When I begin MDing, what should I track?

mrpaseo

The obvious is clad totals and any older coins and types. Jewelry is obvious. Let me make a list and see what you all think.

First finds (Of each item i.e. coin type, metal content, item (button, badge etc))
Qt of clad (Dollar amount)
Locations of finds
QT of precious metals (Weight)

What else?
Ray

mrpaseo

I forgot "oldest"

mrpaseo

I should have some goals too, I guess the first will be to find enough to pay for the detector.

Should I keep track of the hours that I am out MDing?

Total cost of detecting?

pocketpiececommems

I have a notebook that I keep the date, location and type of finds ($-50-25-10-5-1). At the end of the month I total my clad finds. Now if you were PCGS69 you would probably have a big silver total too, but unfortunatley not me. I guess that some keep track of hrs but I don't do that very often.

Dockwalliper

I do not keep track of hours or milage. It would just be too depressing.

I do a daily total of the coins by denomonation and type. I also keep a list of the playgrounds and when I hit them. That way I know when they should be "Ripe" again.

ROCKETMAN

mrguby

metal oblects beneath the dirt.........

pcgs69

<< <i>I have a notebook that I keep the date, location and type of finds ($-50-25-10-5-1). At the end of the month I total my clad finds. Now if you were PCGS69 you would probably have a big silver total too, but unfortunatley not me. I guess that some keep track of hrs but I don't do that very often. >>



I've picked up a silver coin here and there , but PPC, if I recall correctly, your gold column is filling up pretty fast this year!

This is what I track in an Excel file (all in one line).

Trip Number
Date
Where Went
Neat Finds
1¢
5¢
10¢
25¢
Other
Total (it's a formula)
# Coins (also a formula)


Then I break out the following into count (for easy summary each month)
Wheats
Slv Coins
Other Old Coins
Other Silver
GOLD

Then I have columns where I put the dates of the coins in the categories I find each trip. Here's 2011's...
Colonial Large Cents IHCs Wheat Cent Capped Bust Half Dimes Seated Half Dimes Shield Nickel V Nickels Buffalo Canadian 5¢ Silver WTN Seated Dime Barber Dime Merc Dimes Silver Roosies Canada Dimes Seated Quarter Silver Washingtons WLH Spanish Silver Tokens

Am thinking of adding a button column for 2013.

I'd avoid tallying the "total cost of detecting." That would turn it from a hobby into a job. I average about $2 an hour detecting. If it's about the money I'd just get a second job, haha.

Did any of this post make sense?

mrpaseo

pcgs69, it sure did, thank you and everyone for the input.

Ray

ricko

Ray, I am a cache hunter, so, although I do find various coins along the way, I work mainly for the 'big find'. And, cache hunters do not talk about the 'big one's'. Cheers, RickO

GBurger717

LOG EVERYTHING that is not trash. I hunt all over south central PA (Gettysburg, Fairfield, cashtown so forth and so on) and use a GPS handheld and chart every spot. Its always nice to know where every item you dug was found. With the Civil War relics its really a good thing becuase you can map troop movements and location which allows you to fact check history!!!

A fair GPS device can be bought fot less then 100.00 and a nice hardbound log book for 5. So for around 100 bucks you can map history!!!

lordmarcovan

Track whatever you're comfortable with. I kept pretty meticulous records of my "keeper" coins since 1992, but now wish I'd done the same with relics. Because coins were my primary interest, they got the most meticulous recordkeeping.

I let my Wheatie count lapse about a year in and just threw them all into a quart jar. Likewise my recordkeeping on clad and modern change lapsed. I didn't have a computer then. Nowadays it would be a fairly easy matter to do a spreadsheet in Google Documents and keep a running tally going.

Do as much recordkeeping as you're comfortable with and you'll be glad you did. But don't do so much that it becomes a burden or a chore.

PS- now GPS, that's a cool idea. I haven't done that yet.