How I became a treasure hunter. A short history of my searches. About treasure hunters and treasures Stories of real treasures being found

My story will seem ordinary to some, and perhaps even boring. I personally know people whom fortune has endowed with much greater success than me and my comrades. These gentlemen of fortune could tell of much more exciting adventures and boast of disproportionately large finds. Someone told me how at night they saw soldiers in the uniform of the Red Army, and in the morning they found their remains at this place, someone found gold hryvnias and scatterings of “scales”. Our story is not so exciting, however, this particular incident stuck in our memory - perhaps the effect of the famous saying “patience and work will grind everything down”, together with mystical coincidences, makes it unique.

Chapter I. Not a very good day

It all started during another trip to the junction of the Moscow and Ryazan regions. I must admit, these are the places we like the most. The most interesting finds were found here, in addition, we are friends with several natives who provide useful information. So, there were three of us - reckless adventurers who preferred the dusty and bumpy road to the warm family bed and the oblivion-giving breath of Morpheus.

It must be said that the story began even earlier - during a previous trip, we were surprised to notice mown and plowed former state farm fields that had not been cultivated since the collapse of the Union. That time we decided not to go anywhere, and only then, using the maps, to find interesting points in the newly plowed fields. Now we have five places marked - five chances for success, five hopes. At this point it is worth giving a short description of my companions. Both of them are accomplished people with stable incomes, but the whirlpool of the cop has sucked them in headlong. One of them, Dima, is the luckiest of our trio, sometimes you get the feeling that he will find a coin even in the devil’s ass. The second, Andrey, is not so lucky, but is very persistent, which is often rewarded. It was he who pushed me, on the one hand, to a new hobby, and on the other, to a very adventurous activity.

And then finally the morning came when the three of us, not having slept well, but in anticipation of the treasured finds, raided the first two fields. Time passed, but there were no finds. Even the happiest of the three little pigs had two tattered Soviets in his pocket, which can hardly be called even ordinary finds.

On the approach to the third field, my inner instinct told me nothing. And indeed it is empty. The sun had already risen high and burned mercilessly, incinerating hope for success. Putting the metal detector aside, I lay down in the grass at the edge of the field and squinted at the blue sky. The tops of the pine trees rustled gently above me. A pleasant drowsiness fell on me almost immediately. Half asleep, I remembered how I also lay on the edge of a field after mowing, in the village where I went on vacation. All that was missing was the bottle of milk that my grandmother gave me with her, and my grandfather, who told simple stories about village life. He had his own bottle of “milk” at the mowing and, drunk under a tree in the sun after several hours of work, he poisoned his stories. Basically, they were about hunting, about how one day a faithful husky saved him from a bear, and subsequently the grateful grandfather, feeding several hunting dogs, gave her the very first piece of meat, which had fewer veins.

“And here’s another story, Lyonka” - despite the fact that he knew perfectly well that my name was Alexey, all his life he called me Lyonka - “Your grandmother with Manka’s scythe went to the cooperative field at night to buy beets. They're digging it up, they look, a car pulled up, its headlights illuminated them, your grandmother lay down, and Manka, not only slanting, but also fat, got up on her knees and crawled, so they shot her with a gun! That means she was mistaken for a boar. And when she jumps up, swears, and runs to the side, these unfortunate hunters themselves were frightened by such a spectacle. It’s good that we didn’t hit.”

The grandfather’s tanned, wrinkled face grins cheerfully.

It was a long time ago, then the trees were big and the sky was bluer, but now...

“Why are you lying down?” my friend’s voice pulls me out of my blissful languor.

I open my eyes and see his face looming over me, crimson from the heat.

Anything? - I ask.

“Nothing,” he mutters through his teeth.

Chapter II. Amazon wilds

The path to the fourth field was blocked by a river. Not wide, but with steep banks and fast currents. There were two options: return to the car and make a long detour to the bridge, and then drive through the dirt roads to the opposite bank - or ford the river. We settled on the second one. It was not possible to find the sandbank, but we were lucky enough to find a place where the bottom was clearly visible. Then the comedy began. Having stripped naked, we entered the stream, immediately getting stuck in the silty bottom. Somehow, swearing like Marktan boats, maneuvering between the bushes of algae entwined around our legs, we moved to the opposite shore. If there were fishermen nearby and saw this picture, the shore would certainly be filled with thick laughter. The fishermen were replaced by local frogs, who made fun of us with wild croaking. Already approaching the shore, I plopped down into the sand. Knee-deep in mud, stuck water lilies and mud, we crawled out to the opposite bank. Having cleaned ourselves and crossed the ravine, we moved towards the village that beckoned us. Here it became clear that there was an error in the calculations; the tract was further behind the copse. We had to walk through a swampy field that still retained the morning moisture. The grass was above our knees, and soon we were completely wet again; in addition, with every step, a cloud of midges flew up from the ground, annoyingly circling above us.

