Neil Harp will tell you, most of what he finds with his
metal detector is not that exciting. But, he loves the hunt. In five years of
sweeping and digging, the 24-year-old hobbyist has uncovered some interesting
items which he proudly displays in wooden cases and frames. Then, during a
recent sweep on a friend's property, he hit what he calls a detectorist's
dream.
"It's a jar wrapped in duct tape," he exclaimed
on tape the day he found it. "And if you shake it, hear that? This is my
first coin cache. Look we have a bunch of coins in there. Oh, man, I'm
shaking!."
The property owner was there at the moment of the find
and recognized her late father's dog tags as the top item in the jar.
"Oh, boy! Look at that. Holy Lord," she said.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, believes her
father buried the jar just a few years before he passed in 1980. She says the
items belonged to her late brother, given to him by her dad and her. The cache
consists of various rare American coins, antique military ribbons and buttons
and a variety of foreign coins. Most were accrued by her dad during a 28 year
military career. The monetary worth of the find is not particularly high, but
the sentimental value is priceless to her. And, the question remains: why would
her dad bury this and not tell anyone?
"I think he did that for a reason," she said.
"He did that for a purpose. But only he could tell you that and he's not
here to tell you what that purpose was."
What ever the reason, she's glad to have the collection
back in the family, thanks to a friend and his find.
