Saturday, October 21, 2006

Use Flea Markets to get relic leads.

Use Flea Markets and Junk Shops to expand your relic leads. Here in the south there are tons of junk shops and swap meets just outside of small towns.

One day I found one that had civil war bullets and a cannon ball. Using my people skills I bought the bullets and then found out where they found them. It was on a lake on Private Property that a man charged people to fish on the lake.

By being nice and overpaying for a few bullets, I found the source for hundreds of bullets and relics. The owner was happy to take my money for my fishing for relics. Later he bought a detector and would hunt with me.

Always be friendly and ask questions at swap meets and junk shops about any neat relics you find.

This tip has made me thousands of dollars.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

If Today was not the day...Well there is always Tomorrow .

It can be such a emotional roller coaster being a treasure hunter. Everyone remembers Mel Fishers famous words "Today is the day!" Upon hearing them we often forget he said it every day for over 10 years. Even after loosing his son and his son's wife, he somehow kept going.

We all know the vision and enthusiasm is necessary to see a project through. It is easy to get frustrated when things don't go our way. It seems that things always take longer than we think. Unexpected obstacle's get in our way in our search for the ultimate rewards.

It took me over 10 years of struggle to get to where I can call my own shots in this business. Looking back I sometimes wounder if it was worth all the price that I paid. My best guess is that it was not, but I know all that I experienced shaped who I am now. So I will accept my choices, regrets and mistakes and wear them with honor.

I am still amazed I came out alive. My goal with this blog is to reach out to those of you who have dreams. It is my hope I can make you path easier than mine. When I really jumped into the world of treasure hunting the Internet was not what it is now. Exchanging information with others was really hard. It still is hard. There is more information out there than ever before. The downside is there is 300 times more crap up there.

There is plenty of websites for treasure hunting information now. But I still find there is more rocks than gems in the various forums and websites. It seems the full time treasure hunters world is closed to all that are not in the fraternity. It has always been that way and will likely be that way. Secrets are guarded closely by those that know the answers, at least to the "Outsiders". The ironic thing is that once you pay the price in this world, everything opens up and people freely share information. It is like they know one of their kind. I can spot a serious treasure hunter a mile away. We know where to find each other, it is kind of odd.

Do not think that just because someone has 2000 or more posts on a treasure forum, that they have a clue to what they are saying. There is so much bad advise out there it is sickening. However there is gems among the rocks on the forums. It will take a while to sort through what is bull and what is real.

You can assume if it is a Treasure lead or Legend that is is totally fake, unless you can verify the story. Do not go chasing rainbows. I will go into this later as I have time.

I would not advise doing full time treasure hunting to anyone unless you have a ton of cash (or rich friends) or sponsorship from a corporation. Yes, there are companies that will bankroll you on your adventure.

The only sane way to do this is by keeping your job and doing this part time until you can make the leap financially after you recover a few big ones. This will take a few years and some learning on you part.

This is what this site is about. I wish you success in treasure hunting. I can give the information, you must take the steps.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Lets expand your Treasure Horizons

So many people think in terms of just using metal detectors in treasure hunting. Although the metal detector is important and should be mastered. The real secret key is research and understanding people, and the ability to network with other people.

Want to find a cache but do not have a clue where to look. In my little town, that I live in has a history book for its 100 year celebration. I went to the library when I moved here to read and study it. From this book I learned about when the town was founded and the events that took place when it was just a few people. I learned of the Civil War and what happened later on as the area formed into a community.

What did I learn about cache locations from studying a dusty book?

I learned when the first bank opened in the town. Any house that was built before the bank opened had a reason to cache money. There was no safe place to put it.

I learned what the great depression did to the local people. Any house that was around or built within 20 years after 1929 is a possible cache location because they no longer trusted banks.

I learned who the early politicians and moonshiners were. I learned about early sheriffs and merchants and all kinds of interesting things. All of these people had a reason to stash cash.

I could see photos of the early days of the town. There were family names and historical houses all in this book. It had early maps and social events. Some of the houses and streets still exist.

I can use the history as a reason to get to know the current owners. People love to talk about their stuff. Suddenly they are taking me through there houses and gabbing all about themselves and the house. Listen and look around. Think treasure but scan the house for clues about common interests that you might have with them. The idea is to create a friend.

I have more leads than I can handle. My town has about 3000 or so people.

Am I over simplifying things? Of course I am. Are there other techniques that people more shy than I am can use? You bet there is. But people skills are important in this game and you will find it easier to treasure hunt if you can be nice to people.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Lets raise a few hundred for your Treasure Project

I talked recently about a for fun project that I am going to do. I have a budget of $300. I can't use any of my own money or equipment. All money needs to be raised just for this project with no borrowing.

How will I do it? Well after I figure out what I want to do I can see about 4 ways that will easily get the moola rolling in. There are actually more ways that I will go into later.

For now figure out your budget and what you need. Then realize there are other ways to get what you need.

Check out http://www.freecycle.org/. This is a place where you can post what you need and give away what you don't need. There is no buying or selling, it is all about keeping stuff out of landfills and recycling. Join the group that covers your area. There is groups all around the world. Figure out your needs and post a wanted message. Sometimes you get what you want, sometimes you don't but you might be surprised. Also watch what is offered and snap it up if you need the item. I have seen people get camping equipment, cars and yes metal detectors on this handy group.

You can also sell items on eBay(TM) and amazon(TM). This is an easy way to earn extra cash for items you no longer need.

Finally for now there is a yard sale. Two days might be all you need to raise a few hundred and get rid of what you do not need. Always place an ad in the papers and have tons of signs. Pay back the money you spend on the ads from what you make at the sale.

It is amazing how much stuff we have that we really do not need. Simplify your life.

I will keep you posted on how I raise the cash and start my for fun treasure adventure.

It will take a few weeks or so, but remember I can only do the for fun project on my spare time.

My current treasure projects must take priority. But when I launch the for fun project you will be updated on everything.