JUL/AUG 2017VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 4

Published by WHITE’S ELECTRONICS, INC

FEATURES:

• Field Guide for Fields

• Big Silver!

• Epic Cellar Hole Hunt

• Pro Tips and Customer Finds

DISCOVER

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The days are long, the bugs are out, and the ground is getting

hard!

Spring and fall are the traditional relic-hunting seasons, but

detecting for jewelry in the summer can be a nice break...

not just for you but the family as well. Beaches, parks, and

swimming holes all get lots of action in the summer and can

turn up some nice finds, like the 14k gold ring in the picture

above!

Wherever your hobby takes you this summer, remember

to stay hydrated and take extra care when you dig not to

damage the grass - it’s as vulnerable to heat as you are!

GOT A CLASSIC?We have most of our product manuals online, even

that relic in your closet. Just go to:

https://www.whiteselectronics.com/device-care/

manuals/

Great for Pop’s old machine!

CONTENT

3 FROM THE FACTORY

4 NEW FRIENDS, OLD

FINDS| Tom Boykin

5 PROMOTIONS

6 FIELD HUNTING | John Ruth

8 BEHIND THE FIND |

Clarence Martz

10 CUSTOMER FINDS | PRO-

TIPS | GROUND HAWG

12 FIRST BIG SILVER | Jeff

Beard

13 DEALER SPOTLIGHT |

Capitol Prospecting

On the cover: John Ruth

courtesy of Roxanne Elise Photography

Editor: Tom Boykin

Supervisor: Melissa Wise

Contributors: Listed on each article

Information is correct at press time.

Visit us at www.whiteselectronics.com

Discover Magazine is published every two months by White’s Electronics at 1011 Pleasant Valley Rd, Sweet Home, OR 97386. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the official company policy.

© 2017. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole without permission is prohibited. Editorial, publishing and advertising offices:

Discover Magazine1011 Pleasant Valley RdSweet Home, OR 97386

SUMMER FUN

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Dear friends,

As we enter the “dog days” of summer here in

Sweet Home we wanted to do something to help

out folks who are looking to upgrade before the

cool days of fall set in.

That’s why for the months

of June, July, and August we

decided to drop the prices on

our most popular “high end”

metal detectors. So if you’re

considering a step up from the

ordinary and looking to get a

true multi-frequency detector like the V3i, now it’s

a little bit easier.

It’s a small way we can help you improve the

odds of finding something truly remarkable this

summer.

This fall we have even bigger plans. Until then,

good luck and happy hunting!

Sincerely,

FROM THE FACTORY

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK* SUMMER SALE*Deer season doesn’t start for a few months

For a limited time White’s is offering discounts on

many models of detectors. Included in the promotion

are the MXT All Pro, GMT, TDI SL, Surfmaster P.I., VX3,

V3i, and V3i Headphone bundle. This promotion

lasts until August 31, 2017. For more details go to

whiteselectronics.com.

In addition to this, White’s will now ship the MX

Sport with Sport Waterproof Weadphones included

instead of Ultralite Headphones. This is to give

customers added value for their purchase.

MEDIA GUY IMMEDIATELY WRECKS NEW DRONEDid you know that White’s has a media guy? Neither

did we.

White’s media expert, also known as “new guy,”

convinced management to purchase a drone for

aerial shots in company videos. Within ten seconds

of flying said drone, it lay in pieces on the ground.

Discover Magazine approached the errant aviator

for comment, but calls have not been returned.

Management has decided to limit the employee’s

daily ration allotment until he can pay back the

company... and until he learns a new skill - drone

repair.

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NEW FRIENDS, OLD FINDS TOM BOYKIN

Until this spring, I had never dug a single target older than the 1800’s. My excuse for this was living in Oregon - the only folks who lived here before the 1800’s were the Kalupooya Indians, and they were more interested in obsidian and jasper than the kinds of things you find with a metal detector.

So when we started planning our first annual field team hunt, I had a little bit of a selfish goal in mind - dig something colonial. And I knew just the guys to talk to about that - legendary cellar hole hunters Dave Wise and Todd Hiltz.

When I stepped off the plane in Hartford, CT, I could barely wait for the next morning. My suitcase was packed so full of detecting gear I barely had room for extra clothes. I did bring some Permethrin - the ticks were bad this spring!

Alarm. Coffee. Cereal. The rest of the field team were as ready to go as I was when I met them in the lobby Saturday morning. Dave and Todd showed up right after I got to meet Frankie, Dom, Mark, and DJ - Skyler had to cancel last minute due to a family illness. But we were all on the same mission - save some history!

With GPS coordinates, backpacks, and White’s metal detectors in hand, we parked at the edge of the state

forest. The sky was grey and drippy, and we set out to the first cellar hole.

