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Introduction

My name is Mark Smith, and
I am addicted to finding treasure with my metal detector. It's the
truth, and I will happily admit it, but the funny thing is this. I am
not alone with my rather healthy addiction. There are countless other
men and women all over our great blue planet who have also been
bitten by the treasure hunting bug. Once it sinks its teeth in, there
is no turning back.

We eagerly comb the globe
looking for our next fix. It could be a piece of gold jewelry
encrusted with diamonds. It could be an old coin from the Roman
Empire, or it could be a long lost relic that has been buried for
hundreds of years.

We are all helplessly and
hopelessly addicted. You can see it in our eyes. There is a wild
untamed fire burning deep within. A desire to explore, to find and
most importantly a desire to recover. Okay, maybe I went too far with
the whole “untamed fire burning deep within” part, but
you get the idea.

It is all about the thrill
of the hunt and the idea that you could very well be unearthing an
amazing piece of treasure that has been hidden from sight for who
knows how long. I am getting excited just thinking about it. It
really gets my blood pumping.

If you happen to be a
treasure hunting addict like myself, then you already know just how
exciting it can be digging up some long lost piece of treasure. There
is nothing quite like it. The glimmer of a gold ring in the bottom of
a beach scoop. The weight of an old copper, bronze, silver or gold
coin in the palm of your hand. It is fascinating, fun and highly
addictive.

I
often find myself looking at the treasures I have recovered over the
years and thinking to myself, “I can't believe I found this
stuff with my metal detector.” I know I am not alone either. I
have met quite a few great people who do the same exact thing.

All
of us cherish our finds no matter how simple they may be. We get to
hold a physical piece of fascinating history in the palm of our
hands. What other hobby gives a person this opportunity? None that I
know of.

There are incredible
untold stories just waiting below the surface of the earth and all it
takes is a metal detector to locate them. What follows next just so
happens to be some of the most incredible metal detecting stories in
the world. If you are not already hooked on the idea of metal
detecting, I can guarantee you will be once you are done reading
these stories. Every single one of them is true. This is the reality
of metal detecting. Jump right in. Dig in and prepare to be amazed!

Incredible Gold Finds

Gold is one thing that
every single person swinging a metal detector wants to find and there
are plenty of people finding it too. Gold has a way of doing strange
things to a person. Finding gold can create an itch that you can
never seem to scratch. Finding one piece of that funny yellow metal
only fuels your desire to recover more and more.

Some people may get a mild
case of gold fever, while others get consumed by the concept of
uncovering some long lost gold treasure that could be worth millions
of dollars. Either way, searching for gold with a metal detector is a
truly great experience, especially when you do get to see that glint
of yellow.

It doesn't matter if you
are a hardcore beach hunter, or a dedicated nugget shooter. Seeing a
piece of gold in the bottom of a scoop or encrusted in earth will
quicken your pulse, make your mind race and possibly even make you
jump for joy.

If you have been lucky
enough to find some gold, then you know exactly what I am talking
about. If you are still looking for your first piece of gold, then
these stories will inspire you to get out there and claim your own
share. We can all learn a thing or two about these incredible metal
detecting finds. Dig in!

The Mojave Nugget

People have been heading
to the west coast of the United States in pursuit of gold since it
was first discovered there in the early 1800s. The Gold Rush created
an almost mass hysteria in the area as people fought tooth and nail
to claim their stake.

They worked hard to
recover gold. The tools of the trade were rock hammers, chisels, pick
axes, gold pans and sluices made from wood and metal. They didn't
have the modern conveniences of using something like a metal detector
to help them locate the mother lode.

California has always been
and still is to this day an excellent place to locate gold. Using a
metal detector makes the process a little easier, but in order to get
to those good gold bearing fields you will have to travel to some
pretty harsh environments like the Mojave Desert in the Southwestern
United States.

It is here that the
temperatures during the day can get hot enough to fry an egg on a
slab of rock. You would think the setting sun would be welcomed with
open arms, but when that bright orange ball in the sky slowly creeps
below the horizon, the temperatures can plummet fast enough to chill
your favorite beverage.

If these harsh conditions
are not enough to make you want to stay in the comfort of your modern
home, then just think of the creatures that call the Mojave Desert
home. Deadly scorpions and rattlesnakes as fat as your thigh not only
like these conditions, they thrive in them, but these things don't
even enter the mind of a person who has a bad case of gold fever.
Their mind is on the find. They are looking for that magical yellow
metal, and that is exactly what Ty Paulsen found way back in 1977
with his metal detector.

Feast your eyes on the
largest gold nugget recovered in the state of California with a metal
detector, The Mojave Nugget.

Don't
forget to double tap the image and zoom in for a good close up!

Could you
imagine finding this monster gold nugget with a metal detector? It
would be like finding the tip of an iceberg, and it would just keep
getting bigger as you slowly or frantically removed rocks and desert
sand from around it. If it was me, I would most likely need a to
change my pants after unearthing a gold nugget of this magnitude.

How Much
Does This Monster Nugget Weigh?

It
can be difficult to determine the size of something like this when
you are just staring and drooling over a picture. This is a big one.
It weighs 156 troy ounces. That equals 4.9 kilograms or a massive 10
pounds 11 ounces. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around
the size of this nugget. It is huge, and I promise you there are some
that are even bigger!

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