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April, 2014

  1. Where To Now?

    April 20, 2014 by Melissa Shallcross

     

     

     

    Well, since this is my last “passion” post relating to all things treasure, I figure I should leave you with a few television shows that will continue to show you the great thrill of the hunt. Of course there are so many out there on History Channel and Discovery Channel that I love to watch. It’s amazing to see the kinds of things that people can find all over the country, where they find them, and especially how they came across them. I’ll give you a little synopsis of a few I’ve watched many times.

    Auction Hunters

    Auction Hunters

    – Auction Hunters – This show gives “treasure hunting” a different perspective. The stars of the show, Allen and Ton, travel around the country in search for storage unit auctions. When a person with a storage unit doesn’t pay their rent for a set amount of time, their unit can go up for auction to the public. The trick to these auctions, though, is that they don’t always know what’s actually in the unit, what they’re bidding on. Usually the auctioneer will give the crowd a few minutes for everyone to get a look at the unit. However, they aren’t allowed to touch anything. So behind that gigantic dirty old couch could be pirate’s treasure chest – or nothing. Allen and Ton are experienced and use clues of the objects they can see and judge what else the person could have hid inside the unit. You’d be surprised what some people have!

    Link

    American Pickers

    – American Pickers – Mike and Frank are a duo of “pickers” who travel the country and love to get down and dirty looking for valuable antiques and collectibles in people’s own collections and junk yards. While they find so many great treasures on the show and make a pretty good profit, one of my favorite things about this show is the people they run into on the show. Usually the people they find have such unique stories of how they got involved in “picking” and their personalities are almost always just as unique. The people can be seen as treasures themselves.

    Link

    Antiques Roadshow

    – The Antiques Roadshow – I grew up with The Antiques Roadshow on PBS, so obviously it’s my favorite. The Antique Roadshow is a traveling group of antique appraisers who travel the United States and who welcome anyone to bring their antique belongings to be analyzed by professionals. I don’t know if there’s a permanent group of appraisers that travel the country or not, but I do know they have appraisers who specialize in certain areas of cultures and arts in different areas they travel to. Whether the guest has an idea of what their item is worth – or even an idea of what their item is – or not, the appraisers on The Antique Roadshow always seem to figure out just how much it’s worth and explain the history of each.

     

    I’ve seen just about everything on the collection of antique and collectibles shows I watch. It’s amazing what people find and how something can be worth millions of dollars and was just found in the closet. So, I hope this little list will open you up to a world of antiques and treasures that will continue my stories of the thrill of treasure hunting. Enjoy!

     

    Works Cited:

    http://www.sentryjournal.com/2011/03/08/history-channels-american-pickers/

    http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Antiques-Roadshow-2013-Box-Daily-Calendar-Posters_i8928425_.htm

    http://www.tvrage.com/Auction_Hunters


  2. Good or Bad?

    April 11, 2014 by Melissa Shallcross

    I would like to continue with the belief that some people share that multiculturalism is indeed more harmful than helpful. Many people, especially in the U.S., seem to believe that multiculturalism is a good way to make everybody equal and feel included in the community. However, there are those who believe that making everyone feel equal to each other is in fact threatening our way of life. One article I have found, written in 2012 by Clifford D May, a journalist for the National Review Online, analyzes the negative side of multiculturalism.

    May begins his article by recalling an event years ago when he was a newspaper columnist. A local group approached he and the paper he worked for asking for support in their editorial section for a program they ran that supported the celebration of multiculturalism. Seemingly, this is where his opinions on the issue began to form. He and the paper denied the group’s request, not understanding why they would want to celebrate multiculturalism. He recalls thinking, “Would it not be better to celebrate all the things we have in common, all the things that unite Americans of whatever ethnic or religious backgrounds?”

    Afterwards, he realized the group’s idea of multiculturalism had been merely to spread the appreciation of different cultural arts and food. However, as he thought more about the idea, he realized there were deeper results and consequences that encouraging multiculturalism meant. Specifically, he realized beneath the superficial ideas of learning about diverse cultures and accepting them for who they are, the U.S.’s own culture and ideologies were being threatened.

