How the Pandemic Renewed My Passion

I think many people believe my hobby is a pastime reserved for retired people living on the beach. Even though we live in a world where we can land a Rover on Mars, there are some who still doubt metal detectors can find anything of value in the ground. That's definitely not me.

As an older child, my neighbor and I met in the alley between our two houses and dreamed of discovering treasure. On several occasions, we sharpened sticks and scratched in the dirt and rock, believing a buried bounty existed in the well traveled lane between our homes. About the time I entered Junior High, I started reading Western and Eastern Treasure Magazine. Tales of people swinging metal detectors and finding incredible coins and artifacts, filled each page. I wanted a metal detector but the cost was prohibitive. Finally, one day my dreams were realized at a garage sale; I bought my first treasure finder, a Bounty Hunter TR55o-D. That red and white machine accompanied me on many expeditions in my yard and the lawns of neighbors around the block. Metal detecting hooked me!

Fast forward to 1994. I upgraded to a new top of the line metal detector called the White's Eagle Spectrum. I purchased a 1992 model, but it still cost me a hefty $400. I graduated from college in May of that year; my wife to be had 3 more years to complete her teaching degree. I needed something to do with my spare time when she was busy in class and studying for tests. So, I looked at the new detector as a necessity of sorts. A couple of buddies and I spent innumerable hours together, detecting old homesites and long abandoned carnival grounds. We pulled beautiful old coins and rings from the earth, and enjoyed being in the outdoors in the dead of winter or in the blazing heat of summer. When my wife graduated and we moved to another city, life changed.

My wife started teaching. I worked a 9-5 telecommunications job during the week and served as a part-time youth pastor as well. The opportunities for me to metal detect became fewer and farther between. I also was hampered by a lack of locations to hunt. The years prior to moving, there were ample pre-approved places waiting for me to swing a coil over. In my new town, not so much. Occasionally, I drove over to the park and dug up a few quarters...battery money. But my treasure hunting fever waned as I wasn't seeing old silver coins surfacing for the first time in decades. The metal detector stood in the corner and seldom found its way outdoors.

Then, we started having kids...and kids...and kids. We have 6 children at home, ranging from age 5 to 18. And for those who are parents, you know how busy that makes life. Well, that was true until March 2020. Terms like "quarantine," "masking" and "social distancing" became household terms. The CDC encouraged people to enjoy the great outdoors but not with other people outside your immediate family. We strolled around our neighborhood multiple times per day. My wife discovered local walking trails and we did our best not to go stir crazy. And then I had an epiphany...metal detecting.

Metal detecting was made for social distancing. Slip a set of headphones on, turn on the machine, and spend time shutting out the outside world. I realized my 1993 machine was basically an antique in the hobby, but I fired it up at the park and found lots of loose change around the concession areas by the ballfields. I contacted a couple of friends who owned detectors and learned that the new models ran in multiple frequencies and could find things deeper than the old one frequency model I owned. So, I started browsing Facebook Marketplace. I found a good used Nokta Macro Anfibio Multi, only a couple of years old, and since September of 2020, I've found 495 coins and counting. Most of that is spendable change, although I have found a Wheat Penny dating back to 1910 and a Kennedy Half Dollar which is comprised of 40% silver. But more importantly than that, I rediscovered the hobby that brought me so much joy.

The Pandemic stole much and continues to do so. But, because the virus forced us to become creative with our free time, the quarantine actually wooed me back into the hobby of my boyhood dreams. This morning, I met a couple of buddies for a 2 hour hunt. We found some old wheats, a ring, a Sterling Silver WWII Eagle Wing Pin, and yes...some junk. But, the day was bright and beautiful and we enjoyed our socially distanced hobby together. I'm thinking I'm hooked again until my age or health shuts me down. If you're interested in a great hobby and enjoy the idea of locating buried treasure, buy a metal detector. Seek and you shall find...