Favorite Finds - International
JUNE 2015 HAS THREE WINNERS!!!
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WINNER #1
My first favorite international find for June 2015 is the Antoninus Pius Silver Denarius Roman Coin, discovered by Keith W. from the U.K. with his AT Pro International detector.
Keith tells us, “After many years providing for the family I decided in my retirement to return to my favourite hobby, metal detecting, or as I like to call it ‘Fertling’. My previous metal detector was the Garrett GTAx and after having it for many years I decided to upgrade to the excellent AT Pro International. I'm glad I did for after gaining permission to detect on an eight acre site the roman coins started to come along. To date I have located around fifteen bronze roman coins and just last week nailed my first ever roman silver coin. A beautiful example of an Antoninus Pius silver denarius from around 138 AD. All down to the Garrett AT Pro. Best detector I've had, cheers lads.”
Great find, Keith. Enjoy your new Pro-Pointer AT!
Keith W. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
Keith tells us, “After many years providing for the family I decided in my retirement to return to my favourite hobby, metal detecting, or as I like to call it ‘Fertling’. My previous metal detector was the Garrett GTAx and after having it for many years I decided to upgrade to the excellent AT Pro International. I'm glad I did for after gaining permission to detect on an eight acre site the roman coins started to come along. To date I have located around fifteen bronze roman coins and just last week nailed my first ever roman silver coin. A beautiful example of an Antoninus Pius silver denarius from around 138 AD. All down to the Garrett AT Pro. Best detector I've had, cheers lads.”
Great find, Keith. Enjoy your new Pro-Pointer AT!
Keith W. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
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WINNER #2
My second favorite international find for June 2015 is the Jesuit Ring Doubleheader, discovered by Duane R. from Ontario, Canada, with his AT Pro.
Duane explains, “While detecting a brand new spot with my AT Pro I came up with not one but two Jesuit rings. They were found about 3’ apart from each other and only a few inches deep. These are the 4th & 5th Jesuit rings I’ve found with my Garrett AT Pro, but I’ve never found a doubleheader. The rings date from the mid to late 1600’s when the Jesuits were in Northern Ontario trying to convert the Objibway Indians to their religion.”
Great pair, and great history. Enjoy your new Pro-Pointer AT!
Duane R. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
Duane explains, “While detecting a brand new spot with my AT Pro I came up with not one but two Jesuit rings. They were found about 3’ apart from each other and only a few inches deep. These are the 4th & 5th Jesuit rings I’ve found with my Garrett AT Pro, but I’ve never found a doubleheader. The rings date from the mid to late 1600’s when the Jesuits were in Northern Ontario trying to convert the Objibway Indians to their religion.”
Great pair, and great history. Enjoy your new Pro-Pointer AT!
Duane R. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
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WINNER #3
My third favorite international find for June 2015 is the Hoard of 613 Romanian Middle-aged coins, discovered by Codoban A. from Romania with his AT Pro International.
Codoban states, "I’m very happy to present what I think it is my most important discovery so far: 613 Romanian middle aged coins from 13th-14th century. The coins were handed over to the Romanian History Museum and were discovered with a Garrett AT Pro International detector. They are dating from Mircea the eldest reign. That day I decided to explore together with another 2 friends a forest we wanted to visit for a long time and it seems it was a very good choice. My friends helped me uncover the coins carefully because they weigh only 0.3 grams each. Thank you Garrett once more for allowing me to discover history with my own hands."
Codoban WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
Codoban states, "I’m very happy to present what I think it is my most important discovery so far: 613 Romanian middle aged coins from 13th-14th century. The coins were handed over to the Romanian History Museum and were discovered with a Garrett AT Pro International detector. They are dating from Mircea the eldest reign. That day I decided to explore together with another 2 friends a forest we wanted to visit for a long time and it seems it was a very good choice. My friends helped me uncover the coins carefully because they weigh only 0.3 grams each. Thank you Garrett once more for allowing me to discover history with my own hands."
