The magazine for the Searcher and Detectorist

Using a GPS while hunting... Detector Clubs New Section Diving on the Wreck of The Halswell Holiday Wish List ... and more!
Volume 1, Issue 4, November - December 2010

Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

Welcome to Relic Hunter Magazine!

Worldwide Discoveries in Every Issue
Jim Leonard Editor & Publisher

Soon the Holiday Season will be upon us and perhaps its time to get that new detector youve been wanting or youve got a few accessories thats on your wish list. Along with some great detecting articles, weve also included some hunting essentials that will help any detectorist while in the field, from a GPS, a digital camera, perhaps a probe or another shovel that will dig up that find. All over the world, fantastic discoveries are being found. All it takes is some time on your part to go out in the field, locate that sound and recover it from the ground or in the surf. Having a camera in your pocket seems to be the norm now. Its always great to get that clod cam shot of a recent discovery, lightly brushing it off and discovering that youve found something special. More and more hunters are beginning to video tape their finds, adding them to YouTube for all the world view only adds to the excitement of this rewarding hobby. Next time youre out hunting and you get a great signal, dig out one shovel load, check the hole making sure you removed it, take a breath, reach in your pocket and grab your digital camera and do a clod cam.

Behind every find is a great story!

Share it with the Rest of The World !
Send me your hunting story along with a few photos.
sure that your story is placed.

Dont worry about your writing skills. Ill personally make

Email your story & photos for the next issue to: jleonard@jpl-designs.com
Relic Hunter November - December, 2010 3

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Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

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Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

Finding Cash & Treasures

Debby Magnin

n the spring of 2007 I watched the show Best Places to Find Cash and Treasures and they featured a show on metal detecting the treasure coast of Florida. My obsession with detecting had begun! I immediately started researching about metal detecting, purchased my ACE 250, and joined several forums so that I could drool over all the cool finds. One of the forums I belonged too was small and people seemed to become friendly pretty quickly. Talk turned to the planning of a forum member hunt for the fall of 2008. Anne was a very active member of that forum from the UK who expressed an interest in attending the hunt but said she would not have the funds to make the trip. Since it was being held within an hours drive from my house I offered Anne and her mate a place to stay if they could manage to fly over here from the UK. And so a great friendship was born. My husband and I had planned to visit with Anne in 2009 to do some classic UK detecting and sight seeing but he passed away in the spring of that year so my plans were put on hold. This year I retired from over 30 years in education so I was really ready to get away and could go in the fall, the best time to hit up those farm fields. I was so excited I could hardly wait to get there. I started working on my wish list of things I hoped to find. I have an E Trac which I purchased last year but still didnt really feel comfortable using it. Because of this I was going to borrow a detector to use while in the UK and just hope for the best. After discussing this with many people, I was at the last minute convinced to take the E Trac with me and I was so glad I did. One of Annes friends set it up for me after I had one frustrating day of finding way too much iron.
6 Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

There was no stopping me after that! The hunt that day, which was at a small club hunt in Oakhanger, produced a roman fibula brooch (one off my wish list!), a watch winder, and a medieval mount for me. The following weekend we went to the village of Glemsford for a rally of about 100 treasure hunters, most of whom are friends from a UK detecting forum. The rally was a fund raiser for a local charity and was held on hundreds of acres of farms surrounding Glemsford. Debby & Anne That Friday afternoon I experienced my most difficult detecting ever. We hunted fields that were ideal; ploughed and flattened. But, it began raining and was very windy and with each step I added pounds of mud to my boots and shovel. Walking and digging became almost impossible. But I persevered with lots of buttons to show for the day. Buttons are hedge fodder, or trash to the UK hunters! Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day but the fields for that day were certainly not ideal. One was roughly ploughed and one was stubble and both were devoid of many finds. I did manage to find a small thimble in bad shape and I did check that off my wish list. Most of the hunters that day returned to Fridays fields, again with not much luck for me. Sunday started off as a perfect day of detecting with perfect fields again. I was getting frustrated because I still had not found a hammered coin. Everything even close I showed
Relic Hunter November - December, 2010 7

Finding Cash & Treasures

Debby Magnin

to someone and was always told, sorry but that is probably a token; definitely not a hammered coin. One hunter said to me, listen for the little whispers. Determined, I dug the next little whisper, and out popped a 22 K gold ring, made in Birmingham, England in 1848. Roman coins started popping up everywhere and I managed to find 4 myself and checked a third item off my wish list.. My best roman coin I found was Constantinople, dating around 330 AD. Heavy rain set in that afternoon and the heavy mud chased me off the fields. We spent several days sight seeing throughout Somerset county. Of course Stonehenge was our first stop and was absolutely amazing to finally see up close. I loved our drive along the coast line from Weymouth, where the Olympic sailing will take place in 2012 to Lyme Regis which was featured in the movie Officer and a Gentleman. The abbeys and cathedrals in every little village were spectacular and I cant wait to go back to see more. My last day before flying home was my most frustrating and yet produced my best find of my trip. We went to a farm field that my friends had not hunted yet. The fields were totally dead. We walked all the way across with not one signal! I wasnt finding anything so went over one field to look for Anne. She always walks the perimeter of a field and I was looking for her along the hedge line. I got a solid, strong hit, but not the normal low tones I was hoping to find. I dug it because I thought maybe it was a coin. Out popped a 6 piece of metal. I thought, maybe this is a piece of a roman sword! But I didnt want to be disappointed like I was with
8 Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

each of my non-hammered coins I found. So I walked up to my friends, pulled out my find, and in unison they said Bloody h**l, that is a bronze age sword! It was one of only 5 finds from the field that day. We posted it on the UK forum for confirmation and all were in agreement as to the identification. Sadly I left the next day, leaving my find behind. Anne will be taking it to her club meeting to have the Finds Liason Officer record it and determine if it will be declared to be treasure. Most likely it will not, so then I can apply for an export license and have it in my hands once again! Ive been invited back again next year and hope to stay even longer. Maybe Ill find a hammered coin and crotal bell to complete my wish list!
Relic Hunter November - December, 2010 9

