story I‟ll pass on to my children and grand-children. My dad and I are going to continue searching this place for old coins, relics, and bottles. Look for more videos from my channel in the future to see what my dad and I are finding at this place. Thanks for reading my story every-

one, I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to check out my YouTube Channel: Recov-eringRelics , to see more of my metal de-tecting and bottle digging adventures. Thanks again, HH.

-RecoveringRelics

Volume 1 Issue 3 70 August 2011

NOVICE 2 NOVICE

Part 2: THE HUNT

1.. WHERE TO

HUNT

The best places to start

are the homes of rela-

tives.. Pick homes that

are the oldest. Make

sure you have permis-

sion from the owner,

Even if they are a rela-

tive that may be very

picky about their homes

and lawns.

The next best areas are

local parks and ball

fields. Again make sure

that there are no local

laws against

metal detecting. At ball

fields, limit your search

to areas where the fans

are located. A lot of

work is put into main-

taining the playing

fields.

As you become com-

fortable with detecting,

start asking for permis-

sion from strangers

about old home sites,

fields, etc…

2. Be Courteous

Be aware of others in

the park areas. Keep

away from them. They

are there to enjoy the

outing and do not want

you lurking around.

Also you do not want

them to see that gold

ring that you find ei-

ther.

Leave the area as you

found it. No holes, junk,

grass replaced …. Al-

ways remove the plug

and any soil in a way

that is replaced back in

an almost perfect con-

dition. See below for

recommended removal

procedures.

Always leave a good im-

pression. This can be

done by disposing of all

the trash targets in a

proper manner.

I always pick up other

trash and littler that I

find while hunting. Pa-

per cups, drink cans,

pull tabs etc.. that are

on top of the ground is

always an easy way to

help return the favor

for allowing you to hunt

the park or lawn.

3. Target Removal

You have found a target

and it is time to dig. At

first it is easy to get ex-

cited and just start

scooping out soil to get

to that big find.

DON’T !! Use you

shovel or hand digger

and insert in a circular

pattern around the tar-

get location. STOP

when you are 80%

around the location.

Lift the plug using the

uncut portion and a

hinge. Flipping the plug

over. Using your detec-

tor, determine if the

target is in the hole or

the plug. If the target is

still in the hole and you

need to remove more

soil, place a piece of

plastic or fabric on the

Volume 1 Issue 3 71 August 2011

ground to put the soil

on. This will help to

keep the area neat.

Once the target has

been recovered, slide

the plastic or fabric to

the edge of the hole, lift

the edge and allow the

soil to slide back into

the bottom of the hole.

Pack the soil a little to

allow the plug to fit on

top. Now flip the plug

back into position.

Stand and press down

with your feet to

smooth it over to a

natural condition. You

are finished and on to

the next.

4. Best Times To

Hunt

On weekends, the parks

are usually full of peo-

ple so try to go during

the weekdays. Ball

fields are best in the off

seasons, when there are

very few people around.

Homes are also best

when the owners are

busy with other tasks.

Even if you are very

careful with the lawn,

they will see you dig-

ging out that plug and

feel very uneasy.

ADDED TIPS

1. Make or create a

business card to

hand out. This will

show that you are a

professional who cares

and wants them to

know who you are.

2.. Run an ad in the

local paper. Offer as-

sistance in finding lost

items. I have never

found a ring or other

item that did not lead to

an area that I could

hunt.

3. If hunting on pri-

vate property, give

the owner some-

thing that you

found. It will show

that you are honest and

were thankful for the

opportunity to search

their property.

4. If you live in a

small town where

the local Police have

limited budgets, give

them one of your

cards. They may have

a need for your services

one day. AND when

they see you out, they

will know who you are.

5. Find someone in

your area that likes

to hunt also. This will

add a new level to the

hunt.

It will motivate you to

find more, It will ex-

posed you to different

equipment. Also the

other person will have

family members who

live in housed located

on Lawns.

6. Have Fun.

Tom in SC TManly25 Youtube Channel

Originally published at

DetectorStuff.com

Volume 1 Issue 3 72 August 2011

Volume 1 Issue 3 73 August 2011

Oronoco Gold Rush Days

By Chad T. Everson

Friday, July 1st, 2011, I loaded my three

metal detectors, my grading pans that fit

my 5 gallon buckets, waders, my trusty

old magnet attached to twine, two shov-

els, my water scoop, various sizes of gold

pans, jammed my igloo cooler with Ga-

torade and Rice Krispy Bars and headed

down to Oronoco, Minnesota at about

6am. The previous day we had reached

102 degrees F. Friday was only supposed

to get to about 80, and muggy. Not ideal,

gold panning weather, but, when does

one get a chance like this? I was excited

and pumped to get Grizzly on this his-

toric site.

