It is always recommeded that people new to the metal detecting hobby dig everything. After you learn how your detector works, what the meter is telling you, you may become more selective in what you dig up. Always dig if in doubt. If it is a clean site, I dig everything. If the site has lots of trash, and I have time, I still dig everything, but if I have a very short time to hunt a site loaded with trash items, I will use more discrimination, and be more selective on what I dig. Remember, the more discrimination you use, the less gold rings, nickels you will find. Hope this helped you. Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)