| Metal |
| Detecting |
| Ten Commandments of Metal Detecting These are the statutes, judgments and edicts which must be obeyed by all those who wield detectors of metal: 1. Thou shalt not leave behind unfilled excavations. 2. Thou shalt not trespass or defy in any way the lawful decrees of thy city, county, state, province or country. 3. Thou shalt not harm vegetation, the creatures of the field, natural resources or the personal property of others. 4. Thou shalt not covet the finds of thy companion. Nor shall ye covet his metal detector, digging tool or the hallowed place in which he diggeth. 5. Thou shalt not ignore nor neglect thy family and friends whilst in the endless pursuit of thy hobby. 6. Thou shalt assist the distraught owners of lost goods and the archeologists and the enforcers of law and all others who may need thy skill as a metal detectorist. 7. Thou shalt return found treasures to the proper owners whenever their true identity can be rightfully determined. 8. Thou shalt report to the proper authorities any find relating to criminal activity or of archeological significance. 9. Thou shalt be considerate of others on the beach and in other public places whilst waving thy search coil and digging holes in the sand and the soil. 10. Thou shalt speak out against the unjust laws and stand firm against the Philistines who would cast out all those who would use detectors of metal. And if thou dost not abide by these Commandments, may you be plagued with mineral - bearing rocks, hard packed soil, pestilence, serpents, locusts, poisonous vegetation and great multitudes of pull-tabs, bottlecaps and rusty nails. May ye spend the remaining years of thy wretched life digging signals of false origins. For thy iniquities shall surely bring the overzealous wrath of the ignorant, heathen bureaucrats down upon those of us who are innocent. For we are the righteous and the just and ye who do not obey the Ten Commandments of Metal Detecting are doomed to bad luck. -Author Unknown |
| We, users of metal detectors and treasure hunters are being branded as "looters", "grave robbers", and "thieves" by the government and the archaeology community. SO - Lets talk about the law first! There are no metal detecting laws, BUT, there are laws of antiquity that may get you in big trouble if you are not careful. If you enjoy metal detecting and/or treasure hunting, or you would like to get involved in this hobby? You need to know what and where you can dig. Please, obey the Federal laws that have to do with the removal of antiquities. It reads: FEDERAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION LAWS This Act became law on June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. 431-433) and has been amended once. This description of the Act, as amended, tracks the language of the United States Code except that (following common usage) we refer to the “Act” (meaning the Act, as amended) rather than to the “subchapter” or the “title” of the Code. 16 U.S.C. 433, Penalties for damage, destruction, etc. of antiquities Section 1 Any person who shall appropriate, excavate, injure, or destroy any historic or prehistoric ruin or monument, or any object of antiquity, situated on lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States, without the permission of the Secretary of the Department of the Government having jurisdiction over the lands on which said antiquities are situated, shall, upon conviction, be fined in a sum of not more than five hundred dollars or be imprisoned for a period of not more than ninety days, or shall suffer both fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court. 16 U.S.C. 431, Proclamation of national monuments, reservation of lands, etc. Section 2 The President of the United States is authorized, in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be national monuments, and may reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which in all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected. When such objects are situated upon a tract covered by a bona fide unperfected claim or held in private ownership, the tract, or so much thereof as may be necessary for the proper care and management of the object, may be relinquished to the Government, and the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized to accept the relinquishment of such tracts in [sic] behalf of the Government of the United States. 16 U.S.C. 431a, Limitation on more national monuments in Wyoming No further extension or establishment of national monuments in Wyoming may be undertaken except by express authorization of Congress. Antiquities Act of 1906 AS AMENDED 6 FEDERAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION LAWS 16 U.S.C. 432, Permits for excavation, etc. Section 3 Permits for the examination of ruins, the excavation of archaeological sites, and the gathering of objects of antiquity upon the lands under their respective jurisdictions may be granted by the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and Army to institutions which they may deem properly qualified to conduct such examination, excavation, or gathering, subject to such rules and regulation as they may prescribe: Provided, That the examinations, excavations, and gatherings are undertaken for the benefit of reputable museums, universities, colleges, or other recognized scientific or educational institutions, with a view to increasing the knowledge of such objects, and that the gatherings shall be made for permanent preservation in public museums. 