Steve Mohlke, who I had been put in

contact with through the Oronoco Gold

Rush Days, had contacted the land owner

where the actual sluice was constructed

and the first gold operation in Minnesota

had occurred way back in 1858. $2-6 dol-

lars of gold were being found at that time

per man. Around 90 to 100 men were

employed in the mining or sluice opera-

tions. It was no small operation. The

operation was plagued with spring floods

that would wash away their sluices so it

was short lived but people are still pulling

out nuggets from this placer gold depos-

ited lake to this day.

About 10am, I rolled into the Oronoco

park that Steve and his lovely wife Evelyn

manage for the city of Oronoco. A se-

rene setting that is blessed with the

Moose Tree, a historic founders‟ tree that

has three or more moose head growths

tall in its branches. There is also a great

plaque there telling of the historic Gold

Rush of Oronoco. As a side note, this

park has been detected many times and

has rewarded the relic and treasure hunter

with many older valuable coins. How-

ever, as often happens, they were overrun

with amateurs that did not fill in their

Volume 1 Issue 3 74 August 2011

holes and the city has since banned metal

detecting in the park because of the

senseless damage. What a travesty! With

our new technology, what lies beneath

our toes today? Now there is also the

Oronoco Lake that has been drained as

the flood of 2010 washed away the dam

holding it back. I pray this great city

finds that fine balance between allowing

our great hobby discovering their history

and yet holds vandals accountable. It is a

dilemma we see unfolding across this

great nation.

Steve and Evelyn were gracious hosts and

so talented, I would have been happy to

spend the day just talking with them

about the area and their hard work pre-

serving its history. Steve Mohlke is a re-

tired history teacher and has spent many,

many years studying the area‟s colorful

history. From early voyagers, native set-

tlements, Jesse James, the stage coach and

of course the reason for my visit--gold!

This area is just teaming with history and

despite the flooding still has many of its

old buildings and history intact. At 10

am it was already steamy, and Steve

showed me around the park, then we

were off to meet the farmer who holds

the land that the historic sluice site sat

upon.

Now because people are people, I am

protecting this location and private land

owner‟s identity. Being that I am just one

of a handful of people who have ever

seen the actual location, we are going to

keep it that way, for fear of vandals in

these tough times.

Volume 1 Issue 3 75 August 2011

Steve and I drove out to a great multi -

generational farm with a rich story to tell

in itself, yet, for security sake, I refrain

from sharing it. I was pleasantly intro-

duced to a farmer and his son. Right

away I just wanted to sit and listen to this

great Minnesotan‟s stories. But time was

of the essence and we headed out to wit-

ness the location of this historic Oro-

noco Gold Rush operation.

Driving through corn that was knee high

before the Fourth of July we headed

closer to the Zumbro River. We got out

of the vehicle and took a storied hike

through woods that took us back to 1858

and the settlement of this state.

We walked a muggy overgrown trail back

deep into the woods and then, through

the trees, the land fell from sight. We

found ourselves atop a look-out over a

deep canyon wall that dropped directly

down to where the old sluice operation

once bustled with activity. The visage

took our breathes away. Eagles soared,

and wild turkeys jotted behind us on the

trail we had just walked. Quiet and se-

rene you could imagine the 90 to 100

men still working beneath us. Their oxen

teamed up and pulling more logs to com-

plete the sluice damaged by the spring

flooding. Horses bringing in goods and

hauling away yesterday‟s take to safe keep

and pay for the massive amounts of food

and supplies to keep such an operation

going. The river valley would be filled

with the sounds of singing and men

working. It was a moment I only caught

with a few snapshots I may never pub-

lish.

It was not the gold panning experience I

had prepared for, but it was precious and

one I will remember, keeping its secrets

with me until my death. With the heat of

the day bearing down upon us, we reluc-

tantly made our way back up the hill to

the vehicle. The only tangible proof of

the experience was a wild turkey feather

Steve picked up that was left for us right

in the middle of our path back to our ve-

hicle. He passed it to me and told me to

put it in my cap. I chuckled and held

onto it as a reminder of this great bless-

ing of an experience.