For Immediate Release:

Fisher Research Labs is proud to announce the formal introduction of another line of industry-leading products ... and another GIANT LEAP FORWARD in high-end detector performance. The introductory model available in the new 19 kHz platform is the new Gold Bug. The new Gold Bug features FastGrab computerized ground balancing and the hots on small gold nuggets previously unheard of at the MSRP of $549. The Gold Bug is a real heavy hitter in a super-light-weight package (2lb 5oz). For even more hots and high-end performance, the $699 MRSP Gold Bug Pro features, in addition to those available on the Gold Bug, variable-break-point VCO in discrimination mode, manual ground balance and even higher sensitivity to the smallest gold nuggets. If you prefer hunting with the 11 DD Searchcoil, we offer the Gold BugDP at $749 MRSP. Check with your local dealer for special holiday pricing and free bonus packages available for a limited time only.

Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

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Recent Finds
Lynn King, Marietta, GA, USA While attending a club coin hunt sponsored by the Georgia Research and Recovery Club, recovered what he thought was going to be just another token, planted by the club organizers, turning over the disc, rubbing it off, and to his amazement had found the tongue of a CS wreath buckle. Carefully searching the hole again, he found the attachment but not the wreath. The tongue had already been broken since the break also had a nice patina.

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Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

Chris Hall, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, UK Having found my first ever Saxon penny a few months ago (Edward the Confessor), this little beauty surfaced yesterday! It was found with the Etrac + Pro Coil. It was only around 3 inches down in plough soil. I believe its a Cnut Quatrefoil penny but would welcome confirmation and any money / mint details please. Another one off my wish list; now for a special Offa!

Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

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Recent Finds
Lynn Burks, Macon, GA, USA First of all, us women can find stuff too! I was delighted to find this magazine on-line and wanted to send you my photos of some of my recent finds. My husband bought me a Fisher F5 for my birthday back in August when we were down in Florida. He always hunts the beach in the morning when its not too hot and sometimes at sunset. I used to walk with him, being his super-scooper, but NO more! Ive got my own scoop and now its like a competition hunt between the two of us, just to see who can find the most and the best. While some couples play golf together, we dig holes!! Here are some of my finds. Theyre not real treasure but I get excited every time I find something. Im amazed at how corroded the pennies get when found near the water. I did find some silver and it looked real good. Hope these photos are good enough. Thanks for posting my finds.

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Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

Troy Brown, Memphis, TN, USA My friend Brad and I were out in September, hunting an area that was supposed to hunted out. We had just stopped by the area because the last place we visited only gave us a few shotgun shells and lots of nails. I had never seen so many nails in the ground and what a discouraging experience it was. I had the discrimination on my F75 cranked up, knowing that Id miss some good signals but I still dug, even the cracked up tones. We drove into the hunted out area, Brad got out his Garrett and I unloaded my machine. Normally, we had to walk the path down to field which boarders a nice small hardwood forest where weve always found a few relics, but the pickings have gotten fewer. I decided to hunt down and off the path, since wed never done that before, just to see if anything might be there. The first signal I got was a 30.06 rifle shell. Oh well, it registered as brass and thought to myself perhaps no one has hunted in this area. Brad called out from the other side of the path where he was in, Found a drop! He gets real possessive of an area when something is found and had claimed a 20-foot radius. Didnt bother me none, I kept on hunting. Got another signal and dug down, I had found a dropped too and put it in my pouch. I walked about another 2 foot and found another, then another... We never did make it down to the field, we had found an overlooked area that had been bypassed. That late afternoon, I found about 20 minnieballs, Brad found only 10. Both of us were happy with our new discovery area and plan to go back again.
Relic Hunter November - December, 2010 15

