BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Treasure hunting and salvage is big business along Central Florida's coast, but some treasure hunters say the state is now trying to overregulate their business.

The reason behind these proposed restrictions? Some state lawmakers want more control over state-owned land and archeological sites.

Mark Holshoe said treasure hunting is his passion.

"It's always a thrill just to find something. You don't know what you'll run across," Holshoe said.

A person armed with a metal detector is a common sight up and down Central Florida's beaches. But some worry they'll be regulated right off the sand, should they ever find a rare artifact.

"Right now, it's legal for them to own it, have it, hold it. This could definitely change," coin dealer John Hancock said.

Hancock is against a proposed state law that gives authorities more control over metal detecting and large-scale salvage operations off the coast, though Hancock is more concerned about the little guy.

"The last thing they need is some draconian fine for something they just found on the beach," Hancock said.

The legislation adds more rules to already existing laws that restrict the use of metal detectors on state-owned land and archeological sites.

But Mitch King of the Treasure Coast Archeological Society said he worries one more state law will lead to "another."

"It's not an actual attack on our hobby. It's not an actual attack on metal detecting," King said. "If I have 10 acres of private land, that's my land -- I want to be able to metal detect it. I don't want the state to come in and tell me I can't."

Holshoe is staying out of the politics. He just wants to pursue his passion.

Courtesy WFTV

Turquoise is possibly the most valuable, non-transparent mineral used in jewelry. It has been mined since at least 6000 BC by Egyptians. Like other opaque such as coral, turquoise is commonly sold by the size in millimeters rather than by weight.

Turquoise is usually found sandstone layers and can be seen as splotches or as a network of brown or black veins running through the sandstone. There are many small-scale mining operations that are worked by hand. Only one mine in Apache Canyon California operates at a commercial capacity today.

With a hardness of just under 6, about the hardness of window glass, this gemstone takes a good polish. It comes in white, blue, green, brown, yellow and all of the shades in between. The value of the turquoise you will find is determined by the richness of color. Robin’s egg is usually the most valuable. The more of a green hug or lightening of color will decrease the value. Turquoise should never be soft or chalky in color.

Turquoise is typically found in the arid regions of the world and some high quality gemstones have been found in the Southwest United States such as Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.

As any Jeep fan knows, there is nothing quite like tackling a Jeep restoration project. The satisfaction of working on your Jeep slowly but steadily; fine-tuning and remodelling it to your exact requirements and specifications is one of the most amazing feelings you can enjoy as a car enthusiast. If you have an old Jeep, and you are planning to do the restoration work yourself, then make sure you have all the resources you need to ensure that your project is as rewarding as it is fun.


Before you get started on your project, you need to find a good parts dealer that stocks all the items you will require for your restoration project. Are you planning to do a lot of action packed off-roading and adventure trailing? Then you will need a 4x4 dealer that sells supplies such as winches, half-doors or bug screens. Looking for a less rugged appearance? Then you will need to find a dealer who sells a range of chrome, aluminium, stainless steel or powder brushed quality Jeep accessories to suit your tastes and requirements. Some of the parts you might require could include the following:

Metal detecting, be it relic or treasure hunting, is appealing whether as a work or a hobby. There are several ideal places where we can go detecting to enjoy using our metal detector. It might be on a beach, near a gold prospecting site, or in an area that has many old relics and artifacts in it. But first, we need to pay attention to the rules and regulations of where we would like to go metal detecting.

Primarily, we have to start hunting in our own backyard, our neighbors’ backyard, our friends’ backyard, the sidewalks and the porches, the flower beds, and behind the trees. This would be the start of our metal detecting career. What we can find in these places depends on how old the house and/or land is. It would be a lot of fun finding lots of memorabilia such as old coins, relics, bottles, jewelries, lost things or maybe an entire collection.

Another fine place to do metal detecting is in parks and playgrounds. Our community parks, city parks, old parks, zoos, picnic areas, city playgrounds, old playgrounds, sandboxes, swings, campgrounds and old battlefields is where we could go to look behind large trees, grassy areas, old trees, shady spots, unpaved parking lots, spaces where lovers hide to get away from the crowd, under park benches and pathways. It’s possible to find new coins, old coins, lost rings or earrings, wedding bands, bracelets, watches, kids’ trinkets, toys – all lost or left behind.

Placer Gold-Where to find gold!

The precious metal of gold has fascinated humans for thousands of years. But how do we actually get it out of the ground? Let’s take a look at the most common ways to mine gold.

There are two main gold mining methods, one is called “placer" and the other is “vein" mining. And another type of mining is when gold is collected as a by-product in the mining of other metals.

Placer Mining

Placer mining is practiced when the metal is found in unconsolidated deposits of sand and gravel from which the gold can be easily separated because of its high density. The sand and gravel suspended in moving water. Much heavier metal sinks to bottom and is separated by hand.

The simplest method of placer mining is panning. Here the miner swirls the mixture in a pan rapidly enough to carry the water and most of the gravel and sand over the edge while the gold remains on bottom. This was the classic method used by the Forty-Niners during the California gold rush of 1849 and has been immortalized in story, art, and song.