Treasureholic - Find Treasure, Make Money, Sell it on eBay!

Metal Detecting on Old Wagon Road

2009-02-22T13:43:00.000-08:00

I guess the song I was singing last night - Mary Chapin Carpenter's "I Feel Lucky" at Karaoke got me going this morning and just made me feel like today was the day to do a little metal detecting.

There's an old wagon road across the road from my place and I haven't really spent that much time detecting on it. I've been told by old timers and have some old maps that show the road in the mid 1700's. Prior to being a wagon road, it was believed to be a footpath that was used by the Cherokees and early settlers to make their way around the mountains and up towards Asheville, North Carolina.

The road is both interesting and beautiful. I want to share it with you and will. My camera's broken right now and I'll make sure to take a picture and add it to this post when it's fixed. You can easily see the deep ruts and the way the old road winds through the woods. There's a paved road in place now and in some places it rests on part of the old wagon road. It's so interesting how we stick to old paths and ways. What was once a footpath graduated to a wagon trail and now to a paved road.

I took my White's MXT out for a stroll and it wasn't long before I had several good hits. The first two items that I found were pretty shallow and were odd looking random globs of iron.

Next I found a shed rifle cartridge that was new and then hit on something that showed as a bullet. My detector pin-pointed the spot and I dug up a round ball. It looks like a musket ball of some sort. I have no clue of it's age and really don't know how to tell. If you know something about musket balls, please pass it over to treasureholic@gmail.com Again, when the camera's fixed, I'll post a pix of the ball.

At first I thought it might be a "bomb bullet" which is what we call the lead balls that we find around here. Take a look at my earlier post about Camp Wadsworth and you can read about the bomb bullets and the shelling that went on around here during WWI. Go to the old posts link at the bottom right of this blog - it's small print so you really have to look for it.

The ball I found is much smaller than the bomb bullets so I feel sure it's a musket ball. The next hit I had delivered a small horse shoe that had a really deep heel on it. I find a lot of horse shoes.

If you know anything about metal detecting, that's a great thing 'cause where there are horse shoes, there were people. Where there were people, there were things that belonged to them that they lost. Where there are things that are lost, there is treasure to be found!

As I walk along, I imagine the sounds and sights of a wagon creaking and pitching as it drops down the hill. Everyone onboard is bracing and holding on as the horses find footing in the creek on the exposed granite bottom. Lurching and pitching again on the way up, something falls off as she gets dragged up the rise.

The wagon settles and moves on down the trail.

The coin that fell off of the wagon into the soft soil rests on top waiting to be pushed in deeper when the next wheel hits it where it will stay until I come along years later to find it.

Panning for GOLD at a New Creek Site

2009-01-25T12:56:00.001-08:00

Today I braved the cold to get out and try my luck panning for gold in a new spot. I've done some internet homework over the last few months and have researched the old gold mine permits in North and South Carolina that are not too far from my home.

It was a bit nippy here to get my hands in the water at first, but three pans later, I was either pretty used to it, or my hands were frozen and I just didn't know.

I'd say that I'm a beginning panner and I've been panning for about a year. I found that panning with someone who knows how to do it and can show you shortcuts helps a ton and ensures that you are not making simple mistakes.

If you've never panned and would like to try, here are some simple instructions:

Things You’ll Need:

Pans For Gold Panning
Plastic Pill Vials
Detailed Local Maps or knowledge of gold bearing streams
Metal Detectors - Optional
Medicine Dropper - Optional
Tweezers
Magnets - Optional
Magnifying Glasses - If you're over 45, definately!

Step 1 - Buy a gold pan from a mining supply store or you can purchase one from me on ebay.

You will need one that has riffles - bars or slats - and a catch hole in the bottom, since these help the gold to separate from other particles more easily. Plastic pans are generally preferred over metal pans because they are lighter, have shallower angles (which reduces the risk of gold's being tossed out of the pan), and because gold is easier to spot against plastic than against shiny metal.

Step 2 - Before you begin, familiarize yourself with the recreational prospecting regulations of the area in which you wish to pan for gold.

Step 3 - Choose a location along a river or creek to pan. Places where the water slows down noticeably, such as behind sandbars or large rocks, are usually good spots for panning. You can also ask park officials or local prospecting organizations for recommendations about the best places to pan.

Step 4 - Fill the pan almost to the top with sand from the edge of the creek or river. Try sand from various depths. Use a shovel to dig deeper.

Step 5 - Dip the pan's edge into the stream and fill it with water.

Step 6 - Hold the pan with both hands and shake it from side to side right to left. I like this method when you first start out because it seems to force the heavier material to the bottom of the pan quickly and pulls the rocks and sand up to the top. Dip your pan back into the water and start moving your pan in a swirling motion.

Step 7 - Keep dipping and swirling your pan in the water. You can start off slowly and then begin to swirl the pan faster. You will lose some of the water, along with lighter particles of sand, as you go.

Step 8 - Begin scraping the top sand out of the pan with your free hand.

Step 9 - Continue until much of the pan is empty. What you are trying to accomplish is to eliminate all of the rocks and sand from the pan and you will start to see black sand in your pan. That's what you want! The black sand that you see is heavier than regular stream sand and that's where the gold will be found. Gold is heavier than the black sand so it will go to the bottom when you shake it again. Make sure to leave a little water in your pan and this process will go faster.

Step 10 - Use tweezers or a pipette to retrieve tiny gold particles and pick out larger samples with your fingers. You can lick your finger, pick up the gold and dip your finger in the water filled vial. The gold will drop off and fall to the bottom of the vial.

Step 11 - Keep all gold samples in plastic vials or sample bottles. Lick your finger and touch the gold in the pan. An old timer told me to be careful with this finger licking good thing because you can loose some gold. I guess you better make sure you have sticky spit.

Step 12 - The most important thing is to have fun!

Back to my new site. I found some flakes in one of the pans of material that I was working. When it warms up, I'm heading back and plan on hitting my friend's place at Gold Mine Creek.

Happy Hunting!

New Orlean's TREASURE And GOLD!

2009-01-13T08:30:00.001-08:00

You know you can find GOLD ANYWHERE if you just look. I was invited to participate in a "junket" trip sponsored by Harrah's Casino and Hotel in New Orleans this past weekend. A junket trip is offered by the casino to people who have gaming play history at thier sites. (Yes, I've been known to play the slots.) The trip covered two free airline tickets from Charlote to New Orleans and the hotel for 4 days and 3 nights. Plus they threw in $200 in cash and $150 in meal vouchers. I asked my sister and a friend to go and we had the ultimate girlie weekend. Nothing like you see on Girl's Gone Wild, but we did have a marvelous time. So back to the GOLD. You know me, I'm looking for treasure everywhere and guess what? When we touched down on the runway in Charlotte, I was coming back home with GOLD in my purse! Here's the deal: I found two seperate 14K GOLD earrings on the ground in two seperate places while I was in New Orleans! One was quite heavy and the other one was loaded with nice sized pearls. I'm adding them to my stash of old gold that I'll be cashing in soon. I'd love to know how many people loose jewelry while in New Orleans. I'd bet you there are a bunch. A true treasure hunter knows that a key element of the hunt involves hunting in areas where people have been because people loose things and some of them are valuable!

The next time you're somewhere where there are a lot of people, keep your eye's open and you never know what you might find!

iGoogle Treasure

2008-12-29T18:19:00.001-08:00

Don't know if you've tried the new iGoogle "cockpit" http://www.google.com/help/ig/tour/ offering but it's GREAT!
I'm using it and just love the access to all of the detail that I need and information at my fingertips. I've got my email, maps, driving directions, blog access and more. Check it out it's a true treasure!

Back at the Crater Again...

2008-12-24T17:01:00.000-08:00

Diamonds are a girls best friend. But why are so many men interested in finding them? For their girls?

Hummmmmm. Curious to know. OK boys, what's the real deal here? Is your pursuit of the shiny glitz really to show off and present your treasure to the girl of your dreams?

I hit the trail two weekends ago and caught a reasonable flight out of my town to Little Rock. My mission was to get off of the plane and be digging in the dirt at the Crater of Diamonds State Park about two hours south of Little Rock before noon.

If you're not familiar with the park or the only diamond mine in North America that's open to the public, then you really need to check it out.

The Crater of Diamonds State park http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/ is one of my favorite treasure hunting spots. Anyone can find a diamond at the park. Well, let's clarify that. If you're in the right spot at the right time doing the right thing then you can find a diamond. Most folks don't even know that they have to meet the criteria. They just find one as they are walking along in between the furrowed rows.

Other folks work pretty hard at it and some take it up as a full time occupation. While I was there this time I had the privilege of meeting Diamond Jim and he was kind enough to give me some pointers.

Diamond Jim has found quite a few diamonds in his relatively short time at the mine. He's had some pretty good odds but he's down in hole every day working hard at it.

Check out the site and the Crater of Diamonds. It's a great place to go and try your luck sifting or surface mining for diamonds. Maybe you will be the one to find the next "Strawn Wagoner".