Finding an 8th Century Anglo Saxon Sword Pommel

Chris Hall, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, UK On Saturday September 25, I attended a dig organised by the Central Searchers detecting club in Northamptonshire. I regularly attend these digs, despite the 280 mile round trip from my home near Brighton in Sussex. They are a great bunch of people and, although we would all like to find something special, a lot of the appeal is in the camaraderie of the group. I hadnt searched these fields before, and it wasnt long before I realised that the ground was heavily mineralised. I adjusted my XP Deus detector accordingly and it wasnt long before I was finding the usual buttons, bits of lead and the odd coin. As a detectorist, Im always happy as long as Im finding something! After 4 hours of searching, I had plenty of finds, but nothing that was worth showing to my fellow detectorists whenever we met up in the field. Towards the end of the session, I received a rather strange signal in my headphones. It sounded loud and the digital readout on the Deuss screen was definitely encouraging me to dig. However, there was an iron buzz there too. The target was only around 4 inches down and when it first appeared I thought I had found the handle of a poker or something similar. The artefact I was holding in my hand was just over 2 inches across and appeared to be partially gilded. I wasnt particularly excited about it, but then I remembered seeing something similar on-line. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I was able to access the site on my iPhone there in the field. I was now pretty sure that I was holding an Anglo Saxon sword pommel - are detecting find indeed! Back at the snack van I showed my find to Rich Evans, the Central Searchers organiser. He has immense experience of detecting, and of identifying the various coins and artefacts that club members bring to him. He confirmed my suspicions that my find was indeed a Saxon sword pommel. Whats more, he pointed out all sorts of zoomorphic features that may be clearly seen in the accompanying photos. To me, one of the most amazing features is the presence of two tiny jet eyes inset into one of the beasts! To think that they are still in place after maybe 1300 years in the soil is quite amazing! Rich also noticed that the pommel was at least partially solid silver; this can be seen in areas where the gilding is worn. The story is far from over at the time of writing! It has been confirmed that the pommel dates to circa the 8th century AD and is made of silver gilt.
Continued next page
16 Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

Recent Finds

Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

17

Finding an 8th Century Anglo Saxon Sword Pommel

The iron signal mentioned earlier came from the remnants of the iron blade of the original sword. To an Anglo Saxon, the sword would have been his most treasured possession and would almost certainly have had a pet name. As the metallic content of the pommel means that it is reportable under the Treasure Act of 1996, it is now en route to the British Museum in London. I will eventually receive a full report on my find of a lifetime, together with a valuation. If no museum wants to purchase it, the pommel will be returned to me. If it is purchased, I will receive half of the value, with the other half going to the landowner. Two independent and very experienced detectorists have estimated the value of the pommel, once it has been professionally restored, to be in the range 5000-10000! We shall see! As a footnote, I returned to the same field with the club on the following Saturday, but no other parts of the sword were found. There could well be a sword quillon down there somewhere, or even Saxon grave goods if the sword was part of a burial.

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Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

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Relic recoveries made with the AT Pro:

(Clockwise from upper left) Civil War cavalry cuff button; Keith C. of Georgia with a dug rifle ball; Civil War bullets and knapsack hook recovered by Bill K. (Right, top) Roman coins, musket balls and buttons found in the UK by Brent W. (Right, lower) Civil War mini balls and round shot found by Brian P. in Tennessee with the AT Pro.

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Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

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Recent Finds
Karl Jackson, Worcestershire, UK Out with Rocky for a couple of hours today, I did feel sorry for him, he could hardly speak he was so ill, fair play to him though for the attempt. I made damn sure I stayed upwind of him though, way too much coughing going on. To add insult to injury he managed to break his spade on the first dig, I had to rush home to get him my spare - which I usually carry - luckily this site is only 3 miles from where I live. Any ways, I found a couple of grots & a couple of brooches, given the time we were there it was a great result. The first Brooch has got to be the most ugliest Brooch I have ever found, But the second is a little cracker. Anyhoo heres the pics;

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Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

Darren Minshall, Shropshire, UK I found this on a woodland path. The Silver War Badge was issued in the United Kingdom to service personnel who had been honourably discharged due to wounds or sickness during World War I. The badge, sometimes known as the Discharge Badge, Wound Badge or Services Rendered Badge, was first issued in September 1916, along with an official certificate of entitlement. The sterling silver lapel badge was intended to be worn in civilian clothes. It had been the practice of some women to present white feathers to apparently able-bodied young men who were not wearing the Kings uniform. The badge was to be worn on the right breast while in civilian dress, it was forbidden to wear on a military uniform. The badge bears the royal cipher of GRI (for Georgius Rex Imperator; George, King and Emperor) and around the rim For King and Empire; Services Rendered. Each badge was uniquely numbered on the reverse. The War Office made it known that they would not replace Silver War Badges if they went missing, however if one was handed into a police station then it would be returned to the War Office. If the original recipient could be traced at his or her discharge address then the badge would be returned.
Dave from Hampshire, UK has located the following information: This mornings post included a copy from the Roll of Individuals entitled to the War Badge. The main details relating to the Badge you found are: Regimental Number: 28910 Rank: Private Name: Edward JAMES Unit discharged from: North Staffordshire Regiment Number of Badge and Certificate: 171655 Date of Enlistment: 24th July, 1916 Date of Discharge: 18th April, 1917 Cause of Discharge: Gastritis (Chronic) Whether served Overseas: No The Badge and Certificate were issued on 2nd May, 1917 from Lichfield (Infantry Records, Number 6 District). I have checked the WW1 Medal Entitlement Rolls and, as expected since he had no service overseas, he was not entitled to any service medals.
Relic Hunter November - December, 2010 21

FIND U D A T E !!!!!!

