Anybody using a metal detector?
Onastone
Posts: 3,938 ✭✭✭✭✭
I've never tried but thinking it might be fun. Anybody here using one? What's a good brand? Post your most recent find if you like!
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It's fun but the people who are really into it do lots of homework to find great stuff. I know some look at old maps and try to locate where it's most likely to find old stuff. Other than that I've only found 3 silver coins, one being a melted SLQ, pocket change, and junk jewelry.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
Lots of good reading in the Metal Detecting Forum!
Ok, I see it now. I really didn't see that forum there. Of course we have a "metal detecting forum" here!!!!!
Not currently doing it but as kids we found buckets and buckets full of all kinds of coins. Some were pretty good. My brother found an 1877 Indian Cent and later found the ‘09-S too which was a strong VF and not too discolored. He traded it to a dealer for a $10 Indian. My Garrett machine is up in the attic in case I get the urge.
Forty years ago I thought a computer was too big of a learning curve......
I believe a metal detector is worse.......
Metal detecting is fun and an interesting hobby... Provides exercise, rewards (small mostly, but sometimes big), knowledge from research and often interesting social contacts. Check out the MD forum, Cheers, RickO
I have also been considering the hobby.
@Onastone , @dennis1219
Checkout my thread on the MD Forum here : https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1040392/ok-heres-my-plan#latest
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
detected since 1989
Whites are the best, by my view
BHNC #203
I have a brand new one still in the box I received as a Christmas gift last year. The problem is I haven’t a clue where I’d look for anything around here. Maybe change that falls out of kids pockets under the monkey bars at the park?🤷
Old house yards are my favorite now since most public places have been hunted extensively. I have had great success with getting permission over the years. With the pandemic I haven’t been knocking on any doors lately. Good luck
Found this, 4" deep last week
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
School athletic fields and playgrounds, especially old ones can be fun. Don;t plan on finding another Saddle Ridge hoard but expect to have fun and gets some exercise squatting to dig out the finds. (Remember to fill the holes) A great activity with kids or grand kids.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
Unfortunately, Whites has gone the way of Tesoro and is closing down. It is a shame, they used to be the biggest name in detectors.
Yeah I have one and thinking it's about time to get a new one, I've been eyeing one of the new Garrets on Ebay. Since I live on the lake, I like to search the shores and where folks swim. I find all kinds of interesting things, like a bunch of change from the 40's next to a big old tree.
Try https://historicaerials.com/viewer There’s better image coverage for the east coast but worth a shot. It lets you peak back in time and is a fun tool whether you detect or not.
Garrett AT Pro is a good starter detector. It’s not great at anything but ok at everything with the exception of salt water which it is pretty horrible at. This’ll get you started until you decide to stick with it or not. From there you will have no trouble finding the more specialized and much more expensive detectors.
Where did you find this piece? That's a short distance from me. What is it?
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
I found it in Lumberton, NJ in SNJ. I think it goes to a money bag or potentially a property marker. The house I was hunting was from 1700’s. There’s a little history about the company online. PM your address and I’ll send it on it’s way if you wish.
Factor in the cost of a hand held pointer too.
@crazyhounddog Have you used your detector yet? It's been a couple years, you must have opened it by now...and tried it out?? What kind / model is it? I haven't gotten one yet, but could walk around the many beaches here and try detecting- it's just how much time would I have doing that? I have found silver coins before just walking around looking down at the sand...sometimes the wind blows the sand away from the base of a coin and it looks like it's perched on a little stand!!!!
I enjoy it from time to time. I have a Garrett that I frequently use. I had a whites but I find the Garrett easier to use if your just coin and relic hunting.
My Original Song Written to my late wife-"Plus other original music by me"
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8A11CC8CC6093D80
https://n1m.com/bobbysmith1
i got a fortune hunter metal detector and i've used it but not much
Coins for sake at link below
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipOVMv7FZDb2BvqQnSIUKnelz2nhX9TVEMcKHgHm
I bought a White's Spectrum XLT in the late 1990s and still have it. There is a newcomer called Nokta (Turkish company) that is selling excellent machines with wireless headphones (the greatest thing ever) for attractive prices. I bought their inexpensive Simplex model for $254 last year, and I promptly discovered that it can locate a silver dime 4 inches deeper than my XLT can. The White's still beats it for discrimination, though. The electronics have gotten much better since the 1990s. The most popular high-end models these days are arguably the Minelab Equinox 800 and the XP Deus. These machines will kill either of the machines that I own, but you will pay dearly for them.
Like other people said, the challenge is finding somewhere to use it that isn't illegal and isn't a complete waste of time. One has to be both clever and lucky to locate a productive site. Most public property is strictly off limits, and finding a site that actually has coins in the ground has gotten harder and harder over the years. These days, one can hike 3 miles out into the woods into an overgrown area, locate an old house site, and find excavated metal all over the place from the 13 detectorists who got there before you. You'll get a lot of exercise finding out that someone beat you to it. Those of us on the east coast have to worry about Lyme disease, too. It's been a long, long time since I dug up anything interesting - even a corroded Indian cent - but the deer ticks hit paydirt every time I go out.
