Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
Silver-Plated Fork Recently Detected While Junking.
I haven't detected hardly at all lately. I've been spending a lot of time getting my mother's house ready to sell, but I found a few minutes to do a little junking. Didn't have time to spend driving to the beach, so just went out and worked a short time in a junky area that I've worked before.
I picked this United Airlines fork out. Do you remember when you got inflight meals with silverware? It has been a while.
 |
| United Airlines Marked Fork. |
I like transportation related artifacts, whether it is train, nautical or airlines. I had found a couple airlines forks before. Below is a United Airlines Spoon. I don't remember when I found it.
 |
| United Airlins Spoon Handle. |
I don't know if the one below is American Airlines, but I had it with my other airlines stuff, so I probably knew at one time.
---
 |
| Airlines(?) Flatware. |
---
Speaking of transportation, one reader asked about traveling internationally with a metal detector. Specifically, he will be going to New Zealand. I haven't traveled internationally with a metal detector for years, so I need your help. What would you tell him. Is it still easy, or will you run into problems?
I had little trouble when I flew with my metal detector, but as I said that was years ago, and things could have changed, although not too long ago I saw a fellow coming off a flight and asked him if they gave him any problems. He said he was surprised how easy it was. But that was probably a domestic flight.
I like to ship my detector to my destination so I don't have to take it on the plane as either carry-on or checked luggage.
In the past I also sometimes down-sized some equipment. For example, I made a shaft that was smaller and made of wood instead of using the shaft that came with the detector. A few bolts assembled it to suitable length. In one case, I wanted a shorter shaft because I was working on a steep hillside, so I took out one section.
Anyhow, please send your recent experiences with traveling internationally with a metal detector.
---
The Oak Island TV show provides a lot of lessons. The archaeology ladies came up with another old button. The island has been worked over with a metal detector for several years and yet so many of the metal artifacts that are coming out of the ground are being found by slowly and thoroughly sifting a small area.
We have to remember that metal detectors only detect the top few inches of ground. That is why we pay so much attention to erosion. We can't dig and sift beaches, so we have to wait for nature to move sand for us.
When I was doing consulting at the Naval Air Station at Pensacola, one fellow asked me out to a site he had been detecting but had found nothing good. It was a site where the an old hotel had burned down. But when I arrived, I saw big holes and piles of dirt everywhere. I looked like the site had been bombed. It was obvious he was a novice. He dug a lot of holes, but was digging big junk.
I think I had my Tesoro Royal Sabre, but I started finding things right away, including older coins, tax tokens, a lapel pin, silver ash tray, etc. I remember the fellow saying to me, "You spend a lot of time in a small area." I think that is what he concluded from watching me a while. He had covered a lot of area and dug a lot of holes but was only finding big junk. Once I found a spot that seemed to be a hot spot, I slowed down and worked it thoroughly. There were undoubtedly other hot spots that I didn't get to, but I only had one shot at the site.
The like to look for a promising area, and once I find one, I slow down and work it more intensely. I probably could have found more if I stripped a layer of soil off the small area I was working even though it would have taken more time.
===
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net