Today was my lucky day !

[RickM]

So here I am at home posting stuff on Ebay and realize I need to drop a load off at the dry cleaners. Grab the bag and take off in the convertible. Was a beautiful day.
After dropping the clothes off I decide to take the longer route back home. As I'm driving down one road I see what appears to be a weed wacker leaning against a tree ....then sevaral boxes with books, keyboards and other assorted items being tossed out. As I pass the driveway the image of the weed wacker is re assesed. I realize it's a metal detector. ????????
Since it's a quiet road I do a 180 instantly and pull in front of the house. Yup, it's a metal detector.
Since the detector is leaning up against a tree separated from the rest of the stuff by several feet I figure there's no way it's being tossed out.
I run up to the front door and ask the owner if the detector is indeed being thrown out. "Yup, I never used it and I figured I'd let someone else have fun with it". Wow. After a short conversation I inform the gentleman that I'd be glad to take and teach my daughter how to use it. (I had one when I was kid) He tells me to come back in a day or two for all the documentation. Sure thing.

So, here it is, with carrying case and headset.

What a find. A Whites Coinmaster 5500 / D for free.

What's been your best find?

[HardDrive]

A) Boxes of lionel trains at yard sales. Stuff is worth a mint. I came across a box of 'S' guage trains being tossed out in Boston. It brought a pretty penny on E-bay.

B) An old tile at a yard sale. Paid $1. Went for $112 on E-bay.

C) The Pelican Parts Tech Forums

[island911]

Hey that's great.

Why am I suddenly reminded of some movie scene where some guy is using one of those on the beach, gets a big hit, starts digging . .. and pulls out of the sand another big old metal detector.

(what movie was that?)

[KevinP73]

Metal detectors are very cool. Although being seen with one on the beach immediately makes you President of the local Geek Squad. West coast beach's are strewn with personal effects lost by the tourist's, rings jewelry and such. It's the Florida east facing beaches where you can find real treasure. Especially after big storms. Tons of fun. Do a little research on lost American treasures and it'll have you ready to quit your job and set out treasure hunting.

[azasadny]

Rick,
That is a great find!!

[86 911]

1) Dagger Ocoee 11 Whitewater Canoe- found abandoned in mountains. Sold it a few months later for $200 .

[VINMAN]

Nice find Rick, those things aint cheap!

[StevoRocket]

Saxon gold found near Winchester UK with a metal detector.... he had a lucky day!
The round ones are necklaces.

Good hunting!

.

[RickM]

Thanks guys.....and good finds. Now I'm wondering what this guy had in the other boxes.
Anyway, I live in a very historic area so I'll have to see where I'm allowed to use this thing. Then there's always the beach. Since I don't want to look like a nerd I'll let my duaghter have fun.

Oh, and that nice wrench that I lost in the yard years ago.......

[livi]

What can I say...

A metal detector. Congrats....

[djmcmath]

I once stumbled across a rust-free 550 Spyder that some old lady had stored in a garage for 40 years since her husband had died. She had stacked a lot of old newspapers on top of it, though, so I didn't think it was worth the effort of hauling off.

[billyboy]

Being somewhat of a scavenger, I was driving by a dumpster at the local coast guard station. A hour later, I had a pickup truck full of tools,pumps,engine parts, motorola cell phone, nintendo gameboy with cartridges, etc,etc. An example of the tools: wrenches, a complete set of gear/wheel pullers, band-it tools and straps Well over a couple thousand dollars worth of barely used stuff, some brand new still in the boxes.I sold a marine transmission part that was still sealed in the original bag for $200. Later a Coastie told me that a cutter had a change of duty station and when they left, they had to throw out all the stuff that was left behind. It must be nice to have use of someone elses money!

[Jims5543]

My Dad used to be a Teamster driver for a paper supply warehouse in NYC.

He was king of the Dumpter Divers. He came home with the craziest stuff. The best? A gangster roll of cash. $1500 in 100's 50's and 20's. It was in an industrial area near a dumpster.

Check these guys out, its a hobby for them:

http://www.dumpsterdiving.net/



We also had a cable TV box that we hooked up back in the late 70's early 80's, it had push buttons that clicked on top of it. We had all the stations offered for free.

[kycarguy 935]

Good find there.

The most recent find was a Blue Point Air Grinder, Snap-On guy says he sells them for $385. I found it on the side of the road with a broken blade {$1.00}. I think it must of fell off a truck and landed on the blade. I use it all the time.

In January while traveling from California to Kentucky we were passing through what I think was 40 near Branson, Mo. and saw these guys on the side of the road hopping around like they were on fire. We get closer and see them stuffing money into their pockets. Then money starts hitting us in the windshield and see it all over the road. 1 piece of green per 10 square feet. I was driving a truck and pulling a trailer and there was hardly any shoulder to pull off on and it was snowing so I kept driving. I wasnt sure really what happened because only 2 guys were there so far. I didnt think it would be worth it to take a chance getting hit during a free for all money frenzy. It may have not been real or could have been stolen, but it was something most of us have dreamed of finding but when the situation happened it seemed surreal.

[vash]

i am never that lucky.

came close once; working, checking out some cracks in a bridge, saw something red poking out of the bushes. upon closer inspection, found a husquvarna chainsaw! took it home, and cleaned it up. new gas, and it roared to life. timing was perfect! i needed to remove two sick trees. so i dove right into the project thinking i saved the money for a new chainsaw. things were going smooth until i got too close to the dirt and dulled the blade. new chain, i was off again. i kid you not, the second i dropped the second tree, the chainsaw died! took it to the shop, and they said it was probably my ignition. it was dead!! with a tree in my driveway and street. i ended up buying a new chainsaw to finish. it was hell.

[juanbenae]

funny thing, this find will lead to many more finds.

[RickM]

Originally posted by k911sc
funny thing, this find will lead to many more finds.

I never thought of it that way. I'll have to keep you guys posted. Maybe I'll find Washinton's dentures or something around here.


One I did miss a couple years ago was a pristine Go Cart on a neighbor's curb. I turned back to get the Explorer but it was gone minutes later. That hurt. I'm the last one to pick others garbage but some stuff is just too cool to pass up. Glad I don't need a chain saw.

[RoninLB]

The guy down the block is getting a full new dock. The builders leave a week later and I sniff around down under looking for dropped "things". I pull up a huge Snap-On adjustable wrench. Still looks brand new.

Another time a smart a$$ diver lost his watch in a high current muddy low vis area . A week later he tells everyone he did another dive to find it, and he said he did. I wait another 30days for pr sake and go diving to find it. I timed the dive to a business meeting where a bunch of locals and "us" would attend. I'm late to the meeting as a few knew what I was doing. I walk in and my buds notice the somewhat unique watch immediately on my wrist. I sit next to the "smart a$$" as my friends asked me the time every 15min.

oh forgot to mention I also got his titanium knife.

[vash]

ok, i found 4 antique marbles on a jobsite before. i think they are worth some $coin$, but i have been too lazy to google them.

[Purrybonker]

Originally posted by 86 911
1) Dagger Ocoee 11 Whitewater Canoe- found abandoned in mountains. Sold it a few months later for $200 .

Yeah, I keep finding stuff abandoned everywhere too, why just last week we found a '97 C4S abandoned in a Tony Roma parking lot!!

It's amazing how people just leave stuff lying around like that....