1. A ring... and a finger to go with it!
Image Source: shakespearesglobe[/caption]Now this find is a far cry from a golden chalice. In fact, this is one of the most disturbing things you could find. Here, we have a finger bone complete with ring. Yikes! Enough to make you want to throw away that metal detector. It’s difficult to know for sure what happened to the person once attached to the finger. However, what we do know is that one way or another this poor woman lost her finger and never got it back!
2. An old syringe
Image Source: Imagez
Metal detectors often help you find things that are extremely old. One man, while looking around for treasure, managed to uncover this ancient syringe. The needle-y object was used by vets to inject cute animals with the necessary medicines. We’re not sure how it got lost, but we are sure that it’s an interesting find.
3. Milk token
Image Source: Madsci
There used to be a day when milk was delivered to your house using tokens. Now, in the age of online grocery deliveries at the click of the button, these times have passed. However, this doesn’t mean that traces of the past don’t still live on... Here, we see how they lived on in the tokens that used to be used to make that milk’s purchase. Here we have someone who found one of these old tokens that clearly some derelict milkman neglected to pick up. Hopefully he still left the people with some milk...
4. Stapled money
Image Source:The financial Express
Sometimes we use staples to help us keep organized. In this case, somebody used the bent aluminum to staple money to some plastic. A pretty off thing to do but it certainly made one metal detector-wielding man very happy! He was able to find the buried money with ease. Amazingly, the man found around $80 buried away. That’s almost enough to buy another metal detector! All the guy needed to double his metal-detecting capital was a metal detector, some diligence, and a little bit of searching.
5. Decaying dentures
Image Source: Flickr
Unfortunately, mot all finds are as pleasant as a thick wad of cash. One freaked out metal hunter found a pair of decaying dentures! Not many people are aware that dentures are not always made without metal. And, as you likely could have guessed, these metal-filled teeth replacements can be quite easy to find with a handy-dandy metal detector. While they’re likely not the gold you’re looking for, they certainly are something.
6. Discarded and enchained bones
Image Source: safetyliftingear
Sometimes when you’re using your metal detector, you fall victim to certain finds that you’d rather have left undiscovered. While a pair of dentures was certainly a gross find, far darker things lie beneath the ground. Unfortunately, when you’re using these metal detectors, you don’t get to choose what it is that you find. And, in this case, the thing found was a chain and shackle. This chain and shackle came complete with the bone to which it was attached. What a chilling find!
7. Artillery shell
Image Source: Aquachigger via YouTube
Some gold hunting metal detectors have found some truly surprising stuff! Some ancient versions of weaponry that may still even be active. However, beggars can’t be choosers. While metal detecting near an old river, one man found an old Civil War-era shell that was once used to sink ships. While this isn’t cash, and certainly not active, it is still a cool find.
8. War canteen
Image Source: jamesmountainantiques
Sticking with the theme of war memorabilia, One man, while scouring the local terrain for trinkets and accoutrements, found something a little more bizarre than just some coins or dentures. He stumbled across none other than an old wartime canteen. This canteen was presumably used by some UK soldier during WWII. The canteen was well embattled with the wear and tear of over a half-century of being buried beneath the surface of the Earth. Still, however, even given its derelict condition, the find was an absolutely fascinating piece of history.
9. Metal chalice
Image Source: periodoakantiques
Having searched the depths of the sea with his metal detector, one metal detector managed to find a golden chalice! The chalice was so heavy with gold that it was valued at upward of a million dollars. A find most could only dream of! The chalice turned out to be an item being carried across the sea on a ship. Unfortunately for that ship and crew, the sea swallowed the thing whole. That unfortunate loss, however, was good for the diver who found this thing.
11. Ring in a dog’s stomach
Image Source: Facebook
There is nothing quite like that sinking feeling you get when you wake up with an important item misplaced. Especially when that item is a wedding ring. However, fortunately for one young woman in that predicament, she had a metal detector to help her retrace her steps. After searching high and low for the lost ring, she started to hear a beep. Surprisingly, the beep lead her to her pet dog. The pooch had taken a liking to the shiny glowing diamond and of course felt the need to eat it.
12. Iron Age necklaces
Image Source: theconversation
Back to things you would WANT to find... While searching through the ocean sands, one person uncovered something shiny. After a little bit of digging, he uncovered a set of golden necklaces from the Iron Age. The beautiful find also came with a handsome stack of money, with the necklaces valued at around $2 million. Another discovery that just goes to show what you can do with a little metal-detecting magic.
