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Singapore Gold!

Justinian

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Nov 8, 2010
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As a U.S. Foreign Service Officer I get posted around the world and occasionally at some really nice areas for metal detecting. I had been living in Singapore for almost 18 months before I even thought of metal detecting there. There are no metal detectors sold in Singapore, and you never see anyone with them. Punishment breaking any laws in Singapore can be severe, and since there is no public property suitable for detecting I figured it was not wise to test it.

That is.. until I thought of the beaches. I had never searched beaches before, and so it never crossed my mind. But in January 2011, I decided to ask if I could use a metal detector in Singapore. All of my local Singaporean colleagues told me no. They all said it must be illegal. But nobody was 100% sure - so I asked the police. They didn't know either! They told me to check with Customs. Customs told me they had no problem, but to check with Licensing. Licensing told me there is no such thing as a license or permit for metal detectors, and to check with the Police! Finally, after nagging, I got a local Police commander to go on the record and state that there are no laws against it, however to be aware of the laws against vandalism and disturbing the peace.

So I took my White’s V3i to the beach and within 5 minutes found my first silver ring! Over the course of my last 6 months in Singapore I was able to get to the beach an average of twice a week, for 4 hours at a shot.

Mr-Beach-Metal-Detector-Guy.jpg

I quickly learned that it is better to do this at sunset, or just at sunrise, as during the day it was just too hot and humid. But at night, with the beaches completely deserted, I had a field day!

One thing to note: Due to cultural attitudes, no one in Singapore uses a detector, or would search the beach for treasure. To them, this is as embarrassing to their family as many people may find dumpster diving. But Singaporeans are not poor, and the large numbers of wealthy Asian tourists who visit Singapore wear a lot of fine 22kt gold jewelry! This place is a gold mine, and virtually no one digging it!

Here is what an average 4-hour search at Sentosa Beach, in Singapore looks like:

BeachFinds.jpg


A closeup of that evening's best finds:

BeachFinds2.jpg

There are more coins in the wet sand in Singapore than trash. I found 1 pull-tab or bottle-cap to every 20-30 coins. It's just crazy!

Coins.jpg

By the time I was about to depart Singapore I had found $1,200 (US) in Singaporean coins. And over $12,000 in jewelry.

SingGold__550.jpg

If you ever get a chance to visit Singapore, be sure you bring your detector and a sand scoop (there are none in Singapore). The best place to search is the Sentoa Resort's Siloso Beach. I walked the same line on the wet sand, and never once ventured into the dry sand. There must be a ton of gold there!
 
Other items...

I ended up with a coffee can full of jewelry after those six months. Here's a few more closeups.

Diamonds2.jpg

Diamonds are a man's best friend!

Diamonds1.jpg

And the artwork in Indian jewelry is fine indeed.
Two emeralds, two rubies and a blue sapphire.

Gold1.jpg

And this one I had to take to an independent gemologist to ID. It's a yellow sapphire in an 18K band.

YellowSaphire.jpg

And here's one of my most interesting finds:

Kris.jpg

This is the bronze Kris that I found. A Kris is a is distinctively Malay sword; an asymmetrical double-edged thrusting dagger traditionally used as close-combat slashing weapon. Its main attribute is its blade which can be either straight or wavy and widens at the base usually at only one side, and usually artistically-decorated with spiritual motives in its base-detailing. Keris tradition...ally symbolizes the Malay family’s status, sovereignty and identity, and is also believed to have great mystical powers to protect its owner/s and their descendants. This tiny one is a used as a charm.

Historically originated from Java, and later spread to the rest of Indonesia, then Malaysia, southern Thailand and southern Philippines, keris embodies the cultural history, art and spirit of the Malay people through animism, Hinduism and Islamic beliefs. In this modern time, keris is being used more as a ceremonial item than war weapon, and indigenously found among the Malay descendants in these countries only.
 
I think that is a paradise found. I should, probably, plan to go to Singapore for my next vacation. Diving should be also good there. I wonder if we all need to get some OK from local police before doing our detecting. Congratulations and thanks a lot for the report. It was educational and colourful.
 
