You're digging a beep in the park when a policeman approaches you.

What should you do?

Former police chief (and current field editor for Lost Treasure magazine) Anthony Belli offers tips on how to handle yourself in an encounter with the law.

Tony goes on to outline the investigative techniques he learned as a police officer, and how you can apply them to metal detecting.

Enjoy the program, then read more of my articles on treasure hunting at the bottom of my web site, http://treasuremanual.com.

City Directories are a treasure trove of information about your town as it used to be. 

By going through old city directories in chronological order, you can learn when particular houses were built, all the people who owned or lived in them over the years, the occupations of the tenants, whether the houses were ever used as businesses, and a lot of other fascinating facts that can help you judge whether or not a particular property might be worth detecting.

I did a study of my own house from old city directories, and in this podcast I take you through the history of my home and its residents over the years.

For more articles about treasure hunting, see the bottom of my web page http://treasuremanual.com.

When people want to hide valuables nowadays, they seldom dig a hole in the backyard.  Instead, they find a hiding place inside their house.  

This programs lists and discusses some of the more common indoor hiding places.

The two books mentioned in the show are SEARCH! by James Warnke, and THE STASH BOOK by Peter Hjersman.

And speaking of books, please check mine out at http://treasuremanual.com.

By the way, for those of you who are technically inclined, this is my first show with my brand-new microphone (a Christmas present to myself). 

It's a Heil PR-30, and I love this mike!

When it comes to treasure hunting, are you a loner? 

In this show, we take a brief look at treasure clubs and offer five reasons you should consider joining - or starting - a club.

Read some of my articles about metal detecting, at the bottom of my web site: 

http://treasuremanual.com

And if you enjoy reading treasure magazines, I'm selling a ton of them here:

http://treasure-magazines-for-sale.htm

Relic hunters are a different breed.

Unlike coinshooters and beach hunters, they are seeking history rather than money.  True, many relics - especially Civil War items - are worth big bucks, but many relic hunters are more interested in finding clues as to what happened when.

And they hunt in more isolated places than those of us who frequent the parks and schoolyards.  They even face dangers that we coinshooters cannot imagine.

In this podcast, I offer some tips - and some warnings - to the beginning relic hunter.

If you enjoy the program, check out the articles at the bottom of my web site:  http://treasuremanual.com.

Most caches are found by people who are hunting for something else, usually coins or relics.

This podcast offers some tips on where you are likely to find caches.

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for the treasure hunter in your family?

Dare I suggest...my book, The Metal Detecting Manual, at http://treasuremanual.com.

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I'm going through my old magazines, hundreds of them dating back to 1969, noting what stories are in what issues because I plan on selling them.  

Old treasure magazine ads are fascinating, and they let you trace the history of the metal detector, from BFOs to TRs to TR-Discriminators to VLF to TR/VLF - each in turn being touted as the greatest detectors ever!

And the stories!  Lost mines, sunken ships, buried robbery loot, ghost towns, and lots of people dying (naturally, or by the rope) before revealing where they hid their treasures....

Who needs modern-day thriller novels when we have these (perhaps) true stories to enjoy?

Check out my stash at http://treasuremagazines.info.  I've reduced prices for Christmas.  I'm adding information to this list daily, and I'm guessing it will take me several weeks to get everything cataloged.

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SALE - PRICES REDUCED, AND FREE PRIORITY-MAIL SHIPPING!  CHECK IT OUT!

For more of my articles, see the bottom of my book page:  http://treasuremanual.com.

Sure, it's fun to find coins - free money and all that - but most treasure hunters dream of finding a cache.  A jar of silver coins, an old tobacco tin stuffed with  five-dollar gold pieces, or a metal box full of diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.

Cache hunting is unlike any other form of metal detecting, and this program has some tips to get you started in the right direction.

For more tips on cache hunting, see my book, The Metal Detecting Manual.

I have just heard from another disappointed treasure hunter who finally got a chance to search an old country homesite that you'd think would be teeming with choice finds.