16 U.S.C. 432, Rules and regulations Section 4 The Secretaries of the departments aforesaid shall make and publish from time to time uniform rules and regulations for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act. Antiquities Act of 1906 Metal Detecting Search Permission Made Easy Now lets talk about Metal Detectors and how they work: Today’s Metal Detectors generally consist of 4 main parts, these are: Stabilizer – The stabilizer is near the hand grip area, and is normally shaped like an oval or half circle, appearing to surround the forearm area. It is used to keep the unit steady as you sweep it back and forth. System Control Pack - The brains of the metal detector, the area that contains the circuitry, control knobs, batteries, microprocessor and more. Shaft - connects the control box and the coil; often adjustable so you can set it at a comfortable level for your height. Search Coil - this is the part that actually senses the metal. It is the flat, normally round or oval part held just above the search area. This part is also called the loop, antenna or search head. Metal detectors use one of three technologies: Very low frequency (VLF) Metal Detectors using this technology have two search coils. One coil called the 'transmitter coil' transmits electricity rapidly many times per second, first in one direction around the coil, then in the other direction. The other coil called the 'Receiver Coil' it acts just like its name implies it receives frequencies or data that come or 'bounce' back from the objects the transmitter coil detects in the search area. This type of Metal Detector is great for its ability for being able to distinguish between different types of metals. Pulse induction (PI) Metal Detectors using PI technology sometimes use a single coil or a series of coils working together as a transmitter and receiver. Short bursts of electrical current are sent through a coil of wire, causing a magnetic field. When the burst of electrical current ends the magnetic field reverses polarity. A sharp electrical spike is created, and then more pulses are created, the whole process repeats and works like a series of echoes, giving a different report or echo depending upon the metal it encounters. This type of metal detector is not good for discriminating between different types of metals or coins, but its good to use where other types of metal detectors have trouble working, such as in salt-water. Metals can be detected much deeper with this technology than others. Beat-frequency oscillation (BFO) Metal Detectors using BFO technology have two coils of wire, one large coil is located in the search coil of the detector, the other small coil of wire is located within the System Control Pack. Each coil of wire is connected to an oscillator that produces pulses of current. These pulses of current pass through the coils generating radio waves. A receiver housed within the System Control Pack receives the radio waves and makes a series of tones based upon the frequencies of the radio waves. When the detector search coil passes over a coin or other metal item a magnetic field is created around the coin or metal item, this magnetic field causes interference with the frequency of the radio waves generated by the search coil. And changes the tone produced by the receiver. Metal Detectors using BFO technology are the ones you are likely to get when you purchase an inexpensive one say under $100 for. The BFO technology is the easiest and most inexpensive to make, thus the prices of the detectors are reasonable. The problem is, BFO technology is very limited when compared to PI and BFO detectors, and the ability to distinguish between junk metals and silver or other coins is very poor. |
Many states also have
antiquity laws on the books,
here is Alaska's Antiquity Law:
An Act for the Preservation of
American Antiquitie
Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the
United States of America in
Congress assembled, That any
person who shall appropriate,
excavate, injure, or destroy any
historic or prehistoric ruin or
monument, or any object of
antiquity, situated on lands
owned or controlled by the
Government of the United States,
without the permission of the
Secretary of the Department of
the Government having
jurisdiction over the lands on
which said antiquities are
situated, shall, upon conviction,
be fined in a sum of not more
than five hundred dollars or be
imprisoned for a period of not
more than ninety days, or shall
suffer both fine and
imprisonment, in the discretion of
the court.
Sec. 2. That the President of the
United States is hereby
authorized, in his discretion, to
declare by public proclamation
historic landmarks, historic and
prehistoric structures, and other
objects of historic or scientific
interest that are situated upon
the lands owned or controlled by
the Government of the United
States to be national monuments,
and may reserve as a part
thereof parcels of land, the limits
of which in all cases shall be
confined to the smallest area
compatible with proper care and
management of the objects to be
protected: Provided, That when
such objects are situated upon a
tract covered by a bona fide
unperfected claim or held in
private ownership, the tract, or so
much thereof as may be
necessary for the proper care
and management of the object,
may be relinquished to the
Government, and the Secretary
of the Interior is hereby
authorized to accept the
relinquishment of such tracts in
behalf of the Government of the
United States.