Recent Finds
Pete Briggs (Yeasty), Delaware, USA Today Dave and I detected a state owned area which we have been researching for quite a while. Daves been a Whites guy for years but today he was using my E-Trac. The area we were searching was occupied all the way back to the late 1600s by Swedes who originally colonized the area and appears to have been used up to the 1950s. Its pretty well wooded in now but most of the trees didnt seem to be very old indicating that the ground was either farmed or used as a pasture by the last occupants. Our research also told us that prior to 1812 there was a boat building area near a creek where we were hunting and during the war of 1812 the British Army rousted them away. Well, we worked our way deep into the thick woods and Dave called me over. He had dug out 2 large coins which could have been either King George halfpences or possibly Large Cents. They were fused together! The E-Trac gave Dave a whopping 13 47/50 signal. No wonder from a wad of copper that size! Both outer surfaces seemed toasted and unidentifiable so he decided to wait until he got home and make a decision to separate them or not. We detected on and finally came across some very large stone walls which, from our research, we predicted would be there. They appear to have been used for a dairy cow barn. Lots of large iron targets! After finishing a very tiring day of detecting, being insect eaten and briar scratched, we got back to Daves house and he soaked the coins in water for a while and he was finally able to pry them apart with no damage. Right after he got them separated he said HOLY S**T!
22 Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

The 2 coin surfaces which had been touching each other had a lot of detail! Unfortunately I had to head home but when I got there he had already cleaned up the 2 good surfaces, taken pictures and sent them to me. As you can see they are in amazing condition due to the fact that they had been joined and protected each other in the ground, probably for more than 200 years. The 1794 coin is a Liberty Cap Cent. 1794 is the second year that the first US Mint was in operation. Theres no way to identify the year of its mate other than it was minted somewhere between 1793 and 1807. Further research may tighten up the date range. Dave made a video of the finds and the stone walls at the site. The video shows how the coins were fused together.
Click on the photo below to watch the video of this fantastic find!!

Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

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Recent Finds
Malcolm Potter, Oxford, UK Hi Detectorists, y name is Mal and I have been a metal detectorist since 1978. I live in a small village just outside Oxford with my wife and son surrounded by beautiful countryside steeped in history going back to the Iron Age. I was first introduced to metal detecting by a stranger I watched in a field next to where I was fishing. He was walking about strangely with this flying saucer on the end of a metal pole and every now and then he dug a hole and put what he found in his pocket. Well curiosity got the better of me and I wandered across to see what he was doing. He said he was hunting for old coins and he brought out of his pocket an assortment of old pennies and half pennies he had found. I was hooked excuse the pun, fishing forgotten and went about finding out where to buy one of these strange machines. I eventually tracked down a store that sold them in Liverpool and bought a C-Scope TR200. Off I went to a friend whose father ran the local Public House. I searched the garden to see what I could find and this created quite a stir with the regulars, me walking up and down with a strange device attached to some headphones on my head, they watch with great amusement and wanting to know what I was doing. The clever ones throwing pennies in front of me to see if I could find them, I did and just stuck them in my pocket. The upshot was that I found an Edward VII penny dated 1901 and still use this as a ball marker when I am playing golf.
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As technology progressed I upgrade my detector over the years, firstly to C-Scope VLF 1000, then Arado 120b, 130, Tesoro Gold Sabre and Toltec 100, Whites Eagle Spectrum then switched to Minelab with the Explorer range EXS, SE, and now using the ETrac and Excalibur II 10. Every machine I have owned I have used the philosophy that I would not buy my next machine until the current one had paid for itself. My current machine the Minelab ETrac paid for itself in three weeks with rings found from the beach and my purchase of

the Excalibur has more than found its share of coins to cover its cost so far two fold. With the Excalibur I try to get in the water at the beach as regularly as the water temperature allows. I have had many rings and other jewellery from the beach over the years. I tend to spend about 75% of my detecting time searching beaches as my in-land sites are all farmland that only allow

access during harvest time. Unfortunately you really have to work the beaches in the UK as they do not seem to have the same Bling Bling losses that our detecting buddies across the pond in the U.S. are fortunate to have but I do find them. Best coin with ETrac this year with ETrac Augustus Denarius 16 B.C.

I just love this hobby adding items from the past and present to my collection that is growing all the time. I try and get out at least once a week as I have other hobbies like photography, golf (handicap 9), and also a martial arts instructor. I am glad I retired early at 47 to have enough time for all my hobbies and past-times. Best artefact with ETrac this year Roman Dolphin broach .

You will find me regularly contributing on the Minelabowners.com forum (Mal please feel free to contact me through this great Forum) with many other like minded folk. Every year, bar one, I make a pilgrimage to the Annual Minelabowners Rally at Corfe Castle where a great time is had by all. Its not just about detecting but to meet up with the cyber friends I have made and met both old and new each year through the Forum. It makes the journey worth while. I hope that all you have had a successful year searching and I hope you have many great finds over the years to come. Happy Hunting to one and all, Mal

Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

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What Is It?
Lonnie Pate writes: I appreciate any help as Ive tried for an identification with no luck other than it could bes. Not really an article as it is a question hoping someone may be able to help me identify a find. I dug this artifact in an area where Ive recovered other mid/late 1800, early 1900 items. Ive had it posted to just about every forum known to man with some ideas but to real identification. The item is 3-3/4 long, stamped metal, I believe copper plated and the little piece shown in the picture appears Tejon only 519 to be some kind of clip that was Tejon Pro 549 Batteries, brazed at one time to the top of theinc. Scuff Cover & U.K. delivery item. Strangely, it was located on the outside of the item. Any help ?
Send your answers to: jleonard@jpl-designs.com Thanks!

