A 10-year old Jacob Jamison got hooked on metal detecting by watching his dad in the field. Now Jacob is in his early twenties and enjoying it as much as he did when he was just starting. The first detector he swung was a White’s Coin Master. He got it as a Christmas gift from a friend. It was a great machine at the time, and he used it whenever possible. As his knowledge of the machine grew, Jacob realized it was time for an upgrade. Luckily, the friend who had given him the detector was also a Minelab dealer.

It turned out his dad was also going to upgrade his machine, and both chose Minelab. Jacob ended up deciding on the X-TERRA 705 and his dad bought the CTX 3030. Over the last decade, he’s tried a lot of different machines, all Minelab. When asked which ones he used, he replied, “I have experience with the EQUINOX 600 and 800, X-TERRA 705 and 505, CTX 3030, E-TRAC and the GO-FIND. I also used a few gold machines like the GPZ 7000 and the SDC 2300.”

When asked about places he enjoys detecting, his response was, “I like to hunt anywhere I can. Some places are trashier than others, but what I like the most is old homestead sites or ghost towns getting off the grid where no one has gone before.” Living in Idaho there are a lot of old sites from which to choose.

Jacob says consistency is key. When he swings across a target, he is looking for a solid repeating tone. Occasionally, Jacob will dig a scratchy inconsistent target, but most times it’s iron or other garbage. He finds sometimes it’s a mistake to leave a signal when your partner comes behind you and digs a belt buckle or something you passed up.

Jacob’s dad is his usual detecting partner. Occasionally, they will have a third buddy join them, but usually, it’s just the two of them. He has attended a few small, seeded hunts, and one larger one in Florida where he met Debbie Smikoski, Director of Tactical Sales & Events for Minelab, North America. She has since become a large factor in his detecting life. Jacob indicated he would like to attend more seeded events if he gets the opportunity.

Another question for Jacob was, “How do you get permissions?” His answer was, “We always try and get permission for properties that we want to hunt whether by knocking on a door or asking a neighbor looking for a phone number. Most times people are curious, but then, occasionally, you get a “no”, and that’s okay because later they might move out or the place gets torn down, so be patient.”

What were a few of your favorite finds with your detector was another question Jacob was asked. “While I have found a lot of neat stuff when detecting with my dad, but my oldest coin is tops. It’s worn, but I am pretty sure it is a draped bust US large cent. This would be a late 1700’s or early 1800’s date. I also found an old pistol outside of a ghost town in Idaho. It was on the side of the dirt road and had eroded out of the mountain side and had been recently exposed. I also found some nice gold nuggets in Nevada.

Jacob and his dad visited his dad’s cousin, Scott Webb, one day. It turns out Scott is the camp director for an Easter Seals camp. Easter Seals is the largest provider of recreation and camping services for children and adults with disabilities in the United States. Jacob learned about the camp and how they were looking for some staff. Jacob then found another treasure without even using his detector.

He began working at the camp and he and his dad thought it would be a great idea to run an activity for campers to learn how to metal detect. Jacob planted a few coins and assorted objects in the fields and beach on the campground. He taught the campers how to use his detectors and recover the hidden objects. Jacob forwarded pictures and videos to Debbie and she was able to have several Minelab VANQUISH detectors sent to him for use in the camp. This helped him teach more and more campers about the joys of detecting. For Jacob and the campers, this was indeed a great treasure.

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