How Conan Would Prank Relic Hunters In Colonial Williamsburg | Conan O'Brien Needs A Fan

Now, I see in my notes here, it says you. are a relic hunter. I don't really know. much about that. Um what do you do? >> So, it's it's a hobby. Uh it's so relic. hunting, if you it's kind of like using. a metal detector to go out and find old. things. >> You go out looking for Well, I guess if. you're in Williamsburg, Virginia, you've. got lots of stuff. I mean, mostly. there's a lot probably Civil War stuff, and there's probably also Revolutionary. War. What else? >> Absolutely. >> I mean, that sounds like you would hit paydirt. Go ahead. >> Yeah. So, growing up in this area it was.

sort of all around me. I live right. between Jamestown, Colonial. Williamsburg, Yorktown, uh. Cold Harbor, all the all the battles. outside of uh Richmond area. So, I kind. of grew up right at the epicenter of. that that sort of history. >> And so, what are you finding when you. got your metal detector? What are the. things you're you're pulling out of the. ground that are exciting to you? >> Um. also there's we find bullets, Civil War. bullets, American Revolutionary uh. bullets, um. uh we find buckles, sometimes old.

cannonballs and artillery shells and. buttons and coins and all sorts of. things. >> What's one of the coolest things you. ever found? Like you pulled it out of. the ground and you thought, "This is. awesome.". >> Well, that's um one of the coolest. things I found was uh. a posy ring. It's it's called a colonial. posy ring is the name of it. It's like a. gold ring that uh they would have uh. a young man would have shared with a. young woman uh back in colonial times. And. when I first found it, I thought it was. just simply just I did not sure what it.

was. And then when I got home and. cleaned it up, I realized what it was. And uh inside of it it has some old. Gothic script. I think it says, "I. choose thee." Um I actually have some. stuff over here. I have it here. >> That's that's amazing. >> I mean, how are you going to see that? >> And now, yeah. I swiped up and now. you're proposing to me. >> [laughter]. >> That's right. That's how things happen. on this This is one fast app. >> [laughter]. >> Um that is so cool and poignant and sad. and sweet at the same time, you know?

>> Yeah. Well, I mean. I found it in a in a in a field and so. often times, you know, people got. married much younger during those times. than they do today and so it was much. smaller and probably as she got older. she would wear it as a necklace or a. charm and it fell off at some point and. laid there for probably 200 years until. one day I dug it out of the ground. >> Oh my god. >> And does her ghost haunt you now? >> [laughter]. >> Mhm, no. No. >> That's what I would worry about when I.

pull something out of the ground is. eventually the ghost or zombie um. would would come looking for it. >> Zombie. >> Um, and it says here you once found a. live grenade. >> Yeah. So. you find all sorts of things. >> say I choose thee? >> [laughter]. >> No, it did not, fortunately. Um, the one. thing I would say is there's a sort of a. >> You're [laughter] so proud of yourself. >> Yes. Yes. >> Sorry. So proud. No, it's whatever. It's. what I do. >> [laughter]. >> It's what I do. Nice uh nice ceiling there,

Michelangelo. >> [laughter]. >> Yeah, it's what I do. Um, it's what I. do. Um, sorry. So, what happens when you. find a live grenade? Don't you have to. call the police? >> Uh, had Yes, you do. Um, when you're digging you find all sorts. of stuff and and one of the things I. would say is most of the stuff you find. when you go hunting or relic hunting is. trash. You find shotgun shells and beer. cans and more beer cans and anything. metal you can think of that's been in. the ground for a long time. So, you. don't you don't. Most of what you find is not worth.

keeping. Right. Um, it's not Civil War. or American Revolution. But this. particular day I. I dug a hole and pulled out of the. ground. I wasn't sure what it was at. first and realized quickly we we live if. you know anything about the Hampton. Roads area there's a lot of military. bases that have been in this area for. for a very long time and realized pretty. quickly what it was and moved it I don't. know I sort of got told I shouldn't have. done this later. I picked it up and. moved it to a tree line and stuck it. next to a tree. I don't know why I did. that.

