Steve Gillman asked:
You may not know this, but there is a lot of buried treasure out there. We’re not talking about pirate treasure, although there is undoubtedly still some of that to be found. This is about the cash and valuables that are buried all over this country. For example, billions of dollars of cash is unaccounted for in bank accounts – far more than what is in our pockets. Some of it is in underground.
Why is there so much buried treasure? Because people like to hide things. There is probably more goodies stashed out there than ever before, for the simple reason that there are more people around. It’s a matter of the numbers. But why would so much remain hidden and waiting for a treasure hunter to find it? That has a simple explanation too: those who buried it are gone.
People forget that they buried things, and move. Some are not able to get at their stash because they’re in prison for a crime – perhaps for life. The most common scenario, though is the saddest: The man or woman who put that treasure in the ground is also in the ground now. We humans die all the time with many untold secrets, and some of those secrets have to do with what we have hidden and where we have hidden it.
Locations For Buried Treasure
It was common in the past, and probably still is common, to bury money and valuables under the edge of driveways, sidewalks and other cement or asphalt slabs. When you suspect such a stash, look for sagging asphalt. Cement won’t sag, but the loosening of the soil allows the softer asphalt to do so with time.
Look for areas that are out of sight of the road or the prying eyes of neighbors. People won’t bury a treasure in the front yard where they can be seen by everyone. Think about where could you dig a hole inconspicuously, and start digging, probing or scanning with your metal detector there.
The scenery may have changed over the years, though so look for evidence of that. Were some trees or bushes cut down? Are the next-door houses new? A location which is in the open now might have been secluded thirty years back.
It has always been common to bury things in gardens. A jar full of money or jewelry can be buried and dug up easily there because of the soft and loosened soil. Keep an eye out for evidence of old garden sites. Scan those areas with the metal detector. Though currency won’t give you signal by itself, it is usually in a jar or coffee can with a metal top.
As children we discovered it’s easy to forget where you buried a treasure after a year passes. This is why it’s common to bury things near easily-remembered “markers.” The classic criminal stash is buried near a sign along the road. There are many things which could be markers. Start with those before searching an open area where a burial spot could be easily forgotten.
Lumps or dips in the surface of a yard can indicate where something was buried. After a hole is filled and leveled off, the soil often settles a bit. A mound may be there if all the soil didn’t fit back in the hole. One thing you should know about this though, is that you might unearth a dead cat or dog by digging under the bumps and dips, so use the metal detector before digging up that buried treasure.