The "Strawn-Wagner Diamond" is the most perfect diamond the American Gem Society (AGS) ever certified. Graded the perfect grade of O/O/O (Ideal cut/D color/ Flawless), or "Triple Zero," it is the highest grade a diamond can achieve. This is the most perfect a cut diamond can be. A diamond this perfect is so rare than most jewelers and gemologists will never see one during their entire career. And it's so rare that it's one in a billion based on color and clarity.

Cool beans. It was found by Shirley Strawn and it's on exhibition at the Crater. Congrats Shirley! Wish I could have been there to share in the excitement!

Oak Tree Treasure

2008-12-24T15:08:00.000-08:00

Today I stopped by a friend's house to ask if I could harvest the wild oyster mushrooms that were growing on the side of a dead oak tree on his property.

Not the kind of treasure that you'd expect here but there's one thing about being a treasure hunter, treasure comes in many forms and it all boils down to the hunt.

I've thought long and hard about what drives a person who is a born treasure hunter or at least is driven to be a hunter. As a woman, it's an odd thing for me to have the hunter gatherer desire. My sister tells me all of the time that I'm the hunter gatherer for our immediate family and it drives her crazy. Especially when we are fishing. She finally gives up and goes home after we've been out there for hours and I'm not ready to leave. It's not that she hasn't caught fish, she's just bored and has had enough so back down the dock she goes headed back to the house leaving the rest of the sea trout, crabs, shrimp and red fish for me to catch.

There's something to her comments; she's right. I feel the urge to find the prize and it's not specific. It's the hunt. I love it and I seem drawn to hunt all types of things.

Today it was 20 lbs of wild oyster mushrooms. I've cleaned them and have 5 plastic bags lightly filled with sauteed oyster mushroom and they are headed to the freezer. I'm dehydrating two pans of shrooms that will end up in some dish in my kitchen. Yummy!

Check out this link http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/oct98.html it shows great pix of oyster mushrooms and gives quite a bit of detail about them. If you're thinking about heading out there yourself, or trying some wild mushrooms, BE CAREFUL. Some types can kill and it's not a hobby that you try and see if you like it. Please be cautious when consuming wild food especially mushrooms! I want you to be around to keep reading my blogs.

It's a true treasure as long as you know what you're consuming. Happy Hunting!

Spending Time at the Reed Gold Mine

2008-12-23T12:15:00.000-08:00

I was driving not long ago to a customer site and just happened to notice a sign on the side of the road that read...

REED GOLD MINE

OK. Everyone who read's my blogs knows what that means...one of two things. Turn around now or make sure to hit the mine on the way back!

Yep, that's what happened. You know, I went to my customer site and on the way home my car just happened to turn right on the very same road where the Reed Gold Mine is located. Imagine that.

It's a pretty drive through the country to the mine past some old farms and fields. It looked like rain and it was pretty late in the afternoon so I was hoping that I would have some time to check things out and see what I could find.

Reed Gold Mine http://www.nchistoricsites.org/Reed/reed.htm is the site of the first documented gold find in the United States and in an earlier post on mine Gold Mine Creek, I cover a bit about it but I'd never had the opportunity to visit.

The mine is operated by the State of North Carolina and it's located in Midland, not far from Charlotte. No fee is charged for admission or tours of the mine. Gold panning is $2.00 per pan. A group rate of $1.50 per pan is available.

The tour of the mine was just starting and I really wanted to go on the mine tour but I had to choose. The park was closing in about two hours and I wanted to hunt for gold!

I paid the small admission fee for panning and took off in the misty rain toward to creek and panning area.

Daniel and Norman were waiting on me with dirt and a gold pan in hand. I'm still trying to learn the art of panning and while I was there they took the time to show me how to move the dirt out quickly and make sure that the gold didn't go with it. And yes, I did find gold! I had time to empty three pans before the park closed and did find two small nuggets!

There was a guy named Luke and he was telling me while we were panning that he could remember when he was a young child that some of his family members would tell stories about panning for gold in the creeks not far from his home.

Check out the site if you're in the area. I'm going back when I have time to take in the tour. Hope to see you there!

The Treasureholic is "IN"

2008-12-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

Whew!

Sorry that its been so long since I've updated my blog. TMI for the reason's why but basically I've been very blessed! Really, I lost my password had a computer/email change and it's a miracle but when I tried to figure it all out today, my access worked! AMAZING.

Enough about me! So many exciting things have happened and I'm going to take some time over the Christmas holidays to put up some posts!

Here's where I've been and what you'll be hearing about soon...

Spending time at the Reed Gold Mine!

Back at the Crater, again.

Gold Prospecting 101

And more to follow....

CRATER OF DIAMONDS 2007 FINDS!

2007-10-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

LARGE DIAMONDS FOUND AT THE CRATER IN THE SUMMER OF 2007

On June 5, 2007, 13-year-old Nicole Ruhter of Butler, Missouri was searching for diamonds with her family while camping at Crater of Diamonds State Park. She saw something shiny on the surface of the diamond search area, next to a well-worn path that she was walking along. It turned out to be a tea-colored, 2.93-carat diamond! Miss Ruhter later named her special find "The Pathfinder Diamond".

An even larger diamond was found on June 9. Milton Milam of Shreveport, Louisiana was digging in the mines West Drain area when he unearthed a 4.80-carat white diamond. Mr. Milam had found diamonds at the park in the past, but this was his largest.
Another sizeable diamond was found by Chuck Scanlon of Des Moines, Iowa . He was surface searching when he discovered a 2.14-carat brown diamond on June 29.

Some other large diamonds found during the summer months were a 1.18-carat white; a 1.08-carat white; a 1.12-carat brown; a 1.34-carat brown; a 1.31-carat white; a 1.27-carat white; a 1.40-carat white; a 1.71-carat white; a 1.00-carat white; a 1.10-carat white; a 1.31-carat white; and a 1.37-carat white.

Crater of Diamonds State Park [craterofdiamonds@arkansas.com]

PICKERS? How to use Garage Sales to Make Extra Cash

2007-10-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

GREAT ADVICE ON PICKING UP SOME GARAGE SALE TREASURE!

By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — It's 7:30 on a Saturday morning, and Bruce Littlefield is raring to go.
He has a wad of money in his front pocket — $300, mostly in $1 bills — and he has rented a convertible "in case we find something that might need some headroom."
He did. By 10:15 his pockets were empty and the convertible, its top down, was overflowing. According to his calculations, this Saturday morning's "finds" were worth close to $3,000.

It's all in a day's work for one of America's savviest pickers.
Littlefield, 38, a New York City-based designer and lifestyle guru, is author of Garage Sale America (HarperCollins, $19.95), an entertaining look at an obsession shared by millions. He began hitting garage sales in his native South Carolina when he was a child and has been looking for a deal ever since.

"But I don't do dumps. I've done a Dumpster or two, but I don't do dumps," he says with a chuckle as he scans the classified ads and a map of suburban Washington, D.C., zeroing in on his first garage sale of the day. Soon he's pulling up to a 9 a.m. sale and strolling up the driveway. It's 8:15.
"Once they put the sign up and give people an arrow, it's fair game," he says, starting a pile of "finds" almost immediately.

Half an hour later — 15 minutes before the sale's official opening — he's pulling away with an antique terrarium with "great patina," a children's wicker table with two chairs, a quilt and pillow covers (not old), a funky high-back doll's chair and seven etched martini glasses. Total: $70.

"We scored," he says. "We scored big time."
But before Littlefield even loads his treasures into the car, he's offered more money for the wicker set (he turns it down) but sells the terrarium and doll's chair for $40 to one of his morning passengers. The terrarium alone, he confesses, would bring hundreds of dollars at any upscale antique shop.

Littlefield is on a roll and couldn't be happier with the way the morning is starting.
"Garage sale hunters don't head out to a sale saying we need a vintage sprinkler or a Red Riding Hood cookie jar," he writes in his book's introduction. "We head out hunting for just the thing we've always wanted, even though we don't know exactly what that is."

This is proven at the next stop, where Littlefield stumbles upon a large wood skittle board game (miniature bowling pins). He snatches it up for $80. He says it'll be perfect in his home in upstate New York, a house filled with his garage-sale finds.
He passes on two $25 wicker chairs in perfect condition ("I just can't get them back home") and a roomful of books.

"I'm not the type to look through books, especially paperbacks. Nor do I usually pick up things that need to be fixed." He nabs a Waterford pen for $25, however, because he knows it could bring $125. Not that he's selling. He's buying.
He throws in a multicolored striped hammock ("perfect for the farm"), a throw rug for his bathroom ("the floors are so bad"), three tablecloths and some linen coasters, and walks away with the lot for $130.

It's then that the roofless car comes in handy, because the skittle board needs to be stood on its end in the back seat. "Unfortunately, we can't buy anything else big," he says with a sigh.
The biggest mistake garage salers make, he says, is buying things they aren't going to use.
"People think if it's a good deal they have to have it, but it's the quintessential mistake at garage sales."

The other mistake is not buying something when you see it. Littlefield's biggest regret is not picking up a Bert and Ernie puppet set for $8 last summer. "It was in perfection condition, too."
Not much is getting away from him this morning, however.
He picks up a picture frame in the shape of a TV at one neighborhood sale — "I have friends in TV who this will be perfect for" — but it's at his final stop that he hits pay dirt: six chenille bedspreads from the '40s, all in perfect condition: $15 each. One even sports a double peacock design.