And then. >> [laughter]. >> Yeah. >> Kicking it like a hacky sack? >> You kicked it like a hacky sack for 20. minutes. >> Yes. Yes. >> While you were listening to a fish. album. >> [laughter]. >> There you go. >> You okay there Sona? You laughed pretty. hard. >> [laughter]. >> What? Sona, when you laugh don't move. away from the mic. Get those laughs. right in there. >> Woah. >> I work [laughter] hard for those. >> the record. >> Yep. >> Okay. For the record let me just say. Sona has the best laugh. >> She does have the best laugh. >> She has the best because I'm just going. to say this. >> crazy?

>> him continue. >> What I'm saying is I'll get I'll say. something she'll laugh real hard and she. does this. She fades away from the mic. [laughter] and I'm LIKE THOSE ARE MY. LAUGHS. GIVE ME. MY MY milk mama. >> hearing Wow. [laughter]. >> THAT'S SWEET MILK to me. >> them. You want other people to know I'm. laughing at you. That's what that is. You hear it. >> With me. Not at me. >> I I yeah. >> Anyway Phillip. we got off on this side track thing. where you. >> I'll talk about Sona's laugh. >> Yeah, let's continue with that. Yeah,

let's get off the Civil War stuff. Yeah. >> Let me just say okay, I know. I could. hear you Sona before they called me in. the room and they they told you guys it. was a Civil War relic hunter and you. were like uh. I I knew that was going to happen with. you. >> [laughter]. >> But that's okay cuz I wanted to you No, but my goal was that she would laugh at. some point because. >> [laughter]. >> you guys listen real quick we're getting. off the relic hunting stuff for a. moment. I listen to you guys all the. time in the car on XM radio. So I listen. to you guys. There you go a little plug. for XM. I listen to you guys so you guys. are the voices in my car and so we've. talked about Sona has the best laugh.

>> You know. what? I will agree you have the best. laugh Sona. You've always had the best. laugh and I consider you one of the. treasures I pulled out of the ground. >> Uh. >> Does that work as a compliment? >> It was so close. It was almost close. >> You were when I met you you were dirty. >> [laughter]. >> Yes. I did. >> You know that, right? >> you tell people. I you jumped out of a. bush like a feral animal. >> had soil on I was There was a Maybe the. first year of me knowing you was me. brushing you clean, remember? >> so sweet. Thank you so much. Thanks for. making me human. Thank you.

>> had a great laugh. Great laugh. >> grenade you picked up. >> You were, in [laughter] a way. But wait, back to the grenade, Phillip. Okay, what. vintage is the grenade? Is it uh It's. not a Don't tell me it's a. Oh, good. Okay. >> Korean War era grenade is what I found. out later. Um and so again, set it next. to this tree. Knew uh I'd spent uh over. 20 years in the fire department. I. These sort of things happen in this area. again because of all the military bases. So I knew what needed to be done. So I. called called it in. Uh.

they There's a lot of the military base. nearby us uh sent their their bomb. technicians over. who examined it and quickly determined. that it was a live grenade and that uh. it was actually the pin had been pulled. out of it and thrown. But I guess. somehow it hit just right and never. exploded. And I moved it with a shovel. Uh. >> Oh my god. >> And so the guys were not They were like, "You moved that? You shouldn't have ever. moved that." Uh and but what was really. cool I mean these guys got out of the.

truck. They looked like they were extras. in a military movie. I mean tall, the. mustache, the whole deal. And they go. over and they basically put a thing of. C4 and sandbags around it and um I have. a video of it. They. They blew a fire in the hole. Yeah, they. did fire in the hole fire in the hole. fire in the hole and blew it up. And I asked him where the little wire. was that went from the C4 to the little. like. explosive thing. He goes, "No, we do. that all by Bluetooth now." And so they. blew it up with their phone. >> Oh my god. Isn't that cool?