The field ended, and we decided that the misadventures were behind us. But it was not there. The road was blocked by a stream, two meters wide, completely overgrown with duckweed. I didn't want to get into it. Having bent several willow bushes onto the bank, we built an impromptu bridge from it. Having crossed to the other bank, we entered the copse separating it from the field - and immediately found ourselves in the mosquito kingdom. These were not just mosquitoes, but wild blood-sucking giants. It feels like they intend to drink all our blood and bite into our flesh. There was no salvation, they easily bit through my pants, stung my neck, cheeks, and climbed onto all exposed parts of my body. They just enveloped us like a cloud. We increased our pace. The forest parted, and the treasured field appeared in front of us. I walked last and did not immediately understand why my two comrades stood rooted to the spot. Our imaginary “Klondike” was completely planted with young trees. Of course, it was impossible to walk here. We were silent. Like a sentence, it sounded in the silence - Acta est fabula!

This was the last straw. There was no longer any optimism. That's it, period, that's it.

Chapter II. The man won

Having reached the car, in deathly silence we left our equipment in the trunk and headed back. Having bought cold water and had a quick snack, little by little we moved away. I don’t remember exactly who first suggested stopping by the village with a welcoming name and checking out the last place, but such a decision was made.

The long-untilled field was plowed, which made walking along it very comfortable. We decided not to go far. And then something happened that contained something mystical, as if someone, observing our misadventures, decided to take pity. Although, perhaps it was just a coincidence, a coincidence, luck, fortune.

Taking a step away from the car, we, according to a tradition we heard somewhere, poured the earthly grandfather a glass of vodka and put in some candy.

And so it began! Literally a meter from this place, my device gave a clear signal. We frantically took up our shovels. From a depth of about half a bayonet, they lifted the first Catherine’s nickel, then the second, third, fourth... And all on a straight line, like an arrow, at a distance of 5-6 meters from each other, for 20 minutes. We didn’t even believe it right away.

- I found it yet! - my friend shouts to me.

- Two more! - the second comrade shouts to me

It became obvious that we had come across a plow. The items found were several two-kopeck coins and half coins, also from the Catherine period.

Half a day of climbing through the wilds, searching in the designated “fat” places - and nothing. And here, on the edge of the field, almost near the houses, such luck. To this day, I, a person who absolutely does not believe in mysticism, am puzzling over whether it was a coincidence or, indeed, some patrons of the diggers took pity on our torment. We did not dare to dig a pit, since there were residential buildings literally 100 meters away. Therefore, we had to be content with what we found, but these, at first glance, modest finds greatly cheered us up.

Epilogue

Of course, after that my comrades and I had more worthwhile finds, in material and aesthetic terms. However, it was this hike that we remember most. Remembering our adventures that evening, we all suddenly caught ourselves thinking that even if the journey ended in nothing - after snoring, puffing, internally getting rid of this failure, we would continue to engage in our favorite hobby. After all, it is precisely such adventures that make coping more intense, fill us with impressions and provide food for discussion.

Sent by Alexey V.

Comrades, to participate in the competition, send your stories from the cop with interesting photos by email: [email protected] What can you win in the 2016 season competition?? All details about the prizes

I’ll tell you my story about how I found an unusual treasure.

This happened in 2008. Summer. It was a successful working day, a day off for me (since I work shifts). Well, I’m wondering if I should go and look for what the people lost a couple of hundred years ago. And so it came true.