Police permission not needed

Since I left Singapore I have heard from two Singaporeans and an American who have gone out and searched with no trouble at all. Since there are nmio laws on the books, and Singapore is a stickler for things being orderly and in writing, there is no need to contect the Police. In fact, they only get confused as to why we are asking for permission when there are no laws that govern it. The Police do not writre the laws, and only enforce the ones on the books. Just do not damage any property or plants, and only stick to to the beach sand to be safe. Digging up a lawn will get you in trouble!

Also, do not trespass on any private and certianly not military property.

There is a whole stretch of beach that runs from downtown to the airport. It is not frequented by weathly tourists, and certainly has a lot of trash. But I suspect there is a lot of gold there too, as many Asian's wearing fine gold play with their children in the sand. But I know you will also find a lot of trsh too - and searching for gold means minimal discrimination.

By the way - I firgit to mention.. SIngapore is a major shiping hub, with thousands of large rusty cargo ships crusing by and anchored just off shore. All the beaches are FILLED with iron bits and will make a Pulse Machine go crazy! Use a good salt-water VLF machine, and a small coil head. Good luck and happy hunting!

SingaporeShips.jpg
 
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A detectorists paradise! Awesome finds! Beaches got to be littered with gold from dry sand to in the water.Imagine after a storm! OMG! Great job! They got some nice looking gold pieces over there.Imagine the gold chains still there!
 
Good for you, Peter! Those are the kind of unique hunting conditions that all of us dream of! I bet flights to Singapore by detectorists will be on the rise now!
 
What a great haul. Singapore is second on my detecting vacation list after India now;)
Did you get in the water at all:?: Say up to chest deep or so.
 
In the water

No, I never got in the water above my knees. But just before I left I bought a Whites BeachHunter and planned on using it in the water. In fact, I wrote to the Sentosa Beach management and got permission to use SCUBA gear in the water near the shore - something that is normally forbidden. I was told to go only M-F and only in the early morning and to be done by 10AM. However, there is so much iron that I gave up on the idea of using the Pulse Machine.

The three beaches at Sentosa are man made, and sheltered. They each have a strong slope down under the water, but then they rise back up to several small sand patches about 50 feet from shore. There are small oulets to the open sea, but they too are not as deep as the swimming area near shore. This makes these beaches virtual GOLD TROTHS and have been in use, undredged for almost 15 years. Storms are rare, and there is no surf. At the rate I was finding gold, the short time I was looking, the narrow slice of the beach I looked at, and the number of years these beaches have been left untouched, I suspect there are millions just off shore in 15 feet of water.

Gold Rush.jpg

The sand was imported from Indonesia, at great political cost. If they dredge these beaches they will reuse the sand, and I would want to be there to search it! :)
 
Another fine gold piece from Singapore

Found this in less than 5 inches of wet salty sand on Sentosa’s Palawan Beach. It's a U.S. Five Dollar gold piece! It's a fake, but has the exact same weight and size as the original. I took it to a jeweler who tested it at 20Kt. There were many thousands of counterfeits made of this coin, and the give-away is the "S" mint mark. None were minted in San Francisco in 1907.

goldcoin.jpg
 
Those are some great finds for sure. I guess Location is the key here! :) You won't find a beach in the USA that no one hunts. I see you are using the new White V3i I used mine for the first time on the beach in dry sand yesterday. It runs nice and smooth but I didn't find much. Congrats on a great trip and some beautiful treasure.
 
WTG :cool: Congrats! on the gold & silver now thats my kind of work :yes: you are a :pirate: keep on hunting.....
 
Amazing finds... congrats :)

Dump that coffee can out and let us drool :lol:
 
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It was a crazy good time, and allowed me to learn the V3i quickly. Unfortunately my next post (Budapest) will not be so easy, although the finds will be more interesting for me. I just have to quickly make friends with some Hungarian farmers and search their fields after they plow.
 
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