Metal Detecting Saves Valentines Day!

[CPT_GhostLight]

Yesterday, Feb. 14th, was going to be the last warm day (any day above 32°F is warm this time of year) before the next snow storm so I was determined to get out anywhere and detect before we're socked in for another week. When you're semi-retired like I am sometimes the days will run into each other and I don't pay a lot of attention to what day it is. So like most days I started out doing the chores and dealing with some business stuff and before I new it, it was almost noon and it was getting cloudy and windy outside. At first I though, well there goes the day, and I'll just have to wait until next week to get out, but then the detectorist kicked in and said, "Get your butt out there!". So grabbed the gear and headed out to a park not too far away but one I've been ignoring for over a year.

When I arrived at the park there was absolutely nobody there, a rare occurrence, and I had the whole park to myself. As I surveyed the sports field all I could see is a solid sheet of ice and snow from the last few snowfalls. There were the remains of half melted snow forts and lumps of what must have been snowmen at some point in time dotting the snowscape. It looked what I imagine a ghost town in Antartica would look like. It would have made a cool photo, but this was one of the few times I left my phone in the car and I was short on time so photos would have to wait.

I made a bee line to the tot lot to try out a modified Fast program on the D2 that I've been tweaking. The targets, mostly small bits of foil, a bobby pin and a paper clip,  and were few and far between so I know this place has been hit regularly, but I did also pull a dime, nickel, and penny out fairly close to the climbing bars and got a loud 95 signal pinging right next to one of the large vertical support bars. The bars were all ringing in the high 80s so I thought there must be a quarter next to the bar. As I tried to find the target with my pinpointer in the semi-frozen wood chips, I saw something larger than a quarter and bronze colored coming up. It turned out to be a military medal of some sort that I don't recognize. It must be a newer one than I'm familiar with.

As I dropped the medal into my pouch, a couple of minivans pulled up and unloaded a herd of kids onto the playground. Well that's that, I thought and headed out into the frozen tundra to look for less frozen ground. I had only taked a few steps off of the tot lot and got a bangin' shallow 84 that sounded too good to be a zincoln, so maybe a bottle cap, I thought. It was too steady and good sounding to not dig and since I was testing a new program I was digging most everything anyway, so I went for it and out popped a 10 cent Euro!

By now the wind was howling and the sky was darkening. I wandered over to a patch of actual semi-thawed ground near some picnic tables and among the foil and pull tabs I found a few heart-stoppers that turned out to be a fake gold ring and part of a fake gold necklace. 🙄 Not too far from there I got a little black cat pendant and noticed that the kids were leaving. Then I also noticed that some of them had headbands with hearts on them and some were chasing their valentines cards blowing away..... VALENTINES???... OH CRAP!!! It's Valentine's Day! 😱

I had only been out there a little over an hour and my wife wouldn't be home for a few more hours, so I hit the nearby restroom and figured I'd load up and head home. As I exited the restroom, it was like one of those horror movies where everything goes absolutely still and quiet right before the character gets blown up by a space alien. The kids were gone, the wind had stopped, there were no cars on the road, and even a little bit of sun was poking through the building snow clouds. "Well that's weird", I thought, "maybe I can detect just a little more". So I started heading back towards the picninc tables when I got a way too loud 99 on the D2. Now in my previous experience with the D2, 99 has never been anything good, but as I looked down getting ready to pass up what could only be a flattened coke can, I could see just a glint of something shiny poking through the moist dirt. It was a piece of a chain! I carefully brushed away the muddy soil and started to pick up what I figured was a broken hunk but it kept on going, and going, and going. By now I my heart was pounding and I was wishing I had my phone in case I needed to call 911. As I finally reach the end of the chain I could tell there was something on the end not coming loose from the ground. I gently peeled the mud, dirt, and ice back and it revealled a huge heart pendant! It was a sign from God to get home and save Valentines Day (as well as my own butt)!!!

When I got home, I carefully cleaned the chain and heart off with a damp paper towel and discovered that the heart pendant opens into a 4 piece locket that resembles a 4 leaf clover and stamped on the inside and on the clasp and tag is 925. Silver!!! 23.5 grams of silver! It's the largest silver object I've ever found!

When my wife got home, I presented her with the siver necklace and some flowers I picked up on the way home and told her, "Treasure for my Treasure!" So I got major points and this is one time metal detecting saved the day as well as my bony ass! 😉

This is what we got today so far.

[kac]

Pendant is pretty cool. Almost forgot what snow looks like was gonna ask whats up with all that white @#$% in your yard? 🙂

[Rick N. MI]

A crazy hunt. Cool finds. Nice silver to save the day! And then snow. lol

[NCtoad]

Wow!  That pendant is awesome!!   That military medal is nice and

 

 

 

pretty old too!   Lol

[Geologyhound]

Found this at the USA Military Medals Armed Forces Super Store: https://www.usamm.com/products/army-achievement-medal

 

[Valens Legacy]

Great find to save the day, all I got was yelled at on the 14th because she only got flowers and dinner.

I tried to find a card for her, but nobody makes one that say's to the daughter of Satan on it.

The ground here is still frozen at 3 inches deep, and the most areas that I hunt I have to go down about 6 to hit the good stuff.

Good luck on your next outing and stay safe out there.

[Northeast]

40 minutes ago, Valens Legacy said:

but nobody makes one that say's to the daughter of Satan on it

Hallmark, are you reading this??   Sell quite a few I reckon  😉

[F350Platinum]

What a great story! 🙂

I stayed home on Valentine's Day, gave my wife this and she loved it. For years she's been loading up silver and gold charm bracelets with charms that reflect our lives, she even got a silver toilet paper charm during the "pandemic" 🙄.

Brilliant hunt, someone beat me to it but I earned two of those AAM's in the Army, one was given me in the field by a Brigadier General. The second was in the Middle East (Turkey) for latrine duty above and beyond the call 🤣 The medics were gonna condemn our field latrines so I mustered a group of soldiers and we told poop jokes all day while disinfecting and restoring them.

That's one of the many great things about detecting, finding incredible jewelry for our better halves, and often it saves the day. 👍 You earned that medal! 😀

[strick]

Wait...when was it Valentines Day? 

Nice work CPT that was a quick productive hunt. 

Strick

[CPT_GhostLight]

5 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

What a great story! 🙂

I stayed home on Valentine's Day, gave my wife this and she loved it. For years she's been loading up silver and gold charm bracelets with charms that reflect our lives, she even got a silver toilet paper charm during the "pandemic" 🙄.

Brilliant hunt, someone beat me to it but I earned two of those AAM's in the Army, one was given me in the field by a Brigadier General. The second was in the Middle East (Turkey) for latrine duty above and beyond the call 🤣 The medics were gonna condemn our field latrines so I mustered a group of soldiers and we told poop jokes all day while disinfecting and restoring them.

That's one of the many great things about detecting, finding incredible jewelry for our better halves, and often it saves the day. 👍 You earned that medal! 😀

Thanks, F350, I love that charm and your stories too! 🤣