13. Axe head
Image source: AttilaBarsan
Another weaponry find is an ancient axe head, found a millennium after being discarded on a bloody battlefield. While the thing had become separated from its shaft, it was still cool to imagine the history behind it, and how the axe came to be discarded. The axe head was of the Bronze Age, meaning it was from a time before iron would take the world by storm. They say the axe is around 1,000 years old.
14. Two-pound meteor
Image source: Mauro Pimentel
While digging through the sands, one 13-year-old boy found a 2-pound meteorite. The slab of extraterrestrial matter was estimated to be around 10,000 years old. If we look at the human timeline, this would place the rock at about the beginning of the Neolithic Revolution — the point at which humans finally began to turn toward an agricultural lifestyle. This is quite the find for a young teen!
15. Cortez’s boot
Cortez’s boot
While the soil and the oceans have thrown up some incredible pieces of history, the desert sometimes yields something far better. This is especially true when you have a metal detector in hand. One man, while exploring the desert sands found himself an oddly shaped piece of gold. The odd trinket was shaped so bizarrely that it compelled the man to name the thing the “Boot of Cortez.” While the thing was absolutely no boot, it was a cool and expensive find that would definitely pay the bills for a good while!
16. A lost class ring
Image source: ITV
Sometimes you lose something only to have it found again. However, once it’s found, it’s not always by you. While many a person would adopt a 'finders keepers losers weepers' attitude, there are still good people in the world. When one person lost their class ring, it later was found again by an intrepid metal detectorist. The ring had accumulated even more value after having been lost to the dirt. However, the value was returned back to the owner, who had lost the ring 50 years earlier. The owner was naturally incredibly thankful. We would hope that others are as kind as this finder.
17. Buried treasure
Image source: washingtonian
The ultimate thing those who buy metal detectors seek to find is of course buried treasure. However, if we are being honest with ourselves this is probably the thing we are the least likely to find. Still, some gold hunters are lucky enough for these expectations to be fulfilled. One person stumbled across some treasure while looking around an estate for his friend’s lost hammer. In face, he found a whole load of buried treasure. This was enough treasure to help buy him a nice new house. If only all Gen Z and Millennials could stumble across some treasure right now...
18. The Ringlemere Cup
Image source: Print Collector/Hulton Archive
Sometimes we wonder how certain items get lost. You would expect that if the thing was of great value, the owners would have been much more careful not to misplace it. This doesn’t, however, always appear to be the case. One man, while searching the nearby ground, found himself something quite valuabl a golden cup from around 1500 B.C. That’s pretty old! But more than that, the value of the thing had multiplied tremendously given its ancient character. Now, the cup holds an estimated worth of over $500,000.
19. The Crosby Garrett Helmet
Image Source: blogspot
War memorabilia is often a very exciting find for metal hunters. In a British field, somebody was lucky enough to find an ancient mask. The mask was dated to be around 1,800 years old, and because of this stupendous age, the thing was considered quite valuable by collectors and other prospectors. What an amazing find!
20. A bronze fibula
Image Source: Wulfund
You may be wondering what exactly a fibula is. Besides being a bone in the body, a fibula can also be something very different. Fibulas are also a way in which people used to (and some still do, in fact) bind together different parts of a garment. Here, for instance, we have bronze Roman fibula — also called a brooch — that was resurrected from the dirt. What a find!
21. Pirate treasure
Image source: media.npr
You may have thought that treasure chests are merely the stuff of pirate movies. However, they are an interesting part of history, and of course things of the past don’t always stay hidden — especially when you have a metal detector. And here, we have an extraordinarily fortuitous find. While scouring the shores of a nearby beach, a man hit something hard. After resurrecting the chest from the ground, he found none other than a chest of pirate treasure!
22. An old Model T
Image source: Youtube
Many of us spend some time looking for a new car. However, most of us don’t take to the metal detector to do so! But, as one man learned while scouring the grounds near his home, this might actually be a good option. After a sufficient amount of searching, the man found that buried beneath a lot of dirt by his house was an entire 1913 Ford Model T. The car, while of course no longer functioning and largely deteriorated, was a pretty fascinating find. This now-collector’s item could definitely fetch the man a handsome sum. If only we could all find our dream vehicle right by our house.
23. The Mojave Nugget
Image source: The Jeweler blog
A man searching through the Mojave Desert in 1977 had some incredible luck. What he had discovered was the largest hunk of gold ever found — deemed the “Mojave Nugget.” We all wish we were this lucky. Regardless, this large chunk of gold is perhaps one of the most valuable finds ever gleaned from the likes of a metal detector. Most metal hunters only get a few old coins!
