Old guy at the beach...

[Dadhumanizer]

Old man walked up to me today and asked if my MD was a 600 or 800. Told him it was a 600. He said a friend of his has the 8. He said he used to swing in the 70s and 80s. He said he found enough to support himself throughout those years. He said with the sand they are pumping in it is much more difficult. Nice guy. Great to meet one of the old school. Would have loved to hunt back then.

 

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[A2coins]

I cant imagine all the goodies Id have if I started in the 70s

 

[A2coins]

Welcome from MI Tommy

 

[cudamark]

I cant imagine all the goodies Id have if I started in the 70s

I can! Yup, those were some good times before detecting became widespread. In 1970 I made more money detecting than I did at my job! Half of my beach finds were silver and wheats that year. Saved those and spend the clad.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I cant imagine all the goodies Id have if I started in the 70s

I didn't start until 1983. But one time 22 straight digs were silver dimes - one at a time.

Of course divorce took care of those memories.....

 

[OBN]

Sad is there is a ton of gold still out there but with Beach replenishment it's may as well be 6 foot under and gone..

One of the Legendary's who can say they found 51 gold rings in a day, just diving and fanning.

Harry Fink...he was a diver and metal detector user. Share a few of his pictures and hope he does not mind.

I've talked to him a few times in my research on different spots here in the Bay, he really had some great stories..And has helped me in my quest of treasures. He hunted the Chesapeake bay, Florida, and the Islands.

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[flgliderpilot]

Not just more hunters but less people buying gold. I'm thankful my detector does not pick up silicone rings : |

 

[smokeythecat]

Choke...choke...gasp...OMG...etc. Not like that anymore.

 

[BigWaveDave]

Casper be jealous of that guy!

 

[CaptnJohn]

In the 1960s there was often good stuff found on the beach even without a MD after a super high tide or a good storm. Now even a sand dollar is often rare.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I started in about 1976-ish (as a pimple-faced Jr. High kid). And I can tell you : It was not "gold rings and silver coins, hand-over-fist" easy.

Perhaps I was in an area that , even then, had competition. We just hit the *obvious* spots like schools yards and parks. And without discrimination (using 77b's and 66TRs), we were at the mercy of pulltabs, foil, and 5" depth @ tops. On a typical "good" day at the school, we might come back with a merc, a silver washington, and a few wheaties. So it was NOT "hand-over-fist" easy pickens, even then.

It was actually faster and better when disc. came out (TR disc. first, then motion disc. with the 6000d made it even better). That was in about 1980.

The fabled stories of handfuls of gold rings, or handfuls of silver, were NOT the "common story" in the 1960s and '70s. Those stories were exceptions. Like divers being the first ones to ever fan the sand beneath water slides @ still-water lakes (or still-harbors, etc...). Or the first persons to ever hunt underneath the tilt-a-whirl rides (that turn you upside down so all your coins fall out of the ride). Or the first persons to ever hunt at the foot of concession stands set on sand, etc..... Or someone working phenomenal beach storm erosion days (like the 1977 storms, or the '82-'83 storms, etc....). Which could be repeated if and when mother nature gets off her duff, at any time.

Remember: The machines were primitive in those days. I actually get older coins and do better these days.

 

[davest]

Harry detected himself a jewelry store.

 

[Rookster]

That's impressive.