If you have never seen a cellar hole before… it is a powerful sight to behold. The thought that 200 plus years ago people stacked rocks to create a foundation and cellar for their homes really shows how they carved an existence out of the wilderness back then. When Mark got his first good signal, that awe gave way to excitement. A 1781 Half Reale! Dave and Todd had put us on a great spot.

As the day wore on we all dug our fair share of history. I found my first Colonial finds - a round button, flat button, shoe buckle, and some other small bits that beat my previous finds by a hundred-plus years. Frankie brought MRE’s for lunch and we all made sure to check each other for ticks after each long walk through the brush.

The second day we were all feeling Saturday’s mileage, but we went

back out and hit some more cellar holes. We turned up even more - including coppers, buttons, buckles, and an escutcheon plate. I made time to shoot some still photos and video before people had to leave. It was Sunday and most of the team had to be back at work Monday morning. One by one we said our goodbyes - by afternoon I found myself walking Dave back to his car. He asked if I wanted him to stick around to detect with me.

I looked back at the woods and gave it a thought, and told him to go on home… there was still some daylight left. I think he understood. What’s a few more hours compared to 250 years of history?

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www.whiteselectronics.com

Whit

PROMOTIONS FROM WHITE’S

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FIELD GUIDE TO FIELDS

However, I had a great appreciation for my new-found hobby, and I enjoyed all the aspects that it had to offer. Researching the people and places of the past for countless hours in the library and wondering what evidence was left behind for a would-be history hunter was fun.

After the research came the footwork- traveling to the actual location of the site I was researching and getting a feel for what I was up against. Was it rugged terrain? Was it impenetrable brush? It didn’t matter, because I liked country drives and getting out to explore the world around me. Everything about this hobby was enjoyable to me, and I found that if I just used my skills I might just come home with something cool. At the time I had only found a few “cool” things, but I was learning quickly and getting the hang of the research thing. Construction sites were plentiful at the time around here because a county road was being expanded and turned into a four-

lane highway. As a result, several 1800s-era homes that stood in the path of progress were being torn down. Some were already gone, and the only way to find where they had once been was to do research.

I started by purchasing a reprint of an 1874 plat map of my county. It had all of the churches, schools, and houses marked along with the

sections and township lines. Jackpot! By comparing the older plat map to a current plat map, I was able to pinpoint several house locations along that stretch of road. I have to note here for those reading, that Google Earth or Google Maps are very helpful resources for comparing the maps. So I had my maps, marked my locations, and headed out to explore. Once on the ground, the sites were easy to find as I knew what to look for: broken pottery, china fragments, glass, square nails, bricks, buttons, and more; all of these things lying around that the bulldozers had unearthed! I was in history hunter heaven. My first really old coin was found where an old school had once stood. It was an 1842 2/3 Skilling. I remember staring at that date and thinking how I never imagined that I would find something that old. An old farmhouse yard yielded an 1854 Large Cent and several Indian Head cents from the 1860s. I hunted that stretch of road for two years and found many amazing things during my explorations, but eventually the highway was widened and the construction done. The party was over… or was it?

I had noticed something while searching my 1874 plat map, and looking at the houses along that stretch of road. There was a house marked on my map just off the road and just outside of the construction area that was no longer there. This got me thinking about whether a field could produce the same types of things that I was finding in the construction area. I mean really, the plow goes down quite a depth, and who knows what could be brought to the surface when the soil is turned over? I realized that it was similar to a construction site, so back to the maps I went. I had my face buried in the maps all week after work and had come up with something: a house, in a quarter-section of a quarter-section; and according to Google Earth, there was nothing there anymore except for a field. How exciting! It was time to put my theory to the test.

When I first moved to east central

Wisconsin in 2002, I had only been metal

detecting for two years and would have

been considered a “newbie” by most.

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JOHN RUTH

I headed out that weekend and arrived at the field location to find that it was in prime condition. I turned around and headed back to the property owner’s address, and after a short conversation about “life in the ol’ days,” I was on my way back to the field with full permission to hunt on all and any land in his name. I could barely contain my excitement as I crawled through a hole someone had cut in a wire fence surrounding the field.

Did the metal detecting gods know I was coming? Once through the fence, it was only a few steps to the

field, and upon entering I could see promising signs already. Broken bottles, china, glass, brick, buttons, and clay pipe pieces littered the ground around me. I wandered around for probably thirty minutes just picking up interesting things lying on the surface in plain view. The plow had done its job well and I was about to reap the relic harvest!

That was my first house site in a field that I ever hunted, and it’s still producing today. Some of my most notable finds there included Indian Head cents with dates ranging from 1859 to the 1890s, probably

half a dozen Large Cents with dates ranging from 1828 to 1850, Eagle buttons from the Civil War era, an 1834 Capped Bust dime, an 1835 Capped Bust half dime, a Seated Liberty half dime that was turned into a love token pin, Shield Nickels, Two Cent coins, and even foreign coins (one with a date of 1821). Not to mention the brass buttons, buckles, thimbles, and miscellaneous pieces of history that were found with some regularity. Most of the items found were located within the first four or five inches below the surface of the ground and digging was easy, because I didn’t have to be as careful with my holes and I wasn’t worried about damaging grass.

