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Why do detectorists waste great stories?

pocketspill

Elite Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2011
Messages
866
Don't get me wrong - posting stories on "our own" forums is great. But in some ways its preaching to the choir, right?

In my opinion.... There should not be one recovery "feel good" story on this and other forums that doesn't also have an associated story in a local community newspaper.

For every story that gets published, there are 100 that go unknown. In the meantime, restrictions keep mounting based on faulty perceptions and bad apples. Why do we let this happen?

Just email your community newspaper with the idea. Many will POUNCE on it because they are evergreen (e.g. they can be used when news is slow.)

ps: I've responded further down the thread to the concerns. Mainly that detectorist stories should focus on the emotional recovery of heirlooms, not coins and cache hunts.
 
Maybe I am missing the point of your post. My question is why would I want to show my finds in a local newspaper and then have every get rich quick minded person run out and buy a detector thinking they are going to get rich. And in the process tear up who knows what causing more negative PR for us.

Sorry if I am reading your post wrong.
G2M
 
I agree with Greek. Not only that but then crooks that see it in the paper will break into your house to try to get at the stuff you have found. It's kind of a catch 22 Pocketspill.
 
I can see your point of view (though the break-in worry seems a tad unlikely) But do you agree the hobby needs positive PR? Or do you think silent running is a better idea?

And I'm not suggesting that we go and brag about our coins - rather things like class rings, wedding bands, and other prized heirlooms.
 
I can see your point of view (though the break-in worry seems a tad unlikely) But do you agree the hobby needs positive PR? Or do you think silent running is a better idea?

And I'm not suggesting that we go and brag about our coins - rather things like class rings, wedding bands, and other prized heirlooms.

Where I live the break-in part is not far fetched. Feel-good stories like finding heirlooms or class rings are done all the time in the news. Maybe you want it more local where you live. It's not a bad idea as long as there isn't too much information on the place you found it or metal detecting in general. You could just say something like "I was out swinging my metal detector at a local beach when I found this class ring. After some research on ... Facebook, local school yearbooks, the library I was able to reunite the owner with their ring."
 
Where I live the break-in part is not far fetched. Feel-good stories like finding heirlooms or class rings are done all the time in the news. Maybe you want it more local where you live. It's not a bad idea as long as there isn't too much information on the place you found it or metal detecting in general. You could just say something like "I was out swinging my metal detector at a local beach when I found this class ring. After some research on ... Facebook, local school yearbooks, the library I was able to reunite the owner with their ring."

All good points.
 
Public opinion

I asked a park ranger at ionia co. state park in Mi. for permission to MD last summer and this is what he said. I can't stop you from hunting the beach because its a man made lake and not historical. If we let you hunt the old home sites today there would be groups of you guys in here tomorrow digging big holes all over the place.He even looked discusted that i asked. Now i think what we really need is a human interest story on how the forums and mder clubs have become responsible to the point that every meeting, every publication and most conversations start or end with be curtious,remove the trash you dig and leave no unsitly holes behind. This is what the public needs to here insted of what treasures await them if they join us. Just one MDers opinion. Thanks for reading it.:grin:
 
I asked a park ranger at ionia co. state park in Mi. for permission to MD last summer and this is what he said. I can't stop you from hunting the beach because its a man made lake and not historical. If we let you hunt the old home sites today there would be groups of you guys in here tomorrow digging big holes all over the place.He even looked discusted that i asked. Now i think what we really need is a human interest story on how the forums and mder clubs have become responsible to the point that every meeting, every publication and most conversations start or end with be curtious,remove the trash you dig and leave no unsitly holes behind. This is what the public needs to here insted of what treasures await them if they join us. Just one MDers opinion. Thanks for reading it.:grin:


I concur. Not to mention the unglorified side of the hobby - detecting for days and not finding anything but trash that we will carry out of the area and clean up.
 
If we go around telling folks we do nice things and return stuff... then we will lose our Pirate identity that strikes fear in to onlookers! haha! :pirates::pirate2::pirate:
 
I don't know... I can see the good intent, but there is too much room for things to go wrong. Treasure hunting is sort of a romantic dream, news stories would sparked that interest, and confirming that there are valuables out there to be found might be the motivation some need to get start on the adventure. The way our economy is, I don't think that is going to be good for the hobby. Too many people focused on getting rich, to bother with ethics, or just have fun. People make good money recycling scrap metal, some go out and steal air conditioners, lamp posts, copper wire out of construction sites. Turned a decent side job, that really cleaned up a lot of trash and clutter, into something dirty and questionable.

Newspapers seldom print a story in it's entirety (make it fit), and tend to sensationalize it, pump-up the interest value. You might not give the much detail, but nothing stopping them from doing a little follow up research. Doubt they would care to publish how many hours, and how many pulltabs you've collect, before making that great find. Doubt they'd be interested in tell how to properly cut a plug, or fill a hole, asking permission... They keep to the key facts, that make it an interesting story, short and sweet.

