Minelab Explorer II Finds From Thomaston Maine
Friday, January 25th, 2008
Douglas P. from St. Thomaston, ME. has been metal detecting for some time now. He has previously owned 2 “Good” detectors but when he stepped up to the Top-of-the-Line Minelab Explorer II it was as if he was discovering metal detecting for the first time. His incredible finds include such a wide variety of valuables you hardly know where to begin such as valuable coins, rings and jewelry. Plus he has found a number of items that presently defy description, but they probably are very very valuable.
Walking while metal detecting, down old roads that have existed since the founding of Maine, Douglas has located and recovered incredible items from the 18th century. Anyhwehere from Fugio Cents to old rings, a beautiful hand-painted broach and an antique metal bookmark.
The broach features a Francois Gerard painting of Madame Recamier. This portrait painter was a court artist for both King Louis XVIII of France and Napoleon. He was also famed for his paintings of non-aristocratic subjects such as Madame Recamier.
Among all the treasures Douglas has found, 2 coins in particular that are worth more than the average cent. The 1892 Canadian Large Cent is valued at $6.00 whereas the 1787 Fugio Cent is worth up to $2,400.00! Douglas still thinks the Fugio cent with the American Congress pattern worth $175,000.00 is still somewhere in the ground waiting for him and his Explorer II.
Well, you just never know Douglas….good luck!
It was a beautiful day in Paradise, Alaska. Where the sun goes around you 24 hours a day. Mick and Cece Mann, the owners, have 4,000 acres of mining claims for prospectors to go up and have a wonderful time gold hunting and fishing. On the second day of our two week trip, Mick was digging and stockpiling for the prospectors. Later we would check out his diggings for gold nuggets. My brother and I asked Mick if we could go on top of the mountain by the waterfalls. Looking for gold nuggets with his Minelab SD-2200D, my brother was going fast and furious and went clear beyond the waterfalls where the stream started. “Dale you are going to fast you better slow down you need to concentrate” I told him. I went slow and took my time, checked every crevice and rock. My brother came down and said it is time to get off the hill. I can’t find anything and I have looked everywhere. He wanted me to follow him back down the hill but, I had another reading with my Minelab Explorer XS. He helped me dig the reading. He wanted to know what I had found. “Put your hand out” I said as I dropped an 8 ounce nugget into his hand. “Oh my God, where did you get that?” he asked. “See, you should look a little closer, it was up by the waterfall.” I checked all those areas, you have to dig. We dug up another target which ended up being a diver’s lead weight belt.“Show me where and how you found it!” my brother asked. We walked up there and I showed him. I didn’t get any readings. I saw all the over burn above me. I looked down and saw a bedrock, there was a little cavity between two rocks. If there is a gold nugget anywhere it would be right here. I dug a foot didn’t get any reading with my metal detector so I kept digging and was getting discouraged. I dug another foot and got a faint reading, I dug one more foot and lost the reading. I pulled my metal detector upwards and heard my reading again and dug another foot off to the side. I ran into another boulder and dug about 6 inches and there it was it was lodged in a groove. I pulled out a gold nugget half as big as my hand from the groove and said “OH MY GOD!” I held it up and thanked God.