Relic Hunter November - December, 2010

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Relic Hunter

Returns to England

ack again for another rally and perhaps to find some more treasures, except this time I will be in the UK for 2 weeks! Camping out for 4 days in a Norwegian tent, with a warm stove inside and then staying with my friend, Tony Hunt for the remainder of my visit, hunting a few of his fantastic farmers fields where I knew my finds would be waiting. Hunting In England Ive had a lot of friends ask me how I got involved with hunting in England. What to look for and what to stay away from in Hunting Tours. So, as a prelude to my trip across the pond, heres a brief synopsis about hunting in the fields of England. Many Americans come to England to metal detect because of the age and possible values of the items they may find. There are several commercial ventures are making lots of money off of interested, addicted relic hunters. Just be sure to check them out before you sign up and pay their fees. Keep in mind, its very easy to purchase old Roman coins on Ebay and other sites and plant them in a reserved field to be discovered by hunters. This insures that the detectorist always comes home with a prize discovery after theyve paid thousands of dollars for thrill of the hunt. Moreover, if theyve found a gold coin, that coin may have been purchased for $300 to $400 dollars, yet the hunter has paid approximately $2,000 for the outing hope you see the profit margin and the possible deception. Now Im not saying that all of these ventures are rip-offs, just be careful in choosing the right adventure and try to talk with others who have attended these functions. If the red flags are present in what theyve found, youd do better to buy a bag a coins off of Ebay! For those Americans who want to hunt in England for the first time, as a good hunter, do your research first. Please be weary of commercial ventures that have promoted lots of Gold Coins found. Honestly, theres a few found every month or so, mostly by locals, but for the most part, these are few and far between. Finding Roman artifacts; such as coins and brooches, appear to be more common. Finding an Anglo-Saxon coin or artifact compares to digging up an American Civil War buckle here in the States. It happens, just not that much.

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Some Americans will pay for the all inclusive hunt of a life-time. Where the promoter will pick you up at the airport, drive you to a selected area in the countryside, place you and other hunters in a reserved Inn or a quaint B&B and promise you that Its going to be the hunt of a lifetime. Unfortunately, these excited participants are no more than sheep and theyre going to get, well, sheered. First time Americans are usually awe-struck with the charm of England. I know I was, 15 years ago, when I first landed in Manchester and got into the countryside, travelling down some narrow roads and staying in a quaint village with an acquaintance. I still am, every time I go, either from the thatched roofed cottages, the scattered villages, the castles, and most of all, Englands history. However, you cant leave out The Brit. They are some of the most polite and accommodating people youll ever meet. Thats Lovely and Thank you so much are mainstays in their vocabulary. As a Yank to them, I hope our cousins across the pond see us in the same light. Hunting in England, most likely will take place on a farmers field. Usually, the best time to go is in the fall. The farmer has already harvested his crop, leaving possibly a short stubble. These are the hardest to hunt because the stubble keeps your loop away from the ground, thus you lose depth on your finds. Sometimes these fields are raked,

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breaking down the stubble, which makes it much easier. This ground can be unusually hard. Make sure you have a sharp shovel, spade, that can break the topsoil. However, many of the fields get plowed. Plowed fields are the best and usually produce the best results. Its been harrowed and turned over. The harrowing will go down 8 to 10 inches, turning over centuries of good stuff and bringing it up near to the top where your detector has no problem in finding the artifact. Please, check out your hunting tour. If it sounds too good to be true, chances are, it is. Remember, do your research first. Ask for references. Talk to those who have already gone before, see if theyd go again, ask what they found. The very best way to have a fun trip is to make a good friend across the pond and go hunting with them.
Tony Hunt in the field

Going it alone... My trip usually begins

months ahead of the time Im supposed to leave. Since the last excursion, Ive usually saved up for most of my expenses. The first major expense is the airfare. Book early and youll save some bucks. Check the airlines and see who has the best deal. Avoid getting a flight that bounces you around several airports. Go for the direct flight, nonstop, and theres less chance your luggage will end up in the Twilight Zone. Since youve packed your detector, your clothes and whatever, its not much fun to arrive in England and have nothing with you! The next expense is having a mode of transportation. If youre lucky, there are buses that leave from the airport and go to many destinations, perhaps near to where you want to go, if not, then youll need a car. I would suggest that you pre pay for your rental car. It greatly cuts down on the paperwork. Youll arrive, and everything should be prepared. This is a great time-saver; when all you want to do is get on the road to your destination. Yes, they do have automatic transmissions if you prefer not to shift with your left hand, but honestly, its not all that difficult to manage shifting and youll save money with a shifter. The gas, stop and clutch pedals, thank goodness, are the same as what we have. Bring a GPS and have it pre-programmed to your destination. That way you wont have to ask for directions and avoid trying to follow some map. Inspect your car and have
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the attendant mark any blemishes, marks, dents or scratches. Side mirrors are always getting banged and broken. Once youve gone through some narrow streets youll understand why. When parking, close the mirrors into the car. Be advised that traffic cameras are all about, not only to monitor traffic but some have radar and will take a nice little photograph of your car should it be speeding along in a restricted zone. One thing else drive on the left side. Youll notice this when you get in the car. Now you can wipe the sweat off your brow. Where are you going to stay? Most Inns and B&Bs have websites where you can book early for your room or you can just camp out, if youre inclined to do so. There are lots of managed campsites around and their facilities are usually very nice. With the Inns and B&Bs, chances are that they are aware of the event youll be attending and will give you a special rate on lodging. Expect to pay between 40 to 50 Pounds per night. Most Inns serve a complimentary breakfast of eggs, sausages, toast and coffee.

