Jack Myers, author of Treasure Kids and Knight's Gold, talks treasure hunting and more

These treasure stories pop up occasionally in the news. For example, much was made of the three-year old British boy who, a few years ago, found a rare gold religious artifact while using a metal detector for the very first time. The 400-year old bit of history he uncovered was valued at $3 to $4 million as only one other of its kind was known to exist, and that lone piece was in a museum. So, I began to search the Internet for similar stories, and they kept popping up. Kids don't stay on the beaten path like adults, and they have sharp eyes and are built close to the ground. They have found lost cash, jewelry, gold nuggets, meteorites, valuable fossils, ancient cave paintings, and so much more. Kids love fictional treasure stories, such as TREASURE ISLAND, but I realized no one had yet written a book about real kids finding real treasure . . . so I wrote one.

I grew up in Southwest Philadelphia, very much an urban environment, and so the opportunities to look for something such as buried pirate loot were relatively small. At around the age of 10-11 I became quite interested in dinosaurs, and so I do remember scouring the banks of Cobbs Creek searching for fossilized dinosaur footprints and bones . . . but with no success. Treasure on Saturday mornings was to be found at the local Acme supermarket where I would use my Radio Flyer red wagon to walk groceries to the homes of row house residents who did not own cars. With enough tips from delivering groceries I could afford the price of admission to the local movie matinee.

Yes, there is always a chance. The two boys in KNIGHTS' GOLD who found the pot of 5,000 gold coins weren't even looking for treasure. They had a secret boys' club, with a secret member list, member dues, and items owned by the club (pennies, nickels, playing cards, dice, etc.). The boys had put these items in a cigar box for safekeeping, and decided to bury the box in the far corner of the dirt cellar beneath the tenement house in which one of the boys and his mother lived. It was while the boys were digging a hole for the cigar box that they came across the long forgotten pot of gold.

Read, listen, and search . . . then read some more. Listen to stories told by the older generations. Read about your area . . . about buildings, homes, and sites that no longer exist. Study old maps. Learn about local mysteries and legends. The most successful treasure hunters always keep an eye and ear out. They listen and learn. They are always collecting information. This does not guarantee success, but it certainly puts the odds in your favor. Some treasures are found by pure luck. However, most big treasures are found by dogged research, determination, and repeated searching. They are found by research and not giving up. A final piece of advice would be to learn about the ocean. There are many shipwrecks and the oceans are vast. 99% of the best treasures yet to be found are underwater at the bottom of the sea. Learn about shipwrecks, marine history, diving, ROVs, treasure salvage, and underwater robots. Again, read, read, and read some more. Read books by Robert Marx and W.C. Jameson for starters. And don't let anyone tell you that all the big treasures have been found. They haven't . . . not even close. And new treasures are being hidden or lost all the time.