Butler County Treasure Hunters
The first organizational meeting was held 2/14/1976
BCTH NEWSLETTER AUGUST, 2008
Meetings: 7:00 PM (3rd Thursday every month March thru December)
All meetings are held at:
The Family Bowl-Away, 540 Fairground Road, Butler PA.
We always welcome guests.
For more information call Jack Barrett at (814) 752-2116 or Terry Taylor at (724) 867-5422.
Other club information may be obtained via the club’s website at: http://butlertreasurehunters.net
AUGUST ALREADY!! I can hardly believe summer is well on its way to being over and fall is just around the corner. It seems such a short time ago, spring had begun and our detecting season was just beginning. To say time is flying by seems an understatement. It seems no matter what one does, whether its laze around all day, detect all day, go to work, do chores at home, stay up late, get up early, or just do nothing at all, morning becomes evening, one day becomes another, next week is already here, another monthly meeting passes, the end of the month comes, and whoa, its AUGUST ALREADY!! As many of you now, getting older or even retirement does not slow time down a bit. I guess the best we can do is make the most of each day, each week, each month and try to enjoy the ride as much as we can. This year has been a very damp season which is good for our hobby as those nice yards are still detectable as the ground is moist and little damage is done when disturbing the sod, unusual for the late summer season. I hope everyone can take advantage and have the time to get out often’
The July meeting was very memorable with lots of great finds in the Show & Tell. It was nice to see several different members receive top honors for their finds. A club hunt is in the planning stages for the Saturday after the August monthly meeting. The times and directions will be announced at the meeting. Our newest member, Ron Smith will give a presentation on the searching of properties and deeds which can be of great help to many of us in finding those great places to detect. A special Thanks to Tom McCarthy for taking minutes and Larry Miller for helping keep our ticket totals straight at the July meeting. With Terry, Jim and Vic away on some well deserved vacation time, your help was greatly appreciated. Thanks also to Kathleen Bollinger for doing our monthly drawings once again, Bob Brown for holding our monthly coin raffle during Vic’s absence, and each member for the little things you do. Sometimes just your attendance is one of the most important things you can do. A full meeting room and your positive input at the meetings means so very much.
Our fall hunt is scheduled for September 27, so keep that date in mind. It is sure to be another memorable time. It was really great to have Don Shook, a charter member attend our July meeting. Don is member #20 and had some great stories to tell on how our club began in 1976 as well as what our hobby was like in its earlier days. Don promises to come back with another of our founders, and talk and answer questions on our club’s beginnings. From speaking with Don, I got the impression he is pleased and I am sure gets a rewarding feeling from seeing something he was instrumental in getting started so many years ago, still going strong today.
Well, till next month, good health to all. Try to grab as much of that speeding time to detect as you possibly can.
THOUGHT Best Wishes and God Bless
The real measure of anyone’s character, Jack Barrett
Is what they would do if they knew, President BCTH
No one would ever find out.
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July Minutes
OPENING
Jack Barrett called the meeting to order at 7:05 P.M., followed by the pledge & a moment of silence for the troops.
GREETING
33 members and 1 guest: Dale Shook-a club charter member.
MINUTES
Jim Hindman wasn't there, so no minutes were read.
Big thanks to Tom McCarthy for volunteering to take the meeting minute notes--thanks Tom!
STRIP TICKET WINNER
#483-Jack Barrett
HUNTS
Harry Niemeyer, Red Craft, Jackie Walker and a few others from other clubs set up a hunt to teach autistic children how to metal detect. They seeded several hunt fields and each child got to keep their finds. A show and tell was held inside the school after the hunts. Photos are posted on the website.
Thank you to all that participated! What a great way to expose others to the hobby!
Jack talked about the hunt that Andre LaStrapes wanted to organize at Paradise Park in Cowansville. Jack will call and set up a date. We are also in
search of a venue for the club's fall hunt because Eleanor's property on Rt 66 is for sale. Tentative date for the hunt is Saturday, August 23, 2008 at 10 A.M.
