Sunday, April 23, 2017

4/23/17 Report - Traveling and Metal Detecting. Hard Cases and Other Issues.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

I always enjoy detecting new places, so when I travel I like to have a detector.  I used to take my detector with me when I flew, but after 2001 airport security became more of a hassle and I started shipping my detector and associated items ahead instead of taking them on the plane.  Some people still take their detectors on the plane and say it isn't a problem.  I remember back in the day, a lot of the time airport security had no idea what my detector was but they weren't very concerned about it.

Iowa Steve wrote to me about the Cooper's Treasure TV show and mentioned the hard metal detector carry case they used and wondered where to get one.

I still have a nice case that I got with my Fisher Aquanaut 1280 many years ago and it can be used for other detectors even thought it fit the 1280 perfectly.  There are, however, cases made specifically for many metal detector models.

Below are some examples of hard carry cases.




Obviously not all cases will work for all detectors.  Detectors like the ATX fold up and can fit in a more compact case.

You might want to modify some of the foam inserts if you want to use a case for another type of metal detector.

You can purchase hard carry cases through online metal detector retailers or sites like eBay.  eBay offers a good variety.

Prices generally range anywhere from close t0 $70 up to around $200.  I'd check the detector manufacturer web site first.

If you don't have a suitable case around and don't want to buy one, I'm sure an old vintage suit case and some Styrofoam and padding would work.  Wouldn't look so cool though.  If you don't have any of the old hard suitcases around the house, you can find them for almost nothing at thrift stores.

If you detect when traveling, there is also the matter of bringing finds back.  Most small items such as coins or buttons  are usually not much of a problem.  However other finds, such as the grape shot that I found, can be tricky.  I have left items like that behind because I didn't want to take a chance that it might be considered an explosive, which could have resulted in a fine of over $100,000 or worse.  It wasn't worth the risk so I just left it.

International travel can be more problematic because of customs, which can apply to items that you acquired, no matter if they were purchased or acquired otherwise.  You could explain how you found an expensive diamond ring or gold coin with your metal detector, but there is a chance that might get sticky.  You could also get into issues of cultural heritage, just to name one other kind of possible problem.

You might decide for any of a number of reasons to ship certain types of finds, in which case the shipper can take care of clearing customs and paying duties.  They'll charge a fee.

---

I know some of crews that are going to work leases this year along the Treasure Coast are still waiting for the weather to improve.

This was one rainy day.  It finally stopped.  We really needed the rain though.

The surf got up to three or four feet, but I haven't had a chance to check out the beaches.  The surf is supposed to decrease again over the next few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net