"It's the most collectible of all," he says, quickly calling an antique dealer friend to confirm it. She does. The peacock spread alone will bring about $350.
"See, I could resell that and everything else I bought this morning is free. And the best thing is it's the ultimate in green living. You're recycling. It's the best of all worlds."

SEAL THAT DEAL - GARAGE SALE TIPS - By Bruce Littlefield

2007-10-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

SEAL THAT DEAL - Treasure to be found!!!

How do you get a good deal at a garage sale? How do you get those wicker chairs for the front porch? And for a good price? Bruce Littlefield shares a few pointers:

1. Build a relationship with the seller.
2. Make a reasonable offer.
3. Gather your items before asking for a group price.
4. Keep your poker face on.
5. Decide what you can live without.
6. Ask for the seller's best price.
7. Negotiate a compromise.
8. Either pay the agreed-on price, dump the less-desired items or be prepared to walk away.

Where to look:
Bruce Littlefield has compiled a list of major garage sales on his website Garagesaleamerica.com.

Star Sapphire Sunday in Canton North Carolina

2007-07-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

I was doing some Internet research on North Carolina mines trying to figure out what kind of treasure hunting I was going to do this past weekend and came across a mine I wasn't familiar with called the Old Pressley Sapphire Mine.

Here's what they say on their site:

Located in Haywood County, near Canton North Carolina, the Old Pressley Sapphire Mine is one of the oldest operating mines in western North Carolina. Made famous by the discovery of the 1445 carat "Star of the Carolinas," the mine contains abundant quantities of Sapphires, moonstones, and other precious minerals in sufficient quantity to make rock collecting both pleasurable and profitable.

Being the Treasureholic that I am, I had a friend come into town and convinced her to go with me to Canton to check out the mine and see what we could find.

When we arrived, there were several people there and one person was already "in the hole" searching for sapphires.

We grabbed our buckets and spades and headed over to the mine area to find a spot that looked promising and introduced ourselves to Treasure Joe who was knee deep in dirt searching away.

The owners of the mine George and Brenda McCannon were wonderful hosts and they gave us a tour of the collection of some of the stones that have been found at the mine. The sapphires at Old Pressley are generally embedded in feldspar and are mostly blue in color. Some of the found stones that I saw had top corn flower blue hues and some crystal clarity!

Hospitality was high at the mine and Treasure Joe (one of the repeat guests) was so kind! Before I knew it, he shared his foam pad and his umbrella with me so that I could search in cool comfort!

If you're ever close to Asheville, North Carolina, make sure to check out the mine and see if you can find a Carolina Star to take back home!

Thanks to George and Brenda for the use of the Star Sapphire photo!

Teen Finds Diamond in State Park!

2007-06-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

Arkansas Teen Finds 2.93 Carat Diamond At State Park!

June 6, 2007

A 13-year-old teenager has reportedly discovered a 2.93-carat diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. Nicole Ruhter's diamond is a tea-colored broken pyramid shaped with several imperfections, but the to-be-eighth grader is happy to have found one.

"I was kind of praying to God. I was saying, 'I don't care if it's worth whatever it's worth, I don't care if it's a tiny little sliver of something, I just want something,'" she told the AP of her find. "Ten minutes later, I just found it."

The Crater of Diamonds State Park is the world's only diamond-bearing site where visitors are allowed to search for and keep the gems they find.

The largest of the 25,000 diamonds found to date at the park since it was opened for the public in 1972, is a 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight, found by a visitor from Texas in 1975.

Treasure Found! Club Member Finds Diamond Ring!

2007-06-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend proved to be a great time to metal detect on Charleston's beaches! A friend of mine who is in my metal detecting club Chris Phillips and his son Jake had the best luck on the trip!

Chris and Jake nailed a great find just after dark while trying their hand at night hunting. The tide was in their favor - out, and the beach had been packed during the weekend with ton's of people which translates into lost items and treasure to find!

We started hunting around Ft. Moultrie on Sullivan's Island earlier in the day and the tide was coming in. The beach was pretty crowded so we had to weave our way in and out of the crowd.

All of the items found were recent the most interesting being a microphone and down pretty deep there was a steel belted radial! Yes, you have to expect such things and keep on hunting for the prize!

We shifted gears and headed to the other side of the fort where the beach was wider. People were starting to leave and head home for the day which helped with accessibility to hunt.

A couple of newer coins were found, Jake found an interesting gold colored item that looked like some sort of medallion.

We packed up and headed over to Isle of Palms and hit Front Beach http://www.isle-of-palms.sc.us/Community/FrontBeach.aspx?section=visitors

If you've been there, you will know that it's a hot spot for people and a great place to search. If you're not into metal detecting but like beach hot spots, check out the Windjammer! http://www.the-windjammer.com/ It's been there for YEARS - yes, it was one of my hangouts in high school and I'm no spring chick-en. Another person from our club found a nice platinum ring at the WJ in the beach volleyball court one year!

Within minutes, I had a large handful of change, a white gold earring and I kept hunting until it was starting to get dark. I called it a night and headed to the house.

Chris called not ten minutes after I walked in the door and shared the story of his fabulous find! He had a solid hit on his detector and Jake was using the sand scoop and scooped up a large gold gent's wedding band with 7 diamonds!

Gone With The Wind to Charleston!

2007-05-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

It's a great day for Treasureholicing in Charleston and I'm here Treasuring it up!

In my best Scarlett O'Hara voice...

"Oh, there's just so much for a girl to do! Fiddle-dee-dee, why I just can't decide! Why all this excitement has me giddy." "I just don't know what I should do."

"I can...

Metal Detect at my friend's Plantation (Find a slave tag)

Search for Fossils and Shark's Teeth on the banks of the marsh (They sell on eBay)

Look for Antique Bottles in a secret place (Ones with Charleston on them are great)

Crab in Shem Creek (Still treasure hunting)

Fish off of the dock (Qualifies)

Gig for Flounder at Dead Low Tide (Yep)

Metal Detect at Sullivan's Island by Fort Moultrie (No Question)

Metal Detect at Isle of Palms for lost jewelry in front of the hangouts (Spy on my child)

Metal Detect at Wild Dunes where the really nice jewelry is lost (Love the Big Bling)

"Well, it just pains me, but I have to choose!" "Rhett!" "Oh Rhett!" "What should I do?"

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Camp Wadsworth - WWI Info

2007-05-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

One of the members of my metal detecting club sent me a fascinating email about Camp Wadsworth and the shelling practice that took place around Hogback and Glassy Mountain in our local area. I found one of the old shells (check out post WWII Bomb Shell Casing Found! ).

His email is very informative and there are some great links and pictures to great military stuff! Here is an excerpt from his email:

The United States' declaration of war against Germany on 6 April 1917 resulted in the federalization of National Guard units across the county. Most National Guard units were mobilized for organization and training at newly established tent camps across the Southeast. An intense lobbying effort resulted in Spartanburg receiving one of these facilities in July 1917. Named after a famous Civil War general from New York, Camp Wadsworth occupied over 1300 acres on Spartanburg's Westside. The area is now occupied by West Gate Mall, the Dorman Center, and Vanderbilt Hills. Camp Wadsworth was selected as the mobilization and training camp for the New York National Guard. Troops arrived at the camp from August to October 1917 and were reorganized into the 27th Infantry Division.

The New York National Guard was among the largest and best equipped militia organizations in the country. It was one of only four National Guard units large enough to be organized into a single, homogeneous division. This fact can be better appreciated when it is realized that each American division had an approximate strength of 30,000 men. Additionally, the New York National Guard was one of only two guard organizations to enter the war with a fully equipped artillery brigade. An artillery brigade consisted of two light artillery regiments armed with 3" field guns and one heavy artillery regiment with 4.7" howitzers. A trench mortar battery was organized and added to the brigade shortly after its arrival at Camp Wadsworth. In the 27th Division, these units were known as the 104th Field Artillery Regiment (light), the 105th Field Artillery Regiment (light), the 106th Field Artillery Regiment (heavy), and the 102nd Trench Mortar Battery.

The War Department decided to purchased an additional 14,000 acre tract of land in Northeastern Greenville County to serve as Camp Wadsworth's artillery and rifle range. This was done for the following reasons.

1) Spartanburg County was too densely populated for live fire artillery instruction.
2) The 33 mile hike from Camp Wadsworth to the firing range would provide excellent physical conditioning for both infantry and artillery regiments.
3) The vast acreage would provide enough room for combined artillery, infantry, and machine gun maneuvers.

