Anyone metal detect here?

I've always wanted to give it a try. More so since living here in FL. The beaches here are loaded with goodies from coins to jewelry and of course the junk that people leave behind. But man!, I'd love to see what I could find besides the sharks teeth and shells I collect. :cool

Now that I think of it, last year (?) there was an extensive article in the paper about a guy that found an area wher there had apparently been some heavy fighting during the civil war. Fascinating stuff.

 

Do they work at all in the white stuff (too early for some to hear the words snow and ice:-D )?

Not as entertaining, but could be helpful for finding dropped keys...

 

Have never tried it but would love to get one and try it next summer. How much did yours cost? Is it like a beginner one, mid-level or high-tech or what?

 

Cool what research did you do before you bought your metal detector and what area of the country are you in?

I live in Alaska so of course I'll go check out the gold rush areas. Plus like others said, beaches, lakes, playgrounds etc lol

 

:major yes i metal detect have done it for a few years ,had lots of roman iron age little things a scribe or metal type pen for writing on slate pieces;And a beautiful bangle and it was in perfect shape as a lot of similar finds were bent or had been messed up when the farmer ploughs the fields.....:cool... Lev lived in gloucestershire which is a metal detecting hot spot roman coins out of the same fields for twenty years as i know about......me and my friends used to have a great time iv found dozens of coins mainly bronze but have helped dig up plenty of silver hammered coins worth on average 600$ US......sadly iv misplaced and lost a lot of my finds;although i do have a few il post pics when emms has enough time to do the piccies.......:dood.............my detector is a-->Bounty Hunter--->Tracker IV.....i bought one of the army issue trench digging spade but iv been told theyre not that good.......jurys out on that one! as i am unable to physically do detecting through my health but im hoping to get out and about soon!!!:-D

 

You'd be able to detect metal in my scalp.... HONEST. LOL :-D That was discovered upon doing an MRI. Probably due to a car accident in 1997 in FLA.

 

old fairgrounds or any horse fairs where ever there were gatherings of lots of people because lots of people through the ages lost all sorts,what with no banking system as such ,you would love it detecting here in britain,so many places where romans and celts lived and faught!!!!! i will be posting piccies of some roman coins etc!!!! great talking about "tecting" [brit name for detecting" cool

 

MA, as maximus relaximus says "old fairgrounds" or if you can get underneath grandstands, blocks of seats, etc., should prove to be profitable. Bazza

 

Hope you will get some more. Why dont you go to some ancient place and try threre




__________________
Aamy Bush
Metal Detectors

 

BBC's Time team is one of my Favourites. They find lots of great stuff with metal detectors before digging fields, etc. Bazza

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I bought a "half-way" decent metal detector years ago ... when I lost my EX-wedding ring (uh, that'd be my EX-EX wedding ring - now). I never found the ring.

I attribute the 'never founding' it to two things, well, three things:

1. It was over the course of about a two-mile stretch of road(s) that I was attempting to find it.

2. At that time, I was working day and night (literally), and simply didn't have enough time to really commit to learning how to use the thing properly.

3. I was working day and night (literally), and simply didn't have enough time to really commit to learning how to use the thing properly ... oh, I already mentioned that

The thing (detector) is packed-away "somewhere" now, but as I was trying to learn to use it, I ran into (not literally - though it would be easy-enough to do whilst metal-detectin'!) several people (all "guys" - naturally) who had metal detectors, or had-had them, and they all seemed to have a story about "something" (or some THINGS - plural) that they had found with `em ...

Hey, I think I'm gonna try to find that thing now and "dig it out"!!! THANKS FOR THE IDEA!

 

Another member coming out of Collector "hibernation". :cool
Seems like this Forum is stirring up old memories and old collecting pasts.

Bazza

 

Hey I've got an old baseball card collection (they used to be pretty popular here in the states, and I know they still are with some folks, though perhaps not as much as at one time, considering the economy and all).

Some (virtually all, actually) of mine are from when I was a kid - mid/late-1960's to early-`70's.

Anyone know of a good place to see what they might be worth? I'm sure they're in "Average" condition (most of them), though a few might be in really good condition - and I know some of them are of BIG NAME (famous/popular) ballplayers ...

Thanks in advance,
g ...

 

Google or eBay will probably give you a guide as to prices, etc.

eBay will probably list old or still open auctions for your players.
Google will provide lots of links to procede further. Best of luck. Bazza

 

Im collecting mental haa :-D Emms had to keep kicking me and saying dont bring nothing home heee; Iv had collections of lots of things examplehonecards from way back im always on the look out for phonecards got some of the very early days of phonecards!!!!and we got a phrenology head made for doctors and students of medicine il get emms to do piccies when i can persuade her and pry her hands away from her lappy!!!!!!!im a serial collector and i just love old interesting items will do pics soon as i can!!!!!be patient :major love the thread i can go on for hours on detecting and collecting!!!! books all over our house mostly antique hee hee!!!!!

 

Check out

at http://baseballcardshop.net/

or Google for baseball card collecting

Best of luck, Bazza

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I used to do quite a bit of detecting: local parks, my Grandma's yard (found a 1942 wheat penny, an heavily tarnished and bent silver spoon, and a rusted out toy car), beaches at the local lakes. I live fairly close to California gold country and went looking for nuggets a few times but never found any using the detector. We did find gold using the ol' pan and sluice box. Not enough to get rich, but is sure is fun splashing around in the creeks and rivers and digging in the gravel, and the scenery and being outside is great. Plus if there's no gold, you can grab the fishing pole and land some dinner. I dude that hung out at the local metal detector/prospecting store found over $20,000 worth of jewelry in ONE DAY at a local beach!! (Yup, I said TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS). He found a Rolex, a platinum ring with a HUGE diamond, and a really nice sapphire ring. One day! When I was talking to him he was wearing the Rolex which he said was appraised at $11,000. Crazy. I haven't been out detecting in a few years, but maybe this next summer I'll get back out there. With the price of gold being what it is, I might head back to the CA gold fields!!!

