Neahkahnie Mountain on the Oregon coast has been searched repeatedly for buried treasure.

The Oregon coast is lined with cozy clapboard getaways, but the tranquil image of surf and sun is undermined by a small brochure in our motel room: “Tsunami Evacuation Map” reads the loud type against a bright yellow background. “If you feel an earthquake … DUCK, COVER AND HOLD,” it warns, like Cold War instructions for a nuclear attack.

The brochure includes a map of “assembly areas” to run for after you get out of your defensive crouch. Run like hell up hill: “A tsunami may be coming in a few minutes.” Have a nice weekend.

It’s a fitting reminder that this coast — beautiful as it is and dotted with tourist villages, parks, and scenic overviews — features a kind of rough trade too: huge storms, earthquakes, tidal waves, giant rocks, and killer waves. They don’t call the stretch on either side of the Columbia River the “graveyard of the Pacific” for nothing.

I recently stayed with a friend in Manzanita, 25 miles north of Tillamook and one block from miles of sandy beach. There are a dozen documented wrecks just off this shoreline, dating from the late 17th century to the early 20th. Those disasters are one reason I’m here.

Read the complete article in the Crosscut

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VIP Kevin Walls unearths a Mexican four-pound cannonball. NPS photo by Mike Seibert

Over two dozen people were seen scouring parts of the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park with metal detectors in recent weeks, and then collecting historic artifacts they discovered during their search. What was going on…and where is Palo Alto Battlefield?

Metal detecting can be a fun and sometimes profitable hobby in the right locations, but use of the devices is normally prohibited in parks and other protected sites to help reduce “relic poaching.” A recent multi-day “detecting” expedition to Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park was strictly on the up and up, and it yielded important information for historians and the park story.

Not all park fans are yet aware of Palo Alto Battlefield, which is located near the southern tip of Texas, about five miles from downtown Brownsville. Here’s a quick course in the site’s story, courtesy of the park website:

On May 8, 1846, troops of the United States and Mexico clashed on the prairie of Palo Alto. The battle was the first in a two-year long conflict that changed the map of North America. Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park preserves the site of this notable battle and provides an understanding of the causes, events, and consequences of the first war between independent Republics.

This is a relatively new addition to the National Park System; it was authorized in 1978 and redesignated a national historical park on March 30, 2009. The site has a small staff and limited visitor activities opportunities at this time, but you can view exhibits and an orientation video and walk a half-mile trail to an overlook of the battlefield. The park website includes a link to a list of special events during the 2009-2010 visitor seasons.

The park staff notes that area is

entering a period of rapid development and change. Park activities and opportunities will increase dramatically during the coming months and years. This is an opportunity to watch a National Park Service unit take shape. The park encourages visitors to stop by the visitor center, ask questions, and participate in the development of this nationally important site.

Part of that development of the park is the gathering of accurate information about the site and the story—and that brings us to the use of those metal detectors.

Between February 20th and March 3rd, National Park Service archeologists from the Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC), NPS VIP archeologists, and 30 volunteers wielding metal detectors joined company to conduct this year’s archeological survey of portions of the core battlefield area at Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park.

Volunteer metal detector experts from as far away as Georgia and Florida joined local volunteers with experience in Mexican war sites to systematically cover approximately 100 acres of the battlefield in an effort to define battle lines, troop movements and reconcile the physical evidence with historic accounts.

This was a big project, and the work by all those volunteers made the effort a very cost-effective one.

Over 1,100 volunteer hours were contributed to the project and close to 700 battle-related artifacts were recovered. All items were mapped by GPS and carefully bagged for later stabilization and preservation.

Rolando Garza, archeologist and chief of resources management at Palo Alto, joined with John Cornelison, archeologist from SEAC, to manage the project. Services were enlisted from the archeologist in Intermountain Region’s Santa Fe Office, GIS specialists from the cultural resource GIS program in Washington, and a crew of archeologists from SEAC.

