Metal Detecting: Whats Your Story

I Have been metal detecting the beaches on the Treasure coast in Florida for about a year and all i have found were circulating coins ( enough some times to get a drink after wards) but, that is it. what have you found.

 

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Dug a 1947 D Quarter on Sunday. Ice

 

Back when I first got my metal detector, I went into my backyard (about an acre) and searched around. Unfortunately, didn't find any coins... ended up finding an old metal sign, a really large old canned drink, a bunch of nails, and a hammer. Basically, I found just about anything BUT coins lol.

 

I have found nothing but modern junk with mine. One wheat penny once but nothing fantastic. Of course it's hard to find good places to hunt besides parks and schools.

 

I've found around $10 in change just looking around. But I've found some other pretty cool stuff...

-Horse harness
-A Yale combination lock (old sucker)
-Arrows my dad shot and lost deer hunting
-An old Ford truck oil pan
-Random farming equipment
-Old baseball token
-Old copper ring

Some other stuff, too, I'm sure. Just can't think of it all right now!

Keep trying!

 

I've learned the hard way that when it comes to metal detectors, you get what you pay for.

I bought a mid-range detector and while I've found a lot of coins (both old and modern), I still dig a fair amount of junk. The higher-end detectors have better descrimination and target identification, which makes all the difference... once you have a better idea of what's in the ground, you'll spend less time digging junk.

Low-end is $50 - $300, mid-range is $300 - $800, high-end is $800 - $1500, and when you start spending over $1500 you're out of the hobby models and into the professional models.

 

Several years ago I found a 1875-H Canada dime in VF worth $1000.00

Last year I hit a 10K diamond tennis bracelet w/ 70 full cut diamonds $1895.00 & a 14K solitary band with a .65 carat diamond $1295.00

Only problem with ID detectors is that you will pass over the gold thinking that the signal is just junk. If it sound reasonable Digg !!

 

kev
What detector are you using?

As gallienus267 said: dig the signal.

I have done fairly well over the years, about 150 gold rings, and more than that in silver rings, silver coins, many Barbers (which is why I got back into coin collecting).

but---
You won't find it if it ain't there.
also, you won't find it if you don't dig it.

 

Gallienus is right, dig less junk and you will dig less gold as well as deep old coins. I haven't found too much, a couple Connecticut coppers, King George coppers, a few large cents and one seated dime have been my best finds.

 

I myself use a Garrett1500. I like this detector. Has great discriminators and imaging. They usually sell for about $800 new and I was fortunate to get a nice one off the bay for $400. I have also found that patience is virtue when detecting. If you're looking for gold and even old nickels, you'll dig alot of junk to get to them.

 

I got one last summer and messed around only in the backyard with it. I have found several early wheat cents on up to modern coinage. My best find was a 1917 Lincoln under an elm tree. The elm tree has been the source of most of my finds.

 

Iv'e had some great finds like pop tabs, old hotwheels ext. Actually I am still learning and last summer I did find a few wheats and a silver nickel (45'?). Maybe this year I'll dig something other than clad.

It's great fun and I get a little exersise so it's not all bad.

 

I have a fairly decent discriminator on my machine, so I haven't yet found any pop tops, or iron. But then that rules out finding nickels and gold too.

 

I had one of the lowest priced white detectors a while back and actually found a gold plated broach beside my driveway, after searching several other spots with no luck.

Weird story: there is a small cemetary in the woods by my house with several graves and only one has readable dates. It was from the mid 1700's or so for the birth date and late 1700's for the date of death. So I was always curious what may be in/around the gravesites. It was surrounded by a low wall of stacked rocks and quite overgrown. So I was detecting in the area by some old barn and only hitting on junk, scrap metal, wire, nails etc. Curiosity gets the bast of me and I start detecting around the outside of the rock wall. No hits, and I'm dying to detect inside the wall but know if I get a hit I surely can't dig in there! Finally I give in and do some quick sweeps inside the wall. I got a strong hit right over the old grave! Now what do I do? I know if I don't dig a little my curiousity will haunt me (no pun intended) forver, but I can't dig too deep! I dig down about 4 inches, really just clear leaves, and found 21c. Two modern dimes and a penny, all together in one spot. I pocket it, do one more quick swep of the hole, and get out of there. So I wonder, who dropped 21c in that one spot over the grave? My guess is that some kids or teens were out messing around and someone layed down there and some change fell out of their pocket?

Anyways, I know it was wrong, flame me if you really need to, and I will admit that I let my curosity get the best of me! Heck, even now I wish I have a better detector to check the area outside the graves and see what turns up. Way back then people did not keep their money in banks, and I'm certain there are some jars of gold coins in the area

 

I discriminate out some, but I never know how much to. like you say no iron, no gold.

 

Lots of people detect over old grave sites and find things, they just don't know it. All the grave markers and bones have long since turned to dust.

 

Hey Kevcoins, I've been metal detecting here (a little south of you). Since the coins were first discovered. My son and I found a cannon while snorkeling just north of the inlet 12 years ago. I called the state and they told me that Mel Fishers company and the state of Florida owned the rights to it and would I please show them were it was. I decided to leave it there for other snorkelers and divers to come across it the way we did. Shortly after there was a storm and it was covered again in sand. I haven't seen it again since. Other than that, No silver or gold.

Come on down and try it sometime.

http://www.jupitercoins.com/history.htm

 

I am going to be turning down the discriminator on my machine when the ground thaws out, right now it is solid ice. We had a warm up last week, all 2' of snow melted, so the ground saturated and then re-froze. About April will be happy hunting again. I want to check out my neighbours yards too, with permission of course. Their houses are much older than mine, one was built ca. 1864, and the other in 1900.

 

Been detecting for 20+ plus years I'v done great but I couln'd find myself wrapped in gold chains at the beach. I hate beach hunting but I don't give up. Running a DFX and MXT

 

I am using a top end detector, i bought this one in the keys for about 2000$ its top end, these were used on the Atocha off key west today. Where do you all dig ???