We piled into the vehicle. The elder

farmer had waited in the vehicle. He told

us of a Native American hunting camp

that he had found evidence of just

Volume 1 Issue 3 76 August 2011

around the bend, as he often finds flint

cast offs and arrow heads each year they

put in the crop, after hard rains. This

land is storied and it was such a blessing

to just listen to its stories being revealed

in confidence. We made our way to the

multi-generational farmstead and reluc-

tantly said our goodbyes. I left knowing I

would return and try to hear more of

those stories. Hopefully I‟ll get a chance

to explore the site when more time could

be set aside for such an expedition.

But Steve and I had to get to our next

appointment. So we rolled down the

country road and eventually made our

way back to the historic town of Oro-

noco. The town is not sleepy, but team-

ing with industrious residences gearing

up for the Oronoco Gold Rush Days‟

event. Wood is being hauled and grass is

being cut. The local farmer‟s market ta-

bles are being set as we find ourselves at

the events‟ coordinators‟ lovely historic

home.

Steve was suffering from the heat and

had a bad migraine at this time, so after

our introductions, I drove him home and

then came back to talk more about the

Volume 1 Issue 3 77 August 2011

Gold Rush Days‟ Event. David, Carole‟s

husband, greeted me at the door. This

old cowboy invited me in and right away,

I recognized the trim in their home

matched my own. Turns out David and

Carole had done extensive renovation to

their 1908 home yet kept and matched

the old trim. Michelle and I are in the

process of doing the same thing. So I

sidetracked our conversation to home

renovation, but eventually after a cold

glass of water, we brought the conversa-

tion back to this great event.

Carole is the Oronoco Gold Rush Days‟

event coordinator and she is really savvy

and great at her job. Earlier this year, I

contacted her because of the historic

gold claim, and offered my services to

promote Oronoco Gold Rush Days and

in turn be able to tell this historic story.

After talking and getting really excited

about this year‟s Gold Rush Days, I really

wanted to learn more about this event

and area. Carole insisted that I make sure

to visit Berg‟s Antique Store. It turns out

that Mary Lou and her husband kicked

off the amazing Oronoco Gold Rush

Days right across from their store! So I

said my goodbyes to my gracious hosts

and departed to do some pick‟n!

I headed over to Berg‟s Antiques and was

struck at the historic building right by the

river. The structure was showing its age,

yet, when I walked in the front door I

knew I was in picker heaven. This build-

ing was jam packed with great old items.

Mary Lou greeted me as she sat reading

and listening to the radio as a lovely old

industrial steel fan kept her cool on this

muggy day. She was cheerful, but did not

want to interfere with my shopping. I

wanted to capture this business on video

because you really don‟t find these gems

of stores. This was a state if not a na-

tional treasure and I feel any picker worth

their salt in the area needs to set foot in

this great business.

I knew the proprietor had a wealth of

knowledge and I had to try to bring that

out somehow. So I kept chatting. Now

most proprietors would see this as a nui-

Volume 1 Issue 3 78 August 2011

sance and try to get me back shopping,

but not Mary Lou! Her quick wit and

knowledge of the industry blew me away.

Her strategy was gifted by her late hus-

band, Earl. who people naturally gravi-

tated to. They sold both wholesale and

retail supporting a growing industry in

their area. Mary Lou stated that in this

business their strategy was to make a little

profit and pass that opportunity to an-

other to resell and if they made a profit,

then they would come back and buy

more! It worked and Mary Lou and her

late husband Earl have been in business

now for 49 years. That is amazing con-

sidering how many downturns these last

49 years have seen.

Earl was gifted with being able to buy

low and sell for a modest profit. Earl is

credited with founding the Gold Rush

Days‟ event, but Mary Lou‟s quick wit

adds that she did all the work! How does

that old saying go? Every man is just one

great woman away from greatness? Well

Earl found his greatness in Mary Lou and

in this great idea to lift up Oronoco‟s his-

toric Gold Rush and keep this lovely little

town on the map.

