Les trouvailles préférées - International
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!
AUGUST 2014 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My international favorite find for August 2014 is the WW II Service Revolver found by Tomo L from Slovenia.
First is some background of the revolver discovery told by Tomo. "I have just started metal detecting for about 6 months now. I first bought a cheap MD from China, which was great to start with this hobby, but I wanted a real detector, so I bought a Garrett Ace 250. The first day the postman delivered it, I went on a place near my home where older people said to me that a Slovenian soldier killed himself there with a grenade when he ran out of ammo during WW2. He was alone in a bunker when German soldiers went by and spotted him, so instead of letting himself be killed or captured by the Germans he used his grenade and killed himself. Thats the story others told me."
Here is the moment of discovery told by Tomo. "So I was searching the location of the supposed bunker for a long time and found nothing, just junk and some ammo. Then jackpot, maybe 6 inches deep in the ground, I found a gun! I was shocked and amazed. A few months of my new hobby and I found a gun - a revolver! Maybe the gun belonged to the soldier…I can't know for sure…but I want to believe that I own a piece of local history. (The landowner of the place where I found the gun approved that I may have it.) I searched the internet for the gun and found out that it is Rast-Gasser M1898 which was a service revolver used by the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I and various armies in World War II, such as Yugoslavian army…one more reason to believe that the gun is from the mentioned soldier."
And now for Tomo's conclusion. "I cleaned the gun and used electrolysis and the result is amazing. All the parts are now moving, and the gun opens! Since then I found a lot of great things…but nothing better than the revolver yet…but I am only at the beginning of my hopefully long career of a metal detectorist. Hope you like my find half as much as I do! Thank you Garrett for introducing me to the world of unknown lost treasures…and also thanks to the show Diggers on National Geographic - the reason I started all this."
Well done Tomo! Great discovery, and may you have many more with your new AT Gold!
Tomo WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
First is some background of the revolver discovery told by Tomo. "I have just started metal detecting for about 6 months now. I first bought a cheap MD from China, which was great to start with this hobby, but I wanted a real detector, so I bought a Garrett Ace 250. The first day the postman delivered it, I went on a place near my home where older people said to me that a Slovenian soldier killed himself there with a grenade when he ran out of ammo during WW2. He was alone in a bunker when German soldiers went by and spotted him, so instead of letting himself be killed or captured by the Germans he used his grenade and killed himself. Thats the story others told me."
Here is the moment of discovery told by Tomo. "So I was searching the location of the supposed bunker for a long time and found nothing, just junk and some ammo. Then jackpot, maybe 6 inches deep in the ground, I found a gun! I was shocked and amazed. A few months of my new hobby and I found a gun - a revolver! Maybe the gun belonged to the soldier…I can't know for sure…but I want to believe that I own a piece of local history. (The landowner of the place where I found the gun approved that I may have it.) I searched the internet for the gun and found out that it is Rast-Gasser M1898 which was a service revolver used by the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I and various armies in World War II, such as Yugoslavian army…one more reason to believe that the gun is from the mentioned soldier."
And now for Tomo's conclusion. "I cleaned the gun and used electrolysis and the result is amazing. All the parts are now moving, and the gun opens! Since then I found a lot of great things…but nothing better than the revolver yet…but I am only at the beginning of my hopefully long career of a metal detectorist. Hope you like my find half as much as I do! Thank you Garrett for introducing me to the world of unknown lost treasures…and also thanks to the show Diggers on National Geographic - the reason I started all this."
Well done Tomo! Great discovery, and may you have many more with your new AT Gold!
Tomo WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
JULY 2014 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My favorite International find for July 2014 is the Cache of 161 Silver Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Ottoman Coins found by Virvarei C. and his friend Valeriu from Romania on June 8, 2014. Virvarei and his friend were hunting a place that was the heart of a village burned to the ground during the war. The area they were searching had tall grass and thorns, and in one particular square meter it was really dirty, with many targets. Virvarei uses an Ace 250, and his friend uses an analog VLF machine.
