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No gold treasure yet, but the fun is in the looking
Metal detector enthusiast Keith Ehrman's ultimate goal of unearthing a large cache of gold coins has yet to come to fruition.
However, Ehrman, 42 of Uniontown, has recently made several unique finds that were buried just below the earth's surface in the area around Uniontown and Bronson.
"Old coins, an old dog tag from 1897 I found in my yard, musket rounds, and World War I pins and buttons," Ehrman said of his finds.
Ehrman said his collection of previously buried coins includes, an 1886 Indian head penny, Barber coinage from the late 1890s and early 1900s, and early 1900s mercury dimes. While the value isn't high, Ehrman said he plans on keeping the coins for his own personal collection. In the past, Ehrman said he has swapped unearthed items with other local residents.
"I just like finding coins and silver and jewelry," Ehrman said. "I'm mainly in it for the coins. Plus, it's boring here and you need a hobby, and there's a lot of old stuff."
According to Ehrman, it's not all fun and games when on the treasure hunt.
"If you want to find your gold rings, you have to pull every pull (soda) tab up out of the ground," he said. "And that's kind of another thing about metal detecting. You clean a lot of the trash out of the ground. There's so many shards of aluminum and trash in the ground.... it's insane."
Ehrman moved to Uniontown from Montery County, Calif., five years ago. He purchased his metal detector, a Garrett AT Pro, for around $600, three years ago.
"I've paid for this thing already just with the change I've found," he said. "I've dug up (around) $700 dollars in just regular change, from 1965 on up. Anything 1964 and below, other than pennies and nickels, is silver."
The history of the area was one of the main reasons Ehrman decided to purchase a metal detector.
"I've been to some of the old school house properties around here," he said. "And I've been in Bronson a little bit."
Ehrman said he first seeks permission from the property owner before embarking on a metal detecting hunt.
"You don't go around and just start digging in somebody's yard. You've got to have permission," he said. "And I guess me being the plumber around here, people kind of let me dig around all over the place. It's a privilege to be able to do it, and not to go out and vandalize and trash somebody else's property."
Ehrman remains upbeat that he will one day strike gold.
"It's tough," he said. "But a lot of people buried their money way back when because they didn't trust their banks, and banks were always getting robbed. And this is Jesse James territory through here."
Some of Ehrman's other unique finds include trade tokens.
"I found a token for a free shave at a barber shop," he said. "And another token for a 10-cent pair of shoes at the OK Shoe Store. Where are you going to find a pair of 10-cent shoes?
Sometimes the items appear in the least likely locations.
"It's weird how things get to places," Ehrman said. "I have a coin that's from Independence State Bank from 1921, and on the back of it, it says, 'If you smile until 10 a.m., you'll be happy the rest of the day.'"
Ehrman has some advice for those interested in taking up metal detecting as a hobby.
"Don't ever trespass," he said. "And be careful of the snakes, ticks and the chiggers. Also, do your research -- that's kind of key. This town has changed so much though the years. Go to City Hall to see if they have old maps."
Ehrman acquired a map of the Uniontown area, which he said has aided his searches.
"It showed me where the old school was," he said. "And that's where I found a lot of those old coins."