Engineer troops began preliminary survey and construction work in late September 1917. Final property releases were secured in October, with the entire transaction being covered by a blanket lease negotiated by the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce. Infantry and artillery units moved into the mountains from mid November to late December 1917 to perform heavy construction work. They labored under the engineers to build firing trenches, gun pits, and target areas. Artillery camps were established at Oak Grove Church and a site off Highway 414. Supplies were brought into the mountains from supply depots at Campobello and Landrum. Conditions became increasingly appalling with the onset of winter. Temperatures routinely dropped below zero and the roads were reduced to quagmires. Amazingly, the 105th Artillery Regiment maintained a constant presence at the range during this entire period. This regiment completed its period of fire instruction in late January 1918. The 104th and 106th artillery regiments occupied the range in February and completed their period of instruction in April. April also witnessed combined arms maneuvers with the 27th Division's infantry and artillery troops. Each infantry division marched to the range and advanced behind a rolling barrage of shrapnel shells fired by the 104th and 105th artillery. This is generally regarded as the most advanced infantry/artillery maneuver held in the United States up to that date. The 27th Division began moving overseas at the end of April 1918. No artillery instruction took place at the range after this date. The property was released back to the original owners in early 1919.

You might be interested in the following links:

http://www.historicreproductions.com/

Click on "Restorations" and select the Model 1902 3" Field Gun. This is the type of gun that was used by the 104th and 105th Artillery. It is also the type of gun that fired the shell you found.

https://www.infantry.army.mil/museum/outside_tour/guns/1906.htm

This link will ask you to accept a temporary security certificate. It will give you a picture and information on the gun used by the 106th Artillery.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/panoramic_photo/

Enter "Camp Wadsworth" in the search box. This should return a panoramic image of the 54th Infantry Brigade rifle range at Glassy Mt.

Finds From the Burnt Up House At Gold Mine Creek

2007-05-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post about Gold Mine Creek, I mentioned that I had been given permission by a friend to metal detect and check out the old gold mine site on his property.

He told me that the old burnt up house would be a good place for me to look and see what I could find.

The old home burned down about 30 years ago and at first glance what was left of the site looked rather modern. There was one two story chimney still standing and the brick looked sort of new. The second chimney had fallen and bricks were in a pile on the far right side. There was a concrete and block front low foundation rising up through the poison ivy forest that looked pretty recent.

After careful study, it became clear that someone had remodeled the old farm house before it burned. When looking at the standing chimney, it had been reworked from the hearth up. Under the newer concrete hearth were very old river rocks that provided a stable foundation for the mason to rebuild on. They were the remnants of the first old fireplace.

It was clear that the concrete block foundation had been added to support a new front porch. The old large stones that the house had once rested on were still in place resting now with no responsibility to support floor beams and the weight of the structure.

I was told that the house was very old and was built in the mid 1800's. Surrounded by massive oaks and old thick cedar trees, one could clearly see that the site was much older than the new brick on the still standing fireplace. People lived there a long time ago.

I started my search around the base of the foundation and found quite a bit of roofing tin, nails and other similar building materials. As I headed around the front of the house, my detector signaled zinc and a ring target.

The first find of the day was an odd shaped object (pictured) that looked like a spear head, point or some sort of top adornment. It's open underneath for something to stick up in there like a stake, spike or piece of wood. It looks like part of a weather vane or lighting rod wind vane to me. If you know what it is, please let me know treasureholic@gmail.com I'd love to hear!

I carefully picked my way through the poison ivy and headed towards the back of the "house" towards the corn crib and old shed barn.

Another strong target sounded and I started to dig. This time, I unearthed a very interesting buckle. It's rather large - about 5 inches across and has a wavy clamp on it that still operates up and down. (pictured) I have no clue what this buckle would be used for. It's substantial and well made. Maybe it's horse harness.

After finding the two items, I felt like heading for the creek. I was a bit concerned about the sea of poison ivy knowing that I would not have a chance to scrub my skin before dark if I kept on digging there. So I gathered my detector and shovel and headed for my next adventure at Gold Mine Creek.

What's Your Passion?

2007-05-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

What's your Passion? Do you know? Are you sure?

A lot of people find themselves in a familiar spot. Most of the time, it's not a topic of discussion but it's a very powerful thing that shapes us as we mature. Often, we don't even recognize it but deep down inside, it's happening. Each of us is trying to find our purpose in life and figure out why we are here - and more importantly - who we are and what makes us happy in life.

I say, follow your passion and you will be content.

When you follow your passion, good stuff happens. Personally, professionally, romantically, etc. It's where your heart is and where your interests lie. It's where you want to be and what you want to spend your time doing. Hopefully it's your work. If it's not, then it should be.

When you're passionate about something, it makes it easier to do, more fun, exciting, you are more driven, and you don't loose interest.

How do I know this? Because I had to figure it out for myself and it took years.

I've spent hours thinking about what I want to do when I'm grown up and what I need to be doing with my life. What's interesting, is I think I have finally figured it out.

If you are like me, you want to be on tract. I've spent hours reviewing my life, what makes me tick and analyzing who I am.

What made it all come together for me were 5 simple questions that I came up with that I would like to share with you.

Treasureholic's - 5 Questions to Help You ID Your Passion:

Answer each question honestly. Your answers need to be places and things and NOT people. List as many as you can for each question.

What do you love?
What hobbies do you have outside of work?
What objects do you surround yourself with?
What do you treasure?
If money were no object, what would you do with your time?

Now that your finished, I'm sure that you have an interesting list. Now take the same questions and ask 5 of your closest friends or family members to answer the questions as they pertain to you. Basically, they are going to give you an outside perspective of what and who they think you are.

For example:

What does Dana love? etc. (All sorts of Treasure Hunting.)

Their answers will give you additional insight about yourself. When you have your answers, make a list of the common items. You will start to see similar things come up. Guess what? That's where your passion lies. You've done it. This exercise helps you to know what drives you and makes you happy. It will help you to define your life and your career.

When you can find a way to do what you love and match your passion(s) you will be successful. You will shine and your customers will appreciate you because passion can clearly be felt and it's contagious.

Before you know it, you will be making money doing what you love.

Please let me know if you have a revelation? Email treasureholic@gmail.com

Gold Mine Creek

2007-05-09T03:31:00.000-07:00

It's interesting how things work for me. I don't believe in coincidence or luck. I feel that everything happens for a reason -it's a Godsend. I know it.

Sunday, while digging up wild asparagus plants next to the railroad tracks in Landrum, some friends stopped by to check out what I was doing and we started talking about treasure hunting.

One thing lead to the next and we were talking about a local spot that was once a commercial gold mining operation. I don't have the dates of operation but it was many years ago.

Gold has been an important part of North Carolina's history since 1799, the date of the first authenticated discovery of gold in the United States. North Carolina was the nation's only gold-producing state from 1803 until 1828, and continued as a leading producer until 1848 when gold was discovered in California. http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/Gold%20brochure/Gold%20Brochure%2012222000.htm#WHERE%20GOLD%20WAS%20MINED

Reed Gold Mine is the site of the first documented gold find in the United States. From this discovery, gold mining spread gradually to nearby counties and eventually into other southern states. During its peak years gold mining was second only to farming in the number of North Carolinians it employed. The estimated value of gold recovered reached over a million dollars a year. http://www.goldmaps.com/east/north_carolina_gold.htm

C. Bechtler began operation of a private gold coin mint in 1831 at Rutherfordton, North Carolina. Gold mines and prospectors supplied gold to the mint. Bechtler’s gold coins were widely accepted in trade and are now highly prized by coin collectors. C. Bechtler operated his mint until 1838 and then his son, A. Bechtler, operated it until 1857. In the meantime the U.S. had established mints at Dahlonega, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina; yet the private operations of Bechtler were not interfered with, for the reason, it was said, that the Bechtler coins were found to equal or exceed the federal standards of fineness and weight.

My friends were telling me about the old mine site on Gold Mine Creek in Polk County and it ends up that I have another contact who owns property on the same road. I called my friend and asked him if the creek ran through his property. He said he didn't have a creek but there was a spring out past the old burnt house that ran into a little branch that fed the creek. Basically, his property held the start of Gold Mine Creek. He added, in the conversation that his land was purchased from the old mine company and it had been in his family for years.

OK PEOPLE. THIS IS GOOD TREASURE HUNTING INFORMATION!!! An old gold mine and an old house site that would be great for metal detecting! I asked if I could ride out and take a look, he agreed and I'm heading out there as soon as possible...

Posted picture - Surface structures at Gold Hill, 1857, including several mill houses, trestles for transporting water, and a stock of logs for the mine. (Courtesy, N. C. Historic Sites, Division of Archives and History.)

North Carolina's MONSTER Top Gem Emeralds!

2007-05-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

There's GREEN in them there hills!!!

For those of you who don't know, North Carolina has been producing some of the world's top emeralds in recent years.

If you watch the Travel Channel's Best Places to Find Cash & Treasures

http://travel.discovery.com/tv/cash-treasures/cash-treasures.html there's an episode that originally aired several years ago about Jamie Hill AKA The Emerald Man.

Jamie's my hero! I've met a lot of people in my life who have the Treasureholic gene but this guy's DNA is loaded with it! I had the pleasure of having dinner with Jamie and his Mother shortly after the segment aired and I was shown some of incredible faceted gems that were coming out of the mine.

What I admire most about Jamie is his tenacity. He had a hunch, felt it in his gut and never gave up on his dream of finding emeralds. He kept on digging, following his passion and he's found the mother load of world class, top gem quality emeralds in Hiddenite, North Carolina.

