Top Tip for Xmas Gift for Historians in Family

Best Christmas Gifts Suggestion for Energetic Historian on Holiday

Nov 8, 2009 Dawn Ouedraogo

One of best Xmas gifts for budding historian, archaeologist or treasure hunter is a metal detector. Scots, David Booth agrees after a find worth over £1m on first outing

A top tip for an exciting Xmas gift for the family historian, collector or budding archeologist has to be a metal detector. Whether used in the locality or taken away on holiday, a lightweight metal detector is one of the best gifts for Christmas for history buffs.

Scotsman, David Booth certainly feels this to be the case after finding several ancient gold torc necklaces, possibly dating back to 300BC and valued at up to £2m. This was David's first outing with his new metal detector, but it is unlikely to be his last.

Metal Detectors and Beginner's Luck

The metal detector is a potential best buy for history buffs at Christmas for several reasons, not least being the element of 'beginners luck' associated with David Booth's find in early November 2009. On David's first outing with his new metal detector, and only 7 paces away from his car, he unearthed a treasure trove of Iron Age gold jewellery valued at over £1m.

The treasure that David discovered, has excited experts across Scotland and is said to be the most important Iron Age finding in Britain and indeed one of the most important finds in Europe. The find will belong to the Crown, however, David will be in line for a substantial reward, possibly to the value of his treasures.

Top Xmas Gift for Historians, Christmas 2009 - Metal Detector

Of course, its unlikely that most novices in the field of metal detecting would achieve the success of David Booth on their first outing with a metal detector. A little research into local history and an idea of ancient settlements though would give more opportunity of yielding something of interest. The most important aspect of treasure hunting is, of course, ensuring that permission is gained from landowners prior to hunting on private lands.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Metal Detecting or Treasure Hunting

Some benefits to buying a metal detector as a gift are:

encouragement of an active and healthy lifestyle;
develops interests in archaeology, antiquities and history;
promotes historical research, with a need to identify potential sites of interest;
modern metal detectors are lightweight, collapsible tools that can be folded into suitcases for international travel and thus the opportunity for potential finds anywhere in the world. Ideal for the beachcomber or the mountain hiker.

There are drawbacks to metal detecting, the following list is not exhaustive:

weather conditions can irretrievably ruin an outing. Wet and cold treasure hunters working in muddy areas can have their enjoyment spoilt somewhat;
the 20th, 30th or even 50th ring pull from a coke can, or piece of tin foil, can cause novice interest to wane. This can be a particular issue when beachcombing or working in areas that have had a great deal of public access over many years.

Suggested Gifts to Accompany the Purchase of a Metal Detector

Further suggestions for gifts to accompany a metal detector are:

local history books, with details of historic settlements;
books on coins, antiques, jewellery, how to identify precious metals, etc are ideal;
equipment for metal detecting excursions, such as shovel, trowel, small spoon for digging out tiny objects, as and when the detector indicates that the objects are close, a small brush to dust off any find.

Finally, nothing can beat the first real finds with a metal detector, for young and old alike. Although the articles may be battered and unrecognisable they will be treasured for life.

For ideas on Primary Source gifts for Historians See: Xmas Gifts for Historians, or for a lighthearted romp through modern Britain why not buy the book, The Average Life of the Average Person

The copyright of the article Top Tip for Xmas Gift for Historians in Family in Historical Resources is owned by Dawn Ouedraogo. Permission to republish Top Tip for Xmas Gift for Historians in Family in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Historians Worldwide Have Fun with Metal Detectors