Codoban WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
MAY 2015 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My International Favorite Find for May 2015 is the collection of Four Golden Roubles, discovered by Yurii K. and a friend with the GTI 2500. Yurii is from Ukraine where he discovered these coins, and now lives in Alberta, Canada.
Here is his story, edited. "I started my way in metal detection from 1999 in Ukraine. Every day I looked for ancient settlements and I found bronze crosses and icons, copper and silver coins. I dreamed about golden coins. One day my schoolmate dug the foundation of a garage and he found a silver coin. He called me and I was ready to go to him in five minutes! I looked with my Garrett GTI 2500 and after one hour I found my first golden coin: 5 Roubles, 1900. I was so happy. If you find a golden coin in your life you can understand my joy. Next day I continued and I found another golden coin: 10 Roubles, 1899. The coin was 8.6 gramms of gold. I could not believe my eyes! All of the time I used Garrett, however my friend decided to use a plastic box for fruit. He shaked the ground and found a couple of silver coins also. I checked every centimetre of the place. In conclusion we shoveled about 3 tons of ground, spent 4 days of our time and we detected 4 golden coins and 18 silver coins! It was my first small treasure. It was awesome."
Eureka Yurii! Great job staying with it for four days! Treasure hunting is about desire, persistence, and good equipment. You have it all.
Yurii K. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
Here is his story, edited. "I started my way in metal detection from 1999 in Ukraine. Every day I looked for ancient settlements and I found bronze crosses and icons, copper and silver coins. I dreamed about golden coins. One day my schoolmate dug the foundation of a garage and he found a silver coin. He called me and I was ready to go to him in five minutes! I looked with my Garrett GTI 2500 and after one hour I found my first golden coin: 5 Roubles, 1900. I was so happy. If you find a golden coin in your life you can understand my joy. Next day I continued and I found another golden coin: 10 Roubles, 1899. The coin was 8.6 gramms of gold. I could not believe my eyes! All of the time I used Garrett, however my friend decided to use a plastic box for fruit. He shaked the ground and found a couple of silver coins also. I checked every centimetre of the place. In conclusion we shoveled about 3 tons of ground, spent 4 days of our time and we detected 4 golden coins and 18 silver coins! It was my first small treasure. It was awesome."
Eureka Yurii! Great job staying with it for four days! Treasure hunting is about desire, persistence, and good equipment. You have it all.
Yurii K. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
APRIL 2015 HAS TWO WINNERS
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WINNER #1
My first favorite find is the 16th Century Medieval Hoard, discovered by Rafael T. from Austria using his Garrett AT Pro International and Pro-Pointer.
Rafael states, "Dear All, I would like to share with you a cool experience I had. My last hunt weekend in Europe was very “coinfull!” Hunting over 2 fields we got permission, I found 14 Medieval Silver Coins. 8 Beautiful Coins were in the same hole and the others not so far. I believe it was a Medieval Hoard scattered by years of plowing. The coins are dated from the 16th Century and are in a very good “Silver” condition. I’m very happy with the things we found using Garrett products! R.I.P Charles L. Garrett - The world and the treasure hunting sport will never be the same without our Biggest Master!"
Rafael T. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
Rafael states, "Dear All, I would like to share with you a cool experience I had. My last hunt weekend in Europe was very “coinfull!” Hunting over 2 fields we got permission, I found 14 Medieval Silver Coins. 8 Beautiful Coins were in the same hole and the others not so far. I believe it was a Medieval Hoard scattered by years of plowing. The coins are dated from the 16th Century and are in a very good “Silver” condition. I’m very happy with the things we found using Garrett products! R.I.P Charles L. Garrett - The world and the treasure hunting sport will never be the same without our Biggest Master!"
Rafael T. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
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WINNER #2
My second favorite find is the Slovenian Dagger, found by Tomaz P. from Slovenia with his Garrett EuroAce.
