March 2011 Treasures Found

I have begun a new form of treasure hunting that is turning into an interesting little side business for me. I wish I could elegantly call it Urban Treasure Hunting but I suppose “going to auctions and yard sales” is a better description. Here are the two big finds for the month:


Apple iPod Nano 8GB Graphite 6th Gen: Got this in a storage auction where I purchased a single box for $20. The box had a few good items including a bread maker worth about $30 or $40 so I easily got my money back right there. This little beauty was also in the box, brand new still in the wrapping, and I turned around and sold it on Ebay for $120.00. Turned out to be a decent profit!


2006 African American Holiday Barbie by Bob Mackie: Picked up this Barbie at a yard sale for $5.00. She was willing to take $3 but since I already knew how much it was worth, I gave her the full $5. I then flipped it on Ebay for $51.00! I learned an interesting fact with this item: The ethnic Barbies in this series tend to command a higher premium and seem to be less common. That means more money in the long run!

So keep your eyes peeled the next time you are browsing yard sales, flea markets, and auctions because you just never know when you will get a great bargain treasure!

Guest Story: Funeral Token Goes Home

This was sent to me and I felt compelled to post the story. Enjoy :)

I was hunting in Tulsa, Oklahoma near Pine and Peoria in an area that had houses but had been cleared. I had found several nice items in past hunts so I wasn’t surprised when I dug a silver quarter. The quarter had been smoothed on both sides and I noticed that there was engraving on both sides of the quarter. It said “In memory of Dick Bourland died 1873 and burried in Gravett, Arkansas–For his son John Bourland”. The last name I am not sure about but in order to tell the story I am suggesting a name.
I thought this was interesting because I had been hunting for 25 years and had never dug a “funeral token”. I place it in my bag and continued hunting for a while. I decided to go by Transmississippi Electronics where Terry Humphries and his mother Sylvia ran a detector shop. Sylvia asked me “did you find anything good”. “yes, I have something here I have never dug before, it is a funeral token.” I read it out loud “says ” In memory of Dick Bourland—-”. Sylvia made a sound as if someone had just struck her. “OOOhhh” she said. I took a closer look at her to make sure she was o.k.. She had this stack of books on the table and she was doing geneology on her family–The Bourland family.

She looked up her relative Dick Bourland and they did not know when or where he died. In one dig I answered both questions and this was only the beginning because in the following months I received many emails and letters from the Bourland family, thanking me and getting me to tell the story over and over.

This story is almost mystic to me and so improbable and yet it happened.

And yes, I did give her the quarter!

Spirit of Giving: $1400 Gold Krugerrand

As a follow up to a previous post we had discussing rare coins dropped in Salvation Army kettles during the Holiday seasons, we have a new one to report! This time it was given to the Salvation Army of Carlisle, PA.

The Carlisle High School Class of ’51 was ringing the Salvation Army bell when they received a unique and much appreciated donation: a South African Gold Krugerrand valued at $1400!

Read the rest of this article to find out who paid far more than it’s worth to help out the Salvation Army and how many homeless people it may have helped feed during the cold Holiday Season!

http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Salvation-Army-gets-rare-coin-worth-1400/NS6EGs7dC0yiub4rgxvlUA.cspx

Bushkill Park: Vintage Carnival Sideshow Banners

In Summer of 2010, Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz of Antique Archaeology visited Bushkill Park searching for forgotten carny treasures lost in Pennsylvania’s rich past. Nestled in an unfortunate flood plain, the park was built in 1902 and continuously operated until 2005 when hurricane Ivan devastated the historic landmark. Their adventure was filmed for the 3rd season premiere episode of American Pickers (which I am a huge fan of) and aired on December 6th, 2010.

Among the dilapidated wreckage they discover a set of sideshow banners which were clearly hand painted and purchase them for $700. A trip to New York and an eccentric appraiser reveal the value to be around $10,000! Of course, Mike and Frank being the great guys they are went back to Pennsylvania and paid an additional $5000 to the owner of Bushkill Park to help with renovations and resurrection of the storm damaged historical carnival.

You can watch the full episode on History.com by visiting the following link: http://www.history.com/shows/american-pickers/videos/playlists/season-3-full-episodes#american-pickers-a-banner-pick

Priam’s Treasure

Priam’s Treasure, a large cache of Roman gold, silver, and artifacts, was the result of excavations in the lost city of Troy. A man by the name of Heinrich Schliemann dissected Homer’s Illiad to discover the actual location. Archaeological diggings were already in progress at the site by a man named Frank Calvert although he wasn’t sure what he had discovered. Schliemann took over the Troy diggings from Frank Calvert after proving the archaeological site was in fact Troy. After his wife Sophie wore the “Jewels of Helen” to create public interest, the Turkish government revoked his right to dig and sued him for a share of the gold. Ironically, he and Calvert collaborated and smuggled the treasure out of the country. Some of this “Priams Treasure” was later traded to Turkish authorities for the rights to dig at Troy again and are now located in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. The rest of it made it’s way to the Imperial Museum of Berlin until 1945 when the Soviet Union’s Red Army removed it. During the cold war, the Soviet Union denied it’s existence until it showed up in Pushkin Museum in Moscow around 1993. A treaty was created to return the treasure to Germany but currently Russian museum directors are claiming they are keeping it as compensation for destruction and looting of Russian cities during the reign of Nazi Germany. Interesting huh?

Amateur Treasure Hunter Hits Medieval Gold

By: Annie Riddle of Salisbury Journal
Full Story


When amateur treasure hunter Dave Iles dug up a ring near Amesbury, he thought it was a trinket from a Christmas cracker and nearly threw it away.

But it turned out to be a survivor from the late medieval period.

On Tuesday it was declared treasure trove at an inquest in Devizes, and now it will be sent to the British Museum to value.

Dave, a sergeant in the Royal Engineers, struck lucky in January, within two months of taking up the hobby.

It was only his second or third field trip with his friend Steve Henstridge when he found the ring.

“I didn’t have much of an idea what I was doing,” he said. “I went ploughing off on my own, pulling up bits of nails and horseshoes. Steve was a few metres away…

READ THE REST OF THE STORY -> http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/8402441.Amateur_treasure_hunter_hits_gold/

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