Here's my best coin recovery of all time. Located it in upstate NY in 1999, and I was shocked to see a semi-key date with an "S" mintmark. The soil was kind to it, and whatever "cleaning" I did was careful enough that it still might straight grade at PCGS. If you aren't into corroded coppers or non-numismatic relics (e.g. Civil War), finding decent coins boils down to locating gold and silver in the ground, which is a tall order in many places.
@rhedden... That is a really nice old coin Ron.... Cheers, RickO
I have a beginners Bounty Hunter metal detector. I love the hobby a lot but I've only found a few coins that were in bad condition, a ton of scrap metal, old staples and hundreds of rusty nails. Kind of getting discouraged lately but it's still a lot of fun 🤷♀️
I have not had mine out for a few years. I have a Whites MXT.
Collector, occasional seller
Found this yesterday in a friend's yard.
Thanks @rhedden -love the coin you posted and great info. I live in Massachusetts so know all to well about ticks.
@Dallife that's what I was wondering, if you could distinguish between something good and rusty old nails....but it still sounds like fun!!
@PipestonePete That's a real treasure!!! 1888 - Nice!!!
@Onastone Most detectors should have a limiter on them where you can edit out some metals. Might look at your manual.
My Original Song Written to my late wife-"Plus other original music by me"
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8A11CC8CC6093D80
https://n1m.com/bobbysmith1
I don't have a metal detector, but am thinking about getting one. I've heard the really expensive models not only have settings for silver or gold, but settings for dates and mint marks! Seriously though, I think it might be fun to go searching for treasure!
Why stop there? The highest-end models grade the coins before you even dig them, and they have a slot that spits out PCGS slabs and CAC stickers for the good stuff.
Here's a funny detecting story for your amusement. In 1999, I buried a "test penny" in the ground in the woods behind my apartment. It was a 1963-D Lincoln. I had read somewhere that the signal from the detector would change over time as the coin aged in the ground and developed a halo of metal ions around it. The following spring, I went back to check the signal. It was louder, stronger, and a bit on the rusty side. I was quite surprised, so I decided to dig it up and look at the coin. It turns out that I had missed the spot by a few feet, and these two popped out of the hole, along with a corroded 187* Indian.
@rhedden You're in the wrong thread! You should be posting in the "We Need More Humor" thread!! You had me laughing so hard.....and excellent detecting story!! Well done!
Google earth is your friend when hunting locations. Simply zoom in on your area then click the clock icon and drag it as far back as it goes. The satellite images for my area go back to the 70’s yet just south of me (Hou) go back to the 40’s.
When looking at these old images look for land marks, schools, buildings, trails, or anything that stands out. Then select pin drop and mark all of these places. Now, once you move the clock back to current your pins will still be there showing you exactly where to go.
A lot of times your marked spot will be under a Walmart or a highway so I will search areas that I already know are still accessible. I need to replace my machine I sold, Garrett and have several points of interest including a saloon and a train station in Camp Spring. Currently known as Old Town Spring. These places though, I found using old maps in conjunction with Google Earth triangulating using the creek because the maps predate the roads. And even this only gives you a general location because creeks also move over time.
Good luck!
I live in Oregon so I don't know if there's much opportunity to find anything really good here. Not sure how many earlier San Francisco mint coins made it into circulation up here. Ain't no colonials or large cents in the ground out here. If you live out east it's a different story.
"You can't get just one gun." "You can't get just one tattoo." "You can't get just one 1796 Draped Bust Large Cent."
Also, if your searching wooded areas then look at all time frame images of that area. A lot more will be exposed in the winter months when the foliage is missing.
You guys realize there is a metal detecting forum, right? Lots of good stuff.
He's prospecting. There's like 4 people on that forum.
Great tip. Are you using the desktop version of Google Earth? I could not find the clock icon in the online version. Google Maps has it in the street view, but the imagery only goes back 10 years or so.
I’m not sure I haven’t used it in a few years actually but I always just googled Google earth.
Sorry I’m computer illiterate I was using a desktop is that what you mean :-)
I downloaded it and found the "historical data" feature, but my area only goes back to 1994 with some blurry images from 1985 that are useless. It was worth a shot anyway. I would love some 1940s aerial photos of my county.
Are you near a major city? That seems to be the difference.
I would look for old maps and historical data then. Most of which can all be found online, for a small fee.
I have the 19th century historical atlas pages, which show old house sites, but so does everyone else. I haven't found an untouched house site since the 1990s. The satellite images are best for roadside picnic areas, swimming holes, church picnic groves, etc., which may not be marked on older maps. Some of my best sites back in the day were long-forgotten picnic or swimming/ice skating holes. I found the sites on foot long before I found any information about what was there.