Jamie's company, North American Emerald Mines, Inc. has a very interesting website http://www.northcarolinaemeralds.info/HiddeniteDistrict/NAEMMine/NAEM.htm which shows great pictures of both the operation and the emeralds that are currently coming out of the ground.

The latest find at the mine is the emerald that I have pictured on the blog. This GEMMY MONSTER weighs in at a whopping 972 carats!!! Not only is it large, but the color is fantastic and the clarity is incredible!

The crystals that are coming out of the mine are considered to be some of the finest and largest in the world!

If you've caught Emerald Fever and you would like to try your luck in North Carolina you can! Jamie's mine is not open to the public but the Emerald Hollow Mine at Hiddenite is!

Emerald Hollow Mine is currently the only emerald mine in the United States that is open to the public for mineral collecting--if interested, check out their web site at: http://www.hiddenitegems.com/and go for the GREEN!

Please email me and let me hear about your trip! treasureholic@gmail.com

Happy Hunting!

Cha Ching! Free Beams Sell For $250.00

2007-04-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been following the posts, my intention is to get the word out that you can find items that people throw away and make money selling them to individuals or on eBay!

In the post OLD Hand Hewn Beams Rescued From Dumpster! I was blessed with a gift of some beams and a door that were given to me by the bull dozier operator who was tearing down a beautiful old house for his client.

I swapped the door with a friend for his restoration labor ($100.00) on a table that I have that needed it and the beams were being ear marked for my next house. While I tried to figure out where I was going to store them, they were neatly stacked in my front yard next to the road.

I've seen several people eyeing the beams as they go up and down the street. A couple in a black pickup made several passes. My phone rang two days ago and a friend said that one of his buddies was interested in buying the beams and asked me if I would consider selling them.

Sooooooo.....they came by, and offer was made and the beams were purchased for $250.00. TYG! (Thank You God!)

It's always nice when these little monetary gifts come along!

Never be afraid to ask someone who is throwing something away if you can have it. Ask and you shall receive seems to work well for me.

Yet again, what was considered trash by one is considered treasure by another. It's why I love being a TREASUREHOLIC, don't you?

I know a 16 year old who helped me load them that will be thrilled that she's in on the take and will get paid for something that she wasn't expecting any money for. Maybe next time she will come running and won't roll her eyes and make grumpy teenage noises when I ask her to help me pull something out of the dumpster.

Go find something to sell today and tell me about it! treasureholic@gmail.com

Happy Hunting!

Fort Moultrie Relic Hunt

2007-04-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

Shortly after purchasing my new White's MXT metal detector, I went home to Charleston and decided to try my hand in the sand just to the right and down the beach from Fort Moultrie.

Fort Moultrie is the name of a series of forts on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, built to protect the city of Charleston, South Carolina. The first fort, built of palmetto logs, inspired the flag and motto (Palmetto State) of South Carolina.The fort was named Laurel Gehrisch and not yet complete when Admiral Sir Peter Parker and nine British warships attacked it on June 28, 1776, near the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.The soft palmetto logs did not crack under bombardment but rather absorbed the shot; there were even reports of cannon balls actually bouncing off of the walls of the structure. In any case, Charleston was saved from capture, and the fort was named for the commander in the battle, William Moultrie, and the locals, to this day celebrate 'Carolina Day' to commemorate the bravery of the defenders of the fort, the 2nd South Carolina Regiment.

Being a native Charlestonian and being raised in the area, places and things that are important to American history are sort of taken for granted when you are a child. Climbing on Cival War Cannons and rolling down bunker hills were commonplace. If you looked around, there were treasures to find on top of the ground. Thankfully, I still have many of them.

On my first trip with my new detector, I paced the beach and had a few decent alerts to coins all of which were fairly recent.

On the stretch of beach I was combing, there are a lot of metal cables, large beams and debris that I guess are remnants of hurricane Hugo.

As I headed past century old homes, I hit a target that was strong. Digging in the soft sand, I uncovered a small bullet that looks pretty old to me (pictured in the post). It has two rings and the top is flat. I don't know if that means it hit it's target or not. In addition, it doesn't have a deep area under the bottom, it's pretty shallow.

I've spent some time online trying to reference it. I'd love some help! If you have any information about this bullet, please let me know! email me treasureholic@gmail.com

Let's Make A Deal!

2007-04-20T07:05:00.001-07:00

When I was a child I loved watching Let's Make a Deal which was a very popular television game show airing in the United States. The original and most widely known version ran from 1963 to 1977.

The premise of the show is pretty simple. Host Monty Hall picked wacky dressed up people from the audience and offered them various choices which would either end up winners or duds. For example, contestants were offered a choice between $750 or a what could be behind Door #1, 2 or 3. Contestants were stuck asking themselves "Should I take the money now or choose Door #1 and end up with a shiny new car or a box of dog biscuits?"

You can check out more about the show on the The OFFICIAL Let's Make A Deal website!

I'm always looking for stuff that I want or can sell on eBay or to someone else. In an earlier post OLD Hand Hewn Beams Rescued From Dumpster! I talk about beams and a door that I rescued from a beautiful old house that was being torn down in our community. Remember...it was stuff that someone was throwing away that they were kind enough to give to me for FREE.

I was planning on using those old beams in my next house until I talked with Ken Wheeler. 5wheeler@tds.net

Ken is a master craftsman who designs and hand-crafts the most incredible furniture that I have ever seen. I can't say enough about Ken and his ability. Check back in the near future for a post highlighting Ken's furniture.

He told me in general conversation that he is making beds now. Out of old beams. With old bead board. And stained glass inserts in the headboards that have a light behind them. Hummmmm...

Guess what audience? It's time for Ken and Dana to play Let's Make A Deal!

As a Treasureholic, it's all about the thrill. Finding, selling and trading and not necessarily in any particular order. Sometimes you don't have to exchange cash and trading/bartering is just as good or better!

I have beams, Ken needs beams. He does restoration work. I have an old desk that needs to be restored.

We met, and I offered him the beams. After much pacing and head scratching, Ken chose door #1.

He headed back up the mountain with the old door from the Tryon house in the back of his pickup and said he would easily trade it to another Treasureholic, who owns a salvage business, for $100.00 worth of old barn siding. That siding will be turned into unique, rustic birdhouses and furniture that will find homes in beautiful log cabins here in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

He told me he was going to charge me about $100.00 for the restoration work on my desk and door #1 would be a fair trade and cover the cost.

I don't recall ever watching Let's Make A Deal and seeing two people pick the same door and end up with a wonderful prize. Do you?

What's your best trade? Email me: treasureholic@gmail.com

Diggin' For Diamonds!

2007-04-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Do you love diamonds? Would you like to find some? With a little hard work and some luck, you can find some in Arkansas!

One of my very favorite treasure hunting places is The Crater of Diamonds State Park. The Park is the only diamond producing site in the world that is open to the public.

Park visitors pay a nominal fee to prospect in the park's diamond search area, a 37-acre plowed field that is located smack on top of the eroded surface of an ancient volcanic pipe. 95 million years ago, the pipe brought diamonds and semi-precious stones up to the surface and you can still find them there today!

Diamonds of all colors of the rainbow can be found at Crater of Diamonds, but the three most common colors unearthed by park visitors are white, brown and yellow.

The Arkansas Diamond Mine is also a rock hound's delight since, along with diamonds, over 40 types of rocks and minerals can found there. These rocks and minerals include lamproite, amethyst, banded agate, jasper, peridot, garnet, quartz, calcite, barite and hematite.

In 1906, John Huddleston, the local farmer who owned the property at that time, found the first diamonds on what is now the Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, and the news of his find started a diamond mining rush.

According to the history of the Crater of Diamonds State Park, after a series of ill-fated mining ventures followed by tourist attractions, the site became an Arkansas state park in 1972.

On my recent visit, I spent two and a half days searching for diamonds. I was told by the staff that the best way to find diamonds was to surface search. Basically, you walk around with your rake, shovel, hand claw or stick and look for a very bright, shiny, glint or reflection that's catching the sunlight.

I searched like a wild woman and didn't come up with pay dirt on that trip, but I'm headed back soon! If you've been there, I'd like to hear about your trip! Please email me with the details! treasureholic@gmail.com

WATCH the Today Show Video (Link below - it's GREAT!) that highlights a recent significant find that an Oklahoma State Trooper made at the park and you'll have diamond fever just like I do!

Happy Hunting!

http://www.arkansas.com/special-announcements/second_diamond.asp

4.21-carat, Canary Yellow Diamond Found at Arkansas's Crater of Diamonds State Park by First Time Visitor From Oklahoma - Today Show Video

OLD Hand Hewn Beams Rescued From Dumpster!

2007-04-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

EEEEEEEEKKKKKKK! It's the chalkboard sound.

It's that feeling you get when you miss out on something good that you had the chance to get, but didn't.

That's what happened when I spied the Dozier on the old Tryon house site Keep Your Eye On The Prize and worse, saw the huge yellow dumpster full of crunched up house, antique doors, hand-hewn pegged, square log beams and things that I wished I could have salvaged.

When I realized what was going on, I whipped the Denali around, pulled up the road and trotted over to the Dozier in my business suit and high heels.

