As the temperature along the gulf coast of Florida increases, so does the number of people who flock to the local beaches to find relief from the summer heat. I took full advantage of this opportunity to bring along my Excalibur II for a little metal detecting in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The morning started off normal enough although there were about 5 other detectorists in the water with me. Everyone was jockeying into position in an attempt to find the perfect line which held the greatest chance of finding treasure. Once I settled into my spot, I meticulously started gridding the waist-high water and was picking up a few modern coins, costume jewellery, and odds and ends that I typically find every outing. I diligently worked my grid for a couple of hours, pocketing several dollars in change all while keeping my eye on the two gentlemen who encroached into my area and started metal detecting as well. They started working an area I had not hunted yet digging a few targets here and there, but they seemed to get discouraged after a short time and moved on down to another area. I worked my way towards the area they were in and continued to grid the sandy bottom until I got a faint, but distinct signal in my headphones. It was a nice, mellow mid-tone that I knew had to be good. It was the sweet sound of gold! The signal sounded deep, and this was confirmed after my first two scoops came up empty. I checked the hole after the third scoop and the sound disappeared so I knew I finally had it. I brought my scoop up to the surface. It was completely full of sand and seashells, but I saw a glint of gold poking out of the sand. I felt my heart rate increase as I immediately reached for the gold item. I gave it a tug to release it from the sand and it just kept on coming. It was a gold chain! As I continued to pull, it started giving more resistance so I pulled harder. The chain finally popped out of the sand and landed in a large heap, square in the palm of my hand. I couldn’t believe my eyes! At the end of the chain was a rather large gold coin encased in a gold bezel. I said something I can’t repeat and apparently, I said it loud enough for everyone swimming around me to hear it as well. I quickly tucked it into my pouch without looking at it any further and made my way back to my truck where I could closely inspect it without an audience. To my surprise it was a 1995 ¼ ounce 10-dollar gold coin, wrapped in a 14k gold bezel, hanging off of a 24-inch 10k gold chain. The whole thing weighed 35.2 grams. It is my find of the year, as well as being the very first gold coin I’ve ever found! I couldn’t be happier with my Excalibur II and I really believe I wouldn’t have been so lucky if it wasn’t for the fact that those other two detectorists were using another brand! Minelab ROCKS!
Joe – Florida, USA
