Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
Friday I posted notice of the TCAS annual hunt. Sebastian Steve was there, and won the AT Pro. Last year another reader of this blog won the detector. If I correctly recall, it was won by Warren D. last year.
This was the first organized hunt for Steve in almost fifty years. It was a fun and profitable day, which Steve described in an email to Ken. Steve sent a copy to me and said I could post it. Below is the email in which Steve described his day at the TCAS hunt.
If you never attended a TCAS hunt and want to know what it is like, you'll definitely want to read this. And if you did attend, you'll still want to read the story and perhaps pick up a few tips from the winner of the AT Pro.
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Ken,
Make it happen....your turn is NEXT AND COMING!!! Just watch and see...
LUKE 15 : 8
"OR WHAT WOMAN, IF SHE HAS TEN SILVER COINS AND LOSES ONE COIN,DOES NOT LIGHT A LAMP AND SWEEP THE HOUSE AND SEARCH CAREFULLY UNTIL SHE FINDS IT?"
LUKE 15 : 9
"AND WHEN SHE HAS FOUND IT, SHE CALLS TOGETHER HER FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, SAYING, "REJOICE WITH ME, FOR I HAVE FOUND THE COIN WHICH I HAD LOST!"
Hey Ken,
So I tell my wife Ann that I asked the minister to call you and bless your detecting expedition to England.
She replied...”Well did you have the minister BLESS YOU TOO”? I said why? (Off hand besides a thousand health issues). Ann replied...because Saturday we have a “competition hunt” that you signed up for, that cost a $100, we really did not have to spend... that you are ill prepared for”. I snapped back...”I have been practicing every single day for two weeks now!!!” She said...”Not that...but your health.” “How do you intend to compete?” “Did you even read the form from “The Treasure Coast Archeological Society”? “All the hunts are based on -speed-!!!” “What will you do?”
Well...here is a lesson in KARMA for you...
I was tired and slow...yes...all true. But this ole boy was full of a bag of tricks. I did miserable on the morning speed hunt for tokens (which were silver painted pennies). I got 44 in an hour. The 1st place was 124. Yeah. Mornings are normally my nap time...what do you expect?
But the afternoon hour hunt for silver to keep, I got 14 Silver Mercury dimes. But the real goal was special tokens and 6 numbered pennies. Instead of an inch down, these 6 pennies were down 3-4”. Right up my alley working the neighborhood here. Relentlessly...squeezing every last stray coin out of them... sometimes in desperation...they capitulate and even cough up an Italian 14 karat gold bracelet! Hee..hee. (;
So the great guys, but “tricky devils” planted a dime an inch from a tree root. But wait! Don’t we always re-check our target? Just a natural habit. -The tree root read live-!!??? Sure enough 4” away from the dime (a ruse) was a -token -under- the tree root-!!! “Oh My” (real words deleted by author for family readership.). That got me a new -Garrett Detector Carrying Bag-. $40-50.
BUT...as I went along after 10-15 minutes...EVERYTHING DISAPPEARS. I mean everything...one minute a silver dime target every 20 feet, then in the blink of an eye...nothing. They clean it up that fast...like locusts. It truly is the only word that fits!
After a half hour... 3/4s of the “detectorist’s” leave the search area...but I plug on. All the silver is easily recovered once you have a target, you just kick the sandy dirt over and the shine of silver gives it away. Bend down pick it up. I see I’m the only one with my trusty Lesche 31” detecting shovel. Why? Because I need it as a crutch, to get back up on my feet! Again...all the silver is buried about 1” deep • ON AVERAGE•. Simply pick it up, after getting a valid signal. To be honest...the Minelab CTX3030 was grand overkill for competition hunting. I’ll go so far as to say the weight and size makes it actually a hinderance. So as the “Boss” here has often said...the detector is -the last- in the long line of winning attributes when it comes to metal detecting success!
But I see nobody down digging on their hands and knees. Never. But I don’t know any better, and when the 3030 gave out a nice sweet mid-high tone... I dug a quick “lever-over” plug. I see nothing. Then down on my knees because this is 3-4” deep at this point. People going by like rabbits...looking at the “Chump” down on his hands and knees. And finally with the Pin Pointer out comes this dark normal colored penny. I am -really- upset now...a “ducking leftover penny from the morning hunt!!!!” “Darn” (yeah right), and I wasted over five minutes on this.!!! Too beat to even realize it was not painted silver, like all the morning hunt pennies. Or that it was wrapped in cellophane tape. The other side I never saw. But it had a small number on a tiny square of paper, under the tape.
So they soon call an end after the hour was up. Thank God it was like 15 minutes without a target.
So I stumble in and say to one of the club organizers... “Is this worth anything”? showing him the cellophane taped penny with #6 on it. He replied with a smile...”Oh hang on to that for later, for the awards ceremony.” That’s all.
I come to find out there are only 6 of these pennies (not necessarily at 1”) Not!!! out of 700 silver coins. But being #6, the other five lucky finders got to pick —-first before me—- from a row of pretty little wood treasure chests. I by default being #6, got the LAST ONE. I yell out: “The underdog always wins!!!” (An impressive call... if it would only work).
The others guys got $50-$50 $75-$100-$100, something like that. I open mine at the end and the one club organizer tells me to smile for the photographer. Ok, I was last...I can take a joke as good as the next.
I open my treasure chest and it’s full of rusty old nails and bullets. I did not even notice they were square nails, etc. (Actually nice finds from a club member). I thought...”Great...LAST...THE BOOBY PRIZE... RUSTY DIRTY METAL... FAIR ENOUGH...I WAS LAST AFTER ALL.
And the guy points to the inside lid of my treasure chest...and here is a picture I had again never seen...
A BRAND NEW SEALED BOX...is handed to me. GRAND PRIZE... JUST BY BLESSINGS, BECAUSE I LOOKED OUT FOR YOU •FIRST•...remember 5 others picked which chest they wanted FIRST, B4 ME!!! I got the “leftovers.” NOT!!!
A BRAND NEW •GARRETT AT PRO• METAL DETECTOR....to of course...of course...go with my new Garrett Carrying Bag... that I had just won a half hour earlier! What is a new Garrett bag without a brand new-Garrett detector??? 
THANK YOU...so much •Treasure Coast Archeological Society•. It was an enjoyable, fun and exciting day, and everyone seemed to be very happy with the event. The food was wonderful too. And plenty to go around. That dessert table...WoW!
God Willing I’ll be back next year again...for the 32nd annual hunt. And guess what? My wife Ann wants to compete too next year with her White’s Coinmaster GT. Plenty machine for an event like this. A true case of “less is more.” If you have a modest detector...go for it! It is most definitely all you need... light and speedy. But watch out for those tricky tree roots! (:
All the Best,
Sebastian Steve
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Great story Steve. Thanks for sharing.
I
