TREASURE HUNTS START AT A PLACE TO DIG. Major second hand donation centers [the Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, Saint Vincent DePaul] process tons of "stuff" daily. Judging from their annual garbage bills a substantial portion of "stuff" is cycled through their respective "AS IS" department outlets on it's way to join the land fills. In general anything donated that can not be immediately recognized, identified and tested by "sorters" is sent hourly to "AS IS" and then on to the daily dump.
PIRATES AND ARCHEOLOGISTS ALWAYS FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO DO THEIR DIGGING. There are people who as customers frequent these "AS IS" Outlets. Known by some as "Pickers" they pickup items for personal business, Flea Markets, Garage Sales, Auctions and Second Hand "Specialty" Shops. Some for personal interest, spare-parts, hobbies and entertainment.
FIND SEVERAL PERSONS WHO FREQUENT "AS IS DEPARTMENT OUTLETS" ON A REGULAR BASIS. Buy them coffee, set a price and give them a written description of what you want them to find ... and how to find you.
THIS STRATEGY REALLY DOES WORK ! A few years ago I needed MS Word For Dos Version 4.+. MY COST WAS BUS FARE, THREE HOURS, FOUR COFFEES, and $15.00. For this I received a full Box Copy of MS Windows For Dos Version 4.2, with disks and Hard Manuals, all documents and documentation, including the "Unsigned" Registration Form. From this I then became eligible to register and eventually convert to the current MS Word For Dos And Windows at a Substantial Discount. Net savings are far beyond what I could have afforded.