About The Digger

  I first  ”met” Lord Marcovan on the PCGS World and Ancient Coin forum in September of 2003.

At the time he was offering some coins for sale and his listing of a 1784 Russia (imperial) 5 kopecks KM(c)59.3 caught my eye.  The price was right and so was the coin-a very handsome example. I thanked him upon receiving it and he graciously replied and a 7 year relationship had begun.

One of the first things you notice about LordM is that he’s a giver. He has a passion for helping which manifests itself in many ways. On one occasion when he heard that a forum members husband had become ill and that finances were a problem he single-handedly organized a charity coin auction on the PCGS forum which was a huge success. Members donated coins for the auction and members bid strongly, proceeds helping to defray mounting medical costs. I remember buying a couple of  stunners myself, coins which I’ll always associate with LordM and his generous nature.

When you meet him in person or see his picture you will notice a broad, beaming smile, over which looms a black top hat covered in gold, holed coins. He wears a vest covered in holed bronze and silver coins. It’s a pretty amazing sight and he’s always surrounded at coin conventions by well-wishers and photographers who know a photo-op when they see one. LordM is therefor known as the “holey one” and whenever he parts with a coin from the holey hat and vest (usually when he upgrades), there are always plenty of takers. I proudly own one myself, a French 1857 gold 5 Franc piece.

Early on I read a few of his posts which concerned themselves with the fine art of metal detecting. LordM was a “digger” and his posts were under the title “diggers diary”. Now, he doesn’t think so, but Rob is a great writer and has avid fans who wait for his metal detecting stories. He has inspired many to pick up a detector for the first time, myself included. I’ve got to thank him for the rush I experience every time that detector beeps and a coin is unearthed that may have lain dormant for decades or centuries beneath the soil.

Which brings me to the point of this blog: we want to send Lord Marcovan and his metal detector to England. We want to dig the good British soil vicariously through him. We’d like pictures and video, stories and posts about his exploits on a daily basis, and then we want him home safely. If he finds a hoard that’s a big bonus. If he finds a few interesting pieces that’s a delight. If he finds nothing, it will be a wonderful nothing, the telling of which will be worth more than a few coins. We all hope in the end that his many “diggers diary” posts and the proposed trip to England will form the basis for a book, relating the trials and tribulations of an erstwhile treasure hunter in the modern age.

This trip will require a fair amount of funds and PCGS forum members have made  50+  pledges of $15 apiece in just one day! We’d like to continue that pace of fund raising, and so this blog has been created for the singular purpose of sending Lord Marcovan to Europe! If he strikes it rich everybody gets a little piece. If he doesn’t, we’ll all look forward to the book when it comes out. Forum members are a generous and giving bunch and there is a ground swell of support for this project. Donations can be made as a single share or as multiples-one of our forum members alone has pledged 20 shares to help this project get off the ground!

We hope you will contribute to this worthy endeavor, and send one of our own to do that which we all dream of doing, but probably never will.