Metal detection is a favorite hobby for many, and its importance cannot be overstated. Using this fantastic method, people have uncovered lost valuable objects, historical pieces, and sometimes unexpected but pleasant surprises. It’s common for people to share their awesome finds excitedly, and here are ten such discoveries.
A Whole Town
Two friends set out to find an old gold mining camp, and they did. They first found a pocket watch, and many other discoveries followed. Realizing the entire landfill was still intact, they notified the forestry service. The archaeologist from the service found everything was still in its original placement.
Roman Agricultural Tools
Finding a Roman coin wasn’t enough for a detector accompanied by a friend. Just as they were about to pack up for the day, they stumbled upon something that seemed significant. They dug and met some Roman tools laid in a neat formation. It seems this field used to have a Roman farmhouse.
World War II Bomb
Siblings set out with a $30 toy metal detector in the Belgian Ardennes and found a couple of bullets. While inspecting them, one of them saw a “can” in the dirt and pulled it out. It turned out to be a bomb. They marked the trees so they would remember where the bomb was and got police help from a village around.
A Meteorite
Somewhere outside Greensburg, a meteor once exploded before hitting the earth. Smaller fragments are scattered around. Someone found a meteorite there and dug it out with his father. The about 30-pound pallasite meteorite they dug can be worth about $60,000.
A $20 Watch
An only attempt at metal detecting led a man who was with his friend to find a watch worth $20. They took it to a jeweler and learned it was in a registry. The owner was called and was happy because it was a gift his wife gave him. He sent each of them a $1,000 check.
A Blacksmith’s Shop
A local expert was convinced a blacksmith shop was on a certain spot, so he asked someone to detect it. The detector initially found only small slag pieces, but after making a spiral pattern away from where the expert calculated, they got strong signals and large slag pieces and later found the shop.
Canonballs Cache
This happened in Morristown, New Jersey, and the aim was to know if an underground heating oil storage tank existed. An interesting surface object was found using a Schonstedt metal detector. Excavation happened, and it was a cache of cannonballs from the Revolutionary War era.
Silver Grill
Plane with Personal History
When some German enthusiasts found pieces of a B-Liberator, they identified the place by its detail number. A man on the same forum where they share their finds connected with them. Thanks to him, the pieces of the plane were sent to a grandfather, who was shot down in it.
11.5-ounce Gold Nugget
Someone recounts their brother doing some detecting in California a few years back. The search was for phones, watches, etc, but he hit gold—literally. He found an 11.5-ounce gold nugget after flipping over a rock. It was incredible, considering both pros and amateurs have been hunting there.
