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Having retired 13 years ago at the age of 60 and looking for an outdoor
hobby connected to history, I found the perfect answer - METAL DETECTING.
It is a good way to keep fit, meet new friends and of course finding ancient
artefacts and ancient coins and other losses. There is nothing more exciting
than to discover something that has been buried for hundreds of years.
More excitement is in the research. This you do through books or the internet
and of course other detectorists. When I joined the Pembrokeshire Prospectors
as a complete beginner, everyone was so helpful, for which I was very
grateful. After all these years I hope that I am now able to do the same
for new comers to the hobby.
Firstly be quite sure that you want to be a detectorist, then buy the
best machine that you can afford. Spend time reading about the machine
but don't run before you can walk, read the basics and experiment with
objects that you have planted in the soil and see how the machine reacts
to different metals. Also don't be afraid to ask for advice from fellow
detectorists. Then it is time to start searching. Never go on land until
you have been given permission to do so by the land owner. Soon you will
start to find things, but don't expect something good each time that you
go searching. Remember this, there has to be something in the soil before
the detector can find it. When you have recovered an object, always replace
the turf as you found it so as not to endanger animals.
Over  the
years I suppose that I have been very lucky. I did not have to wait long
for my first hammered coin which was an Elizabeth the 1st penny. Now I
have around 35 hammered coins. Roman coins are not so plentiful in Pembrokeshire,
so they can be quite hard to find. I must admit to the fact that I only
have two, the oldest being a Sestertius of the Emperor Trajan 116 AD.
Artefacts cover a range of different objects from Bronze age axe heads
to modern day rings etc. My best artefact find was a Papal Bulla of Pope
Clement IV (1265AD). Papal Bulla are rare in Pembrokeshire and only a
few have been found. They are seals of Popes and were attached to documents
that announced the Canonisation of a Saint or  other
important events. They were then delivered to many countries by hand,
travelling many hundreds of miles before they reached their destination.
I often look at "my" Bulla and wonder what tales it could tell.
That is why I think of detecting as "hands on history" and this
makes the hobby so exciting. Some people have found more than I have,
others not so much, but either way it has kept me happy for the last 13
years and there is a lot left in the tank yet! So remember, you are not
finished at 60 and the hobby has a  lot
to offer you and you have a lot to offer the hobby. And finally, when
you go into a field always beware of Bulls. They have a habit of standing
in the shade where they are not easily seen. The next thing you hear is
the thundering of angry hooves and Bulls run much faster than us!!
Watch out there may be a Bull about!
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