So You Want To Be A Relic Hunter?
Relic Hunter Essentials For Finding Relics About me , I have been metal detecting since the spring of 1995. My first metal detector I purchased was the CZ-6a Fisher metal detectors , which in my humble opinion are the best metal detectors on the market today, and I have owned 4 Fisher metal detectors. Although I began my treasure hunting journey in 1995, it wasn’t until I moved to Alexandria, Virginia in 1998, did I get hooked on civil war metal detecting for relics, that I became a true relic hunter. As much as I enjoy metal detecting for old coins, old coppers and silver coins, there is something magical about digging up an old civil war or colonial button, buckle or lead ball, that has not seen the light of day in over 200 years.
There is a big difference in technique between hunting for coins at your typical park and the mindset of a typical relic hunter. Although you are using the metal detector, the approach that is required in how to succeed as a relic hunter, in locating and recovering civil war relics or colonial relics for that matter, is far different than looking for the typical lost ring at your local park . Relic Hunter Success Requires The Right Metal Detector For the Job As I stated earlier, I have been a relic hunter since 1998, and I have learned tremendously about this great hobby of metal detecting as an avid relic hunter since then. Since purchasing my first Fisher metal detector in 1995, I have owned 4 separate fisher line metal detectors; (CZ-6a, ID-Edge, CoinStrike), and my current metal detector and the best by far on the market today, the Fisher F-75, which I purchased in 2009. UPDATE: I now own the Fisher F-75 LTD
Technology has improved tremendously from the early BFO metal detector days of the early 1970s/80, now many of the top metal detectors on the market today, are electronic display, have multiple frequencies, and far greater depth than models from 30 years ago.
If you want to have a chance in being successful in this great hobby of ours, there is no substitute for 2nd best. You have to be one step of the competition out there in the field. With my Fisher F-75 , I have dug civil war relics at the depth of 12 inches or more, a depth that the average metal detector will not even be able to reach.
Fisher metal detectors, which was bought from First Texas , continues with the same stringent technological electronic innovations that has made the Fisher name famous the world over.
As the oldest manufacturer in existence today, Fisher continues to develop top of the line metal detectors for both professional and personal hobbies usage.
I've attached the actual YOUTUBE video link to see the Yankee belt Buckle literally moments after removing from the ground, which you can view here at this youtube video link. A Successful Relic Hunter Digs All Signals
Many will probably disagree with me here, but if you want to be successful in hunting civil war relics or other relics for that matter, you have to forget about reading your metal detector display meter, to determine whether to dig or not to dig . An experienced relic hunter like myself, digs all signals regardless of what the tones and meter are telling you. You have to have the self discipline to dig every signal, not just what sounds good to you.
Especially in a virgin area that has had little metal detecting activity, you need to dig all signals period , because many times tones or visual ID readings in one particular tone or range can differ greatly from one area to the next. When I first began my civil war relic hunting in 1998, I was using the Fisher CZ-6a manual as my guide, by digging only the high tone signals. The pictures of the buttons and my first Yankee Belt Plate I would never have recovered if I did not dig all tones.
However, this proved to be incorrect thinking and application for a then novice relic hunter , because I left many good and invaluable relics in the ground for someone else to dig up. I have probably dug over 600 civil war bullets, and over 30 civil war buttons including confederate buttons, and one US oval belt plate, and I would never have recovered many of these invaluable relics from our history’s past if I had only dug, what many metal detectors operational manuals wrongly teach you, in digging only high or medium tone targets. Recent you tube video digging complete .52 Spencer with shell casing December 10, 2011 in Virginia
you tube video digging confederate flat button
I have dug many buttons and bullets that because of masking of other non-ferrous items in the ground, ID’d or sounded like typical junk, when in fact, the targets recovered were relics, not trash. You need to develop the creative-visualization in seeing the targets before you dig them up. A Successful Relic Hunter Requires Thorough research Let’s face reality here a bit, there is but a limited/finite amount of places that you are still able to hunt for civil war relics. And as once fantastic hunting sites become off limits due to development and construction, civil war relics and hunting for them requires keen research skills to discover new places for civil war metal detecting. There are many excellent resources both online and offline. Any successful relic hunter develops a smart goals research approach to discovering other opportunities. You need to develop the correct positive attitude as you hone in on your research skills.