Virvarei tells about the discovery. "My friend got a strong signal and said it was too strong, probably just big iron. I said "May I try? Let me see what my machine says." I pass the coil over it and immediately the last cursor of the display clearly indicates silver! If it were large iron the cursor oscillates left and right, but here it stayed stuck there from the beginning. I said "Let's Dig!" We start to dig 4 inches, 10 inches, and suddenly at 13 inches we find a piece of pottery…a broken one, looking really bad. We pinpoint again the target, no change, strong signal. After a few handfuls of soil we saw the rest of the pot, painted green, no doubt medieval, and for sure containing something. Val slowly lifted the bowl from the pit and says "Man it's heavy, at least 5 kilos! Adrenaline exceeded by far the maximum level!"
Virvarei tells about the treasure. "Suddenly we see the silver surface of a very large coin, about 5 cm in diameter and arabic lettering. The bowl was full! After 10 minutes of assumptions, congratulations, handshakes, and happy faces, we found that the bowl contained 161 silver Ottoman coins, minted in Constantinople in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Each coin weighs 27 grams. It was a dream. A dream possible because of my adventure companion, my Ace 250, bought 4 years ago, and as you see, still reliable."
Truly exciting! Your Ace 250 made history! Search the same area with your new AT Gold! Congratulations!
Virvarei C. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
Virvarei tells about the discovery. "My friend got a strong signal and said it was too strong, probably just big iron. I said "May I try? Let me see what my machine says." I pass the coil over it and immediately the last cursor of the display clearly indicates silver! If it were large iron the cursor oscillates left and right, but here it stayed stuck there from the beginning. I said "Let's Dig!" We start to dig 4 inches, 10 inches, and suddenly at 13 inches we find a piece of pottery…a broken one, looking really bad. We pinpoint again the target, no change, strong signal. After a few handfuls of soil we saw the rest of the pot, painted green, no doubt medieval, and for sure containing something. Val slowly lifted the bowl from the pit and says "Man it's heavy, at least 5 kilos! Adrenaline exceeded by far the maximum level!"
Virvarei tells about the treasure. "Suddenly we see the silver surface of a very large coin, about 5 cm in diameter and arabic lettering. The bowl was full! After 10 minutes of assumptions, congratulations, handshakes, and happy faces, we found that the bowl contained 161 silver Ottoman coins, minted in Constantinople in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Each coin weighs 27 grams. It was a dream. A dream possible because of my adventure companion, my Ace 250, bought 4 years ago, and as you see, still reliable."
Truly exciting! Your Ace 250 made history! Search the same area with your new AT Gold! Congratulations!
Virvarei C. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
JUNE 2014 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My favorite find for June 2014 is the Cache of Seven Roman Coins found by fourteen year old Sean P. from Belgium with his Euro Ace. This young man will inspire treasure hunters around the world! Here in his own words is his remarkable experience.
"I'm a 14 year old boy from Belgium. I went to a local metal detecting shop where I bought my first metal detector because when I was a little boy I always wanted to be a 'treasure hunter' like Indiana Jones! I've been watching a lot of metal detecting videos on youtube and soon noticed most of the detectorists were using 'Garrett metal detectors', so I really wanted to have a Garrett. I was totally looking forward to buy one but i didn't have enough money, so after 1.5 years I finally managed to get the money for a Euro Ace. Once I had my detector I was super proud, everybody had to know I had a Garrett metal detector. I've been gathering some stuff in my house to equip myself with a spade, army pants, a plastic bag to put my finds in and went on my way to the most nearby field."
