| T H E S E E K E R |
| March 2023 | The Newsletter of the Shore Seekers Artifact & Recovery Club | Vol. 33, No. 3 |
It has been another month of decent hunting weather and a number of great finds have been made by members, so be sure to come and see how the board fills up this month. Sadly, no club hunt sites materialized again, but there is always this month as we race against the planting clock. I checked out the Lewis Wharf site and it's flat as a pancake, but now sports a very peaceful looking duck pond full of ducks and two blinds. I am hoping members can find it in their hearts to contribute a site soon. In other news, our friends from the other local group are planning a hunt this spring (details on the Delmarva Metal Detecting Facebook page) at a reasonable cost so I will see if our club can have a tent there this year again. Last year was a fun hunt with lots of prizes, so it's worth attending and maybe we can gather some ideas for our big members' only hunt (location unknown at this time, but I like where we've been having it). New machines are popping up here and there. I have heard good reports on the new Manticore from Minelab, but the jury is still out on whether they and the new Equinox models are more waterproof. I have also seen the Nokta Makro Legend in action and with its latest update, is a strong competitor for Minelab at a lower price. I also understand that Nokta Makro is working on an even more powerful machine. I encourage you to do your research before buying a new machine. Don't go by the manufacturers' hype, watch a lot of videos online, read reviews and get what you need, not what somebody tells you that you need. Remember, you are the detector, the machine just helps you out.Please attend the meetings because we will need lots of input on our hunt sites and big hunt in the fall, not to mention next December's holiday party. That's it for now. If I don't see you at the meeting, maybe I'll see you in the field.
Your President,
Andy Nunez
The last meeting of the SHORE SEEKERS Artifact and Recovery Club was held on Thursday, February 9th 7:00 p.m. at Christ UMC Hall.
Guests were Randy Jones and Craig and Chris Gudikunst. Craig and Chris became our newest members.
OLD BUSINESS
Extra copies of The Seeker were available.
Minutes were approved as distributed.
The treasurer gave his report.
NEW BUSINESS
John Rebman told of his trip to Louisiana and Mississippi. He and a group of friends were detecting Civil War sites. He brought back some relics, coins and arrowheads to display.
Thanks to John and Cynthia Fassel for donating several metal detecting books.
Speaking of books, Andy picked up the club library from Jerry and will give it to Tony, our new librarian. Andy also mentioned that Western and Eastern Treasures is no longer in publication.
Andy has heard good reviews of the new Minelab Manticore but they're not out for sale yet. John mentioned that the company has lowered the price of the Deus II. He has all sorts of new detectors available, including the new Minelab Equinox model.
We are starting the new point system for finds. Winners get points, but no coins. Every entry receives 1 point; winners receive 5 for their first win, going down by a point for each successive win to a minimum of 2 points. Ed thinks just giving out points is a waste of time but others still like points because they enjoy making each level.
We talked about the Christmas party for 2023. Most want something buffet-style at a restaurant. We will try to figure something out in the next few months.
Andy mentioned the upcoming members’ only hunt tentatively scheduled for this fall. Any talk of an open hunt has been tabled for the foreseeable future. There is no idea of a budget or prizes yet but Tony will be bringing a survey next month so members can make their voices heard. We also decided that any new members must have joined and paid their dues by June 30 in order to participate in the hunt. This deadline will also give them a chance to attend several meetings in addition to the required three and will give them and the older members a chance to get better acquainted.
Marty mentioned a coin show on February 12 at the Moose Lodge in Salisbury. He suggests that we should go there and buy silver before prices go up. He and others believe that it makes sense to buy coins all through the year rather than on short notice. Hopefully we can get good bargains that way. John Rebman volunteered to help Marty look for bargains at that show. Marty also suggested allowing people to use silver coins to pay for hunt fees as both parties might be able to get some savings that way. There was also general talk about other coin vendors/dealers and the need to do homework to get a fair deal. It’s always a good idea to keep coins in stock for next year's hunt.
Marty mentioned that there will be a speaker on Civil War general/admirals from Maryland at the April 6 ESTC meeting. He will also be talking about Point Lookout. Relics from this location and others will also be displayed. The ESTC are inviting us to go to this presentation. Food will be available. They will have another speaker in September about electrolysis. There will be a power point display and instruction sheets, as well as a box of old artifacts that people can take home and test their own electrolysis system on.
There is nothing new to report about any club hunt.
Dan Spielman was the 50/50 winner. Randy Jones won a 1989 proof set and Nancy Jelich won a 1960 penny set.
The attendance winner was John Rebman. He received a 1989 proof half dollar.
Julie Pryor,
Secretary