Armed with ICQ and a shovel. I arrived in an old village where I came across coins from Peter to Nicholas II. After walking around for a couple of hours without finding anything, not counting the plugs from the Cheburashka and the aluminum wire. A local Aboriginal woman comes up to me in the form of a granny who has lived and seen more than me, obviously. And says:
— What are you looking for there?..
“I’m looking for what was lost by people in ancient times,” I answered.
— I lost my husband 20 years ago... Will you find it?
“Granny, I’m looking for old coins, rings, buttons,” I answered, choking, but with a smile on my face.
- You can find the ring. We had a fight with my grandfather, he took his ring and threw it out into the garden. Then they searched for a long time and didn’t find it,” the granny said, squinting her eyes.
- Of course I’ll find it.
Let's go to her garden and her house. After walking for an hour and a half, I found coins, crosses, a 2nd degree maternity medal, but there was still no ring. Having lost interest, I began to move towards my grandmother’s house where she sat in the shade and stared at me, telling me that there was no ring. Already approaching grandma, ASYa gives a signal, well, I think it’s a coin again. The saffron milk cap dug up the ring (it was my first gold, even though it was someone else’s). With a smile on my face, I go up to grandma and give her the ring, coin and medal. I say:
— Everything found in your garden is yours.
She took the ring, her eyes watering. I don’t need anything, but the ring is dear to me, as a memory of my grandfather. Take the rest for yourself. Wait, hold on. Granny went to the house and 5 minutes later she returned with a bag of eggs. To Magarych for the find. So we said goodbye to her. With a feeling of accomplishment, I got ready to go home. The way back to the car lay through a small shallow ravine, which I always avoided. And right on the slope of the ravine the MD gives out a clear signal. To avoid breaking the eggs, he put them aside and dug. The bottom of the cast iron appeared. “Okay,” I thought. Well, I started digging. I still remember the feelings. My pulse doubled, my blood pressure went through the roof, my hands began to shake, and I immediately wanted to go to the toilet. Raking the miners with his hands like a mine, he gently and carefully removed a small, medium-sized cast iron that was lying upside down, that is, upside down. A little light. I turn it over carefully. Burlap inside. I get it. Definitely not coins. But something square. I carefully unfold it. And there is a BOOK. At that time I had a phone that couldn't take pictures. Only when I got home and dried it, I opened it and took a picture. So I came home with coins, a medal and eggs. Thanks grandma.

This book was transferred to the city local history museum. They said thank you. I visited grandma more than once and told her about the book. She explained that at the beginning of the 20th century, when the persecution of the church began, someone, in order not to part with this book, simply “buried” it in a ravine, in a cast iron pot. And I forgot or didn’t live long enough...

Sent by comrade Tikhon.

It happened to me to sit in the police station there. (c) Balaganov. Kop is a lottery in which anyone and everyone can win. You buy a ticket and then some luck... Well, almost luck, there is something else that influences your future life. For example, red stripes and phosphate. Are you following the red stripes?

Note. The photos have nothing to do with the bike. Just a recent photo report of a simple digger with gold finds. It is unlikely that such modest finds can change lives (but this is not certain).

This happened in 2000. I owned a small technology business. Really small, there were only 5 people working. But my customers were all over the world. And so it happened, I crossed the path of a large company. Really big. They paid $5,000 to put me out. At that time, a lot of money, if desired, could extinguish me forever. But everything turned out to be humane, I just found myself closed under investigation.

And here I am sitting in warm company, listening to the stories of the residents. I don’t know why, but one story about the market director stuck with me. The main thread of the story was that the market director drove a VAZ 09. Moreover, the 09 car was only externally, everything inside was from BMW. According to the narrator, this modification was more expensive than the original (BMW). And I kept thinking, what’s the point of investing that kind of money in a car if you can buy a real one? Another important detail of the bike was that the entire engine was phosphated with red stripes applied. In general, this was complete nonsense for me.

A week passed and I was released back into the sun. I didn’t become a different person, but I learned to look around and not believe the first person I meet. Several months passed, and I began to forget about this event. And suddenly... I come across an offer to sell a miracle car, the same one from the bike.

Why did I call and make an appointment? I don't know myself. Just the day before I dreamed about the camera again. Or maybe I just wanted to see live the legend that occupied my brain in difficult times.

And here I am standing in front of the 09 externally, and the BMW internally. That’s right, a phosphated engine with red stripes, a clean foreign car inside. The floor is also red - a very unusual sight, as if it was covered in blood...

The car was shown by a middle-aged blonde. And her eyes are sad as night. To my question, where is the owner? The answer made me shudder, He is no more.

And then a feeling led me. I ask, what else do you sell? Apartment, furniture, garage, house in the village. It was the latter that interested me. It turned out that there was a plot of horseradish in the middle of nowhere, with an old shack. It was supposed that a house would be built there, but for many years it remained untouched. The price of the plot is 300 dollars. Why did I buy it? To say that it’s just one feeling is not entirely true. Thoughts of a secretly sophisticated machine were spinning in my head. If a person did this to a car, then what is his secret spot?

This was my first real estate in my life. To be honest, I was proud of myself. Became a real landowner! A month passed, two, three... I once quarreled with my wife, and decided to go to my hacienda for 3 days. Live in a primitive state. The hut is made of clay, the only convenience is light, and not always. It is located on the edge of the farm. The village with a store is 2 kilometers away. The fence is only on the front and sides. Behind my hut there is a field with a cliff.

