Various magazines

[Sy1977]

Hi Peeps

I'm curious to know if any of you purchase the magazine called The Searcher, and what are your personal views. I cannot decide if it is worth the £12 per quarter and whether or not I can get some good tips (being a newbie) from the stories or will it perhaps give a false idea that lots of 'treasure' is out there. If anyone has any experience good or bad of this or any magazine I would be grateful for the feed back....

Happy searching

[sweepstick47]

The magazines referred to have both been representing the hobby well for a number of years..
Treasure Hunting magazine arrived in 1977 and The Searcher in 1985, either are worth subscribing to in my view, it's just a matter of which one appeals most to the individual. To get a 'flavour' you could seek out some back copies which can be obtained for as little as 50 pence or less in some cases. Advertising locally would be the best option as no postage charges are involved, after that it's all down to personal preference. Regards ss47

[alfaowner]

Both are good reads ,I only made the front cover of treasure hunting though

[Koala]

save your money

and buy some metal detecting equipment or fuel for the car with the saving.

often there's only a couple of good articles I am interested in reading

I find with most magazines these days and not just metal detecting. The content has gone down hill. Advert get bigger and price has gone up.

I use to buy mags when they were £1.99 and the same information wasn't easily and freely available on the internet.

biggest problem is with reviews. They will never print. Dont buy xyz it not fit for purpose if they also run adverts for xyz

just my opinion

your mileage may be different

[theoriginalfatcat]

The Searcher is a good read. All detecting magazines tend to be a bit samey (is this a word?) if you buy every issue, so I tend to only buy a few each year.

[Bradrick]

Hi Sy

There is a very similar, recent topic HERE.

It may we worth reading the thread.

[dragonsteeth71]

I used to write regularly for them both but for the S they had a big shuffle behind the scenes and my work didn't fit the 'criteria' any more. The earlier editions had writers that could paint a picture, so on the days you couldn't get out there, you could sit in your big armchair by the fire and let your mind wander to the level of feeling you were at the side of the detectorist in their quest. For TH my connection went on for much longer but the there was some 'misunderstanding' when apparently I submitted an article that was 4000 words long (it wasn't, it was clearly two articles with 20 pictures for each) and I thought if you haven't got stuff in to look at things properly (when someone did finally get round to it) then I couldn't be bothered to write, edit and most likely take two or three hours trying to get my pictures 'right'. I did a series of articles for 'Lost treasures' the American museum too out of Ohio until they folded after 50 years. No it wasn't because of me! I had had trouble getting their last cheque though, they could only send to an American address so it first had to go to my friend in Washington State before coming over the ocean to me. By the time I stuck in the last one in bounced back and I'll be forever 100 dollars out of pocket With regards to todays magazines I don't usually buy them as there seem to be some very strong 'outside interests' pushing the content along, too many adverts and stories from writers who think we'd like to see lead weights, musket balls and Victorian coinage.

[jcmaloney]

Write an article, get a free subscription. Then they are worth it.

[Sy1977]

Thanks for all the replies, certainly a wide variety of opinions. I have decided to go for a quarterly subscription for the Searcher and if there does seem to be nothing of real interest then I can cancel....

Thanks again

[Cartwheel Penny]

Does anyone remember a magazine from the early 80s called Finders Keepers?
It had articles on Metal detecting, Bottles etc. I think the editor was a man called Roy Morgan
used to have a bottle shop in Kettering I think, then moved to the IOW. That was a quality magazine.

[muddy fingers]

I personally prefer the Searcher though I would buy Treasure Hunting as well if they weren't so expensive. I like the more in depth articles about hammered coins and certain artefacts and actually, the magazine called "Current Archaeology" can be very good for that though it costs £5.25. Another bonus is that, quite understandably, it isn't full of adverts for metal detectors.

I don't like long articles, such as is often found in Treasure Hunting, illustrating such trashy items as worn Georgian coppers, bits of lead toys and other broken and totally corroded scrap items from the 19th and 20th century.

Another gripe that I have with Treasure Hunting is that it gives the impression that metal detecting is predominantly a hobby that should only interest men, particularly the type who like to dress in military style camouflage clothing. Their front cover invariably portrays this kind of character, despite the fact that many women participate in and greatly contribute to the hobby, as they have done since metal detectors were first introduced into this country by Joan Allen back in the 1960s.

[Spearhead]

In my humble opinion the Searcher is the better of the two and well worth getting.

In my humble opinion Treasure Hunting magazine is losing its way. I find there has been an excess of articles that reflect the interests of the editorial team rather than the hobby in general for example Ghosts, aviation, militaria, aviation, militaria, aviation militaria ( deliberate repetition) bird watching and searching attics etc.
I get the impression that they are struggling to get decent articles and this has made the editorial team write space filling articles. I recently overhead a conversation at a dig whereby a detectorist had been approached by the magazine to write an (any) article and in return they would put the author on the front cover of the magazine.
I am expecting future articles in TH to be on old washing machines and old sewing machines the same as were published in early detecting magazines.

[muddy fingers]

Your reply, Spearhead, made me laugh and I tend to agree with you. I hate the articles about finding old aircraft crash sites etc. I want to read about Roman, Saxon and Mediaeval objects and see nice clear photos of them.

[Mucky]

I think there is an element of snobbery going on here!
Either magazine will show you what's on the market for our hobby for those interested in buying good machines etc.
I also believe they are one and the same anyway with the same editor.
Sorry, editoress.. no I mean , editor, no , oh hell you know what I mean..
Same people. I like to buy a TH occasionally.

[Spearhead]

I think there is an element of snobbery going on here!
Either magazine will show you what's on the market for our hobby for those interested in buying good machines etc.
I also believe they are one and the same anyway with the same editor.
Sorry, editoress.. no I mean , editor, no , oh hell you know what I mean..
Same people. I like to buy a TH occasionally.

I am not sure it's snobbery but it appears that the editor of TH likes getting his name in print, either in his own articles or have name checks throughout the magazine.

I feel that there is a degree of status building going on there.

In contrast, I find the editor of the Searcher very humble and caring about the hobby and the magazine, by the way I have no connection with the Searcher, I am just stating my own opinion.