Will “Detectorista” end up in the Oxford dictionary? If John Winter has his way it will–and why not? I think “Detectorista” is a pretty cool word, even if I did coin it myself.
The next challenge should be to get spell check to recognize the word Detectorist, and OMG how annoying is it when people say “He (or she) is a Metal Detector”, instead of a Metal Detectorist? Hello people–I am not the machine, I am the user of the machine!!!
My better half and I were short on time yet wanted to do a few hours of detecting without traveling far from home. This posed a dilemma, as there is hardly a wooded area or decent park in my city. We decided to wing it, and headed toward a nearby town, hoping to find a spot along the way.
Ten minutes into our drive, we were passing an area we knew had been hunted by almost every detectorist around. I never like to say a place is hunted out, but when I think of this site, that’s exactly what comes to mind.
Hypothetically, it should be a great site-with the remains of the towns first saw mill (1700’s), and the leftovers from centuries of occupation. The rusty remnants hanging from trees and piled on rock walls attest to its “hunted out” status and the frustrations of previous searchers. The last person I know to have found something there pulled out a button a few years back. This was a considered a major triumph, allowing him to keep his “legend” status in local detecting circles.
Although the finds have become fewer and far between, no matter how many times I return to my favorite site, it still surprises me with a few goodies now and then.
A few months back, I dug a flat piece of copper which looked like an old penny; possibly flattened by mischievous children on the railroad tracks. Upon returning home I promptly threw it in the miscellaneous junk jar for later review.
When I started detecting, I didn’t use a pinpointer. I don’t know or remember how I managed to find my targets without one, but I do recall the feeling of frustration.
My Dad, being a detectorist himself, graciously gave me a
White’s Bullseye as a gift. I was excited to try it out, and after a few hours with it, I decided pinpointers were the greatest invention of all time. My biggest fear in life suddenly became the fear of my pinpointer becoming lost or broken.
My unusual attachment to my Garrett Pro-pointer began when I received it as a late, but thoughtful gift from some guy who had
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Are you a Detecting Widow? Does your man disappear for hours only to return with a sack full of pull tabs, bottle caps, dirty coins, rusty thingies, or perhaps lead bullets, silver or gold? After barely saying hello, does he race to clean his treasures, tag & bag his finds, or photograph them for sharing…
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If you detect at Tod’s Point in Old Greenwich, CT, be aware that detectorists are being singled out, harassed and discriminated against. Unfortunately, there is a park employee (?), who I’ve dubbed “the crazy guy”, because he approached me yelling something about me detecting before I even left the parking lot, and apparently he considers…
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