A Peek into the Past Metal Detecting by Rob Jamieson
Metal detecting has been very much in the news over the past few years when hordes of treasure have been discovered. My detecting days started in 1976 when I purchased my first detector at the price of £25. This model was basic in the extreme as it only had an On/ Off switch and a volume control and it did not indicate the depth of a find.
Over the years I upgraded several times to more sophisticated models but had not done any detecting over the past ten years or so. My latest model, a Minelab X-Terra 505, that cost £440, has many more features, which includes the ability to indicate the depth of the item, or whether it is ferrous or non ferrous and it can detect items at a much greater depth.
That first detector, despite its limited depth penetration, yielded many finds. This success resulted from the fact that at that time there were very few detectorists in Scotland. Items lost over the previous century were still lying there waiting to be dug up. Items lost over hundreds of years gradually sink further down until they lie too deep to be detected. Within a few months my basic model had revealed, a gold bracelet, two gold rings and some silver rings. Decimal currency had only come into use in 1971 and consequently most of the coins found were pre-decimal. This was not a disadvantage as silver coins produced before 1920 were 92.5% silver and those in subsequent years were about 50% silver until 1947 when these coins were made of cupro-nickel (75% copper and 25% nickel. Consequently, the scrap value alone of these coins yielded a nice cash sum as it far exceeded the face value.
So where are the best search areas? Well these are numerous. In effect, places where people tend to gather; river banks, picnic areas, beaches, footpaths etc. Around the Dunblane area alone I have found more than 3,000 coins.
88
Found: Medallion, hallmarked 1919 and made of silver and gold
I was detecting in woods in Pitlochry last September and I had the greatest surprise of my detecting experience. I found a live .303 bullet, which is nothing unusual, but indicated a military presence. A few yards from this find I received a strong signal and began to dig. About a foot down I uncovered a round metal object. I thought “That is a mine!” I drove to the Pitlochry Police Station and reported it to the Police. A policeman went with me to the woods and the following day the MOD Bomb Squad removed the mine.
I have been asked on a few occasions to search for lost items. In the early 1980s I was asked on behalf of Mrs Susan Stirling of Keir to search for an antique bell that had been attached to her dog’s collar. It had been lost during one of her walks on the estate. I went to Keir House and Mrs Stirling and I went to the area where the loss occurred. I soon found it.
I was also asked to search for the wedding ring that a lady had lost while fruit picking. We went to the fruit farm and the ring was found within ten minutes. On another occasion the daughter of a friend had lost a valuable gold ring and once again I was happy to find it.
If any reader has lost anything of value I would be pleased to make a search on their behalf. I wouldn’t charge for this service!
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