If you missed our last meeting you sure missed a great one! Frankly, I don't think very many people missed it! We had a very big turnout! I usually count noses when the meeting room is so packed, but lately I haven't been feeling like my old self so I forgot to take off my shoes and start the counting.

    I can tell you from years of experience, that we saw well over seventy people present and very close to eighty! I want to thank each of you who have taken the time for the last few meetings to bring in all the treats for our half-time break! If you missed it, we had a lot of goodies to choose from! I mean it was all very impressive!

    We tried to get all our club business cleared out of the way before turning the meeting over to our guest speaker, Tom Dietz. Tom is from the new, and very cool, Kalamazoo Public Museum. Tom's presentation was about life in Kalamazoo during the American Civil War. Ask anyone who was there, he did an awesome job!

    What always adds to a great historic presentation, something to make it extra special, is pictures. Tom put together a great slide presentation of downtown Kalamazoo, from around and before 1865! Of course, all the pictures of downtown Kalamazoo, with its dirt streets crowded with horseback riders, stagecoaches, horse and buggies really stirred our treasure hunter's imaginations!

    Tom spoke to us about the many groups in Kalamazoo who would put together efforts to raise money for the Union effort. Another topic that I found interesting was about the mercenary soldiers, who for a price, would take someone's place in the war's fighting.

    Thank you so much for presenting such a great program, Tom! You really stirred a lot of interest within many of our members!

    I think the only bad thing about the seeded hunt is knowing that we can never get that exact same day back again! What a beautiful day it was! As is so often the case with the spring hunt, it was mighty cool on Saturday night. I do believe that it got down to 45 degrees or less! If you are staying in a tent, man's best friend becomes his sleeping bag!

    My wife, granddaughter and I didn't get to the camping grounds until after 10:00 pm on that Saturday evening and the gang was still enjoying a big campfire. There is no doubt, this was the best turnout ever, both in terms of campers on Saturday, and hunters on Sunday! Mike Walker counted 60 on Sunday!

    On Saturday afternoon many of the gang went to a special hunt site, one that John Dudley had secured permission for. I wasn't there but I understand it is now a farm field that once was the location of an old home site. It turned out to be a great hunt! John Dudley found his first Indian head penny, then his second, then his third! John also found a Civil War token from 1863!

    Several others had real good luck at this location! Mike Walker found a couple Indian Head Cents and a nice antique crotal bell! Several early wheat cents were found and Tom Beilby found a large ornate brass sign that was a part from an early 1900's cash register! The brass sign says, "Amount Purchased." Makes you wonder about went on at this location doesn't it? Was it once an old store, or the home of some old store robbers?

    On Sunday we had a perfect day! Lots of sun but it wasn't too hot! I'm happy to report, there was a big turnout for the Sunday church service! As usual, since I finished my cancer treatment, I wake up most mornings feeling somewhat sick. I just started giving the club's Sunday Bible study when I started to really feel poorly! I am thankful because some of the group were silently praying for me and the Lord gave me strength to finish the message! Thanks to each of you for your kind support! That was the beginning of a beautiful day!

    After the Church service, John Dudley made a couple announcements one of which was the Wooden Nickel would be open for business! For those of you who don't know, the Michigan Flywheelers is an antique engine and farm equipment club. They are the owners of this beautiful land just east of South Haven.

    John Dudley is a Flywheeler club member and that is how we are blessed to use this wonderful facility. Each year that club puts on several events including a big antique engine show and other events like tractor pulling competition. The Wooden Nickel is their souvenir store. They really have some cool stuff to sell and it didn't take long for them to get me to buy a bag full of goodies!

    The kid's hunt was the biggest ever! I know that it might not sound like a lot, but we had 12 kids in the children's hunt which is an all time record! I cannot tell you who took home the most prizes. What I can tell you is this, The kid's prize table looked like a new 'Toys Are Us' was opening up! I am hoping that by next year my granddaughter will be ready to try the kid's hunt! No doubt about it, the kids had a blast! Thanks to all of you who made this such a big success!

