Treasure hunters from around New England sank their shovels into Sawyer Farm in Jaffrey this week, prospecting for Spanish silver.
“For me, it’s that Indiana Jones thing,” said Mark Brown of Acushnet, Mass., as he scanned an overturned hunk of soil with his metal detector. “I just want to find something great.”
Brown was one of dozens who descended upon Jaffrey’s Sawyer Farm for the 29th BONE Fest hosted by Streeter’s Treasure Hunt Supply out of Marlborough. The annual event secures historic locations for a weeklong metal-detecting treasure hunt.
On Tuesday, prospecting enthusiasts walked the Sawyer Farm grounds in grids, swinging their metal detectors back and forth over the earth, headphones keenly tuned to register any anomalous readouts.
Brandon Dingeman of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. braced himself against the frigid sideways rain as he swept the acreage. In town for his fourth BONE Fest, he had only found a few old buttons so far that day, but in years past, he discovered enough coins, buckles and other relics to keep him coming back.
Brown said his wife bought him a metal detector for his birthday about three years ago; his interest grew during the pandemic, and this week he made the trip to Jaffrey for his first BONE Fest. Like many metal-detecting prospectors, he’s primarily after old coins, and he heard that the Sawyer Farm grounds might yield some Spanish silver.
By midday Tuesday, no Spanish silver had turned up, but Brown had already dug out plenty of coins, including an 1892 Indian Head penny.