The FY10 field investigation on the battlefield is the first of three field seasons aimed at a comprehensive survey of the core area of the battlefield.

Such projects can have definite benefits for the park staff, historians, and visitors.

The information gained from these investigations will greatly enhance the park’s knowledge of precisely how the battle unfolded, providing the park with the ability to more accurately interpret the battle and preserve the site for the education and enjoyment of future generations.

You’ll find additional details to help you plan a visit to Palo Alto Battlefield at this link.

17thC Charles II silver button found by Orvin Farmer Jr

I the president of this wonderful club took my third  trip across the big pond (The Atlantic Ocean) for my latest trip to detect U.K. dirt.   If you have ever wanted to find stuff so old that it almost compels you,   to turn into a history fanatic.  There is so much history in that country that it is mind boggling.

The finds that can be found on any given trip could just about be from every country around the world and can even have eyeball finds that date back 10,000years to the stone age.  Now!  That is old.

For this trip was a little different than my past two trips,  we had the rights to hunt some land that had not been detected before this year.  The finds that are coming out of the ground  from this land are amazing.   Even though I did not find anything gold,  I did manage to find some things made of silver,  mainly coins,  but I did manage to find a small button from the 17th Century,  a King Charles II button (pictured at the top of page).  Due to the treasure laws of Britain other than single coin finds (two or more of the same type of coin is deemed a hoard and falls under the treasury act),   anything man-made  that has 10% or more of noble metal and over 300 years old,  can be deemed as treasure.  So my button find,  falls under their treasure act.  It will be viewed by the people at the museum to see if they want to purchase this item at fair market value.   They have many Charles II buttons,  so I expect to get this one back.

One thing that I must mention is that when you go on these detecting trips,  you do get to keep most everything that you find,  unfortunately it stays there to get an export license.  And that takes time.  But,  it is worth the wait.

I did have a really good trip,  the weather was not the greatest but that does not bother me as long as I can stay dry and warm.   Seems that I had all of the seasons during the week,  multiple times even during the same day,  some days.  I had some horizontal rain,  to where I just detected back-wards into the wind.  But for the most part these endeavors usually did not too last long.   The worse thing is when it just rains just enough to get the top part of the soil wet and that is all,  some fields the clay content is real heavy and sticks to everything.  So just a little rain makes the soil  stick to your coil,  boots,  and shovel,   overall just makes a big mess.  When it just rains,  steady,  as amazing as it sounds,  is almost better due to the fact that it keeps the mud from building up on coil,  boot,  etc.

Enough of the babble….

I found some wonderful items including the following:
1485 -1509 Henry VII hammered silver groat
1247 Henry III hammered silver short cross half penny
1341 Edward III hammered silver florin penny -Cross
15thC Angel coin coin weight – bent right leg Circa 1493 – British
Snake clasp ? TD & C Patent 1546  (did research on this one and patent dates to 1780)
17thC clothing fastener
1550-1650 buckle
1845 Victorian milled silver groat
17th mount with 2 integral lug
17thC Charles II silver button – reported as treasure
1696 William III milled silver sixpence
1stC Roman fibular brooch fragment
Roman lead token
Roman writing stylus

And MY FAVORITE find,  a relic from the past that I will soon give a new home too.

Romano/British bronze razor back pig/hog offering - red emerald eyes – 65.56mm L x 39.9mm H 148g

The pig ….it is from the Roman period,  so most likely from 1stC through 6thC  AD.   Date not confirmed as of yet.

You can see pictures for all the finds listed

Romano/British bronze razor back pig/hog offering - top view
Romano/British bronze razor back pig/hog offering - front view 1485 -1509 Henry VII hammered silver groat

These are not near all that I found,  just a portion that got photographed.

Thanks for viewing,

Orv

President,  BBSRC

Under the proposal, geocachers, which use GPS devices to locate caches as part of a scavenger hunt, would be still allowed to advertise and seek out “virtual” caches in these areas, which reference already existing features such as waterfalls and scenic vistas.

