Come and vote in the Metal Detecting Forum awards polls! (August '04's Best Finds!)
lordmarcovan
Posts: 43,530 ✭✭✭✭✭
lordmarcovan
Posts: 43,530 ✭✭✭✭✭
Comments
Our members pulled some interesting goodies out of the dirt this month.
<< <i>You know, one of these days you all are going to drive me to go and buy a detector. Problem is, I have no idea where I could use it. >>
I know what you mean. I'm not sure how much I can find here -- maybe I'd need to go farther east -- and I figure I'd get hassled about using the thing anywhere I felt I had a decent chance at a find. I wonder if you have to know a lot of people who own a lot of land or something...
<< <i>I know what you mean. I'm not sure how much I can find here -- maybe I'd need to go farther east -- and I figure I'd get hassled about using the thing anywhere I felt I had a decent chance at a find. I wonder if you have to know a lot of people who own a lot of land or something... >>
Too many people suffer from the "grass is greener" syndrome- "Oh, if only I lived on the East Coast...nearer the ghost towns of the West...in another state... in another country", whatever. We all do it- it's human nature, I suppose. (My dream is diggin' in the British Isles or somewhere around the Mediterranean).
Fact is, there is stuff to be found everywhere. Until you start detecting, it is amazing how little you'll realize this. Some of the stuff that comes up boggles the imagination- if not from the standpoint of value, then at least from a "geez, how did THIS get here?" standpoint.
While it is certainly nice to live in an area rich in history, and/or to have connections enabling one to hunt on private property, you can still do quite well wherever you might be. I do a great deal of my hunting on public property. Every locality has its distinct advantages and disadvantages, but you'd be surprised at what can be in an area where you'd least expect it.
It does take some research to find good sites, as well as plenty of practice and persistence, to be a successful detectorist. It ain't easy, but then, if it were, everybody would be doing it. But the very challenge of finding lost coins and relics and such is one of the appeals- the thrill of the hunt is often the fun part.
As to coins, there should be somewhere in every state-if not every town-in the USA, that will produce coins at least as old as the late 1800's, no matter when the area was first settled. I'd say every town has at least one area (and usually a lot more), that'll produce old coins and silver.
PM is ok.
thx
Top 10 Cal Fractional Type Set
successful BST with Ankurj, BigAl, Bullsitter, CommemKing, DCW(7), Elmerfusterpuck, Joelewis, Mach1ne, Minuteman810430, Modcrewman, Nankraut, Nederveit2, Philographer(5), Realgator, Silverpop, SurfinxHI, TomB and Yorkshireman(3)
Here are some Bounty Hunter machines offered by Kellyco, the biggest detector distributor in the country.
A model like the Lone Star or the Quick Draw II would be a good pick for a starter machine- cheap and simple enough for a beginner, yet "serious" enough to find good stuff with.
Bounty Hunter is also building some of Radio Shack's detectors, now, which is good news- previously, their machines were Korean-built and rather junky. (With the exception of the Australian-built Minelab detectors, it is best to stick with American brands, believe it or not- surprisingly, that is one area of consumer electronics this country has pretty much cornered.)
I believe Bounty Hunter also builds some of the machines offered at Wal-Mart these days, too- can't recall the exact name on those models, but I think it is Pioneer-something.
Not that Bounty Hunter is the finest brand out there, or the only brand, by any means, but I usually recommend them for "starter" machines, as they do provide a pretty good value for the money, in my experience. They are not as solidly built as some other brands' machines, but they aren't flimsy, either. I have seen Bounty Hunter machines outperform other detectors that cost twice as much, but of course user skill and Lady Luck enter into that equation, too.
Any better-known brand like White's, Fisher, Garrett, or Tesoro should have a good starter machine in the $200 range, new.
For a thirteen-year-old, you wanna buy a machine that'll give him a good shot at finding something (i.e. not a toy), but you don't wanna fork out big bucks for a complicated monstrosity. After all, most folks who give the hobby a try usually end up quitting and putting their detectors in the closet after a while.
I too was one of these people, and after a few months, my detector sat in the closet for almost a year. Then one summer day I dusted it off, took it out, and got my first silver coin from the 1800's- a Fine 1899 Barber dime that popped out of the soil nice and bright looking. I was hooked. The detector never got quite as much "closet time" after that. (Unfortunately, they never seem to find too much good stuff when they're in the closet.)
If I don't find a boatload of coins I will be shocked!!!