Interesting, this is the same motivation that drives a lot of archaeologists.

Philip Levy wrote:

>
> I particularly like your point about the motivation of pothunters. Many of
> my experience profess an almost spiritual or mystical connection to the
> objects and the people who used them. ...After all, thousands of civil war
> site visitors--and it is the Civil War world that has the most active
> pothunters--are not purchasingsome dumb minnie ball or horse buckle to resell
> it at a higher price. they
> want a connection to an event, an ancestor, a mythical simpler time.