One popular area that would be affected by this rule is the Bent Creek Experimental Forest near Asheville. A list of all affected areas is posted on the forest website (www.cs/unca/nfsnc).

The agency said the order will protect the wild values found in the wildnerness and on designated rivers and will avoid items conflicting with research activities.

Federal regulations already require geocachers get permission from the local ranger district office prior to leaving a cache anywhere on the forest.

The agency said in one recent incident, an unmarked and unapproved geocache was left in an ammunition box not far from Asheville. The geocache appeared to be a threat to public safety and cost law enforcement personnel a lot of time investigating it, the forest service said.

Detailed information on geocaching requirements can also be found on the forest website.

The second rule would prohibit possession or use of metal detectors outside of designated areas.

The agency said that many archaeological sites on the forest have been significantly damaged from treasure hunting, by those who loot sites to sell artifacts, and by others who are unaware that it’s illegal to disturb and remove artifacts from federal land without a research permit.

Several forest areas have been identified that would remain open to recreational metal detecting for modern items like coins – primarily swimming beaches. These include Lake Powhatan Swim Beach, Jackrabbit Swim beach, Cheoah Point Swim Beach, Flanners Beach (Croatan NF) and Kings Mountain Point Beach (Uwharrie NF). Permission for one-time use of metal detectors to help find lost personal property could still be granted by Forest Officers.

Additional information on these closures can be found on the forest website (www.cs/unca/nfsnc). Comments on this proposal should be mailed before March 15 to the National Forests in North Carolina, 160A Zillicoa Street, Asheville, 28801, or sent to “comments-southern-north-carolina@fs.fed.us”

Monday, January 18th, 2010

GARDEN CITY — A 200-yard stretch along the Boise Greenbelt in Garden City was closed for about three hours today after a resident discovered an old artillery device buried in the area.

Police reported that a treasure hunter enthusiast with a metal detector located an unexploded “artillery ordnance device” that was found a few yards from the pavement near 47th Street in Garden City. Police in Garden City summoned the Boise Police Department Bomb Squad, which removed the device with a remote-control robot.

Officials said the device was transported to the Mountain Home Air Force Base for destruction.

Ted Tyler in civil war era clothing at Fort Pulaski, South Carolina

Visit “The Treasure Depot” web site and look at the relic hunting forum, or the sponsored hunts category, GNRS. In a few days people will begin to post their relic finds. Enjoy looking at the fabulous relics found at the Castle Hall Plantation. 

http://www.thetreasuredepot.com/

ASHLAND, Wis. – Ever since Scott Mitchen unearthed his first Indian-head nickel at the site of an old country store parking lot in Benoit at the age of 10, he has been infected with allure of treasure hunting.

“It just sparked my imagination, and from then on I knew that I was going to be involved in some kind of exploration and hunting for treasure and antiquities.”

But unlike many who seek the riches of lost booty, Mitchen has always wanted more than mere artifacts, he has wanted to know who lost these things, why they wound up in lake and swamp, ocean and hidden under the ground. It’s an insatiable curiosity we can all relate to — who hasn’t found a misplaced valuable and wondered how it could have gone astray, to be lost and then found again through luck or fate.

Therein lies the premise for a reality based television series Mitchen hopes will one day result in the world sharing his fascination for finding treasure, whether they be gold and jewels or a lowly GI dogtag lost for decades.

“It’s been in the making for several years,” Mitchen said. “And now it is coming to the point where we are getting a pilot episode.”

The main premise of the show, to be entitled “Handing Over History” is something of a cross between the historical appeal of “Antiques Road Show” and the emotionally charged elements of a docu-soap like “The Crocodile Hunter,” Mitchen said.

“It could involve anything from a lost class ring to a shroud we found for a Synagogue in Illinois,” he continued.

