LMX® GPR finds buried family treasure
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LMX® GPR finds buried family treasure

Sensors & Software customers describe how their LMX200 GPR helped a desperate family by locating a buried family fortune that had been missing for years.

Chadwick and Jackalyn Oldham of Jackwick Metal Detecting recently contacted Sensors & Software about an interesting locating job they had done where their LMX200™ GPR was used to find a buried family fortune in Missouri.

By Chadwick Oldham, Jackwick Metal Detecting

A family of missionaries from Missouri had a large collection of silver coins, worth more than $30,000 US dollars. In 2017, they were preparing to leave for Africa to build schools for the children of Nairobi. Since they did not have a safe, they decided that burying it in the ground was better than nothing. So, they put the silver coins in two 4-foot long and 4-inch diameter PVC pipes and buried them horizontally on top of one another in a narrow deep trench on their rural property. To ensure they could find the burial location upon their return home they took photos of the site that included large trees in the background for reference (Figure 1).

The family took photos of the location of the buried silver
Figure 1
The family documented the location of the buried silver in several ways.

When the family returned home after successfully helping the children of Nairobi, the father, OJ, checked on the silver and the area was untouched. He decided to leave it in the ground until he could get a better way of protecting it.

Fast-forward 3.5 years later to 2021 and OJ decides to dig up the silver. Long story short, after many attempts to dig it up, he cannot find it. So, he begins looking for help to locate his life savings. Over the next 1.5 years, several metal detecting companies came but were unsuccessful, probably because the silver was buried too deep for their equipment to detect. The family heard about GPR technology and thought it might help, so they contacted several GPR service providers. OJ said, “All the other GPR companies wouldn’t come out to take on this job.” The last-ditch effort was to dig with a bobcat, using his memory as a guide. He said, “I just started digging and digging with hopes of finding it, but the situation broke my will and spirit.”

Coincidentally, Jackwick Metal Detecting started to advertise our locating services in the small, local paper. I was out in the field and came back home to get ready for the football game when I received a phone call from the family. I must admit it’s not every day a phone call like this comes in. I talked to OJ’s brother, John, about the situation and, with some reluctance, I agreed to take on the challenge.”

I met the client in his driveway and chatted for a spell then started to assemble my LMX200™ GPR unit. We talked about all the other ways he searched (metal detectors) and other GPR companies that wouldn’t help. The owner’s search up to this point has been over 3 years. I started with a GPR line scan where he remembered placing his silver that day long ago (Figure 2) .

Jackwick Metal Detecting using the LMX200 GPR system for finding the buried silver
Figure 2
The LMX200™ GPR system starting the search.

I started the job at 12pm and with the help of my LMX200™ GPR, by 1 pm I had found a strong hyperbolic response close to 1 meter down (Figure 3).

GPR data of the buried silver
Figure 3
The strong hyperbolic response at position 19 feet turned out to be the buried silver.

I mentioned to OJ that if it were me, I would dig on this hyperbolic response that was about the right depth. OJ thought that the location wasn’t correct that we should continue in more of a westerly direction. We proceeded to work off his memory to no avail.

The whole group stopped for coffee and regrouped. The attitude was very bleak, and OJ said that he was throwing in the towel. He said he invested almost all he had in it but was at peace with his loss. That didn’t sit well with Jackalyn and I at all. The family were missionaries and always helping others in need, so it was their time. I asked him to give us one more chance.

I suggested that we dig on the first hyperbolic response I had found earlier in the day. OJ jumped in the bobcat for one more grasp for his life savings. He was down about 1 meter and he stopped. He jumps down in the ditch and grabs a piece of white plastic. Then his wife started to scream, ” He found it!” (Figure 4).

Two men in the ditch holding the white plastic with the silver
Figure 4
The strong hyperbolic response at position 19 feet turned out to be the buried silver.

The tears wouldn’t stop running and well, everything else is history, as we gave them back their small fortune that day in the middle of a Show-Me State farm field.

Afterwards, OJ said, “Your GPR truly saved the day. Literally nothing else worked. We had tried everything else we could possibly think of.”

I believe everyone dreams of finding treasure at least once in their life. This job will forever go down as my favorite. I often say, Ground Penetrating Radar isn’t just for the subsurface; it will find unbelievable stories and smiles along the way.

Sensors & Software loves to share our customers’ GPR stories! Customer stories, like this one, are always popular, but note that the details and descriptions are those of the authors and Sensors & Software has not edited except for typographical errors.

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