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Owner wants finds

I had a neighbor who let me detect her back yard which was full of junk. I had recently got my Equinox and found a 1946 Rosie and a 1940 big new Zealand penny. I gave her the penny which I didn't care about.:yes:
She shortly thereafter sold her house.
 
If I get the impression a person wants everything I find in a greedy sort of sense, I move on and hunt somewhere else....

That said I have happily passed on a Georgian Silver Spoon and a William 4th silver six pense to a landowner as the guy was a genuine, really decent person and has a real interest in what comes off his farm...in fact he wanted two WW2 anti aircraft shell nose cones that were destined for the scrap pile lol.

I had another guy see me detecting on land next to his house, and invited me to try his lawn...he hovered over me and practically snatched at everything that come up...

I spent an hour detecting there and then went elsewhere...

A week or so later, when I returned to the field next to his house, he again invited to try again and was actually very insistent..

I ended up suggesting he get a detector himself and invest his time and money into searching his lawn, at which point he took the hint!
 
I detected a home in an historical neighborhood with the agreement I keep what I find, but show them.

Ended up with a mercury dime, a wheat, a war nickel, 2 buffaloes, and a few odds and ends. Coins were common/average. Search was two visits and confounded by landscaping and EMI and iron. I was interested in one more visit, as I'd discovered I could find targets in the section with the heaviest interference near the end of the day - and there were several that were promising.

The owners asked if they could purchase the finds, but refused to be specific about which finds or make an offer. And they went from saying they were asking neighbors to let me detect to saying that if I cooperated that they would ask a neighbor.

They even suggested that most of the neighbors would be interested and I could write a book with a grant and they would facilitate the grant process. A mutual acquaintance (grant writer) whose yard I'd hunted made exactly the same suggestion.

At this point, I'd worked two days, researched and cleaned the odds and ends, and a realistic value of all the finds was oh - $6.

I dropped off some odds and ends (including a shotgun shell from the 1880's and a button from some overalls made in 1900 - local brand - hard to come by), the 1919 wheat cent, and I gave them a detailed description of the items.

They wrote back still wanting to know if they could purchase the rest and mentioned wanting the coins (at the end of their note they also said and other finds).

I let them know I'd be willing to trade up on the coins and that they had little numismatic or bullion value. I also suggested that if I had a place nearby to search, I could spend my time more productively by searching their property when there was less interference.

They didn't respond. When I heard from someone who lives across the street (an acquaintance for a decade who had seen me detecting there and gave me permission) - I wrote and let them know I'd be in the neighborhood and asked if they still wanted me to return to search. They'd previously requested I continue.

No response.

And then my acquaintance informed me of a change of heart and not to come over to detect. I've never had anyone back out.

In fact, I've never had anyone want to buy finds, or go to these lengths for a few common finds.

So - no introductions, and a mutual friend who was originally excited backs out.

Any advice?

This is so uncomfortable.


Sometimes it is not worth guessing what people think? Actually all the time.

Come right out and ask them why they want to buy the items and not honor the agreement. See what that answer is?

If they want to buy the stuff, I am sure that $5 will go in your gas tank.

But if you want to move on there, a clear understanding going forward is necessary. I don't want to be the guy to find my first $5 gold piece and have to hand it back.
But I would be the first guy to hand something back that is a recent lost item to the current owner. Like I have done on a beach many times.

Talk with them to work it through.
 
I will say that I have some experience working with people who live in "Historic Districts" (not in the Detectorist sense, house painting and traditional carpentry) and there have been a couple of folks who really rankle me.

They use my services because they want the "Authentic Historical Accuracy" and they are willing to pay for it. That being said the VAST majority of the folks that I have worked with over the years have been wonderful. There have been 4 people that truly got under my skin because they weren't in the homes to live in them, they wanted the homes so they could project a certain image within the community. These people were the ones that would cheat, not pay, and complain about imaginary problems in order to wrangle a "concession" or a some sort of cost reduction.

It got to the point that I would just double my prices on my estimates and then the folks that didn't give me headaches got "refunds" and the people who argued me down about every little thing thought they got "wins" for themselves.

All of this is to say is that Historical Society People attract a certain kind PITA that we all need to aware of develop tactics to deal with.
 
I will say that I have some experience working with people who live in "Historic Districts" (not in the Detectorist sense, house painting and traditional carpentry) and there have been a couple of folks who really rankle me.

They use my services because they want the "Authentic Historical Accuracy" and they are willing to pay for it. That being said the VAST majority of the folks that I have worked with over the years have been wonderful. There have been 4 people that truly got under my skin because they weren't in the homes to live in them, they wanted the homes so they could project a certain image within the community. These people were the ones that would cheat, not pay, and complain about imaginary problems in order to wrangle a "concession" or a some sort of cost reduction.

It got to the point that I would just double my prices on my estimates and then the folks that didn't give me headaches got "refunds" and the people who argued me down about every little thing thought they got "wins" for themselves.

All of this is to say is that Historical Society People attract a certain kind PITA that we all need to aware of develop tactics to deal with.
I had lawn services in addition to my regular job.
If I did that, carpentry or painting now, I would have to be paid in advance.
Even the local shoe repair guy demands full payment before he takes a pair of shoes in. People are worse than ever about paying agreed to amounts.
 
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