Before driving off, I started looking for a metal detector. In my naivety, I called my friends - no one had any. I called the stores and they didn’t sell them anywhere (at the beginning of the 2000s it was oh so difficult to buy a metal detector). As a result, I got a mine detector from a military friend for a week. For a bottle :)

I arrived at my property in the evening. I unloaded, grabbed a beer and went to look at the stars. The silence is hellish, even the dogs and roosters don’t bark. It was a little scary, I thought about the director of the market, my inability to develop a business, and a fight with my wife. I decided to sleep on the street. The fact is that there was a real Russian stove in the yard. Either it was originally built this way, or it was left over from another house, but right in the open-air courtyard. While I was sitting with the beer, she got so hot that she was lying on the stove in her shorts under a light blanket. And I didn’t know that tomorrow a different life awaited me...

As the Blogger says (with great respect for him) - WHAT do you know about the shmurdyak? But try digging with a mine detector and zero experience in digging. And I dug, and dug, and dug. I had something to dig for! In the first hour, at first one jar popped out, and by the evening I already had five of them. Along the way, I came across several old coins, but I didn’t even pick them up. I was only looking for banks!!!

17 years have passed since then. The plot has been sold. Before the sale, I did a lot of digging there, but no more cans were found - there was no second delivery. The business closed that same year; I didn’t need it anymore. I left with my wife and children. When asked by his wife where he came from, he said that he had successfully sold the business. The same competitors who ordered me before. My wife praised him and said that he was a really cool businessman. This is probably true.

Only later did I find out the whole story to the end. The market director was going to quit his business and retire to another country. A month before the director left his post, someone unloaded the entire Kalashnikov clip into him. Official version of death - heart attack.

P.S. Please note ➨ ➨ ➨ Bomb theme - . Take a look, you won't regret it.

↓↓↓ Now let’s move to the comments and find out the opinion of the experts. Scroll down the page ↓↓↓, there are reviews from diggers, MD specialists, additional information and clarifications from the blog authors ↓↓↓

Have you ever dreamed of going on an adventure and digging up a chest of gold? And we're not even talking about the treasures that movies are made about, or the fake maps that captured our imaginations as children. The conversation will be about very real riches hidden in ancient hiding places. From ancient artifacts that symbolized peace during times of war, to huge ships loaded with boxes of gold, silver, diamonds and other valuables, all these treasures are very real and actually existed. Many enthusiasts have gone looking for them and failed, and some have died in the process. Someone has even come very close to solving their location, and one person in the United States even discovered a treasure worth almost $500 million. Don't believe me? In this collection you will find the most true stories about fabulous adventures and hidden treasures!

25. Mosby's Treasure

In 1863, during the American Civil War, Confederate Army Colonel John Mosby and his guerrilla force, better known as Mosby's Raiders, captured General Stoughton and other Union soldiers. During all this time, Mosby's men looted gold, silver and other valuables totaling over $300,000. When the raiders were almost overtaken by Union forces, Colonel Mosby hid the stolen treasure somewhere between 2 pine trees. When the partisan leader sent several of his soldiers to return this treasure, they were captured, and for fear of getting caught, Mosby allegedly never tried to get to his hiding place again, so the ancient treasure may well still be waiting in the wings.

24. Butch Cassidy's Treasures

Photo: Users CDA / en.wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons

Cassidy and his famous Wild Bunch robbed banks and trains, and during their raids they collected almost $20,000 worth of valuables, which were rumored to be buried somewhere in the Irish Canyon area.

23. $63 million hidden somewhere in Bedford County


Photo: David Benbennick/Wikimedia Commons

As the story goes, in 1816, during his expedition, Thomas Beale and several of his comrades found simply fabulous wealth - silver and gold worth a total of 63 million dollars. The gold miners decided that after their death the treasure should go to their closest relatives, and Bale created three encrypted messages for this purpose. The first message contains an indication of the place where this treasure was buried. The second cryptogram tells what kind of valuables are there, and the third is a list of all Bale's comrades and their immediate relatives. Bale put all three messages in an iron box and handed it to the hotel owner Robert Morris with instructions to open it in 10 years if by then Bale had not returned for its contents. Presumably in this case, Morris should have received a letter with the key to deciphering the documents from the box, but this never happened, and the keeper of the cryptograms was able to solve only the second cipher out of all 3.

22. Treasures of San Miguel


Photo: Augie Garcia

In the 18th century, things went poorly for Spain, because it was then that after the death of the king the country was drawn into the War of the Spanish Succession. At the same time, the Spaniards equipped several ships, loaded them with gold, diamonds and pearls and sent them on their way to help solve the problem. During the voyage, a hurricane struck and the ships sank along with their valuable cargo. Some of these ships have been found, but other ships are still waiting for someone to find them...

