Digital cameras can see buried gold

The Successful Treasure Hunter’s Secret Manual: Discovering Treasure Auras in the Digital Age

David Villanueva, the author of several metal detecting titles, has discovered that digital cameras can be easily adapted to reveal the location of buried treasure from up to several hundred yards away. In his latest publication, The Successful Treasure Hunter’s Secret Manual: Discovering Treasure Auras in the Digital Age, David explains clearly how anyone can turn a digital camera (possibly one they already own) into an amazing treasure hunting tool.

Having successfully used a Polaroid camera for photographing auras given off by buried metal for a number of years, David was horrified when Polaroid stopped making the film in 2005 and usable original film quickly became unavailable at any price. In the short-term alternative film is available, which photographs treasure auras at least as well as the original film but Polaroid’s recent decision to cease all instant film production would make photographing treasure auras history…unless digital cameras could be used.

However, digital camera technology is very different to that of film cameras and what worked with Polaroid failed with digital. A complete re-think was needed! The breakthrough came after David learned of treasure hunters successfully using a highly specialised digital camera to locate caches buried along Spanish mule-train trails. So clearly it was possible to photograph auras digitally but could it be done without spending a fortune on high-tech equipment? After three years of intensive research the answer is absolutely yes! Some, possibly many, popular digital cameras are up to the task.

Using readily available photographic accessories that anyone can easily attach, without causing damage, the digital cameras tested were able to record an aura, from a distance, on a single quarter-ounce (seven-gram) gold sovereign coin buried six inches (150mm) underground. In extensive field trials cameras located buried metal over two feet (610mm) deep and could discriminate between different metals. The cameras could be hand-held or tripod-mounted and could capture auras anytime during daylight hours in a wide range of weather conditions. A colleague invited to test the system, with his own camera, clearly demonstrated that no special skill or ability was necessary by obtaining an aura on the first attempt.

After reading The Successful Treasure Hunter’s Secret Manual, well-known treasure hunter and author Stan Grist said: “If this is for real, it will dramatically improve my treasure hunting results for the rest of my life! I am in the process of assembling all of the recommended gear so I can get out into the field as soon as possible. From a scientific perspective, my associates and I all agree that this may actually be the modern-day solution for a specific, huge treasure in Ecuador that we have been seeking for years. I am REALLY excited!”

The Successful Treasure Hunter’s Secret Manual: Discovering Treasure Auras in the Digital Age, ISBN 978-0-9550325-5-4 is published (2009) by True Treasure Books. Soft back, 84 full-colour illustrations, A5 size (210mm x 146mm or 8.25 inches x 5.75 inches), 68 pages, price £19.97. Visit: http://www.treasurehunterssecretmanual.co.uk/ A 52 page, large format digital version is available, price $19.97 at http://www.treasurehunterssecretmanual.com/

Where's the path?

Iain, one of my customers recently introduced me to this site: http://wheresthepath.googlepages.com/wheresthepath.htm Ordnance Survey mapping and aerial images are displayed side by side. You can type in a place then navigate around the map, while the map cursor is mirrored on the aerial view, so you can see exactly where you are on the ground. Great for looking for trackways and other features. Modern OS mapping is used initially but OS have imposed a limit, so the site switches to 1940s OS out of copyright maps once the limit is reached. That's not really a problem for metal detectorists and it may be an advantage since the aerial images are still recent - you can compare the modern landscape with a 50 year old map. Take a look!

Dowsing works but don't just take my word for it!