"After 2 hours of searching I didn't find anything… I had to go back home. On my way back I'm still searching but really quickly, once my first ever 'BEEP' appeared! I took my spade, went digging for like 20 minutes because I still do not have a ProPointer but I instantly saw a shiny looking circular object and I thought this is going to be something awesome! So I picked it up and it was a Roman silver Denarius! I went crazy all the way! I was about to go further but I checked the hole quickly and I saw something else in it! Now it was a Roman bronze coin wich made my day even better! I kept searching and found even more Roman coins in that same hole! This was one of best experiences of my life! With all thanks to Garrett for giving me this Great chance!"
Way to go Sean of Belgium! Keep up the good work! You've won yourself a brand new Garrett AT Gold!
Sean WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
"I'm a 14 year old boy from Belgium. I went to a local metal detecting shop where I bought my first metal detector because when I was a little boy I always wanted to be a 'treasure hunter' like Indiana Jones! I've been watching a lot of metal detecting videos on youtube and soon noticed most of the detectorists were using 'Garrett metal detectors', so I really wanted to have a Garrett. I was totally looking forward to buy one but i didn't have enough money, so after 1.5 years I finally managed to get the money for a Euro Ace. Once I had my detector I was super proud, everybody had to know I had a Garrett metal detector. I've been gathering some stuff in my house to equip myself with a spade, army pants, a plastic bag to put my finds in and went on my way to the most nearby field."
"After 2 hours of searching I didn't find anything… I had to go back home. On my way back I'm still searching but really quickly, once my first ever 'BEEP' appeared! I took my spade, went digging for like 20 minutes because I still do not have a ProPointer but I instantly saw a shiny looking circular object and I thought this is going to be something awesome! So I picked it up and it was a Roman silver Denarius! I went crazy all the way! I was about to go further but I checked the hole quickly and I saw something else in it! Now it was a Roman bronze coin wich made my day even better! I kept searching and found even more Roman coins in that same hole! This was one of best experiences of my life! With all thanks to Garrett for giving me this Great chance!"
Way to go Sean of Belgium! Keep up the good work! You've won yourself a brand new Garrett AT Gold!
Sean WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
MAY 2014 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My favorite international find for May 2014 is the 2,000 Year-old Silver Fibula, found by Rune I. from northern Norway with his Ace 250. Rune I. is a nursing student. In his spare time he is out with his Ace 250 he bought a year ago. Mostly he finds iron scraps, but this time he made a startling discovery in a field on a property in Kvaefjord after two hours of searching. Rune stated, "Suddenly I got good signals and started digging. About 15 inches down in the soil showed up a so-called Fibula, that is a dress buckle. It is a special, beautiful, unique, and exciting discovery. It was a huge inspiration!"
The fibula is dated by County Archaeologist in Troms to be from the early iron age, that is perhaps 2,000 years old, dating from around the year 160 AD. Compared to other findings, it resembles a buckle found in early Roman period.
Rune says he has found many great finds. He has delivered a total of 88 findings to the County Archaeologist in Troms, the Troms museum. "Most of my findings are older than 1537. some Viking and some Iron age, but the oldest and most beautiful I've found is the Fibula", says Rune.
Congratulations Rune, lovely artifact. Enjoy your new AT Gold!
Rune WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
The fibula is dated by County Archaeologist in Troms to be from the early iron age, that is perhaps 2,000 years old, dating from around the year 160 AD. Compared to other findings, it resembles a buckle found in early Roman period.
Rune says he has found many great finds. He has delivered a total of 88 findings to the County Archaeologist in Troms, the Troms museum. "Most of my findings are older than 1537. some Viking and some Iron age, but the oldest and most beautiful I've found is the Fibula", says Rune.
Congratulations Rune, lovely artifact. Enjoy your new AT Gold!
Rune WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
APRIL 2014 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My Favorite Find for April 2014 is the Thracian Golden Rings Necklace, discovered by Fanel S. from Romania. He found this extraordinary ancient treasure in two locations using his Garrett AT Pro.