21. Dillinger's Buried Treasure

Photo: FBI / Wikimedia Commons

John Dillinger was a famous bank robber of the early 20th century. After escaping from prison, the criminal buried about $200,000 somewhere in the woods of Wisconsin, and a little later he was shot.

20. Treasures of Forest Fenn

Photo: pintrest.com

The 87-year-old Vietnam War veteran and art dealer once admitted that he buried a chest of jewelry somewhere 1,600 kilometers from the Canadian border in the Santa Fe area. Thousands of people tried to find this treasure, but no one was able to do it. Even Fenn's wife doesn't know where exactly the treasure is buried. However, the man left a hint for the adventurers in the form of a 24-line poem, which he wrote specifically for those who are ready to risk everything for the sake of fabulous profit.

19. Money Pit, Oak


Photo: pintrest.com

The most interesting thing about this legend about Oak Island is that no one knows for sure whether real treasure was buried there or not. The unusual pit was discovered by Daniel McInnis, John Smith, Anthony Vaughn and his friends John Smith and Anthony Vaughn in the summer of 1795. The boys called this place the Money Pit simply because they believed in the existence of treasures. Many explorers and treasure hunters have tried to get to the very bottom of this mine, but no one has yet succeeded.

18. Treasure of the Mojave Desert


Photo: treasuretracer.com

According to legend, treasures from a sunken ship are hidden somewhere in the Salton Sea area. There is no real evidence to support this story, except that in 1870 the LA Star newspaper published a story about a man named Charlie Clusker who allegedly found this mysterious treasure. However, no more news about it or about the found wealth has appeared in the media, and therefore many dreamers believe that the treasure is still hidden somewhere in the sands of the Mojave.

17. LaFitte's Treasure

Photo: pintrest.com

Jean Lafitte and his brother Pierre were French pirates who robbed merchant ships. They robbed so many ships that some valuables had to be simply buried. After the death of Jean Lafitte, rumors arose about a cache in the area of ​​Lake Borgne near New Orleans, but this treasure has not yet been found.

16. Treasures of the galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha


Photo: pintrest.com

When the ship Nuestra Señora de Atocha was returning from America to Spain in 1622, it was wrecked due to severe weather. The galleon sank in the sea waters, and on board there was then a lot of gold, silver and other various jewelry. The famous treasure hunter Mel Fisher subsequently found most of these treasures, and in the 1980s, a total of $450 million in valuables was recovered from the bottom. However, don’t be upset, experts are sure that Fischer did not find everything.

15. Treasures of Captain Kidd

Photo: James Thornhill

There are many stories about Captain Kidd's cruelty to his crew. There are also rumors about a treasure he buried somewhere in the Florida region. Many believe that these are just more stories, but there are also those who believe that since Kidd tried to pay off the judges with a lot of money, he could well have hidden somewhere just a fabulous treasure of all the goods he had stolen. Kidd's hiding place was never found.

14. 2000-year-old menorah

Photo: pintrest.com

When the Romans invaded the Temple of Jerusalem, they also took away a very valuable menorah. No one really knows what happened to this sacred artifact, since about 100 years after the raid on Jerusalem, the Roman Temple of Peace burned and was destroyed, and yet most of the trophies from Israel were kept there.

13. Royal Jewels of King John Lackland

Photo: unknown Artist / Wikimedia Commons

It's hard to imagine how despised a king you would have to be to be given the nickname King John the Bad. After this ruler signed the Magna Carta, he even tried to leave the country, taking the royal jewels with him. During his flight, John the Landless became very ill and had to rush to the doctor, and on the way some of the stolen treasures were lost. They are said to have been buried somewhere in the middle of the English moors.

12. Diamond Florentine


Photo: Chris 73/Wikimedia Commons

Initially, the Florentine diamond belonged to the Medici family, but when the last representative of this family died, the treasure came into the possession of the royal Habsburg dynasty. The last time this light yellow diamond was seen was being transported to Switzerland after the fall of the Austrian Empire. Nowadays, no one knows where the legendary stone went, although there are several theories about this. One version says that the jewel was stolen by one of the descendants of the Habsburgs.

11. Dutchman's Forgotten Gold Mine


Photo: goodfreephotos.com

If you live in the southwestern United States, you've probably heard about the mythical gold mine that no one ever found. According to legend, German immigrant Jacob Waltz (The Dutchman) knew where a mine with countless reserves of gold was located. Waltz never revealed this secret to anyone, so many treasure hunters still believe that the treasure is still waiting in the wings. They say that the Dutchman drew a map, but no one has figured it out yet, and some adventurers even died trying to find this mine.