The Corfe Castle Rally

Finally arriving in London, some 2 hours late because of being held up in Atlanta, flying all night long, I couldnt sleep because my mind would not shut down, I went to my rental car agency to pick up the car. I had prepaid for an automatic transmission. For some reason, these are in high demand and very few are available. Upon inspection, this car had a few bangs, dents, scratches and the left mirror was hanging on by just a wire. I kept my cool and asked for another. There wasnt one to be found in the lot. Reluctantly, I asked for a shifter and also for an adjustment on my rental. Hertz was very accommodating, gave me a nice car and some generous terms were worked out. Away I went, headed to the Corfe rally, some 2 hours away, now in heavy afternoon traffic. At least it wasnt raining. You have reached your destination, my Tom Tom spoke as I drove into the Norden Farms driveway. It was going to be fun to see all my Brit friends again. Even though I was a day early, there were still a lot of things to do and perhaps some calm down, relax time before the rally begins.

The Norden House, Dorset, England

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The weekend before, The Weekend Wanderers had their rally, one of the largest and many of the people that had attended were setting up at Corfe, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. This was the Corfe Rally, organized by Tony Hunt, where he had obtained permission for us to detect on several hundreds of acres of prime farmland. Its area rich with Roman, Celtic and English artifacts and its also a vacation area, located in the Southwestern part of England. Originally, The Corfe Rally was established for members of an internet forum, internationally organized for relic hunters that primarily own Minelab detectors. This forum has members from all over the world and is known as MLO, Minelabowners forum. However, having a Minelab detector is not a prerequisite for membership, many of the members also own Whites, Garrett, Fisher, Laser, Deus and other machines. Its organized and maintained by Gary Brun, funded and supported by individual membership dues and donations. MLO is simply a great club for knowledge and information, displaying finds from all over the world and the usual chit-chat that our hobby generates, no matter what machine you use. http://www.minelabowners.com Last year, I was the only American to attend. This year, Pat Watson, from Nashville, and a friend came. I also met another Yank with his wife, who gave me his Whites detector dealership card. We had hunters from all over. After being hunted for nearly 10 years, some people considered that the farmlands around Corfe Castle were going to be barren and decided not to come. Attendance was
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Romans being found in the fields near Corfe Castle

Gary Brun and Tony Hunt

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a little less than last year. Too bad, those people who decided not to come missed out on some exciting finds and a lot of fun. More Roman coins and artifacts came popping out than in years past its not hunted out yet! The Corfe hunt normally runs from Thursday Sunday. Saturday night theres a cookout and some sort of entertainment is provided. I wont go into details about this years but if youre curious, check out some of the videos on MLO TV. http://www.mlotv.com/ Sheila of Minelab, Ireland, sent over and donated an E-Trac to be given away at the Saturday night raffle, fantastic prize! And many thanks to Laura and Nick from Detecnicks who also brought many items from their detecting store to be included with the raffle. http://www.detecnicks.co.uk

Kay and her sneaky cam...

Neil Jones just having fun

Heres a couple dancing and singing...

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These are just the coins, after their first soaking, cleaning off a millennium of years of dirt.

After the Corfe rally, hunting with Tony was a real delight. Having more than a week of hunting, nearly every day at some Roman area, surely spoiled me. We visited several of his hunting sites and I tried not to find too much but the deep sounds were just too good and finds kept on coming out of the ground, as you can clearly see. It always amazes me to dig up a coin thats been buried in the ground for over a thousand years and youre the first one to hold it since it was lost.

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A Roman bracelet - Womans or childs

A nice little silver pin

More Roman Coins

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The Gold Coin

Not all my days were spent in the field during my extended stay with Tony and Gwen. We did a bit of touring around for 2 days, seeing Stonehenge, Woodhenge, Portsmouth, hell, we even ate at KFC, one of Tonys favorite places to eat. Imagine that, going to England just to eat at KFC.. I loved it. We saw the great ships in Portsmouth, Victory, Warrior and the Mary Rose Museum. You know, thats the ship that sunk on its maiden launch. The next day, Tony, David and I went out detecting again. Nice field and there were some Romans along with bits and pieces. I got a good deep tone and began digging. I dug down about 7 inches, located a Roman Minimum, and thought, hummmm.... I yelled out.... TONY... Ive got to photograph this... GOLD, GOLD !!! you know, doing the little GOLD Dance, round and round. Tony may be slow and deliberate when hes detecting, but this man can move on his feet... In 2 seconds he was above the hole, reaching down, picking up the coin and yelling Dave....DAVE !!! DAVE come here!! Leaving the Mary Rose exhibit, I leaned over to Gwen, pointed out a few of the items for sale, those collectibles you always see at museums and I told Gwen my plan. She laughed, and said, youre not... I said, I certainly am.... The coin, covered with mud, very dirty, it was simply beautiful. Tony even got excited until I said... Tony, ...... its a fake and proceeded to tell him about what I had done, purchasing the coin for 40p and detailing my plans to Gwen. After a few choice words from him, we both had a good laugh...
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Henry VIII Gold Coin

Club Update
This is a totally NEW section for Relic Hunter. It will contain your club images, your club news, finds and happenings thats going on with your detecting club. If your club has a Facebook club page, a Facebook Group page, or a website, send me your club logo or banner and Ill include it along with your news.

