G'day from Australia.
I am a Detectorist, for those of you not familiar with that term it is what we weirdos that swing metal detectors around the place call ourselves.
When I first got into this hobby I was unsure if I would like it at all. But I made an investment is a semi decent metal detector and off I went.
My Maiden hunt in the backyard produced a 1940's half penny and a modern 10 cent piece and from that second I was hooked.
It is hard to explain the feeling when your metal detector makes the noise you've been waiting for and you proceed to pull back the layers of earth to see what it is. The anticipation is incredible and then when you see the perfect circle of a coin it gets a little crazy.
Modern money is cool to find and In Australia $2 coins are like litter in some places. It is not hard to go out and pick up off the ground $30 or more. Its easy money, though a little dirty and requires laundering. But luckily that laundering is usually done in a large bucket with some soapy water and no mafia types are needed.
However nothing beats the thrill of finding an older coin and especially one that is over 100 Years old!
We haven't made coins in Australia for that long so usually thy are british made and when you think of the journey they have been on its quite moving.
Jewellery, Buttons, watches and many other treasures are also unearthed and when your in a place digging up random pieces of metal it really tells you a story of what happened at that particular place.
It is quite an amazing hobby and the more I participate the more I want to go out and dig up that old stuff.
But don't get me started on the feeling of digging up a gold Nugget! I'll leave that for another day.
So when you see the local metal detecting weirdo (Detectorist) remember that person is out picking up little pieces of history and some petrol money on the side too.
We take all our Rubbish with us and most us fill in our holes and leave very little trace we where even there.
Sure, like any hobby there is a rouge element that put the want of gain before the hobby and do make a mess in some places. I can only apologise on behalf of the 99% of detectorists that do the right thing.
So nect time your out in the park or down at the beach why not push a coin into the ground, you'll make a detectorists day and that day may be a hundred or more years in the future!!! Especially if your really hide that sucker!
Happy Hunting to all the detectorists out there and for those that don't detect, have a chat to that local with machine and most will only be too happy to have a chat.
Take care.
Clegy
The Aussie Detectorist
http://aussiedetectorist.com.au