Metal Detecting
Fun & Educational
What makes the metal detecting hobby fun are the occasional silver coins, we find and the occasional rare or valuable finds. When you find yourself in an area which is not producing very many good signals, keep searching. That next sweep of the search coil just might be the one you want to make. Some of my best and oldest coins have come from heavily searched areas in areas that shouldn't have been missed but were.
The 1832 Bust Dime, I found in 2001 is a great example. I found it in a heavily searched park. It wasn't in a fringe area or under a bush or tree roots. It wasn't on edge or near a piece of junk metal which would obscure it making it hard to detect. It was just there! Four inches down lying flat, in an open area of Poison Ivy. Until I came along it had just been missed!
An 1881 Silver dollar was found in a favorite hunting in West Swanzey area by member Glenn Therrien. All of us hunting here, knew the signal was junk and never dug it. That taught us a lesson & not to take signals for granted.
Be realistic in your expectations & goals. Expect to find mostly newer coins and matchbox toys. Expect the older coins you do find to be common and not particularly valuable. Keeping in mind that ten coins worth $15. ea is comparable to one worth $150..
If gold rings are what you want to find, expect to dig a lot of pull tabs, aluminum & lead. If you set your discrimination to eliminate pull tabs, you won't find most of the gold! Expect in many instances, to do more searching than finding. take it from one who knows, persistence can be very rewarding. Not necessarily in terms of dollars but in fun! There are still fun, Historical and valuable things to find out there, Even in those worked out places. It is best if you have a top of the line metal detector & know how to operate it. Just be patient and persistent, work a tight overlapping search pattern and most of all, enjoy yourself.
If you detect on private property, found items, by all rights belong to the owner unless this is worked out before the Search. For sure , an agreement in writing, is the best. If you have permission to detect a private yard and show the home owners your finds, they will let you keep them. I tell them, I’ll show you what I find and anything you want is yours. I LOVE THE HOBBY and good places to detect are hard to find, so I don’t mind sharing.
Always ask for permission to search land, not your own. Public property is different. Old parks, ball fields, schools, etc. are pretty much free domain. I recommend “before searching you find out if there are any town ordinances or laws against metal detecting. Whit permission, what you find you keep.
If a detected artifact is truly Historicall & rare you may want to donate it (for a Tax write off) to a local or State Historical Society.
Metal Detecting
Fun & EducationalWhat makes the metal detecting hobby fun are the occasional silver coins, we find and the occasional rare or valuable finds. When you find yourself in an area which is not producing very many good signals, keep searching. That next sweep of the search coil just might be the one you want to make. Some of my best and oldest coins have come from heavily searched areas in areas that shouldn't have been missed but were.
The 1832 Bust Dime, I found in 2001 is a great example. I found it in a heavily searched park. It wasn't in a fringe area or under a bush or tree roots. It wasn't on edge or near a piece of junk metal which would obscure it making it hard to detect. It was just there! Four inches down lying flat, in an open area of Poison Ivy. Until I came along it had just been missed!
An 1881 Silver dollar was found in a favorite hunting in West Swanzey area by member Glenn Therrien. All of us hunting here, knew the signal was junk and never dug it. That taught us a lesson & not to take signals for granted.
Be realistic in your expectations & goals. Expect to find mostly newer coins and matchbox toys. Expect the older coins you do find to be common and not particularly valuable. Keeping in mind that ten coins worth $15. ea is comparable to one worth $150..
If gold rings are what you want to find, expect to dig a lot of pull tabs, aluminum & lead. If you set your discrimination to eliminate pull tabs, you won't find most of the gold! Expect in many instances, to do more searching than finding. take it from one who knows, persistence can be very rewarding. Not necessarily in terms of dollars but in fun! There are still fun, Historical and valuable things to find out there, Even in those worked out places. It is best if you have a top of the line metal detector & know how to operate it. Just be patient and persistent, work a tight overlapping search pattern and most of all, enjoy yourself.
If you detect on private property, found items, by all rights belong to the owner unless this is worked out before the Search. For sure , an agreement in writing, is the best. If you have permission to detect a private yard and show the home owners your finds, they will let you keep them. I tell them, I’ll show you what I find and anything you want is yours. I LOVE THE HOBBY and good places to detect are hard to find, so I don’t mind sharing.
Always ask for permission to search land, not your own. Public property is different. Old parks, ball fields, schools, etc. are pretty much free domain. I recommend “before searching you find out if there are any town ordinances or laws against metal detecting. Whit permission, what you find you keep.
If a detected artifact is truly Historicall & rare you may want to donate it (for a Tax write off) to a local or State Historical Society.
Trying to get Tony to enjoy the hobby. He is a little discouraged as he is not familiar with the equipment and the sounds yet.
