Tom_in_CA
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2013
- Messages
- 20,747
If you've ever sought permission to hunt some awesome sounding place you researched, you might hear the landowner say "... and no one's ever metal detected here before...". So you've researched an old stage stop, or country picnic site, or 1800's resort site, etc.... And when you hear the owner tell you that, you immediately have dollar signs in your eyes, eh ?
Here's a story to make you re-think such owner's assertions:
When I was a kid in the mid 1970s, I got my first detector. An all-metal TR . At one point, I got permission from an elderly Gentlemen to hunt the yard of a turn-of-century home. I recall getting a few wheaties, some clad, perhaps a single silver roosie, etc...
Then a few years later, about 1980, I was sporting the latest greatest VLF/TR. I wanted to pit it, for testing purposes, against a place where I could say my prior machine had already covered. So I knocked on the door of the same home. This time an elderly lady answered the door (presumably the elderly gentleman's wife) . She gave the go-ahead, and commented "No one's ever md'd it before". (I didn't bother correcting her). I got a few more wheaties, another silver , and perhaps a buffalo, etc...
Then about 1983-ish, I was sporting the latest greatest motion discriminator. And wanted to try it out in a place where I was fairly certain I'd worked hard. So I knocked on the door of the same house. This time a middle age lady answered the door. She explained that the house belonged to her parents, but that they'd gone to live in assisted living, so she was preparing the house for sale. But she didn't think her parents would mind, so she granted permission. The she quipped "... and no one's ever md'd this before" (I didn't bother correcting her). I got a few more old coins and a trade token.
Fast forward to the early 1990s, and I was sporting the latest great TID machine. Wanted to try it out in a place where I could be fairly certain was picked over. Went back to the same yard. A young couple answered the door. (presumably the people who bought it 10 yrs. prior). They gave the go-ahead. And commented "no one's ever md'd it before". Doh!
And so too do I see the same phenomenon at lots of places. Even long-time property owners sometimes simply have no idea. Eg.: perhaps a ranch-hand gave the go-ahead to their buddy . Perhaps a family member gave the go-ahead but simply didn't tell the husband or brother or sister or whatever. Perhaps someone ... uh ... "simply helped themselves". Perhaps it was detected before the current ownership. Many scenarios. Yet the person telling you 'no one's ever md'd it before' will be utterly certain that no one's md'd it. Simply because they haven't happened to have heard about it. And they just assume that if it HAD been hit, they'd have been told or heard.
Here's a story to make you re-think such owner's assertions:
When I was a kid in the mid 1970s, I got my first detector. An all-metal TR . At one point, I got permission from an elderly Gentlemen to hunt the yard of a turn-of-century home. I recall getting a few wheaties, some clad, perhaps a single silver roosie, etc...
Then a few years later, about 1980, I was sporting the latest greatest VLF/TR. I wanted to pit it, for testing purposes, against a place where I could say my prior machine had already covered. So I knocked on the door of the same home. This time an elderly lady answered the door (presumably the elderly gentleman's wife) . She gave the go-ahead, and commented "No one's ever md'd it before". (I didn't bother correcting her). I got a few more wheaties, another silver , and perhaps a buffalo, etc...
Then about 1983-ish, I was sporting the latest greatest motion discriminator. And wanted to try it out in a place where I was fairly certain I'd worked hard. So I knocked on the door of the same house. This time a middle age lady answered the door. She explained that the house belonged to her parents, but that they'd gone to live in assisted living, so she was preparing the house for sale. But she didn't think her parents would mind, so she granted permission. The she quipped "... and no one's ever md'd this before" (I didn't bother correcting her). I got a few more old coins and a trade token.
Fast forward to the early 1990s, and I was sporting the latest great TID machine. Wanted to try it out in a place where I could be fairly certain was picked over. Went back to the same yard. A young couple answered the door. (presumably the people who bought it 10 yrs. prior). They gave the go-ahead. And commented "no one's ever md'd it before". Doh!
And so too do I see the same phenomenon at lots of places. Even long-time property owners sometimes simply have no idea. Eg.: perhaps a ranch-hand gave the go-ahead to their buddy . Perhaps a family member gave the go-ahead but simply didn't tell the husband or brother or sister or whatever. Perhaps someone ... uh ... "simply helped themselves". Perhaps it was detected before the current ownership. Many scenarios. Yet the person telling you 'no one's ever md'd it before' will be utterly certain that no one's md'd it. Simply because they haven't happened to have heard about it. And they just assume that if it HAD been hit, they'd have been told or heard.