I was delighted to receive this email the other day:
Hi David,
It's taken me a while but I thought I'd write to you to let you know of my experience after reading your book [The Successful Treasure Hunter's Essential Dowsing Manual] which I purchased last year.
After quickly reading through it I thought how interesting it seemed, but reserved judgement until I could put something into practice.
It wasn't until two weeks later that I remembered that I hadn't "had a go" at the general idea, so the night before our club search I got the map out and looked for a pendulum.
I couldn't find anything suitable so picked up the first thing from my desk tray which happened to be two safety pins. I hooked one into the other and let the other pin "dangle" to give some kind of feedback.
I was amazed to find that I received a reaction from a certain part of the area on the map.
The next day I found that we were detecting on the other side of this area and come lunchtime nothing of interest had been found. I jokingly said that I wasn't surprised as the treasure was over on the other side. The site secretary said that the only available part of this area was a small part which was stubble and the rest had been set, but I was welcome to have a go on the stubble.
Feeling I had nothing to lose I started detecting on this area and after a couple of hours had found nothing. Then I unearthed what looked like a large ornate ear-ring with a heavy hook.
This turned out to be a very handsome Tudor silver gilt cap hook, declared as treasure which has since been disclaimed and returned to me.
My find was then followed by others finding a literal "hoard" of tudor buckles in one area, probably a dozen in all.
Needless to say we returned the following week and after showing the farmer my previous find I went straight onto the field and my first signal was a 9ct gold gents signet ring.
Others unearthed a Mary Groat, a large Roman fantail brooch and then the best of all one of our club members found a Roman Gold Aureus.
I cannot say for sure but either the safety pin or myself certainly picked up on something that night!
Regards
John R.

THANKS JOHN!
For more information on dowsing and metal detecting please visit: www.truetreasurebooks.com

A Day Out with The Times

It's been an interesting couple of weeks. I was called on to do a talk at Mid-Kent Club at short notice when their Lifeboat speaker went sick. I'm not sure dowsing would have done much for those in peril on the sea but the talk seemed well received.

I was then called on by a reporter from The Times who wanted to do an article on metal detecting. I had to take him and a photographer detecting last Saturday week so they could get a feel for the hobby. I don't think the photographer had ever seen earth before, he went into raptures about all this brown earth and blue sky and having everything to play for. He must have taken at least 100 photos. The article was published on Saturday. Here's the link:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/money/consumer_affairs/article1559197.ece

Meanwhile I did some detecting and have had a few nice finds including an Elizabeth I one ounce pan weight and an Edward I penny.

PERMISSION IMPOSSIBLE

PERMISSION IMPOSSIBLE
Metal Detecting Search Permission Made Easy
ISBN-13: 978-0-9550325-3-0

David Villanueva has over 30 years of experience in metal detecting and research, in Britain and is a regular contributor to Treasure Hunting magazine. He has been responsible for seven reported finds of Treasure, and has built up a collection of other coins and artefacts that would be the envy of many. But EVERY ONE of those finds has started from either getting SEARCH PERMISSION or legally avoiding that obligation.
Where can you legally search without permission? How do you find the landowner to ask for search permission? How do you persuade the landowner to give their permission? These are the questions on the lips of many participants in the hobby. David draws on his experience at successfully and painlessly gaining search permission on a wide range of sites both as an individual detectorist and club leader and reveals ALL in this fact-packed book.
Chapter Titles:
 INTRODUCTION
 THIS LAND IS MINE
 MAKE FOR THE COAST
 SEARCH AND RECOVERY SERVICE
 TRACKING DOWN LANDOWNERS
 THE PLANNERS
 WRITING A LETTER AND GETTING IT READ
 PROPERLY ADDRESSED?
 CODE OF PRACTICE AND CODE OF CONDUCT
 SEARCH AGREEMENTS
 VISITING CARDS
 PUBLIC LAND
 THE BLANKET APPROACH
 THE PROJECT APPROACH
 ON THE MOVE
 THE SERVICES OFFER
 THE SUBSIDY APPROACH
 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FURTHER READING
 APPENDIX – MAJOR UK LANDOWNERS

Please visit True Treasure
Books for more details

SCRAP METAL

What do you do with the scrap metal you find? Throw it in the hedge or down rabbit holes? You’ve taken the time and trouble to dig it up so why not collect it and sell it?

