1 – When you find a good target like a coin or piece of
jewelry, ALWAYS be sure to run your coil back over the hole once you’ve
retrieved the target. Then, work the
area in a circular pattern around the original hole for a distance of about 3
feet in every direction. If you don’t do
this already, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how your better finds
start to increase. Many times, when
someone loses one coin or valuable, they’ll lose more along with it. That’s especially true for coins but also
applies to jewelry. A few years ago,
that’s how I made one of my most valuable and rare metal detecting finds – a
World War II Army Tank Destroyers sterling silver bracelet at a park that used
to be a very popular baseball field during the War when Brownwood was home to
Camp Bowie – the largest Army training base in Texas during those years. I was using my Garrett Ace 250 at the park
when I got a good signal. I dug down 4”
with my 3-in-1 Digging Knife and out popped a mysterious emblem with a hellcat
crunching down on a tank with his jaws.
On it was the motto – “Seek, Strike, Destroy”. I was baffled at what it could be. My first thought was it represented a modern
video game or something. As I always do,
I detected in a 3-foot circle around the target’s location. I got another good signal about 2 feet from
the original spot. Again, I dug down
about 4” and out came the answer to my question – a complete steling bracelet
that fit perfectly onto the top piece! I
still didn’t know what it represented until I got home and searched for “Seek,
Strike, Destroy” and quickly learned that it was a bracelet worn by a soldier
of the Army Tank Destroyers Battalion.
I’ve searched and searched over the years since and haven’t found
another like it. Apparently, it was worn
by a Camp Bowie soldier who was training with the Tank Destroyers. He probably attended a baseball game at the
old field and in the excitement, the bracelet detached from the top piece and
fell from his wrist, to be lost for the next 70 or so years until I came along
with my Acey and found it!
