I’d like to visit your property with my metal detector.
Highlights
- Respectful of private property
- Don’t make a mess
- Remove small trash items
- Will look for and return lost items (please provide a description beforehand)
- Items with your initials or name on them will be offered to you, as well as keys, and I often offer house-related items like old knobs, etc.
- Will share photos and information about things I find.
- Interested in local history
What are you looking for?
Small objects people have dropped over the years. Maybe someone lost a quarter or a secret decoder ring! Or better yet, a little doohickey that leads me on a quest for information. You can see some of the things I find in other posts. Here’s a recent find – a small brass ET Fraim padlock. I was able to identify it by the Keystone logo.
Iron Age, Volume 48, Issue 1, p. 62, Chilton Company, 1891
What if I’ve lost something in the yard that I’d like returned?
I’m happy to look for it and return it (see testimonial below). I’ll also offer to return items that belong with the property, such as keys. I was able to return a brass key that fit an original lock to a door an owner had asked a locksmith for assistance with. The cost had been prohibitive due to the lock’s age. A copy of the original key changed that.
Do you make a mess?
No – I prefer to leave the landscape as I found it. I use a handheld pinpointer to help locate an item the detector tells me is there, a special hand tool designed for retrieval, and a small cloth in case I need to displace anything temporarily so that everything can be put back as it was.
I also remove litter – like nails, bottle caps, and pull tabs.
It’s up to you where I can search and recover items. I’m open to just exploring the curb strip out front, and I don’t disturb areas with weed guard without permission. If I’m granted permission in flowerbeds or garden areas, I’m careful not to disturb roots or trample plants.
Are you a professional?
I’m an expert hobbyist with an interest in history and a knack for research. I started detecting in the 1980s. If you own an older property and wouldn’t mind if I took a look, I’d love to hear from you. If it’s a historic property, I’m happy to discuss sharing historic finds. I’m generally not for hire, but feel free to contact me if you’ve lost something or need to locate something on your property. I’ve assisted in locating property markers, pipes, old sprinkler systems, and misplaced items.
I have been approached several times to search for general items on “the old family land,” only to find that the person suggesting it no longer owns or has legal access to the property. While I love leads, I’ve no interest in trespassing. If you’ve lost something you’d like returned and no longer own the property, we’ll need the new owner’s permission.
If you’ve lost something on public property, we may need to apply for a permit to retrieve it.
What types of properties are you interested in detecting?
Generally older properties, especially those where people gathered. But there’s no hard rule. Newer structures in older areas are often built over places frequented in the past.
If you live in an older home, or if you’re about to do some landscaping or are selling your property, that’s an excellent time to contact me. Additionally, if you restore or flip properties, or tear old structures down and rebuild them, I’d love to hear from you.
Do you know of an old swimming hole or recreational area lost to time? I’m interested.
Testimonial
My name is Michael Lane and I heartily recommend Sean Ward’s metal detecting skills. One winter, one of our dogs passed away. In the process of burying him, my gold wedding ring flung off my hand unnoticed. It was nearly ten years later when I mentioned this in a conversation with Sean and he offered to find it. I showed him where in the yard that I had lost the ring and within thirty minutes, I had my ring back, although the marriage itself had failed during the interim.
Michael Lane, San Antonio, TX
Here’s a photo of the ring taken at the time of recovery. A root had grown through it, so it was moving when I attempted to retrieve it.