Join Online Relic forums There are many excellent online forums that you can join for free, participate in, and possibly meet new relic hunters that may live in your county or state, that are a wealth of information. But don’t join for the soul purpose of being invited to hunt for relics on their coveted sites.
As civil war relic hunting sites and gold prospecting sites become few and far between, many a relic hunter, will be unwilling to invite you to hunt relics unless you reciprocate the same favor. But you can still learn various relic hunting techniques, research tips, etc, as you prefect your relic hunter instincts. Some of the more notable forums that I participate in are: Historical Societies/Libraries Seek out your local historical societies and or/local/state libraries. Many of these sources are a treasure trove of information, and may provide just the treasure map you are seeking, if you take the necessary time to research. Find out what civil war activities took place in your state. There are various online resources including the digital.library.cornell, which houses the largest collection of official records , between the war between the states. Also there are various online maps that you can research, some for a fee, but some are free to accees. There are also relic hunter magazines that you can subscribe to such as American Digger.com , and Western Eastern Treasure.com , which I am also a subscriber. A Successful Relic Hunter Always Obtains Permission For Hunting Civil War Relics I cannot emphasize enough the importance of seeking permission before you hunt relics. There are too many horror stories to state of people who detected on their own, without first obtaining permission to metal detect. This is wrong on so many levels, and could land you straight in jail. And the last time I checked, the legal system is very quick to offer forgiveness , when you are arrested for trespassing and in possession of civil war relics which do not rightfully belong to you, but instead are the rightful owner of the landowner. A successful relic hunter takes the time to understand the laws and regulations before he/she puts one foot on property that he/she is uncertain that you are even allowed to detect. The old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure not only applies to the medical world, but is very applicable for metal detecting and civil war relic hunting. The law is your friend, not your enemy. A Successful Relic Hunter Always Removes Trash, Rescans Dig Hole, and Refills Dig Holes When Finished Just in any hobby, there are people who demonstrate respect and genuine showmanship for the game or hobby you enjoy, and there are those few individuals whose selfish , self-serving interests only hurt the relic hunter, and more importantly, put as bad light on our hobby, that is already under enough public scrutiny at all levels. If you want to know the quickest way never to get invited back to a property to hunt civil war relics, it is disobeying cardinal rule number one; always leave the property or field in better condition when you leave then when you first arrived. This means taking away, and removing all of your trash items. I can’t tell you the number of times, I’ve come across a site after being granted permission to hunt relics, and I come across so many dig holes, that were not filled in properly, and the relic hunter did not take away the trash. You have to develop the self discipline in removing and properly discarding your trash, not on the landowners property. To ignore this basic tentant of relic hunting ethics, is wrong and reflects very poor character development , or lack thereof on your part. Good stewardship means respecting the property as your own. I recall several years ago, when detecting at one of our favorite civil war parks, I came across so many holes that were not filled at all, and discarded trash in the bushes, that I spent the first 30 minutes of my time, refilling in the holes that were left open, and picking up all the discarded metal trash, and properly putting the trash in my plastic 5 gallon trash bucket. When the park superintendent came upon me and noticed all the unfilled holes, I was politely but firmly told to never return. It didn’t matter that I was not the one responsible for this mess. I was seen with a detector, and the blame was put on me. Thus one of our prime civil war relic hunting sites was forever off limits. Secondly, when you come across a good target, and you end up digging up metal trash, and properly dispose of the metal trash in your trash bucket , always, always rescan your dig hole, to ensure there are no other good target signals in the hole. The beautiful Yankee US Belt Buckle you see on my relic page, I recently dug on April 9, 2011 at one of our very productive sites in the western part of the state of Virginia, where my buddies and I live and hunt. This is my first ever buckle, a most sought after and highly coveted of all civil war relics. When I first dug a target, and digging a small plug of about 3 inches of dirt, I quickly noticed a piece of metal wire sticking out of the ground, and noticed that it appeared from the hole, that maybe another relic hunter had sweeped his coil over the exact spot I was at, but when he discovered the wire, he left the wire in the ground wrong and