The man running the machine cut it off and we had a really nice Southern "get to know you" chat. He sat in the cab and I stood in heels in the fresh dirt.

He was as nice as punch and we knew a lot of the same people. In the end, I was given permission to pull out what I wanted because nothing was going to be saved.

I headed home to change and returned late in the day when all was quiet and started pulling out and picking up what I could.

With the help of my 16 year old, (Someone should have stopped and told us that we were crazy to think that a 46 year old woman and a 16 year old girl could handle those solid, HEAVY 18 foot beams.) we ended up with a groaning pickup load full of old hand-hewn square log beams, 1 old beautiful walnut door complete with beautiful brass hardware, some scrapes, a couple of broken fingernails and 1 possible hernia.

I was thrilled and appreciative of the gift and the kindness of the Dozier operator but sad knowing that there was so much more that I would have loved to have.

Have you ever missed out on something really good? Let us know! treasureholic@gmail.com

Readers ID The Shell Casing As WWI NOT II

2007-04-13T05:20:00.000-07:00

NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!

Thank goodness there are people out there who know something about war stuff! Special thanks go out to two members of my metal detecting club who sent me emails with GREAT information about the bomb shell casing that I found and have a pictured in an earlier post WWII Bomb Shell Casing Found! . Here are a couple of their comments:

...I think your shell is older than you think. I might be wrong but I think it could be WW1 instead of WWII. If troops came from Wadsworth it was WW1 or Camp Croft it would be WWII...

...That should be a WWI shell that you found. That area was an artillery practice site for Camp Wadsworth which was a WWI training camp...

Two id's! It's WWI not II. GREAT! If you have more info, please let me know! treasureholic@gmail.com

Happy Hunting!

Keep Your Eye On The Prize

2007-04-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

I've had my eye on this old house in Tryon, NC for some time. Two years ago, I stopped and walked through it when the family put a for sale sign on the property. I'm guessing that it was well over a hundred years old due to it's construction and state of disrepair.

In her day, she was beautiful, stately and was the epitome of charm and character. Her bones were graceful, strong and solid. Over the years, there have been additions and modifications.

On the outside, she was framed with lap board siding. If you looked closely, you could see the old saw marks left behind when the boards were hand cut in the mill.

There were many things about that house that I appreciated.

The main part of the house was an old log structure that had been covered up so that the logs were not visible. When she was built, people used what they had at hand. As time moved on, it wasn't fashionable for town's people to live in common log homes. Fancy homes that looked more refined were the rage and many of the older structures that were made of log ended up with face lifts.

The interior doors were solid, matched and were made of large planks of dark walnut. They were held on to the frames with beautiful ornate brass hinges. Ornamental brass plates that matched the hinges surrounded porcelain brown door knobs.

And the sink. It was made of big slabs of grey-black slate and it had two basins. It was large, very heavy, deep and rectangular. I loved it.

I once thought about purchasing the home and ended up buying another "project" that was a little further out.

The first sign I saw in the yard was taken down long ago and the family ended up doing some work on the house. They recently put the house back up for sale and it quickly sold along with the old gas station/garage in front of it.

A week after the SOLD sign was erected, a thought came to mind that I should find out who bought it, call them up and see what they were going to do with the structure.

Due to it's condition, I was expecting it to be torn down and if it was, I was hoping I could speak with the owner and ask if I could have the doors, the sink and the log beams.

TOO LATE!

When I drove by the following afternoon, a big orange bull dozier was in the yard and half of the house was already in a dumpster! I felt sick.

Has this ever happened to you? Did you have your eye on something that you could see value in and you didn't have time or make time to save what could be saved or treasured by someone else? treasureholic@gmail.com

The Treasure Hunting Gene

2007-04-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I mentioned that I felt sure that Treasureholics share a Treasure-Hunting gene.

I know it has to be that way because my Mother, has "it" bad. She's passed it down to me, and there is no doubt that it has to be a dominant gene!

When I look around, there are thousands of others just like me and perhaps you are one of them. Believe me, we have plenty of company--at garage sales, auctions, flea markets, metal detecting meetings, find your own gem and gold mines, pawn shops, swap meets, estate sales, trash piles, dumps, and antique malls.

We are all fighting for the same parking place at 6:00 am in front of the most promising garage sale driveway hoping to be the first one to snag the best items. We're looking for something that the owner has priced for 50 cents that will sell for a hefty profit on eBay or to an individual.

Some of us didn't even wait until the day of the sale and knocked on the door the night before asking if we could scan the items and be the first one to preview the treasure.

As I'm snagging neat stuff, I'm going to write about it and tell you what I've done with it after I've hauled it home. If I've sold it, I'll let you in on the sales price and tell you what the person who's bought it is going to do with it.

I'll bet you can glean something out of it that you can take to the bank and email me treasureholic@gmail.com to tell me about your find.

Happy Hunting!

Hi. I'm Dana, And I'm A Treasureholic.

2007-04-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

Picture this, I'm in a room filled with people who have come to the same meeting for the same purpose. We all share the same compulsion.

The room is filled with squeaky, cold, brown metal folding chairs and there are a only a few empty seats. I'm seated midway in the crowd and I feel compelled to talk. Sheepishly, I raise my hand and am asked by the Leader to come up to the front to tell my story. I start by saying 7 revealing words to the crowd.

"Hi. I'm Dana, and I'm a Treasureholic.

Most people have heard the phrase, "What's one man's trash is another man's treasure." It's that way for me. I have to think that somewhere, some highly educated geneticist in some lab has isolated a specific defect in the chain of human DNA that causes this obvious genetic profile (Maybe it's shaped like an old chair that needs re-caning).

If it would make you feel better to admit that you too are a Treasureholic, and you want or must share your treasure hunting addiction, please email me treasureholic@gmail.com and I'll post your comments here in the blog.

Additional Heel Plate Info: John's Response!

2007-04-04T05:19:00.000-07:00

In my last update on the Heel Plate, I mentioned that there was a seller on eBay who has an online store called "The Soldier's Heel". http://stores.ebay.com/The-Soldiers-Heel

For those of you who don't know, you can contact any eBay seller without purchasing an item from them or placing a bid on an item. It's pretty simple and there are two ways that you can do it. You can click on their user id and that will take you to a page about them where you can find a contact link, or you can click on one of their posted listings and ask a question. There is a drop down box that will allow you to choose "Ask a general question about this item". I've found both contact methods to work quite well. Most people who sell on eBay are following their passion and they are more than happy to share information about the items that they list or answer questions about a hobby or eBay listing category.

I sent the eBay seller at The Soldier's Heel an email with this blog address so he could check out the photo/post and asked him if he had any information on the Heel Plate in the photo. He was very kind to respond! Here is a copy of the email that John sent to me - IT'S GREAT INFORMATION!!!

Hi Dana,

Yes, you did find a heelplate, I have one in my collection that is very similar to yours. I haven't found alot of information regarding these items online either, which seems surprising. But from the number I have seen with various designs I believe that these were mass produced in the 1850's-1860's and from the quality, I am inclined to think they might have been imported from Britain.

The purpose of the heelplate was to protect and extend the life of the shoe heel. Shoes were purchased items for the most part & therefore if the owner could make them last several years longer, it was worth the extra cost to have these on a pair of shoes.

You will find examples of dug heelplates in several Civil War relic books, and occasionally on ebay. They are not especially rare, and a lot of relic hunters have found them in military camps. These are not a military issue item, but alot of civilian market goods were used by soldiers & visitors to the army camps.

Thanks for contacting me, I hope that I have helped shed some light on your find.

John

Here's what's really cool about this whole metal detecting treasure hunting thing...it's great fun, you meet and interact with very nice people and you find relics and items that are very interesting and are sometimes valuable!

Before I found the Heel Plate, I had no clue that these items even existed, knew nothing about them - when they were made or what they were used for. It's all fascinating to me and I can't wait to dig in the dirt again soon and find something new to investigate!

WWII Bomb Shell Casing Found!

2007-04-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

It's 'Da Bomb here in South Carolina!

A neighbor of mine, who has some property right down the road, gave me permission to do a little metal detecting on his land.

During World War II, there was a training facility in the general area. Over the years, I have heard about the training facility, the shelling and have been told many interesting things about the military operation that was housed there.

A couple of years ago, a friend who grew up in this area, showed me very old pictures of US soldiers who were in bunkers going through military training on the site. I have asked for permission to post those pictures and it was granted so check back! I will be picking them up in a couple of days and will be posting them here on the blog.

From what I have been told by locals, there were several military sites where rounds were consistently fired at Hogback Mountain. (I took this picture two weeks ago when the Peach trees were glorious and in full bloom - BTW - SC is second in peach production AHEAD OF GEORGIA but behind CA!) At the time, the area was uninhabited and the mountain was a perfect backdrop for shelling.

If you ask the older folks about the operation, stories abound about live shells, bomb bullets and bits of shrapnel and brass littering the area. One of my pals told me that he would go over to the mountain with his Dad during the Depression, pick up the shells and sell the brass and metal to bring in additional income for the family. He told me that lots of folks did that during the weekends hoping to find something that they could sell when times were hard.