But aside from a couple of zinc pennies and a clad dime, he was pretty much skunked.

Sadly, this is the rule rather than the exception for old homesteads.

Why?  This podcast covers some of the basic reasons old coins are hard to come by at rural homesites.

But we all like happy endings, so this show ends with a tip about hunting one particular area of the old homestead where you might actually find several coins bunched together.

And don't forget to check out my book, at http://treasuremanual.com.

So you've got a few hours free, and you want to go metal detecting.  Is it really worthwhile to hit that nearby park or schoolyard that is already pretty much hunted out?

This podcast discusses the secrets of hunting those "hunted-out" areas.  How to find coins that others have missed.  

Visit my website for free treasure hunting articles:
http://treasuremanual.com

They say experience is the best teacher, but they are wrong.  Why should you make the same mistakes others have made before you? 

Philosopher George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Similarly, when it comes to treasure hunting, those who have gone before you have made the mistakes, so you don't have to.  Just listen to what they have to say!

In this program, I make some book recommendations.  Books that will help you find more coins faster, books that will give you new ideas on likely hunting places, and books that will tell you what you've found and what it's worth.

I was tempted to do a review of my own book in this show, but I decided that wouldn't be fair.  So instead, I'll let you choose whether or not to click here.

On the first anniversary of In the Treasure Corner, I look back at what I did right, what I did wrong, which topics were the most popular, why my book doesn't sell as well as it could, why that's fine with me, and how I was able to combine my treasure hunting hobby with my other favorite sport, slowpitch softball.

My Birthday Quiz and In the Collector's Corner articles mentioned in this podcast appear every month in The Active Seniors and Boomers newspaper.  You can read them online at http://theactiveseniors.com.

For some free articles based on chapters in my book, go to the bottom of this page:  The Metal Detecting Manual.

Twelve years ago, I came very close to getting a class ring back to its owner. 

A month ago, I began anew to try to find the girl who lost it 23 years ago.

I struck out with Classmates, and now I've stepped up my quest with five new attacks. 
Enjoy the latest episode of "How Hard Can It Be To Get Rid of a Gold Ring?"

And if you enjoy the podcasts, read my book, The Metal Detecting Manual.

There was a discussion in one of the treasure forums recently about the feasibility of making a living with your metal detector by becoming a full time treasure hunter. 

Think of it!  No alarm clocks, no early-morning commutes to the office, no suits and ties, no office politics, no boss!

Can it really be done?

In this program I examine the possibilities. 

I've written a book on treasure hunting called The Metal Detecting Manual.  It's for sale here.

After polling several metal detecting and treasure hunting forums about whether or not I should continue trying to return a class ring, I've reached a decision. 

Did those who responded to my question think I should keep the ring, or try again to return it?  Hear the results here, and see if you agree with my decision.

And check out my book, The Metal Detecting Manual.

The Clue in the Old Book!  Sounds like a Nancy Drew title, doesn't it?

Old books and newspapers can be wonderful sources of clues to treasure.  Just this week, this notice appeared in my local paper: 
--------------------------------
Area history
   In 1909, during the hot summer months, camping on the Sangamon River in Mahomet seems to be all the rage.  Last summer, nearly 300 families camped around here, and from present indications there will be twice as many this year.
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Mahomet is a small town ten miles west of here, and there is still a county park along the Sangamon River.  I've detected that park several times, but only in the play areas, never by the river.  You can bet where I'll be hunting next time I'm there!

This podcast discusses reading old books and other publications with the mindset of a treasure hunter.

As always, there's a lot more information in my book.

How far should a treasure hunter go to return lost property?  

Listen to my story of how I found a class ring and located the now-distant owner.  And then, because the owner never got back with me to make arrangements to receive the ring, I lost the owner. 

The ball is in her court now, right?  Or not?

What, if anything, should I do now?  Please hit the COMMENTS link and post your thoughts here.  Your advice will help me decide.

And, as always, I invite you to read about my book, and, if you are sufficiently intrigued, to purchase a copy.