Tomaz states, "It was a beautiful April afternoon, so I decided to go for a walk with my EuroAce. I chose a location between ww2 battle and old middle age castle. Many metal detectors were there before me, so i didn't expected much. In my first two holes were bottle cap and chewing gum foil. Then i catch a signal between foil and iron. I said, "Ah it's trash again", but what I saw when I dug it out made me very happy. It was an old, 35 centimeters long dagger with very beautiful details on the handle, and preserved wood! I can't say how old is it, and who held it before me. Was it a middle age knight, a ww2 soldier, or someone else? Maybe you can help me determine its age?"
That's a unique dagger. It appears to be hand-made, and looks like an iron blade. Perhaps someone can assist with its age and identification.
Tomaz WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
Tomaz states, "It was a beautiful April afternoon, so I decided to go for a walk with my EuroAce. I chose a location between ww2 battle and old middle age castle. Many metal detectors were there before me, so i didn't expected much. In my first two holes were bottle cap and chewing gum foil. Then i catch a signal between foil and iron. I said, "Ah it's trash again", but what I saw when I dug it out made me very happy. It was an old, 35 centimeters long dagger with very beautiful details on the handle, and preserved wood! I can't say how old is it, and who held it before me. Was it a middle age knight, a ww2 soldier, or someone else? Maybe you can help me determine its age?"
That's a unique dagger. It appears to be hand-made, and looks like an iron blade. Perhaps someone can assist with its age and identification.
Tomaz WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
MARCH 2015 HAS TWO WINNERS!!!
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WINNER #1
My first favorite is the Pseudo-Imperial Tremissis Gold Coin, discovered by Mark V. from the Netherlands.
Mark shares his story. “This is my third year of metal detecting, the first two years I’ve used a Garrett Ace 250, and last year I used the Garrett AT Pro. And with this detector I found lots of great stuff, such as medieval coins and brooches (fibula’s). But now I have found near my home town Harlingen in the Netherlands a very tiny beautiful golden coin. The coin Weight is 1.45 gram and the diameter is 14 millimeters. The coin is called an Pseudo-Imperial Tremissis and it is probably one of the first coins that was struck here in the northern part of Holland. Around the year 550 A.D. The coin is unique, this is the only one of this type that there is. The gold percentage is 88%. That is very high for coins from this period. Next month the coin will be displayed in the museum of my home town Harlingen! Maybe a once in a lifetime find! Thanks!”
Thank you Mark. What a beautiful coin with remarkable detail!
Mark V. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
Mark shares his story. “This is my third year of metal detecting, the first two years I’ve used a Garrett Ace 250, and last year I used the Garrett AT Pro. And with this detector I found lots of great stuff, such as medieval coins and brooches (fibula’s). But now I have found near my home town Harlingen in the Netherlands a very tiny beautiful golden coin. The coin Weight is 1.45 gram and the diameter is 14 millimeters. The coin is called an Pseudo-Imperial Tremissis and it is probably one of the first coins that was struck here in the northern part of Holland. Around the year 550 A.D. The coin is unique, this is the only one of this type that there is. The gold percentage is 88%. That is very high for coins from this period. Next month the coin will be displayed in the museum of my home town Harlingen! Maybe a once in a lifetime find! Thanks!”
Thank you Mark. What a beautiful coin with remarkable detail!
Mark V. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
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WINNER #2
My second favorite is the Belgian Order of the Crown Grand Officer Breast Star, discovered by Adam Z. from Poland with his AT Pro. This medal was awarded for services to King Leopold II, 1900.
Thank you Adam. What a striking find with a unique history.
Adam Z. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
Thank you Adam. What a striking find with a unique history.
Adam Z. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
FEBRUARY 2015 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My favorite international find for February 2015 is the Gold Celtic Quarter Stater, discovered by Chris B. from Fareham, England.