Fanel describes the first part of this exceptional discovery. "A few weeks ago, I made a discovery that left me speechless. It was a fragment of a golden necklace, with four small chain rings of gold (about 7 grams) which has been dated by archaeologists as a Thracian necklace, approx. 2600 - 3000 years old. In accordance with the laws of Romania I handed the necklace to the History Museum of the Romanian state. My device Garrett AT Pro made entirely its duty!"
Fanel describes the second part of the discovery. "Because Sunday is not my day off due to my vocation—that of a pastor—I dedicate Monday for my hobby of metal detecting.
After five hours of continually climbing, walking and finding different and interesting items, I got into a fairly difficult area to approach in terms of detection, with a slope gradient of about 45-60 degrees. At that moment, my Garrett AT Pro detector pointed a nonferrous metal signal, giving me the well-known signal for the "special" cartridge cases that are very familiar because I found hundreds of cases due to the many battles fought in WW1 & WW2 in the area where I live. I started to dig, hoping wholeheartedly not to find again a cartridge case."
Fanel continues. "At 20 — 30 cm depth I saw a part of the first link. This cut my breath because I recognized instantly what it was because only one month ago, 1 km away, I discovered four golden rings of the same kind! After my explosion of joy and excitement ended — I certainly looked quite embarrassing if someone would have seen me — I worked very carefully to take the rings out of the ground. My surprise was great when I saw it was not just a link or two, but it was a handful of chain links - 21 in number! According to the law of our country, I handed over the chain links to the National History Museum of Romania where specialists made on the spot X-ray identification, resulting in 86 gold, 14% silver - meaning local alluvial gold weighing 115.57 grams, and is considered an exceptional discovery in Romania.
Archaeologists dated the chain links around the XII century BC meaning they are about 3000 years old."
This discovery was a sensation in all media channels in Romania:
http://stirileprotv.ro/stiri/actualitate/21-de-verigi-din-aur-vechi-de-peste-3-000-de-ani-gasite-intr-o-padure-din-brasov-specialistii-vor-stabili-valoarea-lor.html
Congratulations Fanel! With this discovery you have excited the world of treasure hunters! I am honored that you chose Garrett Metal Detectors.
Fanel WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
Fanel describes the first part of this exceptional discovery. "A few weeks ago, I made a discovery that left me speechless. It was a fragment of a golden necklace, with four small chain rings of gold (about 7 grams) which has been dated by archaeologists as a Thracian necklace, approx. 2600 - 3000 years old. In accordance with the laws of Romania I handed the necklace to the History Museum of the Romanian state. My device Garrett AT Pro made entirely its duty!"
Fanel describes the second part of the discovery. "Because Sunday is not my day off due to my vocation—that of a pastor—I dedicate Monday for my hobby of metal detecting.
After five hours of continually climbing, walking and finding different and interesting items, I got into a fairly difficult area to approach in terms of detection, with a slope gradient of about 45-60 degrees. At that moment, my Garrett AT Pro detector pointed a nonferrous metal signal, giving me the well-known signal for the "special" cartridge cases that are very familiar because I found hundreds of cases due to the many battles fought in WW1 & WW2 in the area where I live. I started to dig, hoping wholeheartedly not to find again a cartridge case."
Fanel continues. "At 20 — 30 cm depth I saw a part of the first link. This cut my breath because I recognized instantly what it was because only one month ago, 1 km away, I discovered four golden rings of the same kind! After my explosion of joy and excitement ended — I certainly looked quite embarrassing if someone would have seen me — I worked very carefully to take the rings out of the ground. My surprise was great when I saw it was not just a link or two, but it was a handful of chain links - 21 in number! According to the law of our country, I handed over the chain links to the National History Museum of Romania where specialists made on the spot X-ray identification, resulting in 86 gold, 14% silver - meaning local alluvial gold weighing 115.57 grams, and is considered an exceptional discovery in Romania.
Archaeologists dated the chain links around the XII century BC meaning they are about 3000 years old."