Mitchen is the first to say that the series isn’t about him, that it involves a team affiliated with his International Explorations organization. It is being produced by LifeLike Entertainment Corp. of Valley Glen, Calif., a firm with lengthy credentials in creating programming for many television networks.

However, Mitchen is uniquely qualified to head up a project like “Handing Over History.” With over 25 years of treasure-diving experience, and a one of a kind resume that goes from finding sunken Spanish treasure to raising lost old growth timber from Lake Superior, his real life experiences read like something out of a Clive Cussler novel.

But for Mitchen, it has never been just about the dollar value of the treasure he seems to have an uncanny knack of finding.

“Over the years I have collected so many neat things that I have wanted to try and find who they belonged to,” Mitchen said. “I don’t know that I have ever been in it just for the gold. Some people are in it solely for the material things, to convert it into cash, and though I have a collection of things, I have always wanted to return things that could go back.”

The pilot episode is a remarkable tale of just such an occurrence, outlining the story of a Zippo lighter Mitchen found on the floor Lake Delavan in the southern part of the state in the 1985. Mitchen was diving in the area of an old swimming beach at the site of a lake lodge that dated back to the 1880s.

“It was dirty, encrusted with crud and tarnished,” Mitchen said. He set it aside in his collections until the winter of 1991 when he finally got around to cleaning it off.

He was astonished to find the name of Spc. 4th Class Don Sunstrom on the lighter, as well as the emblem of the 101st Airborne “Screaming Eagles.” More time passed as Mitchen couldn’t begin to figure out a way to contact the former trooper. It wasn’t until November, when thanks to dogged determination and some Internet sleuthing that Mitchen was able to contact Sunstrom, now 65 and a resident of Blaine, Minn., and speak to him about it.

“I asked him if he had been in the 101st Airborne, and he said yes,” Mitchen said. “I asked him several questions and the pauses between his answers got longer and longer. Then I asked him if he had ever had an engraved cigarette lighter with the 101st Airborne crest on it and he got all choked up.”

The story Sunstrom told was even more amazing than the fact that Mitchen had recovered the lighter.

“I told him that I found it in a lake in Southern Wisconsin, and he told me that was impossible, because he had lost it in the jungles of Vietnam,” Mitchen said.

Mitchen said Sunstrom recalled the day he bought the lighter from a vendor, attracted by the Screaming Eagle logo on the brushed stainless steel side of the lighter. The vendor embossed his name onto the side, adding the motto “I’m sure to go to heaven because I spent my time in Hell. Viet Nam 68-69.”

The motto was the clincher, Mitchen said. There was no question it was Sunstrom’s lighter; returned 40 years after he lost it in the jungles of Southeast Asia.

How did it find it’s way to southern Wisconsin?

“Some other soldier probably found it and kept it, and lost it again at the lake,” Mitchen guessed.

While that part of the story may never be told, Mitchen takes immense satisfaction in returning a simple lighter, which cost only a few bucks, but is priceless in the memory of a combat veteran.

“He said he would keep it with his other mementos, but that he would probably take it out 20 times in the next couple of weeks and recall the memories of that time,” Mitchen said.

Sunstrom’s lighter is only the beginning of the possibilities, Mitchen said. Among the artifacts he has to research is a bracelet of the kind worn by World War II aviators, clearly identifying “Lt. Richard C. Hobbie AAF Pilot,” along with a serial number. The collection to be checked also includes a shipbuilder’s brass identification button with a stamped serial number.

“They all have their own story,” Mitchen said.

The unmistakable appeal of such a show has put “Handing Over History” to the top of the pile of story ideas being pitched for production at LifeLike.

“We went to number one out of 24 shows, being considered,” said Explorations International Secretary-Treasurer Pete Viater.

“That’s because, as they said, you can put a face to the treasure,” said Mitchen. “No one has ever done that before.”

That makes it different from the traditional treasure hunter’s quest.

