Metal Detecting for Treasure?

[Hud3]

AnotherT34C,

It's amazing how the things you drop always bounce off the boat into the water, rather than into the cockpit.

I've retrieved a few items like that with a crab net (dip-net with a long handle).

[twisty]

I do a little detecting ever now and then.

A friend owns a dredging company and last summer they dredged up some ballast stones near a spot called the gold hole which is supposedly where a pirate(i forget which) buried his treasure in the mid 1700's, several treasure hunters have dug up to 40' deep produced nothing but mud and a lot of water. Anyways they called me to come run the MD over the sludge they were depositing on a bank nearby. I was lucky enough to find a severely encrusted piece of old chain(looked like a chunk of pavement before I cleaned it up), and what we believe is a button off of a civil war officers uniform. Other than that I have found a bunch of small items including what we believe is a brass prop keyway, almost 3/4" thick and 5" long.

Its a fun hobby but I doubt I could make a living at it, I am in it more for the history.

[theonecalledtom]

Originally Posted by sv_makai

Onboard Makai we carry a garrett seahunter II. We hit almost every beach and found silver

Wow - in my browser that was the biggest forum picture posting I've ever seen!

So, once you've beachcombed, found your underwater wreck, have a chest full of pieces of eight, what do you do with it? Declare it peacefully on country exit or high tail to sell in the norte?

Seriously - what are the laws surrounding this? If you find treasue in a poor country and take it with you aren't you in some pretty amoral territory?

[Minggat]

I am told that metal detetors are not legal here in Mexico. I also heard a (only 2nd hand) story as to why that might be. It seems the story tellers neighbor ran across serious treasure while digging on his property while building his house. Apparently the Spanish captains were only sending some of the gold back to Spain, while setting aside a little something for themselves. Then they would die before getting back to it. I dunno.

The plot thickens