10. Imperial Seal

Photo: flickr.com

The Imperial Seal of China was carved from the famous He Shi Bi jade stone. The seal was made specifically by order of Emperor Qin Shi Huang back in 221 BC. At the beginning of the 10th century AD, the seal disappeared without a trace, and since then nothing has been heard about it. Many even began to doubt the very existence of this artifact. There is a legend that a long time ago one man tried to present the discovered stone to the 10th Chinese emperor. At the very least, he either believed in the authenticity of the find, or tried to convince the Chinese emperor of this, who eventually doubted the authenticity of the relic and ordered the man’s legs to be cut off.

9. Faberge eggs

Photo: flickr.com

Many have heard about the precious Faberge eggs and the ongoing hunt for these jewelry. Once upon a time, Russian kings gave them to their wives. Eggs began to be created by a skilled jeweler named Gustav Faberge, and in total he managed to make 50 of these beautiful eggs, each of which had its own unique theme and a special surprise inside. When the Bolsheviks seized power over the country and plundered the imperial palace during the 1917 revolution, several of these eggs went missing.

8. Dagobert's Scepter

Photo: Jerome BLUM

The scepter of the French king Dagobert was originally part of the royal jewels of France until it was stolen from the Basilica of St Denis in the 18th century. Since then, no one has heard anything more about him...

7. Confederate Gold


Photo: istara

At the end of the American Civil War, Southern President Jefferson Davis, out of fear of being captured, allegedly left the South with large reserves of gold, accompanied by his personal troops. When Union soldiers finally caught up with him, very few valuables were found on the fugitive, and not a trace remained of the fabulous riches. Many feature films have already been made about the missing treasury of the Confederacy, but it itself has never been found.

6. Catskill Treasures Hid There by Dutchman Schultz


Photo: pintrest.com

Dutch Schultz was a famous American bandit of Jewish origin in the early 20th century. Throughout his criminal career, he committed many robberies and murders. With the FBI almost on his heels, Schultz ordered his accomplice to hide all of his multimillion-dollar savings somewhere in the Catskill Mountains. They say that Schultz's accomplice died without revealing the secret of the location of the treasure.

5. Golden Owl


Photo: reddit.com

The French have been searching for this treasure for the last 25 years. The Golden Owl was hidden by a writer who preferred to use the pseudonym Max Valentin. A lover of puzzles, this schemer left behind several clues as to where his treasure was located. Valentine himself has long since died, but no one has yet found his legendary golden owl. Before his death, the writer admitted that someone had already come very close to solving the mystery, but the owl was still waiting in the wings.

4. Amber room


Photo: jeanyfan, Bernsteinzimmer06 / Wikimedia Commons

Once upon a time, the amber room was a symbol of peace, because it was presented to Peter the Great in honor of the truce between Russia and Prussia. Unfortunately, in 1941, German troops reached this legendary art, and the “room” was taken to an unknown location. However, they say that some fragments of the amber panels were dismantled even before the events of World War II.

3. Ship Flor Do Mar

Photo: Francisco Rodrigues/Wikimedia Commons

The sailing ship Flor Do Mar was a huge Portuguese ship that was not particularly reliable for long-distance voyages, but due to its impressive size it was still considered the pride of the country. During the next expedition, a ship with a large cargo on board crashed and sank somewhere in the waters of the Indian Ocean. Probably, a whole fortune is still resting at the bottom, because he was just transporting gold and other valuables captured during another military operation.

2. Treasures of the Templar Order


Photo: pintrest.com

In 1119 AD, a small group of crusaders founded a religious military order called the Knights Templar. During their participation in the Crusades, these knights took a lot of treasures from the Holy Land. When the Pope called the order heretical, some of its members were arrested and others fled with all the wealth they could carry with them. Presumably the fugitives headed to Scotland, where they were sheltered by their allies and sympathetic believers. There are rumors that some of the Templars' treasures are still buried somewhere in the northern lands.

1. Lost Treasure of the Alamo


Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Battle of the Alamo broke out during the Texas Revolution in Mexico. The battle took place between the army of the Mexican President Santa Ana and 188 soldiers of the Texas garrison, one of whom was a certain Davey Crockett. As a result, he even ended up in the lyrics of a popular song about this significant battle. However, not everyone knows that the siege of the Alamo mission is also associated with stories about treasures hidden in its area, which no one has yet discovered.

Hello everyone. I will tell you about how I became a treasure hunter, how this hobby changed my life.

PART 1. HOW IT ALL BEGAN.

