|
Treasure hunting takes many forms. Hidden cash and buried loot aren't the only things a treasure hunter looks for. Here are some other possibilities.
One man found piles of dry moss in an old barn. He had just bought the property and learned that the moss was collected and sold to garden-supply stores. When he burned it to dispose of it, he was left with globs of gold in the ashes. The moss had come from a gold-bearing stream, where he now regularly harvests more. Apparently the gold flecks get trapped in the moss.
A friend of mine goes to the beaches near here late at night with her metal detector, and regularly finds watches, rings, and coins. I've found a couple hundred coins with my metal detector, but nothing of great value yet. This is an activity that requires patience.
If you see a depression behind an old building, it may have been a "gray water" dump, where the drains from sinks and showers emptied. Rings, coins, gems and other old treasures are regularly dug out of these, but watch for the razors.
Valuable old glass insulators can still be found on telegraph poles laying in the weeds along many train tracks. I've found a few to sell, and I know there are thousands still out there, getting shot at and destroyed by kids and hunters, so don't feel bad about taking them.
When drought lowers the water in ponds, or when reservoirs are emptied, things appear that have been out of sight for years. Sometimes valuable things.
Some car-wash owners search the big vacuum tanks when they empty them (what did you vacuum up under that car seat?). Money and jewelry are common finds.
I once made $1000 in a year or so, collecting and returning for deposit the empty pop cans from the break room where I worked. Treasure takes many forms.