Chris gives us his story. “I have just started metal detecting, approx. 6 months now, with my trusty Ace 250. I have gained a small permission in Hampshire, England. I have found quite a few old coins and interesting items, but on my last outing I found a very rare Celtic gold quarter stater! Only 13 recorded examples, 14 now he he. The coin dates to 50 BC and comes from a tribe called the Atrebates. They ruled southern England with a king named Commios, who was a friend of Ceasar. Thank you so much for opening me up to England’s wonderful history. Happy Hunting Everyone."
Way to go Chris! Lovely gold.
Chris B. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
Chris gives us his story. “I have just started metal detecting, approx. 6 months now, with my trusty Ace 250. I have gained a small permission in Hampshire, England. I have found quite a few old coins and interesting items, but on my last outing I found a very rare Celtic gold quarter stater! Only 13 recorded examples, 14 now he he. The coin dates to 50 BC and comes from a tribe called the Atrebates. They ruled southern England with a king named Commios, who was a friend of Ceasar. Thank you so much for opening me up to England’s wonderful history. Happy Hunting Everyone."
Way to go Chris! Lovely gold.
Chris B. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
JANUARY 2015 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My favorite international find for January 2015 is the 101 Gold Rings discovered by Dale M. from Auckland, New Zealand, with his Garrett ATX.
Dale says, "I wanted to let you know of the success I have had detecting with my Garrett ATX during 2014. My aim at the beginning of 2014 was to relax a little more, take some time out from work after hours and enjoy a new, active hobby! Then I became addicted!"
Dale describes his finds. "In total from January 1st, 2014 through January 1st, 2015, I found 101 gold rings (ranging from 9ct to 24ct gold) on the beaches and in the water. I have used a range of machines, but the ATX matched to the right conditions is unbeatable! I have the Standard DD Coil, 8 inch mono for water hunting, and am looking forward to adding the large Deep Seeker and new waterproof Pro-Pointer to the toolkit! The attached photo are actual gold finds during 2014 from local beaches and the Pacific Islands!"
Great hunting Dale! Now you can submerse your new Pro-Pointer AT! Enjoy!
Dale M. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
Dale says, "I wanted to let you know of the success I have had detecting with my Garrett ATX during 2014. My aim at the beginning of 2014 was to relax a little more, take some time out from work after hours and enjoy a new, active hobby! Then I became addicted!"
Dale describes his finds. "In total from January 1st, 2014 through January 1st, 2015, I found 101 gold rings (ranging from 9ct to 24ct gold) on the beaches and in the water. I have used a range of machines, but the ATX matched to the right conditions is unbeatable! I have the Standard DD Coil, 8 inch mono for water hunting, and am looking forward to adding the large Deep Seeker and new waterproof Pro-Pointer to the toolkit! The attached photo are actual gold finds during 2014 from local beaches and the Pacific Islands!"
Great hunting Dale! Now you can submerse your new Pro-Pointer AT! Enjoy!
Dale M. WINS a Pro-Pointer AT!
DECEMBER 2014 THREE WINNERS!!!
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WINNER #1
My favorite international find for December 2014 is the Hoard of 128 Silver Hammered Coins, discovered by Savvas C. from the U.K. with his Euro Ace and Pro-Pointer.
Savvas recounts the discovery. “On a recent metal detecting adventure I was exploring an area having obtained the relevant permissions. Almost to the end of my detecting and getting ready to scan one last area I got a hit. I started to check and located a nail! I then scanned again in the same hole at a depth of 20 cm. Here I discovered a clump of coins. When the first one when dusted down I saw that it was a silver coin and my adrenaline began pumping. I cleaned more of the coins and much to my excitement I’d found a hoard. I counted all of the coins and to my amazement there were 128 silver hammered coins in total! This was a huge find for me!”
Savvas describes them all as Henry VII 1485-1509, father of Henry VIII. They are Tudor coins. Henry was the first monarch of The House of Tudor. There´s a mixture of Groats and half-Groats. The silver hoard is in the possession of the Great North Museum.
Very nice job Savvas! Go back to that same location and scan again with your new Garrett AT Gold!