    The pot luck lunch was amazing! There was a great selection food! I didn't have my camera ready, but seeing the food table was the first thing that day that inspired me to take a photo! The many food dishes filled two big tables! You name it and we had some! It was all mouth watering just to look at!

    The big prize for our Spring Seeded Hunt was once again that great charter fishing trip donated by Gary and Vicky Nicholls. If you didn't win this awesome trip, one can still be arranged by calling Captain Gary at 269-692-3830.

    The charter fishing trip will be aboard the 32 foot sport fishing boat, Miss Vicki. All the bait and tackle is supplied and your catch will be cleaned and bagged!

    Our fishing trip winner this spring was John Newman! John can take three of his friends and they will all have a great time! You are a lucky man, John! I was going to tease John about needing to rent a friend but I better not! John is a great guy and he has no shortage of friends! If you want to find out who your friends are, either win the lotto or this fishing trip!

    The wife and I have been out fishing with Gary a few times and it was a blast! The fun doesn't end there either! That very same night I grilled our fresh-caught salmon and it was heavenly! I really mean that! The best fish I have ever tasted! It reminds me of the Lock View Restaurant at the Soo Locks. Have you ever eaten White Fish there? They have a sign that says, "Our White Fish slept in Lake Superiour last night!" It is White Fish to die for!

    It goes without saying, Thank you everyone who helped to make this hunt a big success! And a special thanks to all the hunt committee, coin planters, prize donators and those who prepared the food!

    This is the month when we have the election for our club officers and board members. After the national elections that we all suffered through here in the good old U.S.A. I am sick of elections! However this one should go quick and smooth.

    Four people are running for their current positions un-apposed! Mike Walker is running for president, John Dudley is running for vice-president, Connie Herkel is running for secretary and Jerry Lipscomb is running for treasurer..

    We have 3 board positions open with 5 candidates running. They are, Deb Wittkowski, Brian Matecun, John Assenmacher, Tom Latterner and Ron Osborne. This is a very fine group of people and I would endorse any of them! So, think about it, pray about it, and come to the meeting ready to cast your vote!

JEWELRY

1. Yogi Bear Toy Ring                                                                            By: Mike Walker

2. 10k Gold Ring                                                                                      By: Dave Arndt

3. Gold & Diamond Earrings                                                                 By: Eric Andrews

4. Indian Motif, Silver Ring                                                                By: Brian Matecun

5.14k Ring & 9 Emeralds                                                                        By: Doris Arndt

6. Old Dutch Dance Pin                                                                            By: Rick Burch

7. Silver Ring w/Real Pearl                                                                 By: Jerry Lipscomb

8. Dick Tracy Ring                                                                                 By: Tom Herman

9. Silver Ring Amethyst Stone                                                           By: Deb Wittkowski

10. Silver Necklace                                                                                   By: Denny Noel

11. 10-k Gold Initial Ring                                                                         By: Ron Jenner

12. India Ring                                                                                         By: John Dudley

Our winner was Doris Arndt with her beautiful gold ring with nine deep-green emeralds!

Doris is somewhat new to detecting, and at each club meeting she would marvel over the many beautiful ring finds. Each month Doris would tell someone how badly she wanted to find a ring! And, each month someone would tell her, "Keep looking, your time would come." Well, it did!

When I saw her newly found ring I knew right-a-way that she had something special! Of course there was no doubt about the ring being rich 14-k gold. The real question was simple. Was this ring adorned with gemstones or green-glass? While I was going through my cancer treatments, and while I was uncertain about how many meetings I would miss, I gave the club's diamond tester over to Mike Walker's care.

I still had a small pocket-sized diamond tester at my shop, one that I started playing with just recently. The way they work is really very simple. A small needle-sized tip heats up as soon as the tester is turned on. Then this needle like tip is held against the gem stone. The tester measures how quickly the heat is absorbed into the stone.

