Metal detecting is a great way to get out there, enjoy the outdoors, and possibly strike a small fortune. Ever wonder what those guys are doing, walking along the edge of the ocean surf with their metal prods in the sand? Maybe you’ve dismissed them as beachcombers, looking for empty soda bottles, or other castoffs. The truth is, almost everyone you ask will admit to having lost, at least once in their lives, a piece of jewelry, a key, a coin, something- at the beach.
First, a quick rundown of necessary equipment. Metal detectors come in all sizes and strengths, depending on whether your excursion is a weekend pastime, or a serious endeavor. Most hardware stores will have a beginner’s model, and you can probably find a decent starter model for under 100.00. A special tool for digging up sand and sifting through it (kind of a combination sifter/scooper) should be available wherever detectors are sold. Plan on spending another 20.00 on that piece of equipment, well worth it, as you’ll find in a day of trying to dig your find out of the sand easily. Wear rubber boots if you’re going to be near water. The detector is waterproof. Your feet might get sore after hunting through water for an hour or so.
Long Island, NY, is a great place for metal detecting. Its coastline is full of nooks and crannies where detectors are apt to uncover anything from a Civil War relic to an old horseshoe. Miles of beach land along the South Shore would take years to fully explore, and stories of shipwrecks throughout the Shinnecock Inlet tantalize any modern treasure hunter.
Once a landing point for settlers and pirates alike, Shinnecock Canal boasts a piece of land noted in historical accounts as ‘The place where the Sound meets the Sea’. There is a local account of a ship which crashed onto the rocks off the shoreline at Shinnecock Bay. Legend has it that the ship was a pirate ship, carrying bags of Spanish Galleons. The crew attempted to save the treasure, and in doing so, weighed themselves down so that swimming to shore was impossible. The bags that did make it ashore were pillaged by townsfolk who witnessed the wreck, a battle ensued, and according to one historical account, “The sand glittered with coin, one coin was as large as a child’s fist.”
Most of the crew drowned that day, and those who were left battled the locals for the coin. Women and children ran the beach, grabbing what they could, and what remained of the loot has been buried to this day. Spanish Galleons have been recovered by metal detecting enthusiasts all over Long Island.
A local metal detector hobbyist, who runs a shop in Patchogue, on the South Shore of Long Island, is an excellent source for local lore and displays of treasures found.
Your local Yellow Pages will direct you to specialty hobby stores carrying metal detecting equipment.
The Eastern coast of the United States, in addition to having run regular shipping routes from England to America, has historically been rife with pirates and smugglers. Long Island, with its hidden ports and barren eastern lands, was a favorite hiding spot of Captain Kidd. It is said that at the time of his death, more than half of his loot remained hidden. Of that half, only a small fraction has ever been recovered. Happy Hunting!