    How so? Well, May explains that multiculturalism hinders assimilation and integration. Well, that’s what multiculturalism is, isn’t it? Or is it not supposed to be people refusing to integrate and adjust to their new home, but rather just recognizing and spreading the appreciation? His opinions on the issue, as you will see, stem from his perception that multiculturalism is actually about completely preserving your heritage and lifestyle. This perception is different than mine, and makes me question if a big issue of multiculturalism actually stems from the perceptions and expectations of everyone involved. Think about it as I continue to explain May’s ideas.

    One negative effect of multiculturalism that May explains is the idea that “by emphasizing collective identities and group rights, and by pushing for equality of results rather than equality of opportunity, multiculturalism undermines individual freedom and devalues the Western cultures that have nurtured and defended it.” This is interesting to me. Do you think that multiculturalism, in whatever stage it is in throughout different regions of the U.S., that celebrating and recognizing other cultures and ethnicities devalues Western culture? I feel like this opinion can be looked at in different ways. Does this mean U.S. citizens’ values and ideas are being slowly pushed down by the increasing number of immigrants and cultures flooding in? And overall, do the majority of immigrants who do come to America truly want to preserve their cultural identity like we seem to assume they do? Do no immigrants come to America and want to assimilate into our culture? I feel like this is an issue within the issue that may need a little more attention.

    Another negative effect May points to about multiculturalism, and that many other people have pointed to since September 1, 2001, is the fear of terrorists. Since the fateful day about thirteen years ago, our culture seems to have picked up a generally negative connotation with people from the Middle East. I cannot imagine how hard it must be for many immigrants from the Middle East who are truly trying to live peacefully and undisturbed in the U.S. However, this brings me to the issue May points to, that increasing U.S. citizens’ tolerance of multiculturalism increases the chance of terrorists taking advantage of this tolerance and infiltrating the U.S. on malignant terms. I do believe this could be a problem, but I feel for those innocent ones who suffer from prejudice against Middle Easterners. This is obviously an issue, both the problem of creating a society more vulnerable to terrorist attacks and the problem of innocent immigrants being judged because of their cultural background, which is what multiculturalism is against.

    Obviously there is much debate out there about the idea of multiculturalism, not only in the U.S., but around the world. What do you think, what does a society centered around multiculturalism truly mean? And do the negative effects outweigh the positive ones?

     

    Works Cited:

    http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/303529/trouble-multiculturalism-clifford-d-may


  3. To Europe!

    April 10, 2014 by Melissa Shallcross

    One thing about Europe that I am very jealous of is its age. Castles and ruins and old churches, from the middle ages to the Roman era and beyond. You can’t find any of that in the United States, which was only settled a few hundred years ago. The U.S. is like a baby compared to its older brother Europe.

    Greater age means older relics – and more relics – to find. Sure, every once in a while in America someone will stumble upon some impressive discovery of a stash of coins from the eighteen hundreds or old wartime relics buried in battlefields. But Europe’s rich history over thousands of years of occupancy has created so much culture and so many diverse stories, all waiting to be told through a relic lifted from the ground. Not just two hundred-year old coins and old belt buckles from the U.S. Civil War, but things like ancient Roman coins and relics from biblical times!

    Imagine living on a piece of land that has been occupied for thousands of years! For all you know, if you live in Europe, your house could be sitting on an ancient burial ground from the Black Death or the site of an old Renaissance era house that burned down. Here in the U.S., I’d be happy finding an old wartime souvenir or a coin from the 1800’s, because I know the U.S. hasn’t had all that much time to gather enough history to provide a ton artifacts than those few hundred years. (Granted, I know there’s history from the Native Americans, but in the long run, I believe Europe still provides a more diverse and historic treasure trove.)

    Let’s look at some of the things people have found in the last several decades in the old land of Europe.

     

    <—- Anglo-Saxon gold, from war items to crosses and a strip of engraved gold with a biblical inscription on it (pictured at left) were all found by a metal detector hobbyist in Staffordshire, England. In 2009, this man, Terry Herbert, went metal detecting in a field and found and excavated over 500 artifacts before contacting professionals, who then excavated another 800 pieces. This is said to be one of the best archaeological Anglo-Saxon finds ever, with its contents dating all the way from the 7th century. Go find that in America.

