Here’s Part 2 of my question and answer session with my friend Gary Drayton, and the author of 'Metal Detecting for Spanish Treasure' to find out how he has become so successful at finding Spanish Treasure. Read Part 1 here.
Tony: What is the biggest key to using your time effectively?
Gary: Site selection is the biggest key to getting the most from your allotted metal detecting time, an hour spent at your best producing site is worth more than several hours spent at an unfamiliar site. I like to think treasure is where you find it, over and over again!
Tony: What is the favorite part of your book on treasure hunting for Spanish Treasure?
Gary: The chapter titled ‘Beginners luck and finding my first treasure coin’ I must admit I got off to a flying Spanish treasure hunting start when I found my first piece of eight on the beach. Beginners luck for sure finding a large silver treasure as my first target on my first ever beach hunt. That super find set the tone for most of my future treasure hunts on the Treasure coast as my lack of wreck site location knowledge gave me the advantage of searching off the beaten track and finding treasure at sites that still produce on a regular basis today. Of course now I know the exact location of all the 1715 fleet wrecks and I hunt all the main sites as well as my scatter pattern sites and remote sites, this chapter of my book reminds me to always keep an open mind. Treasure really is where you find it!
Gary Drayton and his Excalibur metal detector
Tony: In your book you talk about your success "cross-hunting". Can you give an example of one of your finds?
Gary: When you are a methodical beach hunter using the skills necessary to find small wafer thin targets like silver reales on heavily hunted beaches like the sites on the Treasure coast of Florida you are more than qualified to search for modern jewelry. I find it refreshing once in a while to take a break from Spanish treasure hunting and head to the tourist beaches in search of gold jewelry where you can search in the water and on the beach. There are far more beach & shallow water hunters in search of jewelry using sloppy basic metal detecting techniques than I see searching for Spanish treasure, the reason for this maybe the need to cover the main section of the beach ahead of the competition.
My cross hunting sites are at beaches where I know I have the chance to find an older find as well as modern gold & silver jewelry, older finds tend to be encrusted and deeper and the only way you are going to find these targets is by being methodical. The fresh drops will still be there to find if they were missed by other speedy beach hunters, the whole idea of cross hunting is searching modern sites where finding something old is not out of the question.
This $5,000.00 mint condition Rolex submariner watch was found on one of my "cross hunting" trips to a South Florida beach. Although the beach is always heavily hunted I used my methodical Spanish treasure style to find the valuable target.
$5,000 Rolex submariner watch found while cross hunting a South Florida beach
Tony: In your opinion is there still more treasure still out there to be found?
Gary: There has to be so much treasure still on the beaches opposite shipwrecks in many places around the world, not just Florida.
Imagine how many hurricanes and tropical storms over the last three centuries have tossed countless numbers of treasure coins and artifacts onto the beaches of Florida. Beach erosion thru out the years puts this treasure within reach of anyone with a quality metal detector using the correct metal detecting skills and determination to go in search of the Spanish treasure.
Tony: Thanks for your time Gary that was very insightful!
Gary: No problems and good luck with your treasure hunting!
Tony Diana
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