left the spot all together. After digging out the metal wire, and properly discarding the wire away in my trash bucket, I rescanned the hole just in case there was another target. There was another target at another 5 inches down in the hole, repeatable good bullet signal which I just suspected was another drop .58 three ringer which I had only recently dug earlier. After pulling out 5 inches of soil with my shovel, I was staring into the hole and saw an oval disk, with what appeared to be three hooks puppy paws staring at me squarely in the face. After removing the relic, and turning it over, I immediately saw the distinguishable letters U S on the front and knew immediately what I had recovered, a US Federal Belt Buckle, in excellent condition for being in the ground for almost 150 years. Albeit a few minor cracks on the surface, the buckle is in excellent condition, and all hooks still intact in the back, with leather still attached. I am grateful and extremely blessed by the good Lord for allowing me to recover such a highly prized relic of the civil war. Words do not adequately describe the feeling, until you dig a civil war belt buckle for yourself. But I am equally grateful for having the presence of mind for rescanning the hole ad second time to ensure there were no other targets in there. Because had I not rescanned the hole, my proud Yankee civil war Belt Buckle would still be lying at the bottom of that hole, awaiting another relic hunter to dig it up. A Successful Relic Hunter Always Records and Documents Relic Finds All of us relic hunters, are after the same finite amount of relics that exist in the ground, and there is nothing from carefully removing these relics from the ground, once permission is authorized to do so. However, the relics in amongst themselves, is only part of the bigger story that awaits to be told. I believe we have a moral obligation in recording and documenting our relics from where and when these artifacts were recovered. The last couple of years I began doing this task, by documenting date and where relic was found. Since going back to the same site where I dug my Yankee belt plate, we have discovered many enfield bullets in and around the field where the buckle was recovered. It is from these many fired confederate bullets, that my relic hunting buddies and I suspect, that the Yankee, whose belt buckle I now own in my collection, may have been wounded or even killed in action during the battle that took place on this field during the civil war. I have written an article for publishing in several well know relic magazines noting the relic find, and the story behind the relic. Maybe you too have relics and a story or too to tell as well. Don’t be selfish , by not sharing your relic finds and the story behind these finds. After all, what good do any of our relics do in our collection, if no one knows about them. Once my story is published, I intend to provide a copy to the landowner as a token of thanks and gratitude. Now start documenting and recording your relics, you’ve got a story or two to tell. August 2011 Update: Western & Eastern Treasure Magazine published my story article regarding the Yankee civil war belt buckle I dug in April 2011. You can read the full article at this link: civil war belt buckle article
Remember: If it's lost it can be found-Don't leave it in the Ground! Happy Digging....
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Another wonderful day TH'ing with My Friends Wayne and Mark
The finds are many but here is my best
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1908 Barber Half Dug October 29, 2011 in Virginia Noting O-New Orleans Mint Mint on Reverse
1908 Barber Half Noting O New Orleans Mint Mark Reverse
Here is a picture of me holding my first Yankee Belt Buckle, April 9, 2011 in Virginia
Picture of My First Yankee Belt Buckle As I Just Dug It From The Ground, Saturday, April 9, 2011 in Virginia 
This is the US buckle after cleaning. I found this US Yankee belt buckle with my two hunting buddies, as we were metal detecting on a Union Camp Site in the Western part of Virginia where we all live, Saturday, April 9, 2011. 
Here is a picture of the backside showing the hooks (puppy paws), still intact with a bit of leater still attached
Here is a picture of my first Confederate fuse with a piece of shell frag I dug here in Virginia January 14, 2012
Picture are Yankee Federal Service Jacket Buttons and 1 State New York State Seal Officer Staff Button 
Various .58 Yankee drop bullets including drop Williams Cleaner and 1 drop .69 Muskatoon Just a sampling of the over 300 bullets I now have in my collection that keeps growing
Picture of Three .52 Caliber Spenser Bullets With Complete Casing-Very Rare To Find Complete 
Picture are various Confederate Drop bullets (.58 Gardner,.54 Richmond Labs, and various .58 and .50 caliber round balls. 
Picture is a Dropped Confederate Enfield Hollow base bullet I recovered May 7, 2011
Picture is a Dropped Confederate Enfield with letters 57 in the cone, noting English Manufacturer, Blockade Runner Bullet 
Picture is The Backside of a Confederate Flat Button, That Reads: "Trebel Gilt Stand D" 
Picture to the Left is a Pennsylvania State Seal Cuff Button with Gilt I dug here in Virginia August 27, 2011 
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