Question about "state lands" and laws

[TheNewGuy]

I am new to the hobby and still researching it everynight.
I haven't bought a detector yet, as I'm trying to determine
risk/ reward factor. My dilemma is this- all the places I
want to hunt seem to be off limits. I think the New York
law of "historical importance" pretty much, obscure as it
is, keeps me from keeping my finds. I read that CT laws
are no big deal, and you can hunt beaches, forests and
what not. I live in an area where most of the important
buildings 100 years ago got demolished, abandoned or
caught fire and the surrounding lands go untouched by
the local govt. Is there a difference between state and
town/ county lands as far as ordinance or law? Any
advice? I feel on one hand discouraged by what laws
there may be out there (and I'm not aware of most of
them) that restrict me. On the other hand, I'm driven
to blow off the state laws and try to make the extra
money from my finds to support my family, or at least
some extra cash for baby toys, food, bills etc. Any advice
guys? Or should I just jump in with both feet?

[TheNewGuy]

I think I should clarify. I want to do the right thing and
not break any laws so I can have fun doing this. But if I
have to surrender my treasure due to the NY "historical
significance" or "archeological" law, I'm not going to have
any fun. So this is what I want to know. Is there anyone
on the forum from NY that knows anything about this law
or any others?

[billiard rich]

Welcome to the forum!

I don't know about the laws in NY. But, I will tell you that I bought my current detector 3 years ago. It cost me $190 (used). I've probably spent 200 hours swinging it in that time. And in that time, I don't think I've found $150 in coins with it. But for me it's a relaxing hobby and I don't expect to use my detector to supplement my income. (I bought my first detector in 1980 during a bout of unemployment. Thought I'd supplement my income. At that time it was a bad idea for me. But now I'm glad I got into the hobby.)

[RickO]

Welcome aboard TheNewGuy.... for the most part, MD'ing will not provide an alternate income. That being said, you will, once you become proficient with your equipment, likely find a steady stream of modern coinage if you hunt parks, tot lots etc.. It will not be a fortune or equal to your day job, but it will buy batteries and maybe gas for the car (at least to cover the MD'ing trips). I live in NYS (as do many board members) and have not encountered any finds of 'archaeological significance'. If a park (be it state or otherwise) restricts MD'ing, it is usually posted as such. I would not go into this hobby with the expectation of finding significant treasure, that rarely happens. We do find coins, jewelry and relics - some of which can be sold to collectors or on ebay. Good luck, RickO

[dan]

Listen to RickO! Your chances of supporting your family with your metal detecting finds are about the same as your chances of winning the SuperLottery.

Sure, one really big find could theoretically put you on Easy Street, but unless you find a chest full of modern paper money that you could put into several different banks, you might be hard put to change your big finds into cash without getting the wrong people curious.

Listen to my podcast on making a living with a metal detector. Show #025 here:

http://thetreasurecorner.com

Just click the pink button and it will play on your computer speakers.

[TheNewGuy]

Thanks for the advice folks. I know now I can't
supplement my income, but I'd love to find something
of "historical significance." I keep thinking of new spots
all the time. HH!