It all started in early February 2011. At that time I was 14 years old, I was in 8th grade. My dad came home from work one day and brought a scanned article from a newspaper. It was called: “To the Canaries for a ruble.” It talked about what coins are valued and also about the then sensational action of SKB Bank, which was then buying up rubles from 2003. Well, that means I became interested and I checked all the coins that I had collected (the fact is that at the age of 11-12 I became interested in collecting coins, especially modern kopecks, and in six months I collected a considerable number of such coins). But, unfortunately, I didn't find anything like that.

That's how I became interested in numismatics. I began to sit more often on numismatic sites and review all the little things that fell into my hands. I didn’t come across anything, but I didn’t despair - I hoped for luck.

So 1.5 months passed. I learned many types of coins (denomination, when they were minted, how much they cost, etc.) and began to more or less orient myself in this. And then a special day came - March 13 of the same year (2011). It was Sunday. As usual, I was on numismatic sites - studying the coins of the USSR. And I accidentally came across some page on the Internet, and it said: “2 kopecks from 1925 were found” and a video. I looked it up. There, one man found 2 kopecks from 1925 using a metal detector. I especially remember a fragment from the description of the video: “... my friend was so happy about such a find that he was already dancing on the spot.” After watching this video, I decided: “I need to buy MD. Rare coins can be found in the ground.” I had the most serious intentions of buying a metal detector.

PART 2. ATTEMPT TO REALIZE MY DREAM.

April 2011. I started looking for information about search devices, more precisely, ground MDs, on the Rhodonite website. I looked at a lot of devices. I decided that I needed to take an inexpensive device, since I had no experience working with metal detectors yet. I have my eye on a Garrett Ace 150 that costs about 8300 wood. But since it was quite problematic to buy the device (it was difficult to get money - after all, not long before, my parents bought a new Hyundai Sonata on credit), I started saving. But hoarding didn’t go well - my parents asked for money before payday - I couldn’t refuse. I began to hope that the long-awaited ACE 150 would be given to me for my birthday. But that was not the case - for my birthday my parents gave me a bicycle - a Stels 750 (by the way, which I now ride on when digging). But I was not upset - I wanted to have a means of transportation. And I got it.

The transport problem was solved. But with the device - no. As it became impossible to satisfy his appetite, he began to decline. I started looking for cheaper devices. I liked another device - Bounty Hunter Junior for about 3,300 rubles. But it wasn’t easy to save up for that. But I tried to save up.

The beginning of September 2011 is also a special time. Why - now you will understand. I was sitting at the computer one day - on the Internet on the website of an auction - I wanted to find out what devices are currently on sale. And then I saw one ad. A metal detector for more than 500 rubles (including delivery, of course). This was enough for me and I decided to buy it. I understood that I was taking an outdated device - but I really wanted to try my hand at instrumental search! And I made a bet. A few days later I won the auction (for 800 rubles), and two weeks later it was already at my house - it arrived by mail. Here he is:

It was a Wintech (Chinese) MD. I will briefly describe it: the device is quite simple, both in learning and in design, according to the principle of operation - a pinpointer. Advantages: super-compact, easy to learn, and, most importantly, a small six-inch coil))). Disadvantages: outdated circuit, small detection depth (the USSR device took 5 kopecks at 5-6 cm), lack of a discriminator. But for a device of this cost, this is not such a small depth. At such a depth, only a Garret Pro Pointer for 6 pieces will detect 5 kopecks. But this was not enough for me.

And finally I tried my hand at searching. At the beginning of October I went on a nature trip with my family. I had a good rest and at the same time tested my device. I found 2 large pieces of ferrous metal (left there, not of my own free will), several beer caps and 4 coins (3 of them I found with my eyes). The fourth was found by the device. These were 3 kopecks from 1972, extracted from a depth of 1.5 (!) centimeters. Great joy from the first such find! Well, I finally tried my hand at treasure hunting! And I realized that this is my hobby, probably for the rest of my life.

Then there were more digging trips - in all cases I found coins, albeit with my eyes. Around the same time, the most significant find found by this device came across the beach - a large brass cartridge case (without gunpowder). Its approximate dimensions: length approx. 20 cm, diameter approx. 5 cm. Probably from a gun. But I didn’t get anything for it - I had to throw it away (again, not of my own free will) while cleaning the yard.

Winter came. It was simply impossible to search - the device began to lose sensitivity at low temperatures (starting from +10..+15). I started dreaming about a new metal detector again. Now I was no longer looking at the ACE 150. I was looking at devices that are an order of magnitude higher. I liked the ACE 250. I tried to save up for it. But again it didn’t work out. After the New Year 2012, I began to be torn between several models of MDs that I liked: Garrett GTA X-550, ACE 250. Then I paid attention to Minelab’s X-Terra 305. But I was not satisfied with its high price. But in February I changed my mind and decided to take the grater-305. It was at this time that things started to get better for me with hoarding. And long months of dreams began...

