After hearing this story, Jim being a member of the local metal detecting club,
knew just what to do.
Rare Gold Coin and Chain recovery
October 2003
It was just another Monday at the print
shop. Jim Stewart was getting ready for another week of work. In walked Lottci
Vecsey (Pronounced "LOTCEE") looking very depressed. Jim asked Lottci
what was wrong. All he got in reply was "I lost it'". Lost what Jim
asked? I lost it as he padded his chest. What Lottci was referring to was a
piece of Family history. Something he was supposed to pass on to his son. What
was it? It was a large solid gold coin on a chain. A rare Austrian gold coin.
This had been won as a prize many years ago as the Hungarian national boxing
champion! Lottci had it mounted in a gold bezel and placed on a heavy gold
chain. Not just priceless because it was a family air loom, but this was a very
special coin. This was a 1st strike original coin. Some of these coins are
available today as re-strikes, but not this one. This one was one a special few
that existed. He even has documentation for the Austrian government giving its
pedigree. Market value $10,000+ !!! (Personally it would have been in my safety
deposit box, not around my neck). So how and where was it lost? It started on a Saturday as the family headed for
Clearwater beach for weekend of fun. On Sunday Lottci and his son were out in
waste deep water having fun. When his son tried to do a handstand in the water,
Lottci showed him how to do it. After a few demonstrations Lottci stood up. Be
he felt different, something was missing. As he reached for the coin around his
neck he realized it was gone. It had fallen off his neck, as he stood inverted
in the water. Quickly the 2 searched for the coin, but no luck. Soon other
family members tried, but only in vain to locate the lost family treasure.
Lottci realized it would problem never be found, let alone passed on to his son.
After hours of searching, the family, grief stricken, returned to Palm Bay,
without the prized gold coin and chain.
After hearing this story, Jim being a member of the local metal detecting club,
knew just what to do.
The scene now shifts to the following Tuesday. Enter a few hard-core members of the Treasure Coast Archeological Society. It was 6am in the morning, Lottci , Jim Stewart, Will Rose and myself piled into Lottcis very small economy car. With us, enough metal detecting equipment for a small army. 2 Excalibur’s, 3 Sovereigns, 1 Garrett XL500, scoops, extra batteries and coils, masks, snorkels, ice chests, plus a positive no fail attitude. This was a serious recovery operation. Nothing was left to chance. We wanted to have everything we might need and backup equipment.
3 hours later after a cross the state drive in a car crammed the equipment, we arrived at the site of the lost treasure. It was just as we planned, low tide. Lottci showed us the area where he thought was when he lost the coin and chain. We each entered the water in different locations.
After about 5 min I got my first hit. A pull-tab of course. This was followed by another pull-tab, 2 quarters, and three pennies. Will was having problems with the Excalibur that had been borrowed from Frank Hansen the night before. He was about to go get his Sovereign that was still in the car. Jim was out as far as he could get without giving his Sovereign a salt-water bath. Lottci was using Jims old Garrett XL500. This was his 1st day with a detector, a trial by fire for Lottci. After about 30 min the batteries on the XL500 gave up, Jim forgot to put them on charge the night before. So Lottci just sat depressed on the beach, hoping, (praying?) that one of us would get lucky. We had been in the water for a little over an hour and a half. Jim was still in the same basic area Lottci had shown him. Will had moved closer the shore. I was beginning to think we were too late. Maybe another detectorist had lucked into the area and made off with our treasure. Lottci had checked with the hotel, but nothing had been turned in or reported found. So I decided to move away from the original area. I looked at the beach area an noticed they raked the sand at night to clean the beach. All the chairs were on one half. Lottci was using the position of these chairs as a reference of the coins possible location. Maybe they move them all side to side at night to clean that area of the beach? So I moved with the current down about 50 yards. Thinking that this might be the area were the chairs were the day of the loss. 1st target? Another pull-tab of course. I was in 3 ft of water. Then I got a good hit. I tried to get the target with the first scoop. I rechecked the target area and it was still there. Even thought this was the gulf coast and very calm as compared to our east coast, I was having problems staying in one spot. The waves had picked up and being of small (thin) stature, I was getting pushed around. I tried again for the target with the scoop. Checking the target area, no sound, I must have it in the scoop. Boy did I have it; Looking down in the scoop was the biggest pile of gold I had ever seen!
There it was, a massive gold coin attached to a massive gold chain! I
had found it. 
I started waving frantically to the others.
The people on the beach probably thought I was under a shark attack.
Will was the fist to see me waving; he knew I had found it. He got the others
attention and Lottci
came running. I exited the water and walked up to Lottci holding the coin and
chain. He could not believe we had found it. I handed it to him. I think I saw a
tear or two in his eyes. He gave me a big hug. Then we all stopped to admire the
recovery. 
What a massive piece of gold this coin was.
Bigger than a US silver dollar! The chain was huge by any standard, hand made in
Europe of 18K gold, alone it weighed 80 grams!!!. What a gleaming pile of gold.
The day had been a success.We decided to stay a little while longer. In
that time Jim found a small ladies diamond ring. I found a few more quarters, a
silver toe ring and a gold earring. Will had also found some more change. What a
great day it had tuned out to be. What a great adventure we had under taken…
mission accomplished!
Jim Stewart, Myself, Lottci, and Will Rose