The value of a single ring, or the reward offered for it's return, would likely be more than the cost of a Walmart special, metal detector, most folks already own a shovel. Also a little intrusive, people will know that the person you returned the item to, has at least one item of value, likely more. They also know you have some valuable equipment, which would sort mean you probably have other things of interest as well. I wouldn't worry for myself, got a big dog, and security cameras, pretty good deterrents, but most people don't have either. Lot of desperate people these days.
 
strange I had the exact same response yesterday to request to hunt an old location. "if others see you detecting they'll think it's okay to just come and hunt".... is there logic in that? if they do not ask permission then they are trespassing and you simply tell them to leave or call the cops.

Why must I, as a responsible detectorist asking permission, pay the price for what irresponsible people MIGHT do later?
 
strange I had the exact same response yesterday to request to hunt an old location. "if others see you detecting they'll think it's okay to just come and hunt".... is there logic in that? if they do not ask permission then they are trespassing and you simply tell them to leave or call the cops.

Why must I, as a responsible detectorist asking permission, pay the price for what irresponsible people MIGHT do later?

YOU and I, as responsible dectorists, pay the price the same as ethnicities that are stereotyped by someone. It just is what it is. The only way to remove that stereotype is education. Again, here we are at a conundrum.
 
They don't waste great stories, they share them. It's the every day stories that they keep to themselves.

Only way I would contact the newspaper and draw attention to myself is if I found something historically significant.

Finding a honker of a ring isn't something that I would run out and tell. I paid for my equipment, spent time researching and then time searching for items...so I can have them.

Scream morals all you want, but I didn't buy a detector to turn around and give everything I find back.:cool:

If asked to help find an item I would do it forr free, otherwise the stories of my finds would be limited to friends or family :)
 
YOU and I, as responsible dectorists, pay the price the same as ethnicities that are stereotyped by someone. It just is what it is. The only way to remove that stereotype is education. Again, here we are at a conundrum.

Why are you using "big words" on me:roll: "education" "conundrum" "ethnicities" "responsible"... DAMN!!! I agree to keep it LOW ON THE RADAR!!! There are too many people that THINK they know what they're buying and NOT care about the responsibilities and/or know how that come with it. I full on admit that I'm NO expert in MD'ing... YET, but I do know to cover my holes and think about others around me and caring about the land I'm on. Off subject, but somewhat relates, I was buying a torque wrench and the guy at the counter (before actually selling it to me) was explaining how it works and I told him, "dude, I know how to use one of these..." and showed him my jacket that I was wearing that had a tire shop/company name on it and told him I worked there for 14yrs and he just laughed and said, "sorry man, just have to take care of the 'lowest common denominator'... you know... I had a guy in here telling me that the torque wrench was cra_ and didn't work and I had to explain to him that it does THIS..." and I agreed with him after he told me that story. Anyways, hope the point is taken... HH \_
 
They don't waste great stories, they share them. It's the every day stories that they keep to themselves.

Only way I would contact the newspaper and draw attention to myself is if I found something historically significant.

Finding a honker of a ring isn't something that I would run out and tell. I paid for my equipment, spent time researching and then time searching for items...so I can have them.

Scream morals all you want, but I didn't buy a detector to turn around and give everything I find back.:cool:

If asked to help find an item I would do it forr free, otherwise the stories of my finds would be limited to friends or family :)



Pretty much how I see it.
 
If we go around telling folks we do nice things and return stuff... then we will lose our Pirate identity that strikes fear in to onlookers! haha! :pirates::pirate2::pirate:

Wow, I never even thought of this. Arrrggghh Matee.

Hey, I kind of like that whole Indiana Jones persona. He'd never tell a newspaper. Hmmmm. gotta think about that one.
 
I don't think it's a security risk then again I live in Minnesota.
The PR value far outweighs any perceived influence it may have on people that might buy a metal detector. For that matter they are making a TV show out of it, it couldn't get any worse.
We have nowhere to go but up when it comes to good press exposure.

If I were interviewed by a journalist about metal detecting I would just make the point that finding things like gold is very uncommon, and always in very small pieces and that MDing never pays for itself except in the sense of satisfaction when something of sentimental value can be returned to it's owner. Which seems to be true everywhere except tourist beaches.

We need the general public on our side.
 
I don't WANT my finds in the paper. I don't even want my picture in the paper. That's the very reason I avoid one park in particular. The paper photog likes to hang out there.

Stories of the guy returning the class ring are nice, but if EVERY story of a ring being returned were printed then it would be expected that we turn over everything we find. It would also lose it's "specialness" if it was always printed.
 
I really don't think the local paper, or any media, is going to accurately depict what we do. They are only going to focus on the parts that would be of the greatest interest. It wouldn't be a documentary, it would cut and trimmed, to fit in the space available. A human interest bit, would mostly focus on what was found, and the emotional reunion. Really don't see how pointing how rare the occurrence is, or how many hours, holes, and pulltab finds were put in, before stumbling across a personal item, that could be returned. And of course, we would want to avoid statements about 'usually' keeping such items, and just feeling generous that day...
 
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