Men with metal detectors: Why ?!!

[toppstuff]

Been walking the dog on a local area of parkland.

Why do these places sometimes attract curious characters with metal detectors, who parade up and down waving it around and wearing headphones.

What do they hope to find?

What on earth is the point?

Why is it always slightly odd, misfit-type men who seem to do this?

I don't understand. Any insite anyone can offer?

[NHyde]

Auditioning for " Time Team " ?

[Deltafox]

Buried treasure is the thing they seek.

Fame, fortune, life of ease...ya know?

[2 Smokin Barrels]

Pretty harmless though I would've thought. (Until they start excavating to dig up the bottle top they've detected!) A bloke near hear found an Iceni Broach worth a hundred thousand pounds a couple of weeks ago.

[toppstuff]

These last 2 posts imply that there is money to be made out of this.

I find that hard to believe, and as likely as winning the lottery. Surely?

[2 Smokin Barrels]

toppstuff said:

These last 2 posts imply that there is money to be made out of this. I find that hard to believe, and as likely as winning the lottery. Surely?

Doesn't anybody ever win money on the lottery

(and don't call me Shirley)

[james_j]

toppstuff said:

These last 2 posts imply that there is money to be made out of this. I find that hard to believe, and as likely as winning the lottery. Surely?

Many interesting artifacts have been found because of these people.

[2 Smokin Barrels]

james_j said:

Many interesting airfix kits have been found because of these people.

[tvrgit]

or they might just be plotting the route of electric cables or gas / water pipes...

[parrot of doom]

Its curiosity, bourne from either historical interest, or profiteering.

Lots of archaeological sites have been discovered because some beardy male with his detector found an old brooch or rivet on a cold Sunday morning.

[markmullen]

I heard one guy interrogating a metal detector wielding bloke on the beach here on who he worked for.

Eventually the detector man confessed who he worked for and that he made plenty on it.

Maybe there are international metal detector cartels at work?

[2 Smokin Barrels]

Perhaps it was just a guy walking a very small dog with a very stiff lead?

[Balmoral Green]

Some metal detector website said:

A true story ... Video Highlight BBC News Report A farmer's son found thousands of silver Roman coins when he used a metal detector for the first time, and is to be allowed to keep the huge haul. Kevin Elliott, 33, used milking buckets to collect the 9,310 coins dating from 31 BC after finding them 10 inches below the surface of a field of barley stubble. The find is Britain's biggest find of Roman silver denarii coins. Mr Elliott and his cousin Martin, 33, found the coins on the 400-acre Northbrook Farm at Shapwick, near Glastonbury, Somerset. Kevin, who had never used a metal detector before, could make hundreds of thousands of pounds from the sale of the haul. He said he found a coin in a gateway within three or four minutes - and just 30 minutes later they had turned up a huge hoard of thousands of similar coins. Some of the coins were made in Rome - others came from Syria and Egypt. The coins range in age from some issued by Mark Antony before the battle of Actium in 31 BC, to those minted for the emperor Severus Alexander, who reigned until 224 AD. Somerset County museum spokesman Steve Minnitt said the hoard had been buried beneath the floor of what surveys had established was a previously unknown courtyard villa. Dr Richard Abdy, from the British Museum, said most of the coins were produced in Rome, Syria and Egypt. The coins were buried in approximately AD 230 and were equivalent to about 10 years pay for a Roman soldier.

>> Edited by Balmoral Green on Sunday 6th March 18:43

[pesty]

I think they perofrm a valuable service i.e lots of recent discoveries have been found by them and in itself it is a harmless pastime.

But why a park? and even worse teh ones that go on Bridlington/Scarbourough beaches and swing teh things aroung in teh middle of crouded beaches inches from your head/feet etc.

Ive even seen them scanning near people and move the things under peoples beach towles to gain an extra 2 inches of beach

[bga]

My brother & his friends used to go round a few local beaches with metal detectors during te tourist season.
They found stuff like watches (which they would hand in to local police station) but kept any coins that they found. They would be there at 1st light and finish at 8am usually with a few quid each in change.

[srebbe64]

A few years ago there was a story in our local newspaper about a chap that bought a metal detector. He detected metal in his front lawn and however much he dug he couldn't find the metal object - in the end he dug a hole more than 6 feet deep.

It transpired it was his steel toecaps on his boots!

>> Edited by srebbe64 on Sunday 6th March 19:24

[jke11y]

I remember watching guys doing it when i was younger in our local park. He told me they had a permit from the council to do it, and I remember watching him digging up coins and stuff every few minutes. They were like pound coin thickness but slightly bigger than a 5p and dated from late 1800`s - worth about a score a time. Nice little bunsen there!

[Pies]

pesty said:

I think they perofrm a valuable service i.e lots of recent discoveries have been found by them and in itself it is a harmless pastime. But why a park? and even worse teh ones that go on Bridlington/Scarbourough beaches and swing teh things aroung in teh middle of crouded beaches inches from your head/feet etc. Ive even seen them scanning near people and move the things under peoples beach towles to gain an extra 2 inches of beach

They are after your change,a bloke i know does this and finds plenty of change

[c c]

bga said:

My brother & his friends used to go round a few local beaches with metal detectors during te tourist season. They found stuff like watches (which they would hand in to local police station) but kept any coins that they found. They would be there at 1st light and finish at 8am usually with a few quid each in change.

I think I might have lost some pound coins there. Please tell him to send them on.

Thanks.

[vixpy1]

toppstuff said:

What do they hope to find? What on earth is the point? Why is it always slightly odd, misfit-type men who seem to do this? I was so shocked, I dropped my pipe and tripped over my slippers