What I learned is simple-- glass will not cause the diamond tester is respond at all. A very hard diamond (diamonds are the hardest gemstone) will trigger a very strong response! The diamond will send a light bar to the maximum reading and even trigger a shrill audio response. If it is a natural gem stone like an emerald you will get about 3/4 that reaction. Well, the stones in Doris' ring were clearly not glass!

So, our winner with a very beautiful ring, was Doris Arndt! Nice find, Doris!

1. 1825 U.S. Capped Bust 50¢                                                                         By: Eric Andrews

2. 1910 U.S. Wheat Cent                                                                                By: Steve Jellison

3. 1880 Indian Head Cent                                                                                By: Bruce Wood

4. 1836 Mexico 1/4 Real                                                                         By: John Assenmacher

5. 1882 Indian Head Cent                                                                               By: Mike Walker

6. 1910 Barber Dime                                                                                       By: Tim Peterson

7. 1954 Roosevelt Dime                                                                                     By: Rick Burch

8. 1864 Indian Head Cent                                                                           By: Jerry Lipscomb

9. 1868 Shield Nickel                                                                                      By: Tom Herman

10. 1881 Indian Head Cent                                                                                By: Ron Jenner

    Usually you need to make a very nice find to win any category in our Find of the Month contest. When I first saw Eric Andrews 1825 Capped Bust Half Dollar, my first thought was, "Here is our winner!"

    My second thought was, "Maybe not!"

    You just never know with this club! An 1825 Capped Bust half dollar is an awesome find, but, had 'I' found it that would be the month someone else would find a gold coin! Well, Eric's very cool half dollar was our winner! Eric was down in Pennsylvania on family business and he took his metal detector with him -- that idea paid off! Very cool find, Eric!

1.Rolled Souvenir Penny                                                                                By: Billy E. Knapp

2. Polmolive Soap Token                                                                                  By: Mike Walker

3. 1842 Canada Bank Token                                                                    By: John Assenmacher

4. 1838 Canada Bank Token                                                                              By: Bruce Wood

5. 1837 Canada Bank Token                                                                            By: Tom Herman

6. AAA Anniversary Key Tag                                                                              By: Rick Burch

7. Silver Catholic Medal                                                                                  By: Ernie Lawson

8.Rolled Souvenir Penny                                                                          By: Janet Jenner Gray

    I must confess that I don't understand it, but Canada Bank Tokens sometimes seem to be everywhere! I tried to do some quick research on these coins and learned very little. I did read about one guy who collects them, he first started his collection by purchasing a box full at a yard sale for $2.00!

    As always, the oldest is going to get the votes and in this case it was Tom Herman's 1837 Bank Token. Tom beat Bruce by one year but I am not sure how many votes!

1. Civil War Eagle Button                                                                                  By: Mike Walker

2. 1950's Tootsie Toy                                                                                       By: Carlisle Flegal

3. Baseball Sun Catcher                                                                                  By: Brian Matecun

4. 1890s Officers Sword Plate                                                                                   By: Shawano

5. Antique Latch                                                                                               By: Tim Peterson

6. Cap Gun Piece                                                                                      By: Janet Jenner Gray

    Tom "Shawano" Cleary was our winner with an 1890's to early 1900's Officer Sword Belt Plate. This is not the first valuable belt plate found by Shawano in this area! Nice find, Shawano!

What was it like?

When I tell someone that I got my first metal detector back in the late 1960's they usually wonder, 'what was it like?' After all, nearly every place you went was unsearched, today you can only dream what that must have been like, right?

Even though metal detectors had been around for a long time, even at that early date, very few people had them. Even at $49.00 for a very cheap one, that was a lot of money back then for me. I was still in high school and only 17 years old at the time. My father had a small fleet of 15 foot through 17 foot travel trailers that he rented for vacations at that time and I made 50¢ each for washing them between rentals.

