Over the past centuries, people have buried money for many reasons. Those reasons include invading armies, thieves, depressions, recessions, distrust of banks, loot from robberies, ill-gotten money, to safeguard it from fires or natural disasters, to keep it secret from one's spouse, and to hide it from the tax man. Many times, the people who buried their treasure never told anyone about it or its location. People die or lose their health to the point that they never revealed their secrets to anyone before their deaths.
I guestimate that at least 90% of these treasure caches, that were never recovered by the person(s) who buried them, are still where they were originally hidden, awaiting some experienced treasure hunter or lucky novice to discover them.
I love reading and rereading old treasure magazines, history-related books, and other publications from long ago because most publications today totally ignore this rich source of lost treasure.
The following quote is from an article by the late Charles Garrett who was a master treasure hunter. I just read the article, "How To Get Five Steps Closer To That First Cache", in a February 1986 issue of Western & Eastern Treasures.
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"FOURTH: Leave no stone unturned!
This cliche reminds us that some things turn up in the strangest places, and if we don't look in those strange places first, someone else eventually will!
I am reminded of one kettle full of beautiful old coins that I found as a result of 'following my nose' until the kettle was in my hand. It happened while I was searching an old, deserted farmhouse near where I lived at the time. As I was detecting through the tall grass, I got a very strong signal indicating something metal directly under my feet.
Clearing away the dead weeds, I discovered the large, iron covering of an old well. Though I was tempted to shrug it off and move on, I was curious enough to move the old lid aside and take a look down the hole. It was utterly dark. Still curious, I took a flashlight from my car and peered down to the bottom.
There appeared to be some wire or something at the bottom, so I decided to 'waste' just a little more time and get a hook and rope from my car to see if I could snag the wire loop. I got the hook under it on the first try, started pulling, and out of that old well came an iron dutch oven more than half full of valuable old coins!
I learned then and there that there is no idea too wild to try (within reason and the law), and no potential hiding place too far out."
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Jay Longley, President, Central Texas Treasure Club
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