First time hunting!

Meltdown

Well, I've been lurking here on the detector forum for a few years now. I've enjoyed the posts from the regulars here and have been telling myself someday I'm getting a detector. I've got small kids, work and a few other hobbies that take up my time & attention but I've always been a treasure hunter at heart.
A friend of mine on the boards here offered me a garret 250 recently and I went ahead and purchased it. I read the manual last week and played around in my yard without digging... just tossing a few coins around.

This morning I dropped the youngest off at preschool and hit this little park near our house for a couple hours. I didn't find any silver, but did get quite a few silver readings... I dug & dug a few different holes, larger & deeper but was getting conflicting readings each time I stopped and swung the detector over what I had dug.
I know I've got a lot to learn and will take Ricko's commonly given advice - join a local club & read up on understanding what to listen & look for. I had a good time... of course I had to take a few photos.


Here's the first coin I found... 1965 clad quarter.


A memorial cent...


After a couple pennies and a giant coil spring thingy, I found this dime - detector was going crazy telling me there was quarters, halves and silver dollars in this hole. After about 45 minutes, I gave up on those.


Here's my total rake from the morning... Again, no silver but some seriously dirty knees & fingernails for my efforts.

Bochiman

That's like me, in Hawaii, a couple of years ago.

I detected the beach, got a lot of his, and dug dug dug. I did end up finding a quarter (showed it to my wife and she thought it was from the 1800s...because she saw an 18xx date on it....was really a SHQ with the State's creation date), a few cents, and another quarter or two. And, bottle caps, kids' hot wheel cars, etc.

Lot of people looked at me as I dug and walked with the MD.

Best part of doing this in sand instead of a park....filling my holes back in was as easy as waiting for a wave to come in

goldrush00013

Cool! Welcome to a great hobby!



<< <i>larger & deeper but was getting conflicting readings each time I stopped and swung the detector over what I had dug. >>



Thats a good sign it's probably junk. Most good targets will give the same reading no matter which way you swing the coil over it. (ie. a coin) Though that can change on a really deep target.
Also you can learn to size a target in the ground by using the pinpoint mode. A coin will be a nice small target compared to say a 5 or six inch piece of junk.

Heres a good video on pinpoint with the ace. Link.
Actually there is a more precise way to pinpoint he doesnt show but you may figure it out on your own.

Do a search on Youtube and you will find many videos that will help.

Meltdown

Thank you for the link & info... after this morning, I definitely have more questions.

pocketpiececommems

How deep was this quarter when you found it? I wear a pair of old batting gloves when I detect. It helps keep the hands clean and your hands don't get real hot with them.

pocketpiececommems

You might want to try burying some different type coins in some sand an practice finding them. If you hunt by a sports field I wouldn't use that digging tool. That's a good way to get asked to leave. I would use a screw diver. Most people can't tell that you've been there. Practice, Practice, Practice.

Meltdown

<< <i>How deep was this quarter when you found it? I wear a pair of old batting gloves when I detect. It helps keep the hands clean and your hands don't get real hot with them. >>



I'm not sure on the quarter depth... despite trying to be watchful, I found it in a pile of dirt I had scooped out after digging past the 6" the detector indicated.
Good advice on the screwdriver, that digger was pretty helpful getting through those small roots but would be overkill in grass.

LukeMarshall

<< <i>

<< <i>How deep was this quarter when you found it? I wear a pair of old batting gloves when I detect. It helps keep the hands clean and your hands don't get real hot with them. >>



I'm not sure on the quarter depth... despite trying to be watchful, I found it in a pile of dirt I had scooped out after digging past the 6" the detector indicated.
Good advice on the screwdriver, that digger was pretty helpful getting through those small roots but would be overkill in grass. >>



Good to hear you are taking the hunt out into the field.

I'll tell you what, the garrett propointer is a bit pricey but it will be your best friend out there...

Happy hunting

goldrush00013

<< <i>I'll tell you what, the garrett propointer is a bit pricey but it will be your best friend out there... >>






Definately cut down your recovery time.

ricko

Good work on your first hunt. I will add to the advice about a pinpointer.. worth their weight in gold due to the time saved from faster recovery. Remember, if your MD is telling you 'something is there'... it IS!! Cheers, RickO

Meltdown

<< <i>Good work on your first hunt. I will add to the advice about a pinpointer.. worth their weight in gold due to the time saved from faster recovery. Remember, if your MD is telling you 'something is there'... it IS!! Cheers, RickO >>



I really wanted to believe there was a silver dollar down there. I got a couple pings for those at 8" (the max depth the finder shows)

I googled garett pinpointer - that does look pretty darn handy! I suppose the first time I find one of these it will pay for itself.
Thanks for all the insight so far... I hope to get out again soon.

ga5150

I just got mine a few days ago and I'm as happy as can be with it. I only have to make very small cuts and turn up the plug of grass/dirt and then use the pointer. It's so much easier than doing an excavation!

Zot

Four coins - that's a great start!

As several others have suggested, I also strongly recommend a pinpointer. I broke mine once (while using it as a digging tool, which is very tempting when you know the target is close..) and really had to force myself to go out while I was waiting for a replacement to arrive.
It makes such a huge difference!

While hunting for your first silver coin or other landmark finds, you may want to start a dug collection also of modern, more modest finds.
I'm putting together dug sets of all coin series in my native Finland myself, and have found it to be great fun. It adds to the excitement of every target... Instead of going "blah, just another clad dime" you go "ha! maybe it's the 1970 which I'm missing!" It's surprisingly tough to dig a complete set of almost anything. There always seems to be an elusive date or two in there, even if they're totally common.

Then, when your sets get more complete, you can start looking for upgrades. A complete dug set in nice condition (in relative terms of course) is really something to be proud of. I know I would be... can't claim to have any myself!

ricko

Hey Zot... welcome back... you have been gone a while... Cheers, RickO

lordmarcovan

Nice "action shots"!

Keep at it. If you're finding coins, and finding 'em several inches down, then everything's working as it should be. Once you get yourself on the right site and your luck brings you over the correct spot, you'll score something interesting. Even a humble Wheatie is to be celebrated as a milestone. And silver is always good! It'll happen eventually, if you're patient and persistent enough. Give it long enough, and pleasant surprises will happen every once in a while.

Another thing to remember is that the diggin' game is played by a different set of rules than more mainstream numismatic pursuits. When you're diggin', you take what you can get, and while it's terrific to find something like a high grade silver coin, that's more the exception than the rule. One has to temper one's expectations and be realistic. Stuff that comes outta the ground is just not gonna be in as nice a condition as stuff you buy or find elsewhere, obviously. But that's OK. It's all good. I still get excited over a find like a common Mercury dime, though the same coin would never impress me were I to see it in a shop or online.

PS- as mentioned, an electronic pinpointer is definitely good to have. In time, you'll get better at manual pinpointing, but a little wand to probe around with sure cuts down on the recovery time, and can potentially prevent accidental damage to your coin finds.