Metal detecting is considered a fun and adventurous activity. Enthusiasts look forward to the days when they can carry their metal detectors and head to the woods or the beach. They hope to find jewelry or historical items and anything in between. This has been the norm for many people since time immemorial.
However, metal detecting has not always been a hobby or adventure to look forward to. Some people have discovered things that they wouldn’t wish to. The adventure has uncovered some of the world’s strangest things, from painted mannequins to human body parts. Here, we look at some of the weirdest findings in the history of metal detecting.
10 World War II Hand Grenade
Metal detecting might seem all fun and games until you discover something that genuinely risks your life, like an undetonated World War II hand grenade. This is precisely what happened to a YouTuber known as Silver Steve Detecting.
In a video uploaded on July 30, 2016, the online content creator and metal-detecting enthusiast narrates that he was walking on a beach in the UK that was once home to numerous World War bunkers. On that day, he was out metal detecting as usual before encountering something strange and deadly—an undetonated hand grenade!
Fortunately, Steve called the local police, who sent specialists to the scene. The authorities detonated the grenade at a safe distance, and no one was hurt. It also proves that the hand grenade was unused and threatened people visiting the beach. It was almost literally a ticking time bomb.
9 A Gun Wrapped in Bubble Wrap
Guns are dangerous! They are used to threaten, harm, and, unfortunately, kill. This basic information alone tells you that finding a weapon using a metal detector isn’t common. Nobody wakes up one day hoping to stumble across a weapon like this, let alone find it wrapped suspiciously. Believe it or not, that was the story of a YouTuber known as Deep Digger Dan.
In a video uploaded on YouTube in 2021, Dan set out in the woods with his metal detector to do what he does best: find objects and create content. The day started as a regular one. He found a small object, an ancient coin, and he thought that was it. However, as he was about to leave the forest, his metal detector picked up something strange: he found what looked like a hand pistol wrapped in bubble wrap!
Usually, if this were a military pistol or one used in good faith, you would not expect it to be wrapped the way it was! Upon removing the bubble wrap, Dan’s fears were confirmed; it was a pistol that had been eaten away by rust and was hardly recognizable. As he should have, he called the police and told them of his finding. The weapon was in horrible shape, and the authorities confirmed it could not be identified to know if it was used to commit a crime. Either way, it was an extraordinary find, don’t you think?
8 A Secret Underground Room
To begin with, anything that has to be kept a secret always raises eyebrows. As a metal detection lover, stumbling over an unknown underground space can be spooky. In 2013, a man out with his metal detector discovered an underground room filled with stones and rusty chains! Nobody seemed to know what the hole was about for the longest time, but many theories were available.
Most natives believed this was a storage space for a family that owned the land and had died several years before its discovery. However, what were the rusty chains for? Some people believed someone else inherited the room after the family left. In contrast, others thought the space was used for paranormal activities. In most parts of the world, people attribute anything they do not understand to spiritual or dark forces.
What remains certain is discovering an underground room while metal detecting doesn’t happen every Sunday; it is strange!
7 World War II Time Capsule and a Painted Mannequin’s Head
Metal detecting is supposed to be fun, but that is not always the case; it is sometimes scary. This is the story of a content creator and metal-detecting enthusiast known as MetalDetecting24. As he was doing his business, his metal detector started to go off, and he turned his attention to a blue cylinder that was sealed and buried underground.
As expected, curiosity got the better of him, so he opened the can. To his surprise, he found what looked like a chopped human head but soon discovered it was a mannequin. Still, it was painted red and had what looked like a knife stabbed into the side of its head and stuck together with tape.
In a separate lunch-box-like tin, there was what seemed to be a time capsule. It is unclear why someone would go through so much trouble assembling something like that. And while the discovery might not be as spooky as the rest on this list, finding something like this alone in the forest can send chills down your spine.
6 Skeletal Human Remains
Mike Smith was an experienced and knowledgeable metal-detecting enthusiast. He had done this for years, so when his metal detector picked up an old chain surfacing on the ground, he wasn’t excited; it was a regular day for him, except it wasn’t! As he held the chain and started pulling, he noticed that it led to a secret room underground. The more he pulled, the more he discovered unfamiliar patterns.
The walls of the hole were inscribed with Roman-like letters and seemed to lead somewhere. Soon, Mike discovered what looked like the remains of a body buried long ago. Since he was a veteran, Mike understood the laws of metal detecting, so he immediately notified the police.
From the chain that led to the hole to the inscriptions on the wall and the human remains discovery, everything about Mike’s discovery was strange! With the involvement of the authorities and the press, it goes without saying that Mike’s life turned upside down after the discovery.
5 An Old Treasure Box Full of Coins
It’s not uncommon for people to find ancient coins while metal detecting. However, it’s not every day that you will find a jar full of cash. Usually, you will find a piece here and several others over there. When a YouTuber with the username “OLAF Treasure Hunting & Metal Detecting Diver” stumbled upon a container full of coins by the stream, it wasn’t a regular occurrence.
On that day, the YouTuber took to the stream and started metal detecting as usual. However, when his metal detector started beeping, he dug up the ground to uncover a rusted tin filled with coins estimated to have been used around the World War II period. Who buried the container there, anyway? Did they survive the war but forget to come back for their loot? I guess we will never find out.
4 Treasures Enclosed in a Rock
There are many places to hide your treasures, but I am not sure anyone would think of hiding theirs inside a rock! How do you even do that? Well, it turns out ancient people were daredevils because someone did! While doing his rounds, a YouTuber by the username Treasure Hunting was walking past some rocks with his metal detector when he surprisingly received a signal from one of them.
With his tools, he managed to break through the rock, and to his surprise, some treasures were hidden there. There was also some jewelry and other things valuable to the person who hid them there. Finding a treasure using a metal detector is not strange; discovering one inside a rock is something else.
3 A Pistol, Money, and Creepy Skull Head Belt Buckle
The items found while metal detecting can tell what the type of person who owned them was like. In the same breath, I am not accusing anyone of anything. Still, if you find a pistol, money, and a creepy skull head belt buckle, it’s easy to assume the community did not like the person who owned them.
That aside, a YouTuber with the username Nuggetnoggin found these exact items while metal detecting in a river. Metal detectors are expected to find such things, but finding them in a search and in close proximity can be somewhat strange.
2 Treasure Hunter Finds an Assault Rifle in His Backyard
As a treasure hunter, discovering something as strange as an assault rifle is one thing; finding it in your backyard is another. While digging up his backyard for leveling purposes, a treasure hunter and YouTube content creator found something wrapped inside a black polythene bag. Upon opening it, he was surprised to find a rifle.
He alerted the authorities, who came and surveyed the scene as protocol demands. As a metal detection enthusiast, you would expect to find treasures far from your homestead. However, some people can get lucky twice!
1 A Wedding Ring Found in a Tree Stump
Wedding rings can get lost anywhere. However, you can’t expect to find such jewelry in some places unless it was placed there intentionally. One such place is a tree stump.
The X-Finds YouTube channel is known for producing huge metal detector findings content and boasts a huge following. In one of the videos posted on the platform, we see a treasure hunter recover a wedding ring from inside a tree stump with the aid of a metal detector!
Even though the person in the video collects many other materials, the wedding ring is a magical find!