24. A Civil War sword
Image source: nbcnews
Some more fascinated discarded weaponry finds include this civil war sword. These killer blades are hardly biodegradable, meaning it will linger in the Earth for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of years. And this is exactly what happened with this Civil War-era sword. While searching through the dirt, a family eventually unearthed the 200-year-old weapon. While the thing was certainly valuable and would have gained the family a decent chunk of wealth, they decided to keep the sword as a fun souvenir.
25. Gold, gold, and more gold
Image Source: BBC
Everybody loves gold. The stuff holds a consistent value that only seems to increase over time. This means that any time you come across the stuff, you know you will have a hearty sum of money waiting. Sometimes, however, that gold might be shaped into something that you’d rather keep as an artifact. While searching through some dirt in England, Terry Herbert found one of the most extensive, ornate, and pristine collections of gold items ever discovered. Roughly 500 pieces strong, this collection of coins, weapons, and other items could have fetched an extraordinarily handsome price. Yet, because of the collection’s value, the find would be shared with museums across the globe. Noble act.
26. Medieval coin
Image Source: CDN
Another extremely old artefact was uncovered by a metal enthusiast who was sifting through the dirt of a nearby plot of land in Serbia. This man found a coin from early 17th century. This coin, while extremely old, had increased substantially in value. Because of its importance to collectors, the find could fetch in quite the sum. What a lucky man!
27. An ancient key
Image source: Medium
Keys have existed for far longer than people realize, and the precise origin of the metal opener remains unknown. Scholars maintain that the first key likely originated from the Babylonians of Egyptians around 6,000 years ago. Since these early beginnings, however, the technology has become ubiquitous. Here we have a key that was found a little later. Originating from the Saxons, this ornate key was used to lock away some sort of Saxon treasure. While Saxons no longer hold the day, their ancient trinkets can be found via the occasional metal detectorist.
28. Huge collection of ancient rings
Image source: science101
Many metal detectorists will find more than one object in their tenure. However, there are few finds quite as intriguing as this. Here we have a collection of rings and other types of regalia found by one particular enthusiast. Most of the rings found here are from the Roman era, dating back to something between 509 BC to 27 BC. Given the affinity many collectors bare for items of the Roman era, this collection is worth an extraordinary amount of money.
29. Old coins
Image source: science101
While old coins may feel like a pretty boring find, it is also the most common. Coins are possibly the easist pieces of metal to find and discard. However, some are far rarer than others. With this collection, the coins will be sufficiently old and varied as to merit a high value by collectors. These coins in particular were found underwater, which makes them all the cooler. Who said old coins were boring?
30. An old bullet
Image source: science101
If you search around an old battle field, you may find a whole host of interesting objects. Here we have a find mad by a young man of an old WWII-era bullet. The shell casing, while malformed by age and time in the dirt, is still quite the interesting find. While it won’t rake in as much money as some of the more ancient coins and rings, the thing is still cool and carries an important part of history.
31. A Treasure Trove Of Viking Gold And Silver
Image Source / Wikipedia
In 2007, a father and son were metal detecting in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, came across a Viking hoard of gold and silver. They amount they managed to find equalled almost a million dollars, which they decided to share with the farmer who owned the field. The treasure is now on display in the British Museum.
32. A Roman Helmet
Image Source / Wikipedia
Known as the Crosby Garrett Helmet, a Roman face helmet, the treasure was discovered in 2010 in Cumbria, England. It was picked up by the detector as separate copper fragments, which revealed the helmet once reconstructed. The helmet sold for over 3 million dollars at auction.
33. A Sapphire Ring Potentially Belonging To A King
Image Source / My Modern Met
In 2015, a metal detecot picked up a ring in Yorkshire, England, made of gold, glass and sapphire. The sapphire was actually cut centuries before the ring was made, it was discovered, and was believed to have likely belonged to a king or important leader. A museum bought the ring for over $44,000.
34. The Largest Hoard Of Roman Gold And Silver Ever Discovered In Britain
Image Source / Historic UK
It was discovered in 1992 that a detectorist had picked up the largest hoard of gold and silver in Britain from Roman times. There totalled close to 15,000 Roman coins, 200 tableware items and gold jewellery. In total, the find was worth around 2.59 million dollars. Unsurprisingly, a museum now owns the treasure!
35. Golden Torcs From The Iron Age
Image Source / Museum of the World
Torcs, a thick and heavy type of necklace, were found in Scotland in 2009 in a field - four of them, in fact. The laws in Scotland demand that finds such as this one be turned over, but that the finder would receive a reward at a fair value for what was found - and that's what happened with this 4 large golden necklaces.
36. An Ancient Bronze Age Stash
Image Source / Ancient & Oriental
In 2000, an ancient stash of Bronze Age goodies was found in Milton Keynes, England, which included torcs, bracelets, a bronze rod fragment and a piece of pottery. It was all valued in total at around $382,000. The two men who found the treasure were given 60% of the worth before it moved to a museum.