Savvas C. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
Savvas recounts the discovery. “On a recent metal detecting adventure I was exploring an area having obtained the relevant permissions. Almost to the end of my detecting and getting ready to scan one last area I got a hit. I started to check and located a nail! I then scanned again in the same hole at a depth of 20 cm. Here I discovered a clump of coins. When the first one when dusted down I saw that it was a silver coin and my adrenaline began pumping. I cleaned more of the coins and much to my excitement I’d found a hoard. I counted all of the coins and to my amazement there were 128 silver hammered coins in total! This was a huge find for me!”
Savvas describes them all as Henry VII 1485-1509, father of Henry VIII. They are Tudor coins. Henry was the first monarch of The House of Tudor. There´s a mixture of Groats and half-Groats. The silver hoard is in the possession of the Great North Museum.
Very nice job Savvas! Go back to that same location and scan again with your new Garrett AT Gold!
Savvas C. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
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WINNER #2
My second favorite international find for December 2014 is the Cache of Five Gold Roman Coins, found by Davorin K. from Slovenia.
Davorin's story: (edited) "Greetings from beautiful Slovenia.Today is a good day for me. In the rainy morning I went on an adventure with my metal detector Garrett Ace 250. I went to the nearby old town, where two thousand years ago lived the Celts and Romans. In the meadows and forests I have repeatedly searched. Today I found only an old coin Kreutzer and nothing more. I was already in a bad mood and I went back to the car, and then I get a strange signal on the display of the detector, pointing to gold and iron. Out of curiosity I started digging and then I saw in the hole something that looked like a gold coin, I could not believe it. I thought I was dreaming. but it was true, I found five beautiful Roman gold coins. :) I can not believe it! :) See for yourself what it was like in the pictures that I send. I hope you like my discovery. :)"
Dream find, Davorin! Take your new AT Gold back to that same location. Enjoy!
Davorin K. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
Davorin's story: (edited) "Greetings from beautiful Slovenia.Today is a good day for me. In the rainy morning I went on an adventure with my metal detector Garrett Ace 250. I went to the nearby old town, where two thousand years ago lived the Celts and Romans. In the meadows and forests I have repeatedly searched. Today I found only an old coin Kreutzer and nothing more. I was already in a bad mood and I went back to the car, and then I get a strange signal on the display of the detector, pointing to gold and iron. Out of curiosity I started digging and then I saw in the hole something that looked like a gold coin, I could not believe it. I thought I was dreaming. but it was true, I found five beautiful Roman gold coins. :) I can not believe it! :) See for yourself what it was like in the pictures that I send. I hope you like my discovery. :)"
Dream find, Davorin! Take your new AT Gold back to that same location. Enjoy!
Davorin K. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
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WINNER #3
My third favorite international find for December 2014 was sent in by Rafal S. from Poland using his Ace 150. Rafal describes the find as a rarity. A pair of Zeiss Wehrmacht Binoculars 6x30, Special Forces, WW2.
Amazing discovery, Rafal. Best of luck with your new Garrett AT Gold!
Rafal S. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
Amazing discovery, Rafal. Best of luck with your new Garrett AT Gold!
Rafal S. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
NOVEMBER 2014 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My favorite international find for November 2014 is the Celtic Jewelry Hoard found by Gal L. from Romania with his Garrett Ace 350. My heart raced when I saw the images of this fabulous ancient find.
In his own words, Gal shares his story of discovery. “I am very very happy to tell you about my discovery of this Celtic Jewelry Hoard, found in my home city in Romania. I've been searching this forest many times. One day my son wanted to come with me to see how it is like to detect, and I took him there. After a few minutes from arriving, my detector gives me this beautiful strong signal and at only 5 inches deep there it was… 14 pieces of Celtic silver :) My hands started shaking, and very hard and very slow i took the pieces out, one by one. The Treasure is now at the Mures History Museum. Hope you will like my discovery :)”
Yes Gal I like your discovery! It’s breathtaking. Please go back with your new AT Gold and search again! Let your son use your Ace 350. Good hunting to you both!