Fields are definitely where it’s at in my part of the United States, and I would urge anyone who loves history or metal detecting to get out where you live and see if you can find a long-lost settlement of your own.

You can see more great pictures and

video clips of John’s finds on Instagram -

@johnny_relic

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BEHIND THE FINDMy name is Clarence Martz, and I’ve been hunting the Union camps in the Antietam area with my White’s MXT All-Pro. When I find an artifact, it is very special to me for the simple reason that I found it.

It is a piece of history, and once a man like me owned it.

I have collected enough remnants of the everyday soldier’s life to fill 14 display cases in museums in Harrisburg, Pa., Shepherdstown, W. Va., and Richmond, Va.

I have found exploded cannonballs, bayonets, belt buckles, bullets, cannon fuses, butt plates, pieces of oil lanterns and Civil War trunks, parts of a reed pipe and harmonica, melted bullets from fire pits, and a fence post with bullets.

Just a note - it is illegal to dig on battlefields. All of my artifacts are

recovered from private land with owner’s permission. I found this 4th Rhode Island button recently and did a little research on its history.

The 4th Rhode Island state seal union button was part of the 9th Corps and would have been in this Union camp site the night before the Battle of Antietam. Using local resources on the war, I was able to find the following journal entry from a Union soldier in this regiment. I like to think that this button may have belonged to the young man.

The history lesson that comes with metal detecting is worth so much more than the finds to me.

----Clarence Martz----

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CLARENCE MARTZ

On September 17th, we saw the Battle of Antietam fought almost at our feet.

We could see the long lines of battle, both Union and Rebels and hear the roar as it came from the field. The Rebel trains of wagons were moving all day towards the river.At dark we marched down the mountain and started for the battlefield where we arrived and went into camp. The next morning we were put in the front lines.I have never in my soldier life seen such a sight. The dead and wounded covered the ground. In one spot a Rebel officer and twenty men lay near a wreck of a Battery. It is said Battery “A” 1st R.I. Artillery did this work.The Rebel sharpshooters and skirmishers were still at work and the bullets whizzed merrily.At noon the Rebels asked and received permission to bury their dead, and the firing ceased for awhile but commenced again in the afternoon. The 4th R.I. was ordered forward and we charged up a hill and driving the enemy away took possession.Here we lay all night with the bullets flying over us most of the time. The next morning the enemy shelled our Regiment, but it was their last shots, for as we moved forward they retired, and we entered Sharpsburg.

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CUSTOMER FINDS

A. Bare - V3i A. Childs - TreasurePro B. Lane - MXT D. Walkenshaw - VX3

G. Williams - V3iF. Villa - MX SportD. Wright - MX SportD. Whitson - MX5

J. Antonio - TreasureMaster J. Edgell - V3i J. Hall - MXt All Pro J. Souder - V3i

R. Nava - MXTM. Troeckler - TreasureMasterM. Forland - DFXK. Fisher - MXT All-Pro

T. Dawson - MX Sport T. Martin - V3i T. Sehon - MXT All-Pro W. Broadfield - MX5

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GROUND HAWG REVIEWPRO-TIPSDJ YOSTWhen I’m looking for a potential site without doing any research, there are a few things that catch my eye:

-- If you see an open cornfield with one random tree, chances are there used to be a home there.

-- If you’re out in the woods and you come across a patch of annual flowers that looks out of place, chances are someone planted them a long time ago.

-- In my area, the old homes are easy to recognize due to their stone or old brick construction. However, that doesn’t mean the ground is original. If the grass is level with the road, or you see exposed tree roots, chances are that ground is original. If you see extensive landscaping, chances are the ground has been manipulated and fill dirt has been added.

If you come across any of these signs, I highly advise researching that area using books and/or maps. You may be surprised at what was once there.

DOMINIQUE IVY DA SILVAA lot of detectorists equate sensitivity with a detector’s ability to go deeper. Not so! Increasing sensitivity merely tells the machine to respond to weaker fields generated by targets within the detector’s depth ability. A lot of good finds can easily get lost by listening to the increased chatter when sensitivity is set too high.

For example, it is not uncommon for me to lower sensitivity on my MX Sport to the 3-5 when hunting a trashy site. In a wide open field I might go with a 7 or even 8, if ground conditions allow.

A general rule of thumb is to set sensitivity as high as possible with minimal chatter. This is one of those times in life when you can be rewarded for being a bit on the insensitive side.

