Since we’re non-drinkers, my wife and I are watching the festivities at Times Square on television and reflecting on the year we’ve had. It got me to thinking about how very fortunate I’ve been this past year enjoying the hobby we all know and love.
In 2016, I went detecting on January 1st, quite an event being a resident of northern Ohio. I hunted many more times during our unseasonably mild winter, relishing every second I spent searching for history in otherwise unhuntable months.
I went with my brother-in-law Steve to Abingdon, Virginia for a week of metal detecting. In March I recovered my first significant find of the year, a large cent dated 1827. I also unearthed my first walking liberty half-dollar, 1943, and an undated standing liberty quarter.
Water hunting became a habit once the weather got warm and, because of that, I located a Spanish reale dated 1786…which I initially thought was a crusty Roosevelt dime. Only after I got home, showered and ate a sandwich did I really look at it, shocked beyond belief when I discovered what I had.
I took a different track when I hunted a local park, abandoning the flat, open ground for one of the wooded, steep hillsides…and it proved to be epic. 23 foreign coins from 13 different countries all across the globe, making October the most productive month I’ve had in my three years of dirt scanning addiction. A trip to Edisto Island, SC with my bride produced a Lord’s Prayer ring that I wear daily, found in the surfline four inches deep.
I’ve made a ton of new friends through YouTube, learning much each time I watched a video posted by guys like ‘PalmettoDigger’ Shannon, ‘Mental Metal’ Scott, ‘Hiluxyota’ Tom and a whole host of others that would take an hour to list. Even struggling through issues with my Garrett AT Pro ( which the Garrett Corporation handled superbly ) I had a fantastic year of metal detecting.
2017 will start like 2016.
I’m going metal detecting tomorrow!
Have a Happy New Year, everyone!
