First no detector.., then no finds.., then gold!

What A Difference

A Day Makes!

By Tony Mullen

Minted at Charlotte, North Carolina in 1847, this gorgeous Coronet $5 gold piece was the find of a lifetime for Tony Mullen, now a proud member of W&ET’s exclusive “Gold coin Club”

Every treasure hunter has probably had this nightmare. You finally get permission to hunt a particular place that you have been eyeing for quite some time, and then something happens. Something you could never imagine is about to ruin your “perfect opportunity.” Well, that almost happened to me one weekend in March 2001. I hunt with a Fisher CZ-7A and had sent it in to Fisher for some planned maintenance, figuring that I still had time before the weather broke and the hunting season kicked in. I expected that, with transit time included, I would be without a detector for about two weeks. My wife Teresa figured that out, too, and the Honey-do list was a sight to behold!
The first week was not too bad. I was steadily chipping away at “the list.” Then it happened. My father, Frank Mullen, called me from Virginia. He had just turned up an 1852 silver 3 cent piece, having received permission to search a site that dates back to the l770s. We had been watching that place for quite some time. Needless to say,
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The look on
Teresa ‘s face was priceless. She just looked at me and asked, “Is it real?”
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Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

By Tony Mullen

Have you ever had your sights set on a particular place to hunt, just knowing in your heart of hearts that it would be an awesome place to detect? Or have you ever tried repeatedly to get permission to hunt a particular place, but somehow never managed to track down the owner? Either situation can keep a serious treasure hunter on edge for a long time. This story is about just such a place.

I work in a small town in North Carolina, about 45 minutes north of Charlotte. There has been a lot of history recorded in the area from the French & Indian War, through the Revolutionary War and Civil War. The community has done well in preserving many of the structures that survived the torches of the Union Army, and a great deal of work and planning has been done to preserve the older houses in many sections of town. A series of historic districts have been established, and covenants and restrictions are now in place to ensure that they will continue to be preserved. In many towns, the older areas often turn out to be the “rougher” ones as well. This town is no exception. While the historical districts are having a positive impact, many of the surrounding neighborhoods remain high crime areas. Detecting around these older homes provides a great opportunity to make some nice finds, but it is in your best interest to take a hunting partner with you!

About three years ago, my hunting partner Allen and his friend Mike had received permission to hunt one of the beautiful Victorian residences in the historic district. They made many nice finds in the yard of the home that was built in 1887. In fact,
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Tony and Allen soon began finding coins like these around the historic house— over 100 on the front lawn alone.

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“Caribbean Hurricane Coins”

By Tony Mullen

Frank mullen (left), Tony Mullen (center), and Tony's daughter Suzanne proudly display their hurricane treasures. Even though Frank and Tony had high hopes for their detecting vacation they never envisioned anything like this... over 1,000 coins, a 14K diamond & emerald ring, a 14K diamond & sapphire ring, pendants, charms, earrings a bracelet, scores of keys, and more!

My father, Frank Mullen, and I are relatively new treasure hunters, but after our recent trip to the Caribbean we came home feeling like old pros. Actually, the truth is we just came home feeling old! We have been detecting for about a year now; but it is difficult for us to get together to hunt since we live 200 miles apart. I live in Claremont, North Carolina, and he lives in Roanoke, Virginia. Over the last year, however, any excuse to get together and detect was a good one.

This particular story started with a phone call at work in late August. Dad called to see if I would be able to clear my schedule in October for a trip to the Cayman Islands. All of the details were soon worked out, and the arrangements were made; but now the most difficult part had begun: a month and a half to wait. That leaves a lot of time for a treasure hunter’s imagination to run wild! You know how it is – visions of pirate’s gold, not to mention modern coins, watches, rings, and other valuables literally littering the beaches, just waiting to be scooped up! Finally, the day had come.

On October 12 I loaded up the family, my wife Teresa and daughter Suzanne, and we met my parents, Frank and Barbara Mullen, at the airport in Charlotte. We all arrived safely on Grand Cayman that afternoon.

As you know, when you fly, the big question is, where will your luggage go while you are on vacation? So, we thought it best to take our detectors as our carry-on bags. That proved to be an interesting experience, as my bag and I got a great deal of attention from security at the airport in Charlotte. After I showed them the manual for this “device,” as they called it, they had no problem allowing it on the airplane.

Shortly after we arrived on the island, another visitor blew into the country. Her name was Irene. . . later to become the infamous Hurricane Irene. The rain squalls began before we actually got out of the airport. We arrived at our condo and settled in for our first topical storm on foreign soil.

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