Dollar Cove is one of our favourite spots during summer. Soaked in a history of shipwrecks, pirates and treasure it’s hard to keep away! We enjoy exploring the rocky beach at low tide, scanning every nook and cranny with our metal detector in search of hidden treasure!

Dollar Cove | The Cornish Dog

So far, we have discovered a small collection of items, none of which are particularly exciting. Mostly leftover barbeque wires, fishing weights and rusty chunks of metal. Nevertheless when the detector beeps, we are hopeful! One evening, when Millie came to stay we packed up the car and rushed to Dollar Cove.

Dollar Cove | The Cornish Dog

The metal detector was playing up a little, beeping unnecessarily and confusingly, when it was nowhere near metal! We put it down to a problem with the battery and carried on as best we could. Millie was less interested in our treasure hunting, preferring to play fetch with her trusty tennis ball along the beach. Just as we were about to give up, the metal detector started to beep…

Dollar Cove | The Cornish Dog

Trying not to get our hopes up, we excitedly began to dig. The beeping soon stopped in the original spot; we had already uncovered our treasure. Sifting through the sand and rocks we found what we were looking for. A coin! But was it the famous Portuguese Dollar, carried by the ships centuries ago? We couldn’t wait to uncover the mysteries behind our treasure!

We drove home feeling like pirates, researching the origin of our find. It turned out to be a British penny, we think, from King George V’s reign. The coin had been eroded by the sea extensively but to know that it has potentially survived WWI and WWII is extraordinary! Though it wasn’t a Portuguese Dollar, discovering the coin was still incredibly exciting! Our first real piece of treasure now sits proudly in a chest on our mantel piece.

Dollar Cove | The Cornish Dog

We can’t wait to see what we discover next! To keep see more of our adventures, be sure to follow us on Instagram!