MIKE BERGMANN

I used my Ground

Hawg for the first time

today during a four

hour (thick) woods

hunt.

I passed up signals

the last two times I went out because my

old shovel was no match against the root

infested ground. Today I was able to quickly

recover my targets and move on to the next.

All in all, I had reduced frustration, faster

digs, and more finds.

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ORDER YOURS

TODAY

GROUNDHAWG

DIgIT

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FIRST BIG SILVER JEFF BEARD

It was an early Sunday morn-

ing walking along the curb side

with my MXT ALL PRO when an

older man stopped me to talk

about metal detecting.

After about 15 minutes I find

out that his house was the first

brick built house in the town. I

asked if I could detect his yard.

Since he was curious about the

hobby, he obliged!

About 45 minutes in the back

yard I got a big hit 5 inches

down. Being careful to not dam-

age the gentleman’s lawn, I cut

a neat plug and there it was...

I couldn’t believe my eyes - a

1899 silver Morgan! I was jump-

ing for joy! But that was just the

beginning...

By the end of the hunt I had a

1914 Barber, 1942 Quarter, 1941

Mercury and the 1899 silver

Morgan. The MXT ALL PRO is by

far the best detector I have used

and would recommend to any-

one.

Thank you White’s!

We get a lot of these

kinds of stories on

our FINDS page at

whiteselectronics.

com. Share yours

with us and you

might end up in

DISCOVER!

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WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE

HOBBY OF METAL DETECTING, I have many different emo-

tions. For starters, I really

got super involved in the

hobby when I decided to

find gold with a detector.

I was reading all the fabu-

lous stories, seeing all the

nuggets being found, and

drooling at all the full color

pictures of different ma-

chines I could buy.

I was living in Nevada at

the time, and places like

Rye Patch were just seeing

the first of the many pros-

pectors who flock there

now. I decided on a White’s

Goldmaster V/SAT like my

Dad was swinging. Neither

of us knew anything at that

point. We had no one to in-

struct us on our technique

or machine set up. There

were only a few books out

at the time, and we read

them all. Zip-Zip! If only it

were that simple.

For the next 15 years I

searched in vain. Most peo-

ple would say that was a

failure, not me. I finally did

find a piece, it was so small

I decided to switch gears

and go after lost coins and

jewelry. But a failure? No

way!

I got to spend time with

my Dad out in the middle

of nowhere Nevada. Ghost

towns like Rocklin and

camps like Jarbridge. We

trekked through remote

mother lode country in

California and took trips to

Southern Oregon. It was a

time of making memories

- it’s what I enjoy now. As

a dealer, I do go the extra

mile with my customers.

I teach detecting with no

regard to what brand you

swing or who you bought it

from. I just want you to do

it and enjoy it. You might

say my failures dedicate

me to making sure you

succeed. That being said,

let me share a few of my

customers’ success stories.

“Awesome Austin” as we

call him, is a very nice 14

year old kid. He saved up

the money to buy a Trea-

sure Pro by mowing lawns!

Wish there was more of

that these days. So his

Grandma Tami came into

the shop to pick it up. Tami

is great by the way. We set

up a date for the big day

when I could give one on

one lessons with Austin. I

had gotten permission to

detect a 1920’s house that

was being worked on, so

I took him there. As I got

him started with proper

technique and some help-

ful tips, he quickly had the

confidence to find, pin-

point, and properly dig.

The second signal he dug

was a beautiful 1896 In-

dian Head Penny! I could

hardly believe it. I’m not

sure if he even understood

the significance of his find

at first, but he was instantly

hooked.

Fast forward a few weeks

of hunting, and I could tell

Tami wanted a shot at this

too. I found an old Ma & Pa

market to hunt and put my

wife’s MX5 in her hand. I

had another student Mike

that needed help learn-

ing his Prism he had found

used. Mike’s daughter was

with him so I let her use

the new XVENTURE, And

let me tell you she was an

absolute natural! While she

was digging coin after coin,

Mike was practicing find-

ing his targets. Pinpointing

takes practice, but within

a few minutes he had a

solid signal under his coil.

My eyes about popped out

of my head when a nice

green 1906 IHP came out.

Meanwhile, Tami was hap-

pily digging another target

she thought was a token.

Nope, her very first Buffalo

nickel!

I guess by now you can get

the picture! When you get

to witness the success, the

firsts, and the bucket list-

ers, well there’s just no feel-

ing like it in the world. I do

this hobby because every

find is a success, and my fa-

vorite finds aren’t even my

own. It’s the look on their

faces that make me tick!

DEALER SPOTLIGHT CAPITOL PROSPECTING

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White’s Electronics, Inc.

1011 Pleasant Valley Rd.

Sweet Home, OR 97386

SEE YOU NEXT ISSUE...

JUL/AUG 2017VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 4

DISCOVER MAGAZINE