To hunt relics, follow rules or face prison

From The Frederick News-Post

It is a crime to remove artifacts from federal property. Unauthorized metal detecting and artifact collecting are strictly forbidden in national parks.

However, it is legal to search for relics on private property with the consent of the owners, said Keith Goettner, who used to search for artifacts in the Fredericksburg, Va., area.

“If you know somebody who lives along an old camp or battlefield, those are great places to dig,” Goettner said. “I used to find a lot.”

The Gettysburg area is rich with artifacts buried just below the ground.

Cary Murphy said there is a grave marker for a fallen soldier in his backyard. He wouldn’t dream of disturbing it, he said. He’s also found a bag of bullets, equipment straps, a ring and other small items on his property. They aren’t for sale at his shop, though.

“That’s part of the house’s history,” he said. “That stays with the house.”

Goettner said anyone who is relic hunting should be aware of the boundaries near them and obtain proper permission before setting out.

Hundreds of incidents of looting are reported on federal land annually, according to the National Park Service Archaeology Program.

From 2004 to 2007, the government documented 3,143 incidents of looting or vandalism on federal lands. The real number is expected to be higher because some illegal activity is never uncovered, according to the NPS.

Federal agencies arrested 96 looters between 2004 and 2007. Citations were given to 351 people in the same time period, according to the NPS.

More than $1 million of federal parks property was seized and more than $2.1 million in damaged was caused in the 2004 to 2007 incidents.

Archaeological looters and vandals have been prosecuted under the federal Antiquities Act and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, in addition to more than 40 other federal and state laws.

The maximum penalty for a misdemeanor ARPA offense is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, said Katie Lawhon, spokeswoman for Gettysburg National Military Park. The maximum penalty for a felony ARPA offense, meaning the damage was more than $500, is two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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New hats and patches are available. Hats are $12.00 and patches are $2.50 each.  
Come to our next meeting on September 16th to get yours.

The New Hats are Really Cool

DEEP SEARCH MEMBERS DIG AT FAR VIEW MANOR NJ AUGUST 10, 2013

ENTRANCE 

MEMBERS ON HAND POSE FOR GROUP PHOTO BEFORE DIG

LET THE HUNTING BEGIN

TAKING A BREAK

FINDS

MEMBERS APPRECIATED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEARCH FAR VIEW MANOR

Would You Believe The Travel Channel Now Has a Show About Metal Detecting Called "DIG WARS'

The BRAVO cable channel has the "American Diggers" show. National Geographic Channel has the "Diggers"show and now the Travel Channel has "DIG WARS".

Dig Wars follows 3 teams as they hunt for historical artifacts. Judging from their website they seem to their hunting in the south on or near civil war battlefields

http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/dig-wars

Their website carries this DISCLAIMER: All permissions to film on locations featured in the series were granted by the landowners. Metal detecting enthusiasts should always abide by state and federal laws.

My question is will the Food Network start its own show about metal detecting. Time will tell.

Angry at court order, man returns more than $500,000 all in Quarters

READ STORY:

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Angry+court+order+returns+more+than+coins/8737885/story.html

An Illinois businessman outraged by a court order that he return more than $500,000 in insurance money related to a 2001 wreck that killed his teenage son wanted to pay the money back in pennies in protest, only to recognize that was unfeasible.

So, Roger Herrin settled on quarters — four tons of them.

Packed in 150 transparent sacks each weighing about 50 pounds, the $150,000 in coins were nearly one-third of the money an appellate court required Herrin to pay back to resolve years-long legal feuding among the crash's survivors over how $800,000 in insurance proceeds were apportioned.

Obtained from the Federal Reserve in St. Louis, the backbreaking load of change was brought in Wednesday by an armoured vehicle and delivered on a flatbed truck to two law firms that represented other victims of the wreck.

Read Issues of RELIC HUNTER magazine Online NOW!

Not sure if this is a temporary thing or not, but if you navigate to
http://www.relic-hunting.com you can read the current and past issues of this great magazine.

Pictured below is the July-August 2013 Issue

DSMDC 2013 PICNIC & BEACH HUNT FOR MEMBERS & FAMILIES

Five Rare Coins That Are Worth Money

1913 Liberty Head Nickel

This design was retired in 1912 in favor of the new Indian Head Nickel design and so no 1913 Liberty Head Nickels should have been produced. However, the dies (casts used to strike coins) had already been made and five nickels with the Liberty Head design were struck. A coin collector named Samuel Brown — who coincidentally had been an employee of the U.S. Mint in 1913 — announced at the American Numismatic Association’s annual convention that he had all five. In 1924, Brown sold his nickels to a dealer. Over the years, they passed between dealers and collectors and, in 1996, one of Brown’s Liberty Head Nickels became the first U.S. coin to command more than $1,000,000 at auction. Currently, all five of the nickels are in the hands of private collectors; one especially fine specimen sold for more than $3,000,000 this year!

 1894-S Barber Dime

With an original mintage of just 24 pieces — all struck as proofs — the 1894-S Barber Dime is one of the most valuable pieces of American coinage. What’s strange is that the San Francisco Mint (designated by the “S” in the coin’s name) didn’t typically produce proof coins, a job that was handled by the main mint in Philadelphia. And while we may never know the full story of how or why these dimes were minted, what we do know is that the finest examples of these mysterious ten-cent pieces can sell for upwards of $1,000,000.

1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar

The 1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar came into being as a result of politics. In 1834, Andrew Jackson’s administration wanted to give sets of United States coinage to visiting foreign dignitaries. The problem was that silver dollars hadn’t been minted for 30 years. The administration’s solution: press eight silver dollars for the occasion and stamp them with the year 1804, making them the only dollar coins to ever bear that year. Today, each of these rarities is worth more than $1,000,000.

1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle

Times were tough in America in 1933: the Great Depression had taken quite a toll on the country, and there were few signs of the economic upturn everyone was waiting for. With the economy in such dire straits, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt recalled all gold coins and ordered the new 1933 series of coins to be melted down. However, a few of the famed 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles made their way out of the mint and into the hands of private collectors, most notably a Philadelphia jeweler by the name of Israel Switt who ended up with 19 of them. In 2002, one of Switt’s former coins was sold at auction for $6.6 million, which is not too bad for a coin with a face value of $20!

1861 Confederate States Half-Dollar

 After the secession of Louisiana in January of 1861, the United States Mint in New Orleans passed into the hands of the Confederacy. Lacking the necessary metal reserves to produce coinage, the Confederacy chose to issue paper money instead. However, there were four known test strikings of Confederate half-dollars that eventually made their way into the hands of private collectors. Today, one of the four is in the collection of the American Numismatic Society, while the other three are in private collections. Because of its rarity, the genuine coin is essentially priceless; even the 1879 restrikes of this famous coin can go for close to $10,000.

Source: Cox Media Group