Gal L. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
In his own words, Gal shares his story of discovery. “I am very very happy to tell you about my discovery of this Celtic Jewelry Hoard, found in my home city in Romania. I've been searching this forest many times. One day my son wanted to come with me to see how it is like to detect, and I took him there. After a few minutes from arriving, my detector gives me this beautiful strong signal and at only 5 inches deep there it was… 14 pieces of Celtic silver :) My hands started shaking, and very hard and very slow i took the pieces out, one by one. The Treasure is now at the Mures History Museum. Hope you will like my discovery :)”
Yes Gal I like your discovery! It’s breathtaking. Please go back with your new AT Gold and search again! Let your son use your Ace 350. Good hunting to you both!
Gal L. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
OCTOBER 2014 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My International Favorite Find for October 2014 is the Sterling Silver WWII Royal Canadian Air Force Memorial Bar. This moving remembrance was submitted by Joshua C. from Ontario, Canada. Thank you Joshua for submitting your story, and I hope someday you are able to return the memorial bar to the family of this fallen officer. For all to read, here is his letter (edited).
Dear Mr. Garrett,
Recently I was fortunate enough to recover this WWII Sterling Silver Memorial Bar, presented upon death, to families of fallen soldiers. Flight Officer Donald Cameron Walker, the 27 year old, only son of Robert and Ethel May Walker of Ontario, Canada, was numbered among those who, at the call of King and Country, left all that was dear to him, endured hardness, faced danger, and finally passed out of the sight of men by the path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving up his own life that others might live in freedom. Please join with me in my new found duty to ensure that his name not be forgotten.
Flight Officer Donald Walker
Royal Canadian Air Force
Died In His Country's Service
2 December 1943
Recovered On: July 6, 2014
Recovered By: Josh C.
Recovered At: Ontario, Canada
Recovered With: Garrett AT Pro
If I do happen to win a detector, it would bring me great joy to be able to present it to another aspiring treasure hunter, my son. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you.
Happy Hunting! Joshua C.
Joshua C. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
Dear Mr. Garrett,
Recently I was fortunate enough to recover this WWII Sterling Silver Memorial Bar, presented upon death, to families of fallen soldiers. Flight Officer Donald Cameron Walker, the 27 year old, only son of Robert and Ethel May Walker of Ontario, Canada, was numbered among those who, at the call of King and Country, left all that was dear to him, endured hardness, faced danger, and finally passed out of the sight of men by the path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving up his own life that others might live in freedom. Please join with me in my new found duty to ensure that his name not be forgotten.
Flight Officer Donald Walker
Royal Canadian Air Force
Died In His Country's Service
2 December 1943
Recovered On: July 6, 2014
Recovered By: Josh C.
Recovered At: Ontario, Canada
Recovered With: Garrett AT Pro
If I do happen to win a detector, it would bring me great joy to be able to present it to another aspiring treasure hunter, my son. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you.
Happy Hunting! Joshua C.
Joshua C. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
SEPTEMBER 2014 HAS TWO WINNERS
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WINNER #1
My favorite international find for September 2014 is the collection of Queensland, Australia Gold Nuggets, discovered by Mark S. and his son with the ATX.
Mark states, "In early August 2014 I had an opportunity to spend a one and a half days in tropical north Queensland, Australia, at a popular hard-core goldfield. I was able to convince my son to join me even though he had not been gold detecting before. I was super excited to finally see how the ATX performed on a remote hard-core Australian gold field.There were 30 prospectors already detecting the gold-field before we arrived. We started detecting the next morning at first light and it was immediately apparent the ATX was performing well."