I recently sold the scrap metal I had collected over the past couple of years:
13kg Aluminium £6.50
27kg Mixed Brass £19.00
35kg Lead £10.50
TOTAL £36.00
And metal prices are increasing.
There’s two other reasons for not throwing scrap away:
You might throw something historically or intrinsically valuable away - gold torcs have been mistaken for bits of brass bedsteads and thrown in hedges.
You might end up having to dig it all up again.
A couple of detectorist friends found a scattered hoard of gold Staters and asked me to go with them and see if we could locate anymore. There was a hedge-bank a few yards from where the coins were found and I suggested we ought to search there as earth banks were one of the favourite hiding places in the past. The origin of BANKING in fact. They looked at me a bit sheepish. When I started searching the bank it was full of metallic rubbish – they had thrown all their scrap there.

Keep anything that might turn out be something worthwhile – any man-made shape but also bronze lumps. The British Museum are now analysing such lumps to see how they relate to axes etc.

Basically you can sort scrap into Aluminium, Mixed Brass and Lead

You might also want to do copper and nickel coin (an old penny is now worth over twice its face value in scrap), stainless steel, pewter and zinc although you will find much smaller quantities.

Wash it as you collect it or collect it dirty and wash the lot before you take it to the scrap yard.

I find the best way to wash the scrap is to put it in a plastic garden riddle and douse it with water. Keep removing the clean metal and washing the remaining dirty metal.

If you want to mechanise the operation put the dirty scrap in a cement mixer with a bucket of water and a couple of kilos of sharp sand and run for about 10 minutes.

Beaches and Tidal Rivers

Now I theoretically have more time for metal detecting I have discovered that there is quite a chunk of the year where there is little or no land available for detecting so I’m trying to do something about that as I’d like to be able to go out detecting all through the year. The areas I’m keen to look at are beaches and tidal rivers, which are not only available every day of the year but are technically replenished daily. What’s more, in most cases where there is public access, you won’t need permission and won’t have to share your finds with anyone. Digging is also relatively easy. I’ve got my little spots on a nearby beach where I regularly find Iron Age, Roman, Saxon and medieval coins and artefacts. Research has shown up a beach where they used to take horses and carts out to unload the ships and barges, so there is definitely old stuff out there. Over a few searches I found a Russian lead bag seal dated 1777 and a complete crotal bell as well as modern gold rings, decimal and pre-decimal coins, including some silver. Simon, who’s a bit of a demon with his Minelab Explorer metal detector, found a complete 16th century latten spoon on the same beach and it wasn’t even bent! A few weeks later, on another beach he dug up a Stephen penny in really good condition.
As I now have to drive to Strood to the club meeting I thought I would take a look at a river site on the way. There is a little riverside town, which is quite historically interesting, it had a castle, a medieval market and the wool staple for a while. I arrived at low tide and looked at the creek first – although it looked stony and firm on the bottom where a trickle of water was running, there were mountains of mud to cross to get there and I thought NO, not on my own. However at the mouth of the creek there is a bit of a beach on the river so I thought I would give that a go. I had only seen it with the tide in before but with the tide out it wasn’t very picturesque unless you like car tyres, batteries, cans, bottles and bike frames. Oh my God I thought but went for it anyway. Well it was just nondescript bits of scrap for a while and then I found a coin – a George III halfpenny. So I concentrated searching around where I found the halfpenny and found 3 x £1 coins and then a roman bronze with a clear head – Constantine AE3. I found another 2 x £1 coins and a few decimal coppers so it didn’t turn out so badly after all.
So, if you can get to a beach or tidal river foreshore, do a bit of research and give it a go. Do be careful though as beaches and river foreshores can be dangerous. Always familiarise yourself with tide times and any local hazards; for example the tide in Morecambe Bay comes in as fast as a horse at the gallop. A few years ago 21 Chinese cockle pickers lost their lives because they were unaware of that fact! Walk out slowly and carefully, if you start to sink, back-up. Carry a whistle and don’t venture out onto desolate foreshores without a suitable partner.