It can be very difficult to find time for metal detecting. I cannot justify taking time off of work in the middle of the day and the hours that I spend with my fiance on the weekend--which is often only a day--are so precious few as it is. I suppose that is why I spend so much time metal detecting in the rain or in the dark or in the rainy dark.
Anyway, if I get the chance on a lunch break, I will often walk down to the beach for a half hour or so and swing the stick. Many of these small, remote Maine beaches--if you can find one that isn't entire composed of rock--seem to have a wealth of old treasure to offer up, from antique jewelry to old coins sitting on the hard-pack just below the upper strata of sand. The key seems to be finding those beaches or parts of beaches that are being affected by erosion. That is, where the ocean has temporarily moved deep sand away from an area, making that hard-pack beneath more accessible, and the booty it contains.
I hit this beach briefly the other day at lunch. I didn't find much: a fishing weight, .89 cents in change, and a fascinating old ring. The ring wasn't valuable, but it was beautiful in its worn and battered state and I marveled at its delicate condition as I carried it back to my truck. It was literally about to fall apart in my hand. How incredible that it withstood the movements of the sea water and the stony sand for so long and ended up ultimately in my palm so near its point of destruction? I would guess it is almost a hundred years old. I brought it home to the woman I love, who I knew would care for it and appreciate its beauty as much I do, if not more.
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