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Have you found your first gold ring yet?  No?

What?  You don't dig pulltabs?  That's why you're leaving those rings for me.  Pulltabs are the ringfinder's best friend!  Here's why..

A discussion of how to find gold rings by digging pulltabs, without losing your sanity.

Also - Have you found more dimes, or nickels?  You don't know?  Tips on keeping a coin logbook.

I sell a book I've written called The Metal Detecting Manual.  Available nowhere else but here:  http://treasuremanual.com.

A few odds and ends on research and finding older coins, including a story on how yours truly missed a fantastic opportunity for old coins right in front of my own house.

Here's my book, The Metal Detector Manual.  Buy a copy so I can feed my dog Max.

Many treasure hunters read the treasure magazines cover-to-cover, but they don't use a much more profitable - and free - resource:  their local library.

This show gives you some valuable tips about what you can find in your local library.

Much more in my book, The Metal Detecting Manual, available only from this site.

Finding fifty coins in an afternoon is great, but disappointment can set in when their total value is a dollar, and none of them are old.

This show offers tips on finding the older coins, with a story of how one treasure hunter zeroed in on a locale that offered up coins dated 1850 and earlier.

Order the book here.

Some people swear by alkaline batteries for their metal detectors, others use rechargeables. 

What does the manufacturer recommend? 

Hear the answers in this podcast.

Check out my book:  The Metal Detecting Manual

Is coinshooting really worth the trouble, when your finds seldom come anywhere near to earning you minimum wage? 
How to answer your skeptical friends.

More about my book here:  http://treasuremanual.com.

Tips on getting started correctly, gridding an area, two five-dollar gold pieces beneath a pulltab.

The most popular type of treasure hunting is coinshooting, or using a metal detector to find coins in the ground.

In this first show of a series on coinshooting, we outline the steps a beginner should take to learn to coinshoot like a pro.

First I talk about the factors that determine how deep a metal detector can go, then I discuss those mysterious "long-distance locators" ("find gold 70 feet deep!").

Check out my book:  http://treasuremanual.com.

Secrets of pulling good finds from well-hunted school playgrounds and ball fields.  How to recover what others have missed.

Everyone knows about library and book research, but what about talking to people who have leads they don't even know about?

More on this, and on all things concerning treasure hunting, in my book.  Check it out at http://treasuremanual.com.

Mostly for beginners - a look at the coins you might find with your metal detector, and their value.

What are the best yards to hunt, and where are the best places in those yards?  And a word about being careful when plunging your hand into a hole you've just dug.

If you enjoy these podcasts, order The Metal Detecting Manual now and get it before Christmas!  A great gift for your treasure hunting friends (or for yourself).

It's easier than you think to write for the treasure magazines.

A tip about keeping a log of your trips, then a discussion of hunting parks.  Lots more in my book, at http://treasuremanual.com.

A quick tip - how I found 30 dimes - and then a list of accessories you might consider for your treasure hunting trips. 

NOTE:  Since I recorded this show, the Tinytec factory has closed down.  Ouch!  You can still get a Harbor Freight pinpointer for $17:  http://tinyurl.com/cdemkl

First, a quick tip on how to keep everybody busy digging coins when you have just one metal detector for several people.  Then, eight secrets of getting better depth from your detector, no matter what brand or model you are using. 

More depth secrets are included in my book The Metal Detecting Manual, available only at http://treasuremanual.com.

A host of tips on how to make your winter downtime productive, then a discussion about how to handle onlookers when you're trying to detect.

A nail apron tip, then a discussion of getting permission to hunt on public and private land.  There is more on this topic in my book, at http://treasuremanual.com.

In Tips & Tricks, a tip to keep dirt from caking under your fingernails when you dig.

Then an interview with Vlad and Carol Kononov, founders of the Friendly Metal Detecting Forum, http://metaldetectingforum.com.

Please send your Tips and Tricks to danhughesmail@gmail.com, either as email or as mp3 voicer uploads.