Hi, I am Wendell Mosley, Founder of Prospecting U S A. I am located in Heflin, Alabama and Im looking for more local members. I started this club to give people, who like to hunt and prospect, a website to find others that live in similar areas, to go treasure hunting. The site is also great place to show off what you find and to mention the area of where it was located. Its a known fact that youre not going to tell where your honey hole is, but a general location would make an interesting story. You can see our club on Facebook and My web page is located at: http://www.prospcetingusa.webs.com, yes, prospecting is misspelled. Come check us out, register on the site, its free. Thanks, Wendell prospectingusa@gmail.com

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EARCH AND S E

Georgia Research and Recovery

We are a relic hunting association. Formed in 1976, the group is one of the largest clubs with membership in the general Atlanta area. We meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month at THE DELKWOOD GRILL which is located at: 2769 on Delk Road in Marietta, Georgia, USA. The club is dedicated to the responsible hobby of preserving the past for future generations. The purpose of this club is to provide social, technical and recreational informational exchange activities that provide for the enjoyment of hunting and collecting items from the past and present. Visit the site: http://www.garrc.com

COVERY RE

GEORGIA

1976

Theres always something going on with this club. If its not attending a relic show then there are the 2 club hunts, held each year. Also during the year, theres usually a special hunt, held on private property. A very active group! Dinner and a Meeting go handin-hand with this group. Since its founding in 1976, in an automotive transmission repair garage, most of the meetings have been held where theres good food, drink, and friends. Visit us on Facebook by clicking the logo.

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Club Update
North Georgia Relic Hunters Association, Inc.
The purpose of the North Georgia Relic Hunters Association (NGRHA) is to further the enjoyment of responsibly collecting Civil War relics, old bottles and coins as well as other items from years gone by. The NGRHA is dedicated to preserving Georgia history through responsible excavation. The North Georgia Relic Hunters Association was formed in 1972 in partnership with the City of Marietta Department of Parks and Recreation. The association has approximately 100 members from all walks of life. Each year, the NGRHA puts on one of the best and largest American Civil War show at the Cobb County Civic Center. This show draws collectors and dealers from all over the United States and is visited by hundreds of people interested in seeing and perhaps purchasing some artifact from the American Civil War.

Meetings are open to the public and visitors are encouraged to attend! When: First and third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Where: Cobb County FOP Lodge, 2350 Austell Road, Marietta, GA 30008 Please visit our NEW web site: http://www.ngrha.com/

Visit us on Facebook by clicking the logo.

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Minelab Owners was created over 9 years ago when you couldnt find any decent information on the net for Minelab detectors. MLO has now turned into the worlds largest Minelab metal detecting website. MLO is a website that is member supported. It provides a wealth of information, finds and instructional video. MLO has great videos, tips and tricks that the Pros use and thousands of people who will share ideas and information with you. MLO is more than a forum, its a Worldwide Club! Just click on the logo links above and visit us! Join Minelabowners.com today... its FREE and with no hidden agendas and be sure to check out the WebTV Channel too. The Metal Detecting University is also now live...

The Coastal Empire History Hunters Association

We are a group of people who love history and enjoy sharing the hobby of metal detecting, relic recovery and preservation. We meet once a month at the Shoneys Rest. at I-95 & Hwy 204 in Historical Savannah Georgia at 7:30 PM every 4th Thursday. Our meetings are open to all and we encourage visitors. The meetings include the chance to win a door prize just for attending, club business old and new, a displaying of the members recent finds. Following the meeting we hold a raffle for items that have been brought in as donations for the raffle. We also have presentations and hold club hunts when possible. Each year during the early spring we have our annual Don Kreutzer club picnic and beach hunt. The DK hunt is open to club members only and is a seeded hunt with coins and tokens for prizes. Visit our website: http://cehha.homestead.com/CEHHA.html

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Diving on the wreck of The Halswell

One nice surprise at the Corfe Castle Rally was a visit by Ian Carruthers. Ian is a diver and has visited many sites along the English coast. One of these was the wreck site of The Halswell, a merchant ship that sank on the rocky coast in 1786. Ian, set up a nice display on dozens of the items he has recovered while diving on the wreck site. The Halswell had encountered a violent hurricane, and springing a leak, rapidly began to fill. All hands were ordered to the pumps, but by this time there was five feet of water in the hold, and the ship lay over on her side. Every expedient to right her proved fruitless. Main and mizen masts were cut away. While doing this five men were washed overboard and drowned. The fury of the storm, however, had abated, and by superhuman efforts the crew kept the water in the hold under. Jury masts were rigged up, and slowly the Halswell bore up for Portsmouth. But the wind changed, and a heavy mist enshrouded all.

Cannon ball fuzed among the rocks

A gale was blowing, and hoping to reach the shelter of Studland Bay, Captain Pierce turned the vessels head towards Pevercl Point, as he thought, but when the mist lifted for a moment he found himself close under St. Albans Head. He knew that once on that rocky coast all hope was gone. Bower and sheet anchors were let go, but failed to hold the ship, for she dragged them with her and rapidly drove in shore. All hope of saving the Halswell was now abandoned, and it seemed Ian Carruthers talks about his dives. equally hopeless that in such a storm anyone could reach the shore.