     

     

     

    Talk about luck! At only 3 years old, James Hyatt dug up an amazing treasure in Hockley, Essex, ——-> England. After only a few minutes of holding the metal detector in the field, as James recalls, “I was holding the detector and it went beep, beep, beep. Then we dug into the mud. There was gold there. We didn’t have a map – only pirates have treasure maps.” How insanely adorable is this equally insanely lucky kid? It is believed that what they found is a reliquary (a locket holding a religious relic) dating back to the 16th century, around the time of Henry VIII.

     

    Well, I’ve run out of room… but if you want to see more insane treasures found by ordinary people in Europe (… well it seems I’ve focused on Britain) then check out this article which talks about another discovery of ancient Celtic silver coins found in England and has a list of several other significant finds!

     

    Works Cited:

    http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/09/24/staffordshire.uk.gold.hoard/

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jersey-metal-detector-treasure-hunters-941566

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330198/James-Hyatt-unearths-2-5m-treasure-trove-FIRST-metal-detecting-expedition.html


  4. Saddle Ridge Hoard

    April 4, 2014 by Melissa Shallcross

    Hunting for world coins in antique shops and just collecting them on my travels is definitely exciting to me, but the idea of going out and searching for old coins on a dive or out on old land with a metal detector sounds like so much more fun!  Although my dad used to go scuba diving on old wrecks all the time years ago and I would love to learn how, I really don’t think scuba diving is fit for me. I’d be too afraid of there being an accident and the ocean isn’t a very forgiving place. Plus, I don’t live that close to the shore, so scuba diving for coins doesn’t seem to be an option for me.

    Diving for treasure

    Diving for Treasure
    http://www.exploring-the-outer-banks.com/wreck-diving.html

    Metal detecting for coins on a place rich with history, like near a battlefield or on an old settlement, would be super exciting! I have a metal detector and we’ve used it before on the beach. Found a Kentucky state quarter – not quite what I was hoping for. Once again, I don’t live near any place of such historical importance to be able to just go out and find something really old. So I’ll stick to the metal detecting the few times in the summer I do end up on the beach.

    But do you really need to be near the ocean or an old battlefield to find something really cool? Apparently not! About a month ago, the media caught wind of the story of a couple in California who stumbled on the find of a lifetime. Last February, while walking their dog on their property in Northern California, the middle-aged couple, who have asked to remain anonymous, noticed an old can sticking out of the ground. Curious, they dug it out, and seven others like it.

    What they found in those eight cans is considered by the couple’s representative, veteran numismatist Don Kagin, to be one of the

    Saddle Ridge Hoard

    Saddle Ridge Hoard
    http://news.yahoo.com/calif-couple-strike-10-million-gold-coin-bonanza-183614916.html

    largest coin discoveries of the kind in the U.S. What makes the Saddle Ridge Hoard such an amazing find is the near mint condition of the 1,427 gold coins dated from the 1840s and 1850s. With a face value of about $27,000, this load of coins is estimated to be worth over $10 million because of the rarity of its age and condition. Some are so rare they’re valued at about one million dollars a piece. Why are these coins so rare? Well, until the 1880s, California had banned the use of paper money, so coins from before then were usually well worn and few were intentionally preserved. Check this article and video here to hear more about the treasure.

    Graded Saddle Ridge Coin http://news.yahoo.com/calif-couple-strike-10-million-gold-coin-bonanza-183614916.html

    Graded Saddle Ridge Coin
    http://news.yahoo.com/calif-couple-strike-10-million-gold-coin-bonanza-183614916.html

    No one knows the real story behind these coins, why they were taken freshly-minted stored in cans buried in the ground. One theory is that in the 1850s or so, the person who buried these coins did so because they mistrusted banks at the time and buried them as their own security measure.

    Whatever may be the true story behind the coins, the point is, an ordinary couple in California found a huge treasure in their own backyard. They didn’t need scuba gear or metal detectors (initially at least), all they needed was an observant eye and a curious mind. We don’t have to be insane treasure hunters like Indiana Jones, we can just be ordinary – maybe with a little more luck than most people, but ordinary overall.

    P.S. – Did I mention the finders are planning on selling most of the coins on Amazon?

     

     

     

     

    Works Cited:

    http://news.yahoo.com/calif-couple-strike-10-million-gold-coin-bonanza-183614916.html


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