I had so much fun talking with Mary

Lou. I learned so much about the indus-

try and her great strategy that assisted

them in finding a niche in this industry. I

finally had to get down to pick‟n and

honestly, if I had the money, I would

have bought 50% of all the product she

had for sale. But strapped for cash, I

needed some great buys to turn for

profit. So I was looking for those few

pieces that I could turn into profit. I had

come to the right place. My stomach

grumbling, I did a quick once over and

asked Mary Lou where there was an

ATM as I did not have any cash on me.

She directed me to Tilley‟s and gave me

directions, even through all the construc-

tion that was taking place.

I asked about the history of the building

and again I was blown away. It turns out

the building once had a speak easy in the

basement! She directed me to the back

stairs and I went to check it out. Walking

down the stairs you could hear the clink-

ing of glasses and conversations and

laughter of yesteryear echoing up the

high ceiling walls. The decorative old tin

was still on the ceiling and the dance

floor was still present. When I returned

Mary Lou told me that when Earl and

Volume 1 Issue 3 79 August 2011

her bought the place they were made to

sign off that they would never sell alco-

hol because the sheriff was sick of his

deputies driving to the county line and

their favorite drinking hole! I can‟t re-

member what Mary Lou said the estab-

lishment was called but I guess even Earl

had a story of being escorted out of the

joint by his teeth as a lad. Did I tell you I

was in picker heaven? I guess people

from all across the country return to

once again walk into their favorite drink-

ing hole. One gentleman came from

down south as an old man and wanted to

once again set foot in the place he spent

the best days of his life. Mary Lou was

worried because of the stairs and the

gentleman replied that he was an old man

and all he wanted to step foot in the place

he remembered so fondly one more time

before he died.

I told Mary Lou that I would return and I

don‟t think she believed me. I went to

Tilley‟s and called my wife. I told her that

I was disappointed that I was not gold

panning. She understood, but reminded

me that she was glad I was making lem-

onade out of lemons. As I sat and ate a

great burger at Tilley‟s I reflected that the

relic and treasure I was finding today was

truly the people and their stories I was

fortunate enough to meet. Steve and fE-

velyn, Carol and David, Mary Lou and

Earl‟s memory, I was reenergized and ex-

cited to get back to the hunt to find and

uncover more treasure here in Oronoco.

Grandma‟s Closet was right next to

Tilley‟s, so after my belly was full and I

had a stake of cash in my pocket, I

headed to check this place out before re-

turning to Berg‟s Antique Store. Wow is

what I have to say about Grandma‟s

Volume 1 Issue 3 80 August 2011

Closet. The prices were more retail, but I

saw items there that I had never, ever

seen before. The display that stood out

for me is the retro kitchen display that

had a Hoosier in perfect condition: red,

white enamel with chrome, the perfect

piece to build a kitchen around. Then

they also had almost every item launched

that year with that style. Grandma‟s

Closet was truly a magnificent antique

shop. The prices did not leave me any

room to resell, so I just compared prices

and marveled at this lovely, lovely store. I

did not get the names of the ladies work-

ing but they were really helpful and infor-

mative. I can‟t wait till I bring my wife

back to shop all of Oronoco‟s great

shops!

I left Grandma‟s Closet and made my way

back through the construction to Berg‟s

Antiques. Mary Lou greeted me with a

little surprise and I went right to pick‟n. I

found nine great old treasure magazine

and purchased them for $1 each. There

was a great old wood fired jug that I had

to have and splurged a bit spending $22.

Then I found this great old axe head that

I had never seen before. I think it may

have been used to true up logs, but not

sure. I had to have it and sweet talked

Mary Lou down from $25 to $18. I

thought that was a victory in itself. Yet,

in giving me what I thought was a deal, I

will always return and buy more! I was

thrilled and visually overloaded and hot.

So, I said my goodbyes and headed out to

another shop that Mary Lou suggested I

stop into.

Volume 1 Issue 3 81 August 2011

On the way I stopped back at the Oro-

noco park and shot a video of the Gold

Rush plaque and the Moose Tree. It was

hard walking around that big old tree in

less than one minute! Then I took a

walk down to the river so that I could at

least get my hands and feet wet. I did a

short video and watched an eagle snap up

a fish and deliver it to its nest. Breathtak-

ingly beautiful was how I would describe

it.