I started treasure hunting today in the "mule pasture". Dora, the mule followed me the entire time and watched me swing the "stick with the funny round end" back in forth over her fescue. With Dora's help, I found four bomb bullets. I'm sure there has to be an official name for these lead bullets. If you know what it is, I would welcome the information! In addition, if you have details about the military operation at Hogback Mountain in South Carolina, I would love to hear about it! Please email me!

Bomb bullets are round lead pellets that are bigger than a musket ball. The large rounds that were fired toward the mountain were full of them. When the shells exploded, the bomb bullets would fly and disperse like shrapnel. There are many of them scattered about in the general area. The bullets are made out of lead.

Funny, it seems as if most people who have lived in these parts are familiar with bomb bullets and they still have the ones that they picked up years ago. What's funnier still are the uses that they have found for these lead bullets. Someone told me today that his son drills holes in them and still uses them as fishing sinkers.

As Dora and I checked out her field, my metal detector alerted to a rather large target. The target was long and relatively thin. I dug down about 12 inches and found a tubular object. I was hoping to find a shell casing. I opened the size of the hole and sure enough, it appeared to be a shell.

I was very careful to hand dig around it with my small spade until I determined that the mortar round was missing and it was empty. At that point, I finished digging it out and took my spade and cleaned out the inside of the shell casing. I was thrilled to find the casing, packed it up carefully, thanked Dora and headed for the gate!

Reader ID's the item in the last blog as a Heel Plate!

2007-04-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

NEWS FLASH!!! NEWS FLASH!!!

My thanks go out to Chris Phillips who emailed me about the "What is it?" metal thing that is shown in the picture on the last blog entry and I think we have an ID!

Here are Chris's comments about the item:

"I would say you dug a heel plate. Leather shoes of the 19th and early 20th centuries often had these fastened to the bottom of the heel. At first I thought that the heart shape cutout was a woman's shoe but I have seen similar ones in military camps. Some are merely in the shape of a horse shoe. I had seen photos of dug heel plates over the years in detecting magazines and internet forums. Try "heel plate" in a google image search. The best and fastest way that I have got my "what is its" identified is through the Treasurenet.com forums. This site is truly impressive. It's probably the biggest metal detecting site on the net. I have had people from all over the USA and Europe help me identify my relic finds."

With Chris's help, I started searching online to see if I could find out more information. My first search target was eBay. I went out to eBay, plugged in "heel plate" into the "Buy" search category and found a seller who has a store called The Soldier's Heel.

Here's the link to this seller's eBay store - http://stores.ebay.com/The-Soldiers-Heel I sent him an email and asked him if he knows anything about the heel plate that I found. I haven't heard back yet, but when I do, I'll post his response for everyone to see!

I also Googled "heel plate" and didn't find a match for old antique designs or references.

If you have any information about the heart shaped design on this heel plate and it's date and significance, please let me know!

I'm trying to put a match to an old pre-civil war fort and it's location so your comments would be greatly appreciated! treasureholic@gmail.com

Metal Detecting for Great Stuff!

2007-03-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I decided it was time to take some of my tax refund money and buy a metal detector. I've always wanted one and thought it would be a fun, interesting and great way to get some exercise and YES to find some TREASURE that I might be able to sell on eBay!

I almost bought one about two years ago and spent some time researching different models. I called a local guy, Donnie Bagwell, who sells them and is very active in the local metal detecting club. Check out his site www.treasuredigger.net . We discussed models, differences, features and my treasure hunting preferences and honed in on a couple of options.

Well, things happened and I didn't make the purchase that year or the next. I've thought about it time and time again and this year (Because Uncle Sam was very generous to me.) I decided that I would go for it and add a real treasure hunting tool to my arsenal.

I called Donnie and headed out to meet with him so I could check out the detectors that he sells and spend some time getting the feel and a little training from an expert.

Metal detectors vary in price and sophistication. Some are cheap, don't last, aren't durable and don't function very well and others are expensive, reliable, pretty stable and have very elaborate electronics that can tell you if you are picking up the signal of a pull tab, ring or viable target. I'm still learning and would welcome some helpful hints! Please send them to me!!!

After meeting with him, we determined based on our conversation, that a White's metal detector would be the best solution for me. There were two White's models that fit my needs - the MXT and the DFX. The MXT is a great overall detector that will work in the water, has plenty of power and it picks up and isolates a great deal of trash from trinkets. The DFX is more expensive, has a rechargeable battery pack and more options on the display and some additional features.

Still being a little unsure, I asked if I could borrow a unit and spend some time trying it out.
I left with an MXT and went straight over to some property that I own to try it out around an old cabin foundation.

First, let me tell you about the cabin site. I purchased some property last year at the base of the mountains in Upstate South Carolina that has an interesting history. I've asked a lot of questions and was told by a couple of old timers that a man named Clyde Howard used to live on this land and his father Jack Howard farmed the bottoms across from this property.

The cabin is long gone, the rock chimney has fallen over and trees that are at the end of their life cycle are growing up through the middle of what was the foundation. From what I can tell, the cabin's been gone for about 75 or 80 years. Jim Plumley, who was raised on the mountain and is in his eighties, told me that he remembers going up there with his Dad to see Clyde as a young boy.

I started my search on the old road bed and immediately had a strong pull tab signal. Yep, it was a pull tab. Obviously left there by someone who was recently logging or hunting on the site.

It wasn't long before I had another strong signal. The detector registered that the item in question was about 6 inches deep so I dug a wide circle and sifted through the dirt. Much to my amazement, I found a small OLD lead bullet that had two rings around the bottom and I'm hoping it is civil war era. It was encrusted in dirt and had some oxidation on it. I put it in my collection bucket and moved up toward the old cabin site.

The next item that I found was an old mule/horse shoe that still had a couple of square headed nails in it. It was in perfect shape so I saved it, was thankful for the good luck token, and thought about hanging it up over my doorway at home.

I walked over to the big wide oval rock that was used as a stoop step and the detector displayed an immediate loud target.

After digging for a minute or two, I unearthed a very interesting item! It was about three inches across and three inches high and was horseshoe shaped. I guessed that the metal was brass or something similar because it wasn't rusty. The little piece of metal was a very emotional find.

What I held in my hand touched my heart. There in the center was a cut out heart. There were three little holes in the top that were pretty worn and two in the bottom that looked like places where nails had been.

At that moment, the cabin and the people who had lived there became personal and very real. There was an instant tie for me to someone who lived there long ago that I didn't know. It was clear that I had found something dear to someone that was special. The little token was a representation of love or affection to or from someone to someone else. It was personal.

I wondered who it belonged to and if it was a woman, man or child. What did it mean, and what was it nailed to? In it's day, times were hard and money did not come easy.

To me, the little scrap of metal was priceless. It tied me to the land. It made me appreciate those who came before me and reaffirmed that life goes on and will continue to do so.

It was a wonderful gift. I stopped digging, took my treasure, and headed home.

Calling all treasure hunters!!! If you know what this item is, can you please let me know? I have no clue and would really appreciate it if someone had some insight! Please email me @ treasureholic@gmail.com Thanks!

BIRDFOOT HAS BEEN SEEN ON eBay!

2007-03-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Everyday is treasure day around here! Yesterday after work, my child and I decided to head over to a local area to walk the trails and gravel road. It was nice to spend some time together getting a little exercise and enjoying the nice weather. While we were walking I was looking for interesting things...you know the "T" word.

We cut across a field and I noticed that the wild bird foot violets were in glorious bloom. If you're not familiar, take the time to do an online search and see how beautiful they are. It's also a great time to look for them in your area and I do hope that you find some! I would love to hear about your search so please let me know how it goes.

Bird foot violets are native to our area and they are pretty unique as violets go. You don't see them that often and they are realitively small so you have to look. What will catch your eye is the colonization that is most evident when they are in full bloom. When left undisturbed, they group and spread and paint a big swath of blue/purple color in the landscape. Most people who see them think they are violas or johnny jump ups which are very common domesticated plants. If you look closely, the bird foot violet is true to it's name because the leaves are split and look like little bird feet.

Pat Arledge, who was my neighbor and who knows a great deal about native plants, showed me one that she had transplanted from somewhere in the mountains to her yard and it had a beautiful creamy white outer color with a bright yellow center. She said the yellow ones were rare. (Insert Angel singing noise here.) So, I've been on the lookout for yellow bird foot violets ever sense.

As I walked over to admire the patch, guess what caught my eye??? Yellow bloomin' bird foot violets! (Try saying that one five times fast.) They were right in the middle of the blue/purple patch. Of course I hooked an immediate right, headed straight for them, bent over and was thrilled!

In addition to being beautiful, there are so many things that you can do with violets. People dry them and use them in potpourri, soak them fragrant oil, put them in containers in the bathroom, press them and make beautiful framed pressed flower pictures, incorporate them into home made paper, sugar them for confectionary decoration and on and on and on.

I was wondering how long it would be until the yellow ones developed seed pods. I would love to make a return trip and harvest some seed and plant it in my garden. If I timed it right, next year I could sell some yellow blooming bird foot violet plants on eBay. I made a mental note and we moved on.

It was getting late and the sun was creeping down behind the mountain so we headed for the Denali with a handful of bird foot violet blooms.