TREASURER’S REPORT
Greg will have a total for the August meeting. Motion to accept was made by Red Craft, seconded by Joe Guerre.
Debts:
Harry Niemeyer $17.76 for the newsletter
Jack Barrett $35.00 for strip tickets
FMDAC NEWS
Vic Kamer was not at the meeting, but Harry said that the FMDAC has a new forum and a new webmaster. Check it out.
GUEST SPEAKER
Jack Barrett talked about how to go about getting permission to hunt private houses and also had copies of his article for people to take & read.
Ron Smith gave a preview of an in depth presentation on title searching to find out who owns the property. Ron will be doing a presentation on that subject for the August meeting.
RAFFLE TICKETS
Bob Brown handled Vic's Silver drawing--1886O---winner: Claire Klingensmith. ($56 for the fall hunt.)
Kathleen Bollinger handled the 50/50 raffle. $57 donated-$28.50 to the winner: Gary Waddell.
Attendance winner: Jack Barrett
Larry Miller & Jack Barrett took care of the strip tickets.
Display Judges: Andre LaStapes & John McGallis.
DISPLAYS
12 Displays:
BEST DISPLAY--Tom McCarthy--14Kt White Gold Bracelet, 3 Gold rings, 1 Silver ring, 10Kt necklace with a silver charm, & a 1943S Walking Half.
BEST COIN--Don Wagoner--1919 English Pence.
BEST JEWELRY--Joe Novastat--14Kt Ring with 4 diamonds.
BEST ARTIFACT--Larry Leathers--Gold watch case.
OLDEST COIN--Bob Brown--1817 Large Cent.
MOST SILVER--Dan Bollinger--5 silver coins.
CONSOLATION WINNER--Red Craft
MOTION TO ADJOURN
Bob Brown made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Joe Guerre
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2008 FMDAC Fall Convention & Treasure Expo.
October 10th, 11th and 12th, 2008
**
Mid-Atlantic East Coast Chapter Open Hunt
October 25th, 2008
**
Butler CountyTreasure Hunters
The hunt at Country paradise Park
August 23, 2008
At 10:00am
**
BCTH Annual Fall Hunt
September 27th 2008
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THE UNEXPECTED FIND
The excitement of not knowing what the next swing of the coil might detect is a big part of what motivates us treasure hunters. The associated experiences we may have, both while we hunt and resulting from the things we find, can be beyond our wildest imagination and even more rewarding. Take for example the unexpected find I made on June 1st, 2008. The find was an old coin and the associated experience concerns a 4th grade school boy who has a budding interest in metal detecting.
June 1st was a bright sunny day, perfect for outdoor activities. Well, you guessed it instinctively I decided to go metal detecting. For hunt locations I selected two cemeteries where I hoped to find some old coins instead of the new ones I seem to attract. At the first cemetery I found only three new coins. Consequently, I was very discouraged because I had nothing else to show for the time I spent there. How could such an old cemetery contain only new coins? Therefore I left and pinned my hopes on the second cemetery. It too was old, at one time, was adjacent to a 19th century church that was destroyed by fire many decades ago. Hunting the area where the church once stood was like detecting with my detector turned off.
The site was probably covered with new soil and reseeded years ago putting any targets beyond detector range. I decided against detecting in the bordering cemetery because I had done this before and now remembered that I found nothing. It was time to regroup. Reluctantly I postponed my lusty yearning for old coins to another day. As a result I decided to try my luck at a nearby school playground. I had hunted there many times before finding only new coins with the exception of a few wheat pennies.