37. 840 Gold Coins
Image Source / Wikipedia
A couple of gold coins would be exciting enough, but 840 of them? Two men found the hoard of Iron Age gold coins back in 2008 in Suffolk, England, and a British museum bought the coins for a generous price of $416,000.
38. "Hand of Faith" Gold Nugget
Image Source / Reddit
Found in 1980 in Australia, the "Hand of Faith" golden nugget weighed around 60 pounds, and it's now on display in the aptly named Golden Nugget Casino in Nevada, who bought the nugget for 1.1 million dollars. It's the largest intact golden nugget, and is also the biggest nugget ever found by a metal detector.
39. 9,262 Roman Coins
Image Source / Coins Weekly
I hope they had something with them to carry all those home with! The coins were found in 1998 by two cousins, in Somerset, England. First one Roman coin was uncovered, leading to the whopping total found when they dug a little deeper. The coins had a total value of $349,000.
40. A Hoard Of 5,000 Anglo-Saxon Silver Coins
Image Source / The Argus
In Buckinghamshire, England, there was an official metal detecting rally back in 2014, and one man was lucky enough to find a coin trove inside a lead container. It contained 5,000 11th Century Anglo-Saxon coins, and came out with a value of 1.64 million dollars bought by a museum.
41. Viking Treasure Filled With Ingots And Jewelry
Image Source / ResearchGate
Found in Galloway, Scotland, in 2014 was a complete treasure trove of Viking valuables. It included gold ingots, silver jewelry, pins, vessels, beads, amulets and brooches. The National Museums in Scotland purchases the entire lot for 2.42 million dollars.
42. Shipwreck Treasure From 1715
Image Source / AZERTAC
If your ship sinks with some pretty impressive treasure on board, it's likely some lucky person is eventually going to find it. In 2015, that's exactly what happened when a treasure-hunting team managed to get 4.5 million dollars worth of treasure from a 12-ship fleet that sank off the Florida coast in 1715.
43. A World War II Money Stash
Image Source / The National WWII Museum
In 1946, an investigation was prompted into a dead postal worker following some anomalies in his records. When investigators used a metal detector to search the dead man's garden, they found stolen money amounting to around $153,150, hidden in jars and cans.
44. X Marks The Spot: Pirate Treasure!
Image Source / Etsy
In 1947, an historian bought a treasure map that was believed to have been owned by a pirate named Edward Low. The historian managed to find the real life counterpart of the island drawn on the map, off the Nova Scotian shoreline. When he got there, he found Spanish and Portuguese doubloons.
45. A Solid Gold Cross From The 7th Century
Image Source / The Mirror
A 1,400-year-old cross made from solid gold was discovered by a metal detectorist in 2008, on a farm in England. It measured over an inch long, made from 18-karat gold, was decorated by red gemstones. It was found to be worth, at the very least, $33,000.
46. Unclaimed Gold Ingots
Image Source / Dreamstime.com
2 lucky workers in the village of Klingnau in Switzerland discovered 10 unmarked gold ingots when they went metal detecting. Because the ingots were never claimed, the village which lies on the German border was able to reap the reward of the $100,000 worth.
47. A Solid Gold Viking Crucifix
Image Source / Smithsonian Magazine
In 2006, a man who was metal detecting in a field in Denmark came across a gold crucifix. The crucifix depicted Jesus with his arms stretched out, and is believed to be Denmark's oldest crucifix. Not only that, but the object gained significance due to it possibly altering the period when it was believed the Danes became Christians.
48. A Spanish American War Medal
Image Source / Collectors Weekly
A man was metal detecting in Florida in 2019 when he found a Spanish American War medal, with a name displayed: Thomas Sines Sr. The medal was dated 1898. The medal was for service in the war as part of the 10th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Because Thomas Sines Sr. passed away in 1948, the man who found it eventually got to give the medal to his great granddaughter.
49. A Piece Of 8 From Pirate Legends
Image Source / Awestruck Workshop
This metal detectorist was in the Vermont mountains when he found the remains of a building. In it, he found lots of interesting pieces, including a button from the 1700s, a copper coin and a trigger guard from a musket. But the most interesting piece was a 1780 Spanish Eight Real (Piece of 8), but this was likely fake due to it being one of the most counterfeited coins of all time!
50. An Entire Village?
Image Source / Wikimedia Commons
A metal detectorist called Wille and several other detectorists partnered with archaeologists in Connecticut to hopefully find new pieces of history. In 2017, Wille found several items, including a brass triangle. According to the research center he took it to, it could have been the site of a missing village called Tatuppequauog. And it turns out it was.