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Questions for a Beginner
KenTheBarb
Posts: 25
Hey there all. I have been looking around the metal detecting and coin forums for a couple weeks and had some questions for you all about detecting...if you dont mind!
1. It seems that some city may have laws/restrictions about detecting. Is there a good way to find out what these ordinances might be? and is there a technical name for metal detecting that is used in legal and/or more formal discussions?
2. What are some of the most interesting places to go hunting? It seems obvious that places frequented by large numbers of people would have the most lost items (beaches, parks, etc), but what other surprising places are great for hunting?
Thanks so much for all your responses. I dont yet have any equipment, however I have always been drawn to metal detecting since I was very young. In fact, I think that the same things that draw me to metal detecting draw me into many types of collecting. Its probably the thrill of the hunt, of discovering some lost treasure (whether in the ground, in a handful of change, or in an old attic!), and of finding value in something that has been forgotten by others.
1. It seems that some city may have laws/restrictions about detecting. Is there a good way to find out what these ordinances might be? and is there a technical name for metal detecting that is used in legal and/or more formal discussions?
2. What are some of the most interesting places to go hunting? It seems obvious that places frequented by large numbers of people would have the most lost items (beaches, parks, etc), but what other surprising places are great for hunting?
Thanks so much for all your responses. I dont yet have any equipment, however I have always been drawn to metal detecting since I was very young. In fact, I think that the same things that draw me to metal detecting draw me into many types of collecting. Its probably the thrill of the hunt, of discovering some lost treasure (whether in the ground, in a handful of change, or in an old attic!), and of finding value in something that has been forgotten by others.
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I've hunted a few places where detecting wasn't allowed on city property, state parks or even federal land. I usually go by the police department or court house and ask questions as far as if artifact recovery is allowed. Some places even issue permits to metal detect the property like TVA and some towns in California. Some permits are free and others cost a little. The best places to hunt now are private residents. There are still millions of coins to be found at peoples homes. Good coins and relics can still be found in parks and historical sites due to detectors being improved over the years. Anyway it's a fun hobby so long as you do it for fun and not to get rich. Over the years I've seen many people buy metal detectors only to put them in the closet because they don't find great finds all the time. I hope you decide to become a Tesoro Cazador (Treasure Hunter) as it's a great hobby.
El Tesoro Cazador
Some of my favorite types of sites to detect in addition to parks are old drive-ins, fairgrounds, and construction sites, especially when they are busting up old sidewalks (under the walks and in the grassy areas between the sidewalk and street - these are usually very productive), but you need permission, of course, and doing research is critical to finding a good area. Also, any old home where you can get permission from the homeowner - at first it takes a bit of guts to ask (it least it did for me), but the worst they can do is say no.
Good luck.
-Weinman Fan
Things may have changed about having a permit or such since my detecting activity was late '70's into early '80's.
Just go ahead and do it is my recommendation. i seriously doubt that a permit is now required to metal detect on Denver's City property.If things have changed,all that's going to happen is that you'll be told a permit is required.Just use your common sense and you should be fine.
One Denver area i wanted to check out with my detector is where Overland golf course now sits.There was a horse track on this site in the late 19th and early 20th century. Later,there was a motor park on the south side of the course near the street that runs east and west. I found some photos in the Denver library that supported these findings. There must have been some money lost to the ground there over all those years. i had the idea that a few small gold coins like $1 or $2-1/2 might have been lost at the racetrack.
One can see the evidence of the entrance to the horse track by the old trees and the way they line up as you look north from the east-west running street bounding the south side of the course. While playing golf on this course, i could see the old trees that were once on the outer boundaries of the track's oval. It seems that the ground was "redone" to create the golf course,
however, so any money lost by horse bettors or motor campers would be harder to find than if the ground was never disturbed. I know that the ground there has never been checked by anyone with a detector though because it's a golf course that's been around for quite a long time. My common sense kept my detecting arse out of there (even though it is Denver City property) but i confess that i did contemplate doing some "night detecting." If only i could find the old clubhouse/grandstands....golf course,
park...what's the difference?
I used to think: "I'll go to this remote area, I bet no one has metal detected here before!" but it doesn't matter if no one at ALL has gone there before and dropped change.
This is a good point. Remote area=few people and few people=few metal items lost.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
This coin from 1830 was found in the woods near atlanta GA. Its a 5 Franc from France
There are some possibilities here if you keep in mind that your detector needs to be able to deal with highly mineralized soil and a great deal of junk. I was over my head in areas like this in the '70's-'80's with my White's detector of the day.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/CP-ColoradoTreasures.html
You have gotten some great information. I know when I moved to my current location about 3 years ago, I spoke to the folks at the parks department to make sure they had no problem. They told me to go for it. On occasion while I've been hunting in the parks, I tend to have my "trash finds" readily available and I always let the Parks workers see how much trash I have picked up from the ground. It reinforces what you are doing and it keeps them from having to pick it up--it's a win-win situation if you ask me.
Get that detector and go for it!!!!!!