Here's Mark's account of the 5 gold nuggets. The first gold nugget was found prior to lunch, after about 5 hours. A tiny fleck of gold in a dark stone matrix. This was sitting on crumbly slate at about 3 inches below rock and made a good sound. I was extremely pleased with this tiny nugget encased in rock as I now know the ATX is capable of finding very small gold targets in mineralized soil. After lunch we moved to an alluvial area that was previously the site of some mechanized extraction with a great quantity of iron trash. However, amongst the trash popped a target that sounded a little different than the adjacent iron and when using the iron check the response was soft/mellow. This was our first gold specimen at about 4 inches in red rocky soil. It weighed 3.7 grams with some small pieces of quartz attached. This was closely followed by another target, a shiny flat gold nugget also 3.7 grams in the same rocky red soil at about 6 inches. There were recent detector holes within a few meters of both the nuggets and we could not understand how they missed the nuggets since on the ATX each was a big sounding target. The next day we started in the cool of first light and only had until midday on the field. I turned on the ATX, walked onto area that had all the gold bearing rock and soil removed by machine and the basement slates exposed. Within 2 minutes I had found a 1.5 gram gold nugget specimen at a depth of 1 inch in a crack. By this time my son was wanting to find his own nugget, so I gave him the ATX, showed him how to ground balance and how to swing a coil, evenly and slowly. He started to scan the old-timer workings, littered with quartz and rock. After about an hour he ran over to me clutching his find, a beautiful gold specimen at a depth of about 2 inches. The total weight (gold and quartz) being about 2 grams."
Mark comments, "So in summary the ATX performed brilliantly and turned a quick trip to a memorable one. It clearly finds gold that other detectors have missed. It was conveniently carried in a plane, it runs quietly and deeply in mineralized soils and able to find both small gold and large gold without changing settings. It is quick to setup and to use and is suitable for an inexperienced operator to use in the goldfields."
Thank you Mark for your detailed account of your ATX discoveries. Persistence paid off! You and your son enjoy your new AT Gold, and those gold nuggets!
Mark S. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
Mark states, "In early August 2014 I had an opportunity to spend a one and a half days in tropical north Queensland, Australia, at a popular hard-core goldfield. I was able to convince my son to join me even though he had not been gold detecting before. I was super excited to finally see how the ATX performed on a remote hard-core Australian gold field.There were 30 prospectors already detecting the gold-field before we arrived. We started detecting the next morning at first light and it was immediately apparent the ATX was performing well."
Here's Mark's account of the 5 gold nuggets. The first gold nugget was found prior to lunch, after about 5 hours. A tiny fleck of gold in a dark stone matrix. This was sitting on crumbly slate at about 3 inches below rock and made a good sound. I was extremely pleased with this tiny nugget encased in rock as I now know the ATX is capable of finding very small gold targets in mineralized soil. After lunch we moved to an alluvial area that was previously the site of some mechanized extraction with a great quantity of iron trash. However, amongst the trash popped a target that sounded a little different than the adjacent iron and when using the iron check the response was soft/mellow. This was our first gold specimen at about 4 inches in red rocky soil. It weighed 3.7 grams with some small pieces of quartz attached. This was closely followed by another target, a shiny flat gold nugget also 3.7 grams in the same rocky red soil at about 6 inches. There were recent detector holes within a few meters of both the nuggets and we could not understand how they missed the nuggets since on the ATX each was a big sounding target. The next day we started in the cool of first light and only had until midday on the field. I turned on the ATX, walked onto area that had all the gold bearing rock and soil removed by machine and the basement slates exposed. Within 2 minutes I had found a 1.5 gram gold nugget specimen at a depth of 1 inch in a crack. By this time my son was wanting to find his own nugget, so I gave him the ATX, showed him how to ground balance and how to swing a coil, evenly and slowly. He started to scan the old-timer workings, littered with quartz and rock. After about an hour he ran over to me clutching his find, a beautiful gold specimen at a depth of about 2 inches. The total weight (gold and quartz) being about 2 grams."