When I arrived at the school the playground was deserted. I detected there for about one hour and as I expected found several new coins. At least I was finding coins and they were quite easy to retrieve from the loose wood chips that covered the playground. Than out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a young boy ride up on hisbike and stop nearby to watch me detect. We exchanged greetings and he asked if I had found anything. I showed him some coins I had and than continued to hunt. Displaying his inquisitiveness even further, the youngster left his bike and walked over to me as I was recovering another coin. So I used this opportunity to explain to him what I was doing and how my detector and pin-pointer worked. His interest persisted since he began walking along with me as I detected. Shortly I heard a loud clear beep that remained strong as I criss-crossed the target-music to my ears. Looking at my detectors ID display, the penny LCD was black and locked on solid as I swung over the target. Confidently, I told the youngster I had found a penny. He asked if he could find the coin with it. I said sure. He caught on quickly, the pin-pointer beeped and we found a Lincoln memorial penny. I put it in my pouch and we continued on. I set my detectors discrimination just below nickel when I hunt this playground because it contains very few pull tabs. I can visually distinguish between a pull tab and a nickel by the way the LCD ID block next to the nickel symbol behaves. It becomes and locks on as I sweep over the nickel. The black nickel block will also appear when I swing over pull tabs but It will be skittish. This means the detector is uncertain of the targets identity. This is due to irregularities of the tab’s shape, which can affect eddy current generation on its surfaces.
We walked on together until suddenly I got a strong beep and a solid lock on the nickel ID block. I told the youngster I found a nickel. With the lad doing the pinpointing again, we retrieved the coin. It was a Jefferson nickel, another of many and the only kind I have ever found here. As we continued hunting, the youngster said he could hear my detector beeping even though I was using my earphones. Thus I tried to explain to him what the different beeping sounds meant. Soon I heard a strong beep and noticed my detector ID was locked on to nickel again. The youngster was enjoying using my pin-pointer as we began to retrieve the coin. After the pin-pointer beeped, we both peered at the wood chips with anticipation. The younger eyes of the lad spotted the coin first and he picked it up. It appeared to be another nickel and I would have bet the house it was a Jefferson.
(continued)
(The Unexpected Find)
Suddenly, I had the thought that my companion would be excited to keep one of the coins he had been pinpointing for me. So, I instantly blurted out to him- “you can keep this coin”. I had not yet touched or examined it. He looked it over and with puzzlement said – “this is a strange coin because there is a buffalo on one side. This totally surprised me. I realized what he held in his hands. Then I said, let’s look for the coins date. On the obverse side below the Indian head the year 1930 was clearly visible. Woop-ee! I have never found a Buffalo nickel in my five year metal detecting career, let alone one with a fully visible date. This coin would be a nice find to display at my next BCTH meeting. But wait; let’s get back to reality hers! I just told the youngster it was his coin to keep. Giving him a Jefferson nickel in place of the Buffalo was certainly out of the question. And borrowing it to show at my club meeting and returning it, just didn’t feel right to me, I could do nothing that would make the youngster feel like I was breaking my word to him. I brashly bet the house that I knew this coins identity before I even looked closely at it, but was wrong. Yet, I was very glad I impulsively gave him the nickel, especially when I saw how happy he was with his prize. He asked how to clean it. I recommended soap and water. Then I explained to him the significance of his dated Buffalo nickel.
With his coin safely in his pocket, the youngster began asking more questions about my detector which I happily answered. It sounded like he was becoming hooked on metal detecting. I hope so, because he was helpful, gentlemanly, intelligent and well behaved. These are traits we in our hobby admire. It was nearly dinner time and I had to leave. The young man asked my name and I, his.
We than parted, saying our good-byes on a first name basis, I walked away without the Buffalo nickel. But instead, I took away some pleasant and enduring memories about how I found it and then gave it away. I feel good and smile inside every time I think about detecting that day with my new young friend and of showing his strange old coin to someone and telling them he found it when he went metal detecting for the very first time. And I enjoy the laughs I share with others when I tell them about my sure bet Jefferson nickel that turned out to be a buffalo. What an unexpected find and an
even more rewarding experience it all was.
Ted Listik
Thank You, Ted for the excellent article about your day with the youngster and the unexpected finds.
This is what we are looking for to place into the newsletters. What is needed is just an article about something you did or were involved in that is metal detecting related. All you do is E-mail it or hand it to me at the meetings then we will work together and get it posted in the newsletter. I prefer a computer generated article but I can work with a hand typed one also.
The Editor
America is a tune.
It must be sung together