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Amid the utmost terror and despair she suddenly struck on a rock with a crash that mingled with the wild cries of those on board. In that part of the ship known as the round-house some fifty persons had gathered around the veteran captain, who sat clasping his terrified daughters. Mighty waves dashed against the helpless vessel. Her sides began to give way, and the constant roll of the sea lifted her deck. A few minutes more and she split apart. With the dawn assistance came; too late, for many who had clung on to the ledges of the cliff during that stormy night which seemed endless had sunk exhausted back into the angry sea. Only a few floating spars remained to mark her burial place. Ian has catalogued all of his items recovered so far. Amongst the items that were shown in his display were silver coins, gold coins, brass hardware, dozens of personal effects from the crew and passengers. What a fine collection and interesting talk. Thanks Ian, for the time you took to come to the Norden Farm and for setting everything up during the Corfe Rally.
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Holiday Wish List

Precut for Minelab SE and ETrac also precut for Whites DFX and XLT Oh yeah, I did it. Its very easy to touch your screen with muddy fingers and scratch it up! Why risk totally messing up the screen of your detector since youve paid so much for it. The ZAGG Shield can be ordered through Relic Hunter Magazine. It comes pre-cut and ready to be installed.

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Comes precut to fit the screen, spray, and squeegy

Spray the Zagg Shield, not the detector Slide the wet cover on your detector screen and gently smooth out any bubbles. Let it dry and now your detector can resist the dirtiest fingers that might touch the controls. Zagg has an unconditional replacement guarantee. Love it... looks nice and it also reduces the sun glare.

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Holiday Wish List

Youre way ahead of me. You see those mounts, well, theyll mount on the stem of your detector and you can record in HD while you detect. The camera is also waterproof too. So if your hunting in the surf and have the camera near the coil, you get the picture... instant Spielburg.

The camera can also be attached to your hat. No more holding the camera in one hand and your detector in the other. Where you look, the camera records. Ask me about the camera at the end of this month. It makes a nice birthday present too...
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Shallow Water Hunting Explained

This is a great DVD, unfortuately its in PAL and wont play in the US on home DVD players but it will play on US computers. Your computer doesnt care if its NTSC or PAL. Water detecting is growing in popularity all over, especially here on the hot summer days we have here in the Southern US. Contact Relic Hunter magazine for more information.

Relic hunting with a GPS? This is another little toy Im looking at. Theres a lot of brands out there, so check out all the features that they contain. I think its a great research tool to be able to mark your finds and then download to the Google map on the computer. Some models even record your tracks as you hunt where you place pinpoints and with labels. Read the article on GPS hunting coming up on the next couple of pages...

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Holiday Wish List

We all have items that wed like to have for our hunting experience. Those little nice things that we feel that we need, from a new coil, a probe, or perhaps a new shovel. Some of these can be stocking stuffers, others will require some wrapping and placing around the tree. Ive listed a few accessories here that you might consider:

Probes: These are a must and can save you lots of time when youve got your hole dug and you cant pinpoint the object...

PRO-TECTOR COVERS

These are a must for any Minelab detector!

Designed for all of the Minelab FBS range of metal detectors. These simply cover the hand grip and the upper battery compartment and offer full protection against scuffs and scrapes when placing your machine on the ground. Pro-Tector will pay for itself in no time, it will add value to your Minelab detector when you come to sell it on! Keep the machine in a brand new state The covers are made from tough hard wearing Cordura material and they have the Pro-Tector logo embroided onthe cover. When dirty, simply put it in the washing machine and its like new again. Fully weatherproof. Protect your investment! www.pro-tectors.co.uk
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Everyone needs one of these. You cant find a better shovel spade than what Predator makes. For UK delivery, email George at Sales@predatortools.com and ask what the shipping would be. Check out the website for the latest tools.

Seasons Greetings From Relic Hunter Magazine

Jim Leonard

Keep On Hunting!
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Hunting with a GPS

Omegamike - Rochester, Kent. UK Some GPS are better than others. I read plenty of reviews and asked questions on this site before I got one from Ebay. As you will see (below) mine is pretty damned accurate, just the odd glitch in bad weather (rain clouds), but apart from that its pretty good. You can view everything via Google Earth on your PC. You can save stuff on your GPS for when your out and about to download when you get home, its pretty accurate but occasionally, usually bad weather, it goes off track by a few feet but only for a minute or so!. Most GPS do a multitude of things, personally I only use about 5% of what its capable of - just marking finds and plotting exactly where I have walked. I usually download all the info on a days detecting then delete it from my GPS. You can keep it on if you like especially if you want to get back to a hot spot in the middle of a field. But I have to say its really good pulling up Google Earth and seeing all those finds plotted and recorded along with the routes walked - you just wouldnt believe how many miles you walk over a period of months when your detecting.... flippin miles and miles

Shows the finds, colour coded flags is my choice.

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ALL the routes walked, you can take them one day at a time if you like but what you see is a number of weeks walking!

This is a zoom-in of one area, as far as I can see its accurate to about 2 or 3 feet most of the time, which aint bad eh?
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