This discovery was a sensation in all media channels in Romania:
http://stirileprotv.ro/stiri/actualitate/21-de-verigi-din-aur-vechi-de-peste-3-000-de-ani-gasite-intr-o-padure-din-brasov-specialistii-vor-stabili-valoarea-lor.html
Congratulations Fanel! With this discovery you have excited the world of treasure hunters! I am honored that you chose Garrett Metal Detectors.
Fanel WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
MARCH 2014 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My Favorite Find for March 2014 is the 1st Century Gold Roman Aureus Coin. This large 8.98 gram beauty was found by Stefan D. from Austria.
Stefan shares the search. “I want to share the story with you of my best find. I have been searching with the GTI 2500 for one year now and I had a lot of super finds, but one day I went to the woods where hundreds of hunters were searching for Roman coins before me. There I found about 30 roman copper coins in 3 hours then it was about to get dark so I was going to the car, but I was still searching. Then I had a deep signal where I wasn’t sure, should I dig it out or not? I removed some earth and the signal was getting better! It was next to a tree and in 15 cm depth I saw a big, fat root and I knew it was under it. So I dug my way around the root. It took me about half an hour and suddenly a big gold coin tipped over! My first reaction was "Oh my god that can’t be!" :) First i got scared then shocked then the adrenalin overflew me.”
Stefan tells the details. “I took it in my hand and I saw it’s not the usual Roman Aureus. Next day I went to the museum near to me. They told me it’s a double solidus (8.98 grams), and that’s an extremely rare coin. Such coins have been used to buy something expensive like plot or to pay off a big shipload or for bribery. By that find, Garrett’s detectors got me for a lifetime! It’s not the coin I found, it’s the fact that a few hundreds of hunters went over it and couldn’t get a signal! And I’m sure there will be many more great findings with that great metal detector!”
Very impressive pristine golden Roman beauty! It took my breath away. Great job!
Stefan D. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
Stefan shares the search. “I want to share the story with you of my best find. I have been searching with the GTI 2500 for one year now and I had a lot of super finds, but one day I went to the woods where hundreds of hunters were searching for Roman coins before me. There I found about 30 roman copper coins in 3 hours then it was about to get dark so I was going to the car, but I was still searching. Then I had a deep signal where I wasn’t sure, should I dig it out or not? I removed some earth and the signal was getting better! It was next to a tree and in 15 cm depth I saw a big, fat root and I knew it was under it. So I dug my way around the root. It took me about half an hour and suddenly a big gold coin tipped over! My first reaction was "Oh my god that can’t be!" :) First i got scared then shocked then the adrenalin overflew me.”
Stefan tells the details. “I took it in my hand and I saw it’s not the usual Roman Aureus. Next day I went to the museum near to me. They told me it’s a double solidus (8.98 grams), and that’s an extremely rare coin. Such coins have been used to buy something expensive like plot or to pay off a big shipload or for bribery. By that find, Garrett’s detectors got me for a lifetime! It’s not the coin I found, it’s the fact that a few hundreds of hunters went over it and couldn’t get a signal! And I’m sure there will be many more great findings with that great metal detector!”
Very impressive pristine golden Roman beauty! It took my breath away. Great job!
Stefan D. WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
FEBRUARY 2014 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My Favorite International find for February, 2014 is the 14th Century Cross, discovered by Bjørnar H. from Norway with his AT Pro.
Bjørnar shares with Garrett his discovery and research of this exquisite cross. “Late in October, I found this nice cross with my Garret AT Pro. It was found near a church from the Middle Ages. Archaeologists dated the cross from the medieval time, around 1300-1400 AD. It is from a time that is called "Catholic time" and has been used by either a priest or a monk. It is made of a metal called Electrum, which is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper. The weight of this is 30 grams.”