“I can’t return a ring intended for the Queen of Spain in 1750, but I am sure to get a smile from a prom queen when I return her class ring from 1939,” Mitchen said.

TAMPA – A higher federal court will now hear the legal dispute over just who owns the richest sunken treasure ever found, either Tampa’s Odyssey Marine, which found the treasure, or Spain, which claims it as a historic artifact.

In summer 2007, Odyssey located more than half a billion dollars in gold and silver coins on the floor of the Atlantic in a wreck ultimately identified, most likely, as the Mercedes warship, carrying freight from South America to Spain in the 18th century.

The coins now sit in a vault in an undisclosed location somewhere in Florida — outside Tampa, Odyssey officials say. Spanish officials have protested, claiming the treasure is Spanish government property, and must be returned.

Odyssey Marine

The case involves complex admiralty and international salvage law, partly over whether the vessel was a warship carrying noncommercial property at the time it sank. Tuesday, a federal judge in Tampa effectively kicked the issue to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

Judge Steven Merryday wrote that the case “combines a compelling episode in naval history … the intriguing prospect of recovering great wealth lost in connection with international conflict, the objective of respectful and reliable preservation of warships and their occupants and cargo lost at sea, and the troubling question of the plight of both persons and natural resources subject to colonial exploitation.”

He judged that the “ineffable truth of this case is that the Mercedes is a naval vessel of Spain and that the wreck of this naval vessel, the vessel’s cargo, and any human remains are the natural and legal patrimony of Spain.”

Reasoning, though, that adding his opinion wouldn’t resolve the issue, Merryday sent the case to the appeals court.

Odyssey officials say they expected as much.

“It was clear that this case would go to appeal no matter which way the judge ruled,” said Greg Stemm, Odyssey’s CEO, noting that the case does not affect current Odyssey operations and that the company has not been counting on revenue from the so-called “Black Swan” treasure.

Other Odyssey officials have said they wouldn’t be surprised if the case ultimately moves to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the meantime, Odyssey has been working on more straightforward ocean engineering projects and negotiating deals in advance with foreign governments, such as the United Kingdom, about how to handle any treasure found.

Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at (813) 259-7919.

Thirty-five years ago, I purchased my first metal detector. My intention at that time was to search local parks and schoolyards for coins and jewelry lost by others. However, throughout the years, the hobby of metal detecting has taken me on a very exciting journey.

I have been to places that most people can only dream. I have searched for buried treasures, and in my searches, I have observed secret encryptions from ancient societies. The metal detecting hobby not only allowed me to search for buried treasures, in exciting places, but it has also allowed me to produce a TV series, “Exploring History’s Treasures,” which is all about metal detecting, treasure hunting and history. Metal detecting is a hobby for anyone, and you can receive some great benefits from it as well.

To get started, all you need is a basic metal detector. You do not have to spend thousands of dollars on a high-end detector. For $300-$350, you can purchase a metal detector that performs just as well as a detector with all of the bells and whistles. The most important point I need to stress is this. Whatever metal detector you purchase, read the owners manual, and learn the proper use of the detector. If you do this, you will enhance your chances of finding more lost, and dropped items. The person with the least expensive metal detector, who understands how to use it properly, will do much better than a person with a high-end detector who does not understand all of the bells and whistles, or how to properly use it.

You will also need a set of headphones. Again, you do not have to spend a lot of money. For approximately $25 -$35, you can get a pair of headphones that work well enough in any outdoor environment.

Headphones are important because you need to hear the soft signals emitted from your metal detector. These signals specify a target, or item beneath the ground. Headphones help to eliminate any outside noises, which gives you a better chance of hearing the signals from your detector.

  Written by Frank Pandozzi Frank W. Pandozzi is an author, TV Producer and treasure hunter. He began his “treasure hunting” days twenty-five years ago metal detecting parks and schoolyards. Today Frank Pandozzi is the…  -  Full profile