When I arrived home, I searched for the birds foot violets and found the blue/purple ones all over the net. BUT I haven't found a posting for a yellow one yet. If you find one, please let me know!

I checked out eBay and there were no bird foots listed. Because I have access to bazillions of the blue/purple ones that grow wild on a friend's farm I decided it would be worth a try to see if I could sell some. So now it's true, a bird foot has been seen on eBay.

I Sell Stuff on eBay That Doesn't Cost Me A Dime!

2007-03-13T04:59:00.000-07:00

There are so many great things about selling stuff online!

What I like best is to find ways to sell stuff on eBay that doesn't cost me anything upfront or even at all! It takes a little work, a little research and sometimes you get a little dirty but trust me, it's $$$ in the PayPal account! Basically it's my way of Treasure Hunting for items that I can sell online without coming out of pocket until it sells!

My venue of choice is eBay. I've been successfully selling stuff under my eBay Seller id i-ebiz since April of 2002 and I just love it! http://myworld.ebay.com/i-ebiz

I automate my listings as much as possible so I can list items and have time to get back to treasure hunting. More about how to sell on eBay in later posts.

So what am I selling now, where did I get it, and how much did the items I am currently selling cost me?

Here's what I'm currently selling:

Japanese Maple Seedlings - Pictured on my Blog Site!
You get 7 for $15.00 plus shipping (buyers pay $5.00)

Where did I get them? The house we are living in has the most beautiful Japanese Maple tree in the front yard that I have ever seen! The seeds fall from the tree in the Summer, germinate and naturally grow into the prettiest little Japanese Maple Babies without any intervention or assistance from me. People are buying them and are very pleased with the quality. They have the most beautiful leaves and color in the Fall! I think most of them are being made into Bonsai trees.

What did they cost me? Zippo. Ten minutes of time to pull up three orders. I walk out of my home office (I can see them right now.) search around in the ivy, carefully pull them up so I don't damage the root system, put them in the McDonald's cup that I had Diet Coke in that day and take them upstairs to pack for shipping. I ship them US Postal Priority Mail (If you ship USPS PRIORITY you get FREE SHIPPING BOXES - that's another post.) and pack them in wet paper towels and zip lock bags that I buy on sale at Dollar General.

Rare Black Bamboo - Phyllostachys Nigra
You get three to four rhizomes for $25.00 plus shipping (buyer's pay $7.99)

Where did I get them? My church is planning an expansion and owned the lot next door to the church. An older home was raised and there were beautiful plants in the garden that many of us have rescued. There is a lovely grove of this rare black bamboo. The bulldozers have pushed it up and loosened the soil. I just go over - it's 5 minutes from my house and dig up rooted sections/rhizomes, bring them home, cut them and pack them in wet newspaper and paper towels and put them in a garbage bag that is tightly tied. They ship in the long FREE triangular USPS Priority Mail Shipping Boxes that you can order FOR FREE on this link. http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10152&storeId=10001&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;categoryId=13354&productId=26002&langId=-1

What did they cost me? Zippo, again. OK, I have to get in my truck (I drive a GMC Denali Pickup - Black and lots of Chrome and I LOVE IT - that reminds me of a funny story that I have to post one day!) and drive over to the church about four miles away and tromp across the lot, dig up the bamboo, take it home and prepare and pack it. Oh yea, I do have to make a trip to the local post office which is 2 miles away.

Best Organic Hair Conditioning Treatment I've Ever Used
You get about 15oz. of this Great Hair Stuff for $19.95 plus shipping (Buyer's pay $5.00)

Where did I get it? I haven't purchased it yet for re-sale. I have purchased it for my own personal use and it's exactly what I say it is! It's made a huge difference in the condition of my hair. So how am I selling it? I list it because I believe in this product. I'm listing it because I know I can get my hands on it when it sells and it's readily available. It's the best conditioner I've ever used and think it will do well for me on eBay. Until it sells, I don't have any cost in it at all. When it sells, I'll buy it and ship it to the buyers. No upfront cost. Minimal cost after the sale. A decent profit for a little work.

What did it cost me? I'll make about $10.00 per shipment. This item is a new listing for me. If it takes off, it will be worth the little bit of time it takes to purchase it and repackage it in zip locks. If it's spotty, and doesn't sell, then it's time to replace it with another item that I've found treasure hunting. I've found over the years that I can do pretty well re-selling a product as long as there is a demand for it and there is enough margin for me to make a profit that's worthwhile.

You Choose Your Initial - Monogramed Charleston Gates Door Mat
I'm selling two sizes of this mat for $34.99 each plus shipping (Buyer's pay $9.95)

Where did I get them? My Brother-In-Law's family owns a cocoa mat manufacturing business here in South Carolina. They sell wholesale to distributors and retailers. I asked if I could sell some of the specialty mats on eBay for them. I just listed them last week and have already sold one and had quite a few questions about the mats. They are single pack, single ship and are screen printed to order with an initial of the buyer's choice.

What do they cost me? Nothing but the eBay listing fees until it sells - which apply to all eBay listings no matter what the item you list costs you to sell. You still pay an insertion fee which is customary for most online auction houses. Here's the deal here. The manufacturer owns the inventory. You set up the relationship as a distributor and get the benefit of wholesale pricing. They pack and drop ship the item to the buyer. You collect the cash from the buyer and email the order to the manufacturer. It's EASY. You just list the item and push the paperwork through. Most companies will even set up an account for you and bill you net 30. So what am I making on these mats? About $19.00 per sale. Again, this is a new treasure listing for me. It's a great item and I hope it does well!

Benefits of this type of "Treasure/Listing"

You collect the cash up front from the buyer!
You manage the product when it sells
You spend your money if required only when it's sold
You don't end up with dead or unsold inventory if it doesn't sell
Profits are generally higher!

Here are the total sales for the items listed above. Everything that sold with the exception of 1 item were plants. AT NO COST TO ME. I dug them out of the ground. Who says money doesn't grow on trees?

Last 7 days - $204.99

Last 30 days - $319.99

Do you have a similar success story finding treasure like I do? Have you made money on the side buying and selling something that you are passionate about? Let me know! I'm really interested in your stories and I would like to mention your successes on my blog! treasureholic@gmail.com

How I Started And How You Can Too!

2007-03-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! Welcome to The Treasureholic's Blog site and my first blog! OK, I'm a newbie, so please forgive me for not knowing the proper blogging etiquette. I'll be the first to say that I don't know all there is to know to setting up this blog. But here's what I do know...

I've been a TREASURE HUNTER FOR YEARS! Treasure hunting has given me a way to take the passion that I have for my hobby and supplement my single Mom income! In addition, there are all forms and types of treasure! It's really all about the thrill of the hunt and finding things that you or others want!

So where do I begin?

First and foremost, my teenage daughter - who is a wonderful child - told me that I need to make it VERY CLEAR that the picture that is shown on my blog site is of a JAPANESE MAPLE SEEDLING which is an ornamental tree. It's just one of the many "found items" that I sell on eBay and I can't wait to tell you how I do it and you can too!

So how did this treasure hunting thing get started?

When I was a little girl, my Mother would take me on long walks in our neighborhood. The area where we lived backed up on the Inter coastal Waterway in Charleston, South Carolina and it was affectionately called "The Dump". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intracoastal_Waterway

This area was rich in history and there were plenty of places in the salt marsh to look for interesting items.

My Mom and I would search for all types of old things. At the time, what was treasure to a little girl used to be garbage to people who were long gone. Charleston holds a great deal of history and the people who used to live on the riverbanks of plantations were doing their best to rebound from the Civil War.

As a child, anything and everything that I found was treasure.

There were old whiskey bottles with imprints of the State of South Carolina, little pieces of gold metal that were stamped in between the cobble-stoned street in front of our church, an ancient Sloth vertebrae (that I still have 40 years later) that we took to The Old Charleston Museum for identification, a clay pipe with the letter "s" embossed on the bowl on one side and an old sailing ship on the other, handfuls of old metal mule shoes, broken blue willow pottery with hand-painted Asian men tending rice fields, a hand-blown light blue glass ink well, ancient sharks teeth that were 7 inches long, etc., and the list goes on and on.

It is all treasure to me. And today, what was one man's garbage is another man's gold!

It payed when I was a child to live where Eliza Lucas Pinckney http://www.distinquishedwomen.com/biographies/pinckney.html had her plantation and farmed the land, planted the indigo and harvested the rice but it's not necessary to be somewhere like that. Treasure can be anything that has value to you or someone else. It's everywhere YOU CAN FIND IT! AND I CAN HELP YOU!

As I said in the beginning, I'm so excited and I can't wait to tell you about my treasure hunting escapades! There's so much to tell, and so many exciting stories to share. The people that I meet when I'm out there "digging around" are so interesting and some are pretty wacky!

Everyone wants to get in on the action and find a way to turn stuff into cash! Keep coming back and you'll see how much fun treasure hunting can be and how you too can turn everyday items and things that you can find into an exciting way to make extra money, experience one of a kind vacations, meet fascinating people, visit beautiful places and have the time of your life just like I do!

Happy Hunting!