Mark comments, "So in summary the ATX performed brilliantly and turned a quick trip to a memorable one. It clearly finds gold that other detectors have missed. It was conveniently carried in a plane, it runs quietly and deeply in mineralized soils and able to find both small gold and large gold without changing settings. It is quick to setup and to use and is suitable for an inexperienced operator to use in the goldfields."
Thank you Mark for your detailed account of your ATX discoveries. Persistence paid off! You and your son enjoy your new AT Gold, and those gold nuggets!
Mark S. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
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WINNER #2
My second favorite international find for September 2014 is the Viking Silver Hoard discovered by Justin B. and Daniel B. from Cumbria, UK.
Justin and Daniel, who call themselves "The Garrett Lads" have recently made the cover of the October 2014 UK publication "Searcher" with their tremendous "Viking Hack Silver" story. The magazine highlights new photos that caught my eye and pulled me into their successful discovery. Their story was submitted to Garrett, and here is the entry.
"This year, the day before Justin's vacation, they stumbled across a hoard of national importance due to its size and rarity. They discovered the hiding place of almost 1kg of Viking silver. The hoard is made up of solid silver ingots and pieces of bracelets, some of which have been identified as possible Russian silver dated approximately 900AD. Daniel found the first ingot with his Euro Ace, which measured over 2 inches in length and weighed 51g. As he was inspecting the find, Justin used his AT Pro to detect a signal about 1 foot away. Set in pro mode with zero discrimination, the signal indicated 80-82 at around 6-8 inches. Justin uncovered the soil to discover a silver ingot that measured almost 4 inches in length and 1 inch wide. Its weight was a staggering 128g. This single ingot is one of the largest to be found in the UK. Altogether, Justin and Daniel uncovered 19 pieces of silver with a weight of almost 1kg and signified somebody of significant wealth and importance. The ingots had been buried together in a shallow hole with an aim to be recovered but for some reason the owner failed to return for them. The find is now in the hands of their FLO (Finds Liaison Officer) who has started the identification and treasure process. Hopefully this is just the beginning of 'The Garrett Lads' Viking finds as they continue in their quest to rewrite history books in the UK."
Remarkable job Justin and Daniel! I am proud to call you "The Garrett Lads", and would be delighted to return the favor with a new AT Gold. Happy Hunting!
Justin B. and Daniel B. WIN a Garrett AT Gold!
Justin and Daniel, who call themselves "The Garrett Lads" have recently made the cover of the October 2014 UK publication "Searcher" with their tremendous "Viking Hack Silver" story. The magazine highlights new photos that caught my eye and pulled me into their successful discovery. Their story was submitted to Garrett, and here is the entry.
"This year, the day before Justin's vacation, they stumbled across a hoard of national importance due to its size and rarity. They discovered the hiding place of almost 1kg of Viking silver. The hoard is made up of solid silver ingots and pieces of bracelets, some of which have been identified as possible Russian silver dated approximately 900AD. Daniel found the first ingot with his Euro Ace, which measured over 2 inches in length and weighed 51g. As he was inspecting the find, Justin used his AT Pro to detect a signal about 1 foot away. Set in pro mode with zero discrimination, the signal indicated 80-82 at around 6-8 inches. Justin uncovered the soil to discover a silver ingot that measured almost 4 inches in length and 1 inch wide. Its weight was a staggering 128g. This single ingot is one of the largest to be found in the UK. Altogether, Justin and Daniel uncovered 19 pieces of silver with a weight of almost 1kg and signified somebody of significant wealth and importance. The ingots had been buried together in a shallow hole with an aim to be recovered but for some reason the owner failed to return for them. The find is now in the hands of their FLO (Finds Liaison Officer) who has started the identification and treasure process. Hopefully this is just the beginning of 'The Garrett Lads' Viking finds as they continue in their quest to rewrite history books in the UK."
Remarkable job Justin and Daniel! I am proud to call you "The Garrett Lads", and would be delighted to return the favor with a new AT Gold. Happy Hunting!
Justin B. and Daniel B. WIN a Garrett AT Gold!