3.5 months have passed. And here it is - the long-awaited summer of 2012! June 8 is also a special day. On this day, I went with my family to the seaside to celebrate two events - the physics exam I successfully passed that day and my 16th birthday tomorrow. That day I tried my hand at beach searching for the first time. During an hour of searching on a small piece of land, 7 modern coins were recovered - two 2-ruble coins, one 50-kopeck, two 10-kopeck, one 5-kopeck and another kopeck. I have never come across so many coins on a mine before. I considered myself lucky then. And before purchasing a new MD (and there were less than 2 months left before the purchase), I was only doing a beach search. During all my searches on the beaches with Wintech, I dug up about 20 coins.

PART 3. THE LONG-WAITING REALIZATION OF MY DREAM.

End of July 2012. Finally, I got enough money for a new device. And on July 28, I went to a guy I knew to buy a device - more precisely, an X-Terra 305. But that was not the case. It turned out that someone had already bought the last 305 grater. There were two devices on the counter - the first one was an X-Terra 705. But I simply didn’t have enough for it (((. The second device turned out to be an underwater Excalibur. But I didn’t look at it - it was very expensive. And the next day I had to go to Slavyansk -in Kuban. There, at a local hunting store, I had to choose from six devices: Garrett ACE 150, 250, 350; Fisher F2, F4, F5, because they did not have settings. ground balance, because I believe that adjusting ground balance is a very important function. And my choice fell on Fisher F4. I bought it during the day and tested it on the beach in the evening. Although I dug on it for only half an hour, I found a lot of finds - several coins (among them I even came across a rare ruble from 1999).

The next day turned out to be a good cop, when the whole family went swimming in the Black Sea. It was then that I tested the proverb “Beginners’ luck” for myself. I found about 40 coins, even rusty iron ones - after all, I was learning how to work with a new device. Among the coins I came across a 1998 ruble with the MMD sign at half-mast - a rather rare specimen; I also found a thin silver cross.

So I dug on the beaches until the end of September. During this time, I picked up more than 200 (!) coins from the sand.

But I didn’t limit myself to just beach searches. I also searched in the forests and along the banks of rivers (when autumn came). At the end of September, the first significant discovery was made - the badge "For Wounding", 1939.

This is how the first three months of trouble-free ownership of the device passed. Then some problems started. The device did not want to work in the cold. At the beginning of November, I went to the nearest beach to dig. And the temperature on the beach was, in my opinion, below zero and the wind was blowing. I couldn’t even get off the ground - the device rattled in every way. I had to leave immediately. This is the first unsuccessful cop. I then thought that the batteries were of poor quality back then. It turned out that the device cannot operate at such low temperatures. True, there were still warmings in the city, but not for long. Already at the end of November the 2012 season had to be closed.

PART 4. SEASON 2013.

I opened the new season in mid-February after a sharp warming in the city. I began to develop land near my home. But the beginning of the season until April was intermittent, because the weather changed - it got warmer, sometimes it got colder. In April, stable warmth finally set in. But the search had to be stopped for some time - a new problem arose. Now not with the device itself, but with batteries. Low-quality batteries appeared in the hardware store and we had to wait for the moment when others appeared. Normal batteries appeared only in mid-May. That’s why I didn’t come across a single outstanding find in the spring.

But the summer of 2013 was remembered for one outstanding find - at the end of June I found a treasure of 122 copper-nickel 15-kopeck coins from the times of the USSR. This was the first time I had found such a find. It’s a bit of a pity that we didn’t come across rare coins. But this is my first TREASURE!

CONCLUSION. WHAT DOES TRADE HUNTING MEAN TO ME?

Previously (before acquiring the first MD) I thought that treasure hunting was done for profit. Now I think differently. Treasure hunting for me is not only a way to make money (for me this is not in the first place). Treasure hunting for me is, first of all, a way to have a good rest, relieve stress, take a break from the hustle and bustle, and travel through time, finding different finds. Treasure hunting is a good hobby that, in my opinion, has only advantages. But everything that exists in the world has its drawbacks. And this hobby, in my opinion, has one drawback - they want to ban it because of the “black” diggers, who are now considered everyone who has MD, even “white” and “colored” diggers. But I'm not a "black" digger. I NEVER dig at archaeological sites, in cemeteries, I NEVER rob mounds - this is simply not my credo. And I want to wish all search engines that our hobby - treasure hunting - will never be cancelled.

This is where I will have to end my story.

P.S. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE IN THE 2013 SEASON!!!