I talked with Steve and Evelyn and we even watched one of the videos I up-loaded to YouTube from my phone on YouTube together. I thanked them for all their help and went back to pick‟n. I crossed over Highway 52 and found my-self at Oronoco Antiques. Yvonne and Gordon Cariveau greeted me

and dropped what they were doing to hu-

mor me when I asked about their old

guns. Gordon kept pulling out these

guns that I had never seen before. I was

blown away, but all the ones I wanted

were out of my current cash flow. So I

kept looking and found an even older

Hoosier that was oak and enamel. Mi-

chelle and I want to redo our kitchen and

I have been looking for one of these

Hoosiers and an old wood stove to be

our key pieces in it. I thought this Hoo-

sier was the one and it had a great price

on it.

Gordon told me to follow him, he had

something else to show me. So he

brought me to his showroom and there it

was! An even better Hoosier and almost

$700 less than any I have ever seen and

all those were lesser quality. I had to have

it. I made arrangements to put money

down to hold it. I will pay the rest in the

third week in August when I attend Oro-

noco Gold Rush Days!

Yvonne shared with me that Gordon had

bought her a metal detector. Gordon

chimed in that it was still in the box.

Metal detectors can be hard for those

new to the hobby to get a grip on. They

also had a son that lives in Princeton,

MN. So I told Yvonne and Gordon to

bring their metal detector next time they

visit their son in Princeton and I would

help them get started metal detecting.

Gordon introduced me to another guy

that was in the shop. It turns out he also

sells at the Gold Rush Days event, so I

headed over to his home that he has

turned the old café into. I was blessed

with another great show of classic

American antiques. He had a ton of taxi-

dermy and even a better Hoosier that was

Volume 1 Issue 3 82 August 2011

out of my modest price range, but I had

never seen anything like it. He told me

his story and I was inspired. But I really

needed to get back on the road and head

back to the dream fulfilled.

So I said my goodbyes and headed North

on 52. Michelle called me in the midst of

a terrible storm that hit our dream ful-

filled. It had toppled our beloved marble

tree were we had our swing, and broke

off one of our many pine trees. The

power was out and I was getting grizzly

trying to get home. The stormy weather

made for a cooler ride home. I finally got

home, marveled at the downed tree and

felt safe and sound and blessed that be-

sides the trees everything was alright.

As I lay in bed that night going over my

day in Oronoco, it became clear that my

assumption of panning and finding gold

was not to be. Instead, I found the treas-

ure of the people and history present for

anyone to discover in Oronoco. When

you go to Oronoco, MN, and find your

own treasure there in the people and his-

tory, tell them Grizzly sent you!

Volume 1 Issue 3 83 August 2011

By Chad T. Everson Blog YouTube Shop

Volume 1 Issue 3 84 August 2011

You may have noticed that a great deal of my effort online is to bring

more and more people into relic and treasure hobby, industry and pas-

sion. Temerity Magazine lifts up those that have the Temerity to share

their passion, expertise and insight of relic and treasure hunters around

the world. I also have www.TemerityDomains.com that discounts domain

URL and hosting costs for relic and treasure hunters.

The other night, I had a revelation. I could really help my fellow relic and

treasure hunters have their own blog on their own hosting account and

share with them all I have learned in these last 7 years of being an award

winning blogger. The more great relic and treasure hunters that I can gift

with a great hand up get online today, the brighter this great relic and

treasure hobby and industry will be in our shared future.

So I sent out an email to a handful of Temerity Magazine authors that I

knew did not have a blog yet. You see a blog is the passport or credential

everyone needs today online to be taken seriously. It can also be a source

of income to put food on the table or even buy that next great metal detec-

tor.

In this email, I offered to set up their hosting account, install their Word-

Press blog and gift it with the plugins I have gathered over 7 years of blog

experience. I would do this if they only purchased a domain name URL

and a hosting account from TemerityDomains.com .

Well thus far, two great relic and treasure hunters took me up on my offer.

VCStar5 now has a blog at UncoveredTreasure.com and NQExplorers

have a blog NQExplorers.com that Colleen, our cover model, can sell her

relic and treasure clothing line!

I am now offering Temerity Magazine readers the same gift. If you pur-

chase a domain URL and hosting account through TemerityDomains.com

I will set up your hosting account and gift you with a blog that will have 7

years of award winning blog experience tools installed. Especially those

who have YouTube accounts . Your videos, comments can automatically

be published on your new blog! Email me:

Editor@TemerityMagazine.com Lets get you Grizzly today!

Volume 1 Issue 3 85 August 2011

Volume 1 Issue 3 86 August 2011