Brandon Twp – Wilford Rymar has been ‘pleasure? hunting for more than 30 years.
While his wife Sheila tells her husband that his treasures are’old junk,? Rymar considers the metal coins, buckles and pins a prize of the ancient sort.
Rymar’s hobby is metal detecting.
‘The first time I tried it I was hooked,? chuckled Rymar explaining that his first ‘hunt? in England was at a countryside sheep farm.
‘I stepped out of the car and within three steps I had a signal,? he said.
One pitch with a hand shovel revealed an old coin, which he later found out was a commerative coin of the Roman Empire, minted under Mark Anthony with a commerative picture of a Roman Galley on the back.
‘I’ve been hooked ever since,? he laughed.
Bronze crotal bells, dagger tips, buckle plates, pins, rings, clothes hooks, and armor attachments of ancient Roman times are just a few of Rymar’s spoils.
Most items in his collection appear datable and are identified by the design, banding, decoration, cuts, and metal blends.
‘Bronze, of Roman times was the metal of the day because the combination of tin and copper was the strongest pliable metal at the time,? he said.
Grabbing several greyish broken loops, Rymar explained that Roman rings usually turn up in pieces, often missing the midsection at the palm of the hand.
As he lifts a host of pin-like tapers similar to carpenter nails, Rymar said usually the metal pins can be identified by cut ridges, knobs, or filigree dating back to between 100 b.c. and 400 a.d.
‘Bronz was the strongest metal they had so we find a lot more bronze than gold,? he said.
Having been heavily traveled by the Celts, Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Medieval and Tudor era occupations, England’s landscape is well deposited with buried evidence of habitation.
‘In the case of roads, very little has changed in Europe so if there are cross roads, it’s likely there was a small town in that location at one point in time.Many times an encampment can be traced, based on where cross roads are located,? explained Rymar.
A history in damp hibernation waiting to be awakened by the echo of a modern day marvel of the simple metal detector. Tokens of art long ago lost, lay shallow beneath the cross road grounds.
‘Many times treasure catches, and underwater searches should not be limited to jewels and museum artifacts, however.
Rymar says the adventure is in the hunt and locally, homesteads, adjoining outbuildings, and even new home site are a treasure trove of historical gems.
‘Think about the history beneath our feet. There has been a lot of living done in our old homes that have history in the back yard,?
While American artifacts can not necessarily be considered ancient at only 300 years old, Rymar says plucking up old tools, ax heads, horse shoes, jewelry, civil war artifacts, or metal toys reveal the history of your home.
Metal detecting is not as prevalent in the United States because of the lack of artifacts, says Rymar, who added most people fear that removals involve excavation.
‘Many people around here think that searching for artifacts in their yards will tear up their lawns, but that’s simply not the case,? Rymar said.
‘It’s as simple as walking the property with the detector.?
‘When it signals I cut a small circle of sod over top of the area, often the object will pull right out with the plug.?
In the event the treasure needs coaxing, Rymar says a simple hand shovel will do the trick but in general machines only go to a depth of 12 inches.
While he encourages people to explore the hobby of metal detecting, Rymar says he would be happy to sweep for lost or unknown items on a residents homestead.
To learn more about Rymar’s hobby or to have him scan for buried pieces contact him at: (248) 857-8888.