Bjørnar tells more. “It was found about 20 cm into the ground, in a field that is only used for animals. This finding is very rare in Norway, and it is not often that such findings are made in Scandinavia. The cross has remained in very good condition, as it has been in a very densely packed soil untouched by machines. The chain, according to experts, was hung on later and is not as old as the cross. This is the second major discovery I made with my Garrett AT Pro this year, first a Viking sword, and now this great cross which is very rare.”
What a breathtaking cross Bjørnar! I believe you’ve been blessed! Enjoy your new AT Gold!
Bjørnar WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
Bjørnar shares with Garrett his discovery and research of this exquisite cross. “Late in October, I found this nice cross with my Garret AT Pro. It was found near a church from the Middle Ages. Archaeologists dated the cross from the medieval time, around 1300-1400 AD. It is from a time that is called "Catholic time" and has been used by either a priest or a monk. It is made of a metal called Electrum, which is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper. The weight of this is 30 grams.”
Bjørnar tells more. “It was found about 20 cm into the ground, in a field that is only used for animals. This finding is very rare in Norway, and it is not often that such findings are made in Scandinavia. The cross has remained in very good condition, as it has been in a very densely packed soil untouched by machines. The chain, according to experts, was hung on later and is not as old as the cross. This is the second major discovery I made with my Garrett AT Pro this year, first a Viking sword, and now this great cross which is very rare.”
What a breathtaking cross Bjørnar! I believe you’ve been blessed! Enjoy your new AT Gold!
Bjørnar WINS a Garrett AT Gold!
JANUARY 2014 WINNER!!!
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WINNER #1
My favorite International Find for January 2014 is the SERGEANT W. STEWART A.I.F. Gold Return Fob, discovered by Darren B. from Ganmain, NSW, Australia.
Years ago, Darren’s father had taken him to a lookout in the Riverina NSW. He was a direct descendant of the 20-30 germans who settled there in the 1800’s. Darren decided to have a swing with his AT Pro, and found coins, but states, “I also found some sort of pendant with a soldier on it, with the name SERG. W. STEWART A.I.F. It also has some markings on the back, which I’m hoping someone knows the meaning of.”
After contacting I.S. Wright Militaria in Victoria, he learned that this is a Military Return Fob, which is made of 15 ct. gold, and was given to some returning soldiers from WWI. Without a service number, it will be difficult to narrow down to who it belongs to, as there appears to be many Sgt. W. Stewarts on the roll of the Australian War Memorial website listing WWI soldiers.
Darren exclaims, “All I can say is WOW as I'm still finding it hard to describe how I feel in words and the reality of how significant this find is, is still sinking in. One thing I’m still trying to do now is track Sgt. Stewarts family down, so the medallion can find its way back home, as I strongly believe it’s the right thing to do."
Darren, Great find and great deed you are doing! Thanks for sharing.
Darren B. WINS a Garrett PRO-POINTER®!
Years ago, Darren’s father had taken him to a lookout in the Riverina NSW. He was a direct descendant of the 20-30 germans who settled there in the 1800’s. Darren decided to have a swing with his AT Pro, and found coins, but states, “I also found some sort of pendant with a soldier on it, with the name SERG. W. STEWART A.I.F. It also has some markings on the back, which I’m hoping someone knows the meaning of.”
After contacting I.S. Wright Militaria in Victoria, he learned that this is a Military Return Fob, which is made of 15 ct. gold, and was given to some returning soldiers from WWI. Without a service number, it will be difficult to narrow down to who it belongs to, as there appears to be many Sgt. W. Stewarts on the roll of the Australian War Memorial website listing WWI soldiers.
Darren exclaims, “All I can say is WOW as I'm still finding it hard to describe how I feel in words and the reality of how significant this find is, is still sinking in. One thing I’m still trying to do now is track Sgt. Stewarts family down, so the medallion can find its way back home, as I strongly believe it’s the right thing to do."
Darren, Great find and great deed you are doing! Thanks for sharing.
Darren B. WINS a Garrett PRO-POINTER®!
