David Cowley

Treasure Hunting For Civil War Artifacts



Posted: Friday, May 09, 2008

by
dfc investment team

 Civil War Cannon
 

If you're a modern-day treasure hunter you may wonder how you can find some great Civil War artifacts, whether on your own or through another seller that has already found them for you.  Believe it or not, there are still some great items you can find from the Civil War even after all these decades.
Obviously in order to hunt up some Civil War artifacts you're going to need some equipment.  Metal detectors are not just for beach bums anymore, and they have become much more sophisticated and useful in the past few years.  For instance, many today have their electronic components built into the headphones you wear, meaning that the stick part of the detector is much lighter than it once was.  This eliminates a lot of the arm fatigue you would normally have when hunting down artifacts in a large field.  There's nothing more irritating when treasure hunting than to have to stop and rest your arm simply because your equipment is poorly built and far too heavy!

You would also need to travel to where you can find some great Civil War artifacts in order to find these great items.  Chances are you won't find anything in areas such as Michigan, California, or Maine.  Instead you need to do your hunting where there were significant battles in order to find great Civil War memorabilia.  These states include areas such as Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and areas like this.

 Civil War Buckle
 

It's also important that you understand just what you're looking for by way of Civil War artifacts.  Not every coin or piece of metal you find is going to be an actual artifact and there's no guarantee that it has any connection to the Civil War.  It's also important that you obey local laws and respect property rights of those who may live in the areas where you're going to find Civil War antiques.  Obviously you can't just start walking up and down the streets of Virginia, waving your metal detector, and lay claim to anything and everything you find!  Public parks, beaches, and other such places are really the only places where you can openly go and search and then keep what you find.

You can hunt for artifacts on private property if you first get permission from the owner.  Remember to always leave nothing behind except footprints.  You do not want the next person that tries to hunt in the same area but is denied permission because you left holes in the ground or you left a soda can behind.

If you're serious about hunting down Civil War artifacts you need to do your homework.  Many people assume that real treasure hunters spend all their time out in the field digging up relics, but in reality much of your time is probably going to be spent in the library or online.  You need to understand what to look for, where to find them, and where to sell them once they're found if that's what you want to do with them.  And because antiques can be greatly compromised in value when they are cared for improperly, it's important to be sure you clean and store them appropriately.  Even the sturdiest of Civil War memorabilia needs to be taken care of delicately in order to preserve it for the next several centuries as well!

Happy treasure hunting.
David Cowley has created numerous articles on Treasure Hunting. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to Treasure Hunting. Visit Treasure Hunting
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