Oh, Happy Holidays to all!!!!

 

What type of detector do you use? I am thinking of getting into that.

 

Just go Geo Cashing:major

 

I use a Tesoro. The old Lobo model. The newer Lobo's have automatic ground tracking, mine has manual ground tracking. It was designed primarily for finding gold, but it works great for coins and jewelry too. I paid $200 for a used one locally (I got a GREAT deal). The new Lobo's are about $700-$800 (I think). As mentioned, Garrett is a good brand, and so are White's. Fisher is another company that has been making good detectors forever, since the 1930's I think...
Here's a link to the Tesoro page for the Lobo SuperTraq: http://www.tesoro.com/product/detectors/lobost/

 

For the people that have seen the movie "NERDS or Revenge of the nerds" The guy that metal detected and stuff.. :-D

 

I used to do it all the time. I used top of the line "White's" detector and I got so good at it, I could tell you whether I hit on an Indian penny or a Lincoln Penny.

Tips: Go in the Spring a day or 2 after rain, go check out old churches around entry and walk areas, go to old schools, do some research as to where old houses or buildings where people gathered, tune in your discrimination mode very carefully and often for changing ground mineralization.
A good machine will work best, I have found many, many coins in the past.
Best finds were an 1865 2-cent piece in AU condition at a site where the old county jail had been raised.
A beautiful 1926 Standing Liberty quarter still had mint luster.
Lots of mercury dimes, indian pennies, even walking liberty half dollars.
I have collected coins since I was about 7. I am pushin' 50 now.
Wish I had all the coins I have had since I was 6....I would be well off now.
My knees are very bad now, due to a severe arthritic immune system disorder. I wish I could still detect, I miss it so much.
Hope my tips help a little.

 

Yes, White's is tops. I have used Garrett, Bounty Hunter, etc. Love White's, found the most with it.
Yes, always get permission on private land, sometimes making a written agreement with owner on find dispersal. Also, volunteer to help find lost rings and sentimental items...always looks good to the public eye and builds trust and respect in your community opening doors otherwise closed.
You could probably get a good deal on a White's in the off season on E-bay. Try to get a hipmount...You can detect forever with one, less weight to swing around on arm. I am still partial to the older analog meter as I have learned to read the meter better than their digital I.D. accuracy could ever be. I would have loved to do a beach after a storm, that will never happen with me now.

 

Garrets are excellent also. I know a man that got me interested in detecting when I was young who lived in my neighborhood and would go over to the next door high school football field. We would go over and watch, later asking him.."Whadya find Mister Curry?" He would dip his hand down into his nail apron and pull out handfuls of coins....pennyies to half dollars and he would go over nad over that whole field for years. Always hitting the mother-load of change, even a ring or 2. He used a Garret.

 

Thanks to all of the replies! I read them all.:cool

 

I have always imagined this would be a great hobby! On my 'to do' list now: asap grab a quality metal detector and have some fun.

 

I live near Savannah GA. Lots of History around here. I can't wait to get mine. It's gonna be fun! Thanks for the reply,
Tony

 

The nickels and dimes and Quarters that are clad, are not going to clean well. If they are just regular non-rare spendable coins, just wash under some hot soapy water with your fingers and spend or throw in your piggy bank.
Pennies the same way. If it's a keeper, also lightly Q-Tip some olive oil on it, that will protect it and often gives it a very nice color.
Silver will clean better and if it is in really nice condition and if rare, DO NOT rub the surface. Take and soak in hot soapy water and with a soft artist sable paintbrush...very lightly dab at the surface where the dirt is until it breaks lose.
Let dry and put it in a 2X2 or holder of choice.
Looks like you are on your way to a fun and hopefully profitable time. Wish my knees would allow me to do it, they just toar down an old house a couple blocks away!!!
Those are good places to check after the bulldozers scape off about a foot (100 years) off the top. I have found great stuff from sites like that. That's how I found that 1865 2cent piece at the old county jail site.
Have fun for me too! Good luck!!!!!

 

I have always wanted to do a beach comb near a shipwreck area after a storm in the Keys or eastern coast, I'll never get to do that though. I had to do all my "diggin'" in the hard Indiana sod.
Do research. That is the ticket. Research where things happened a long time ago, where people congregated, events that would draw people especially if the people had to spend money. Old fairs, church events, race tracks. Always get permission as most places are in private hands.
I hope you have great luck!!!!
Keep showing your finds too!!!!!

 

I've use ketchup to clean at least pennies. If you let them sit in it for about 2 minutes you can wipe off just about anything.

 

Yes, that's what led me to the Ketchup. I also know that if you fill up a glass with white vinegar and let a normal egg sit in it over night, it will take the shell off and leave it with the thing layer on the inside that you can see when you peel the shell off a hard boiled egg.. Sort of makes a very unstable bouncy ball..

I use to have an electric eraser that I could get lots of things off change with, but it chewed them up, it wasn't very gentle.

 

I really want to buy one for my son and I. He is only 6 year old. Does anyone have any pointers or tips and tricks that they'd like to share.

Thanks

 

I used to have metal detector just for finding stuff around my yard but I would love to go out and head to the beaches or ski area and check out and see what I can find.