>> No, but no, it is cool. It sounds. dangerous to me. Like I'm I'm there. setting up my C4 and I'm packing it. around the object I want to blow up when. someone near me accesses a song on. Bluetooth. >> [laughter]. >> And my half my face gets blown off. because they wanted to listen to. >> [laughter]. >> Fish. >> Yeah, whatever, you know. >> Fish. >> [laughter]. >> Just cuz David needed to hear Hillary. Duff, I have to die.

>> Hey, some things are worth it. >> That night I got home and and I was all. over like social media here locally. Like people had heard the boom. Like it. was really really loud when they blew it. up. Like really loud. >> Um can you imagine having that job where. your job is to. blow things up? >> Yeah. >> You know, you have C4 and you have a a. van and you get to drive around and. okay, I got to go blow something else up. in a field. >> Yeah. >> That's a what a great job. >> Is it great? >> I think it'd be fantastic. >> Oh, I I didn't know if you were going to. say great or terrifying. >> No, I love that. You get First of all,

your time's your own. You get to drive. around. Probably a company car. You get. C4 that you don't have to pay for. >> like [laughter] that. >> I don't know. I just like it. >> car? >> Kind of. Just going to be fun and then you get to. see stuff blow up, which would be fun. >> Yeah, I don't think that ever gets old. >> How do you even know where to look? How. do you do I imagine there's some kind of. research involved in finding out what's. a good place to try and find relics, what will be fruitful? Because you can't. just wander around a big state like. Virginia hoping that the thing that sets.

off your metal detector is a Civil War. Civil War heirloom. You have to do some. research, I would think, right? >> Yeah, that's. that's over half of it is just spending. the time to study. It's really dorky, but it's a ton of. fun. Um but just looking at old maps and. history and uh. the Library of Congress has maps that. you can access online, so you're looking. at those and then figuring out where you. can go, but then uh. getting permission to go to these. places. Obviously, you can't go to any. national parks or state parks or.

anything like that. So, it's it's. finding private property, farmers, people that own land that you ask. permission, can I come on your property. and dig holes? Um And can I can I search. for search for for relics for for old. things that might be on your property? And a lot of times they'll say no, and. sometimes they'll say yeah. >> Okay. And do they have a deal like if. you find something valuable, they get to. they want to keep it? >> Sometimes. It sort of depends. Some of. them most of them actually don't really. care. They you know, what I've run into.

is they just kind of go, I don't really. care. I'm not you know, that's your. thing. It's not my thing. So whatever. you find. There's others who have said, hey, I'd really like to see what you. find. And then there's others you can. maybe work a deal with and go, hey, let's split whatever whatever it is we. find. >> There's part of me that would want to go. around and fool guys like you. Like. >> [laughter]. >> drop things in the ground. Do you know. what I mean? Go out and buy, you know, go and buy like a what looks like a. knight's helmet. >> [laughter]. >> And then drop it in a hole. >> and watch them. >> And then hide in a bush. And and watch.

you guys come by and think that you've. found, oh my god, King Arthur's court. They hung out here in Williamsburg, Virginia. [laughter]. I know that's a bad thing I'm admitting. to, but. >> No, there's people that do that. >> No, really? >> No, no, there's a guy No, there's a guy. here locally who is like been known for. decades as one of the best replica. makers of Civil War buckles and things. like that. And if he made one that. wasn't quite perfect, he is was known to. go in the Cold Harbor area and bury it.

and hide it. >> What a dick. >> would find it and lose their minds and. be excited when they find it. >> this guy. I love this guy. I will. Hey, can this guy contact me? I will. fund your operation. >> [laughter]. >> Yes. Yes. >> You know, I would be drawing up like a. fake Gettysburg Address and then. dropping it in a hole. >> Oh. >> You know, stuff like that. A fake. Lincoln's beard. >> [laughter]. >> And a note that says if you find my. beard, contact A. Lincoln, 1600. Pennsylvania Avenue.

>> Mhm.