National Geographic Channel-Diggers

Has anyone watched this show? George "King George" Wyant and his buddy Tim "The Ring Master" Saylor, do the same thing that we all do. MDing for the thrill of the adventure and find something to show/tell and learn from. Yet, if you browse online, they are already being accused on being "looters" (sounds familiar?). I like this reality show because, unlike the American Diggers show, these two guys look real and depict the reality of our hobby. The great majority of us do this for fun, not for profit. As these folks very well put it, our expenses significantly outweigh the intrinsic value of our finds. But we keep doing it because it's a hobby, and as such, it carries a monetary price that we all are aware of. As with every pastime, its value resides on the personal satisfaction derived from it, not on a monetary value. What do you think?

As extracted from

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A Word From the Diggers, KG and Ringy:

Treasure hunting is a great recreational sport that should be enjoyed by anyone that wishes to participate. It should make you feel like a kid again— like you are on that clichéd quest for buried pirate treasure. The detecting experience should be shared by friends, talked about, and laughed about. In doing so, respecting private property and obtaining permission will go a long way to keeping sites open for detectorists.

Why We Hunt for Treasure
As you know, we all hunt treasure relentlessly and with great passion, and although we have assembled what some would consider awesome piles of coins and artifacts, the truth is that after a lifetime of treasure hunting, the cost of equipment, gas, food, and other expenses outweighs the true value of the objects by a landslide. In other words, we are not in this hobby to make a living off of the objects we dig up, and they couldn’t, even if that was indeed our goal.

We got into this game because we enjoy the thrill of the hunt and the tangible history that comes with digging up, say, a well-worn 1897 Barber dime. While worth next to nothing and easily obtainable at the coin shop for a few bucks, it is precious and incredible to us, because we can hold it in our hands, feel the smoothness of the coin, and imagine who might have lost it and why. Sometimes it’s the small, insignificant find that can be the spark to ignite a lifetime of passion for history, collecting, and learning. Not to mention, being outdoors with friends and family, exercise, fresh air, and being away from the TV for a while is good too.


The accusers:

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As far as I know, the diggings in these shows happen in private property with permission of the landowners. As far as I know, archaeological artifacts are fully protected on federal and state lands, but not necessarily on private property. As extracted from

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"Although a number of laws target sites on state or federally owned property, many more are located on private property. This means that large numbers of our nation's archeological resources are not protected unless you make it your business to care for them."

However, each state has its own language concerning the management and use of archaeological sites and its content on private land. Two examples are Texas and Indiana wherein artifacts found on private property are excluded from federal and state archaeological protection:

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In Washington State, the government has some control over archaeological artifacts on private property  .

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If artifacts from the past belong to society, why do we have to pay to see what is ours in museums? Should not all museums be free of charge like the Smithsonian? Why was Sue the T-Rex sold to the Field Museum in Chicago for $8.3 millions instead of giving it out for free for the enjoyment of people, its rightful owners? Why is Sue considered a great investment instead of a great prehistoric find? See:

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Dear archaeologists, I respect antiquities and the preservation of our past, but accusing us of looters is ridiculous and make me feel lack of respect for your profession. Retrieving a few bullets from a battle ground and a corroded toothpaste tube from a prison museum (with permission) is not robbing anything from our rich historical past. And if it is, tell us what it is auctioning a T-Rex, found on Cheyenne's public land, for monetary purposes?





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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,37627.msg231922.html#msg231922

		Quote:			Posted by BitburgAggie_7377
	Unless people start thinking everyone swinging a detector is either headed for a walker next OR a hyped up clown, I don't see this as being bad (although I'm sure those who want to shut us down will use it as one more arrow in their quiver in their quest to exercise their control over everything).

Oh, yes they will for sure!

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,37627.msg231927.html#msg231927

		Quote:			Posted by homefire
	Every Metal Detecting show, Gold Panning show, Dumpster Diving show or the lot is Poison to the Game.

  You sure believe painting with a broad brush, don't you Homefire?

  Like I said, Diggers was actually a pretty good show and the hosts were responsible, even if they were a bit eccentric.  Don't forget, all of us were "Wanna Bees" at one time or another.   This show at least shows detectorists hunting in a responsible manner.  It is much more like Meteorite Men than it is like American Diggers.

BA

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		Quote:			Posted by homefire
	Sorry, that's the Nature of the Beast but that is the way it is.

I guess that those individuals would trash our hobby no matter what. I know they visit our forum and all others looking for ways to keep their evil intentions going. Should we shut down this forum to avoid a backlash? I don't think so. Our presence in treasure hunting forums is important to let the public know what we do and that we don't cause harm. At least with those shows the public get to see what the hobby is all about and make their own judgment. Despite the criticism and the evil intentions, recreational metal detecting is here to stay and will not disappear. The majority cannot be wrong. We are for those individuals what the pull-tabs are for us. No matter what we do, we will always dig a bunch. Let us be their pull-tabs, the more they dig into our hobby, the more of us they will find, beeping loud and clear. 


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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,37627.msg231948.html#msg231948

The ONLY negative I had with the show was the "hosts" were over the top.  I much prefer the demeanor of the Meteorite Men.   Personally I hope the archaeologists (and it is they or  THEIR professional associations that are trying to kill this specific show) don't succeed in getting National Geographic to pull the plug on Diggers.

BA

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