Who will find the lost Dutchman’s gold?

Machine translation of the original editorial information.

Archived issue; a purchase offer is not currently confirmed.

Inside this issue

1. 18 · American Bolo knife, 1917 model
2. 26 · Balázs Komoróczy: Archaeology and Treasure Hunters
3. 40 · Searching in the name of the crown

Dear readers,

I suppose most of us have cleaned our beloved items for the winter and stowed them away, properly maintained, for their winter hibernation. Some, however – come winter or no winter – lie in wait for the snow to melt and, as soon as possible, set off to try their luck in fields that have not been sown, or in woods where the ground does not freeze as deeply straight away. For these most resilient of all, for whom the calendar means nothing, the ‘winter’ season has simply begun – or rather, the never-ending season continues. I wish all you die-hards some fine ‘winter’ finds, and if you’re out of luck, perhaps you’ll find a little ‘consolation’ in the latest issue of Detektor, which is on its way to your letterboxes right now. I do hope, however, that the varied reading material – which, I believe, we are once again bringing you in this year’s first issue of Detektor revue – will enrich the long winter months for everyone, and that you will find in it not only inspiration for your future searches, but perhaps also the inspiration to write an article in which you might share your successes and experiences with the readers of Detektor revue.

So what can you look forward to?

In the opening section, ‘Artefact of the Month’, under the heading ‘How the Cross Was Born’, we present an interesting find of semi-finished products for the manufacture of an iron cross, discovered in northern Bohemia. A hoard of 25 circular bronze jewellery items from the Late Bronze Age, including nine sickles and a small bronze axe, was discovered by Pavel Černý; he handed the find over to the museum and aptly titled his article ‘Bringing joy to others too’. Below are the eagerly awaited results of the 12th annual Author’s Competition for prizes, and we are also announcing the launch of the 13th edition. ‘The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine’ is the title of the article in which, through an adventurous search for the richest and most famous mine in American history, we launch our new series, ‘Lost Treasures’. ‘Touching Legends’ is the title of a feature in which the Farčatas describe how their new metal detector immediately brought them a wonderful find – a denarius of Břetislav I. PetkoZberatel presents another of the interesting additions to his unique collection – a US Bolo knife, Model 1917. In the article ‘In the Footsteps of a Story’, treasure hunter Tomáš demonstrates how important it is to listen carefully to stories. ‘Let’s Discover History Together’ is the title we have given to our in-depth interview with archaeologist Balázs Komoróczy on the much-discussed and, in many places, successfully developing collaboration between treasure hunters and archaeologists. Are you restocking your treasure-hunting kit? This is another question we asked treasure hunters in your favourite poll. Nazi treasures – fact or misinformation? – this issue continues the series by treasure hunter and researcher Rudolf Hakl, which is sure to appeal not only to those interested in the treasures of the Third Reich, but to history in general. In the ninth instalment of our now regular column ‘Let’s Save History’, we continue to follow how treasure hunters are helping to preserve our archaeological heritage. This is followed by an article titled, in keeping with the times, ‘Searching in the Name of the Crown’, in which JendaKvaska recounts how a treasure-hunting expedition just a stone’s throw from home paid off. Ivo Tomáš, a collector and expert, answers your questions about button finds in the regular column ‘The Button Collector’s Advice Corner’. Once again, those interested in the history of weapons produced by Czechoslovak manufacturers will not be disappointed – a study by the military technology historian Jan Škarka focuses on another outstanding product from Škoda: the 10.4 cm heavy field gun model 15. Of course, we couldn’t leave out the regular short story – not just for metal detectorists – which this time has been written for you by Karel Velkoborský and is rather mysteriously titled ‘Address Unknown’.