Metal Detecting in Alaska, or any
treasure hunting can get you
arrested.
Sec. 3. That permits for the
examination of ruins, the
excavation of archaeological
sites, and the gathering of
objects of antiquity upon the
lands under their respective
jurisdictions may be granted by
the Secretaries of the Interior,
Agriculture, and War to
institutions which they may deem
properly qualified to conduct such
examination, excavation, or
gathering, subject to such rules
and regulation as they may
prescribe: Provided, That the
examinations, excavations, and
gatherings are undertaken for the
benefit of reputable museums,
universities, colleges, or other
recognized scientific or
educational institutions, with a
view to increasing the knowledge
of such objects, and that the
gatherings shall be made for
permanent preservation in public
museums.
Sec. 4. That the Secretaries of
the Departments aforesaid shall
make and publish from time to
time uniform rules and
regulations for the purpose of
carrying out the provisions of this
Act.
Approved, June 8, 1906
Many towns, cities and
villages have rules or
ordinance governing the use
of metal detectors in their
parks and such. Please check
with local authorities to make
sure you are not breaking any
rules.
antiquity laws on the books,
here is Alaska's Antiquity Law:
An Act for the Preservation of
American Antiquitie
Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the
United States of America in
Congress assembled, That any
person who shall appropriate,
excavate, injure, or destroy any
historic or prehistoric ruin or
monument, or any object of
antiquity, situated on lands
owned or controlled by the
Government of the United States,
without the permission of the
Secretary of the Department of
the Government having
jurisdiction over the lands on
which said antiquities are
situated, shall, upon conviction,
be fined in a sum of not more
than five hundred dollars or be
imprisoned for a period of not
more than ninety days, or shall
suffer both fine and
imprisonment, in the discretion of
the court.
Sec. 2. That the President of the
United States is hereby
authorized, in his discretion, to
declare by public proclamation
historic landmarks, historic and
prehistoric structures, and other
objects of historic or scientific
interest that are situated upon
the lands owned or controlled by
the Government of the United
States to be national monuments,
and may reserve as a part
thereof parcels of land, the limits
of which in all cases shall be
confined to the smallest area
compatible with proper care and
management of the objects to be
protected: Provided, That when
such objects are situated upon a
tract covered by a bona fide
unperfected claim or held in
private ownership, the tract, or so
much thereof as may be
necessary for the proper care
and management of the object,
may be relinquished to the
Government, and the Secretary
of the Interior is hereby
authorized to accept the
relinquishment of such tracts in
behalf of the Government of the
United States.
Metal Detecting in Alaska, or any
treasure hunting can get you
arrested.
Sec. 3. That permits for the
examination of ruins, the
excavation of archaeological
sites, and the gathering of
objects of antiquity upon the
lands under their respective
jurisdictions may be granted by
the Secretaries of the Interior,
Agriculture, and War to
institutions which they may deem
properly qualified to conduct such
examination, excavation, or
gathering, subject to such rules
and regulation as they may
prescribe: Provided, That the
examinations, excavations, and
gatherings are undertaken for the
benefit of reputable museums,
universities, colleges, or other
recognized scientific or
educational institutions, with a
view to increasing the knowledge
of such objects, and that the
gatherings shall be made for
permanent preservation in public
museums.
Sec. 4. That the Secretaries of
the Departments aforesaid shall
make and publish from time to
time uniform rules and
regulations for the purpose of
carrying out the provisions of this
Act.
Approved, June 8, 1906
Many towns, cities and
villages have rules or
ordinance governing the use
of metal detectors in their
parks and such. Please check
with local authorities to make
sure you are not breaking any
rules.
Maybe you are wanting to
metal detect on someone's
private land or perhaps a
miners claim?
If so, here is aletter (sample) you
might send or give to them
introducing yourself and asking
permission. If they are agreeable
you might also want to release
(sample)them from any liability if
you are hurt or injured on their
property or claim.
Metal Detecting Secrets