I can tell you, It wasn't an easy job! Dad wanted them clean inside and out! The worst problem was the dried dead bugs on the front of the trailer. My best friend and I worked this job together and we were always trying to discover the best soap that would make our job easier. Went through bottle after bottle of cleaner looking for that one that would "work like magic" but nothing ever worked well. It was just plain hard work with, what my dad called 'elbow grease' that would do the job!

It wasn't that the money came in so slow that kept me from saving what was needed, it was how fast it went out! A check for $10 or $12 didn't go very far because of the cost of necessities! A trip to the drive-in for a burger fries a shake could wipe out $1.50! Worse yet, we couldn't even get into the dragstrip on Saturday for less than $3.50! Of course that was if you wanted a pit pass. No self-respecting teenage boy would go to the drags without paying the extra buck to get the pit pass!

Then there was gas for the jalopy! The most common phrase around the gas station at that time was, "Give me one dollars worth of regular." Like most people I purchased it only $1.00 worth at a time and you were lucky to get a half a tank for that amount. The old six cylinder '62 Ford that I had required a quart of oil at every other gas stop and that was another 35¢! It would have cost more but I carried my own container and bought bulk oil. I also had my own strainer because you never knew what would come out of that 55 gallon drum--- it was an insect pit!

How was I going to save for a metal detector at that rate? Actually getting my first metal detector came pretty much for free with a brillent rapidly hatched scheme. I saw my first detector in action in Fort Myers, Florida on the beach. When the owner took me to his rental cottage and showed me his finds I was hooked!

As if he were trying to get me hooked the man told me where I could buy a treasure magazine and that really did it! I remember reading the different treasure stories, but I cannot recall even one detail. I also remember the Garrett Metal Detector ad in the magazine, and I do clearly recall one detail! That detail was the words at the bottom of the ad which said, "Dealers Wanted!"

I painted a picture with words for my father, one that I truly believed! I told him that our camping customers would be lining up, cash in hand, to buy metal detectors! The best part of my plan went unspoken. That was that I would have a detector to use!

It worked out just as I had planned and I ended up using a nice Garrett Money Hunter BFO. So, what was it like? Sure, we found coins almost everywhere but with no discrimination we dug tons of junk! Lots of junk! Bottle caps were the biggest problem and pulltabs were just starting to be a problem. We didn't get excited about finding silver because it was still somewhat common in circulation.

The big problem then was, as it is today, the depth was very limited on small stuff. The depth became especially poor after the manufactures started offering discrimination. Back in those days, Indian Head pennies were just barely out of range and they were getting deeper every year. On a good day you might turn up a penny from around 1920's or 30's.

So, as you can see, the metal detecting hobby wasn't as grand and glorious as you might have thought. We dug tons of junk and 1950's and 60's silver was really no big deal. The secret to finding the old stuff was the same then as it is today. The biggest and best tip was to find construction! If the detector cannot reach the old stuff because of depth, take a bulldozer and remove the depth!

Hunting around old trees was always a good idea. The shade of the tree was always was good to draw people in to both relax and play. Another benefit was the tree's root structure was good to keep the coins from settling real deep!

So now imagine hunting back in those days with today's detectors. That is a whole different story altogether! Now we are talking about a horse of a different color. That is what I wish I had experienced!

Let me tell you, I recently got a glimpse into that sort of scenario and it was nothing less than a real eyepopper!

My customer is new to the hobby and he wasn't nearly as excited about his success as I was. He purchased a mid-range detector from me early this spring and it was his first detector. His finds were stored in a heavy cloth bag which he dumped out on my counter. I was surprised to see so much silver! Not only did he have a bunch of silver coins, the copper coins he had were very old!

OK, here is the deal. This young man married a lovely Mexican girl and they traveled back to her home town in Mexico. He tells me that feels sure that nobody had ever detected this town before --- it and my guess is he is correct.

There was a surprising amount of American silver coins in his stash, but most were Mexican. He tells me that the family has given the couple some land there and they are going to build a house.