What Was It That Got You Started With Metal Detecting?

[John-Edmonton]

A buddy of mine took me out with his old Garrett ADS, and I already saw the potential there. Money was tough at that time, so I bargained with my wife to quit smoking, and buy a decent metal detector. My first real detector was a Garrett Ultra 500 (had a cheap Radio Shack Model Before.....not worth mentioning) and the rest is history. I have stuck with Garrett for over 20 years, and have done very well with their equipment.

 

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[gunsil]

I live in an area that was settled in the 1600s. I did a lot of yard work for neighbors and friends as a kid, and dug up large cents and other cool relics like handmade marbles, clay pipes, and other "old junk". They ran a water line into my parent's house when I was 12 and I saw a shiny disc in the dirt, it was an 1856 dime. I dug bottle dumps as a teenager and made more money than mowing lawns and shoveling driveways selling bottles and other dug items to antique shops. I started collecting civil war buckles at thirteen and when I was 22 in 1969 I saw a guy selling metal detectors at a civil war relic show and realized THIS was for me, saved my money and bought a new Garrett BFO Master Hunter the next year. By the way, that machine cost $150 at the time, more than a week's wages as an auto mechanic. Hunting was incredible being the first in my area to own a detector and I found many cool coins and relics and have never looked back. I still like my Garretts, but have Minelabs too, and am considering a Deus. The only problem is that my area is fairly well hunted out in regards to public areas, and permission for private property seems a lot harder to get than it was in the early 1970s when few knew what I was doing and fewer cared.

 

[Mackaydon]

In 1957 I was a underaged intoxicated teenager who ended up in a Ft. Lauderdale hospital bed next to a guy who said he was a treasure hunter.
Even in that condition, the stories he told me about treasure hunting intoxicated me in still another way;and from then on I was hooked.
Hard to believe that was 60 years ago.
Don.....

 

[eastcoastdetectorist]

I had some other hobbies and YouTube was my main info hotspot. One day I ran across a mding video. After watching I was hooked!

 

[nfunk]

Back in the late 60's when I was around 15 years old I built my first metal detector. It was a simple 2 transistor BFO transmitter with a 6" coil and tuned to the AM radio band that I used as a receiver. It would pick up coins several inches deep and coke cans about 6" deep. Time warp to the near present, when the Garrett ACE 250 came out I purchased that and several years after that I upgrade to the Garrett GTI 2500.

My twin brother and I buried container with pocket change in the back corner of our yard when we were around 12 years old. Several years ago I visited the old homestead with my GTI 2500, even though the area we buried our treasure had a small drainage ditch across the area, I was still about to find about a dozen coins spread around a 6 foot area.

I haven't been active lately due to a torn rotator cuff, and busy work schedule. I am nearing retire and plan on getting active once again.

 

[Tpmetal]

That darn internet got me....I have always dug through old home sites and dump sites around me growing up. Then one day I watched a few videos of shiny stuff being pulled out of the ground, and immediately went and found one on amazon and went to town. That was 4 years ago, and its grip just keeps holding me tighter and tighter.

 

[worldtalker]

My Father-In-Law back in 73,man did we clean up,especially when the Hunt brothers tried to corner the silver market!!!

GOD Bless

Chris

 

[Vern2]

For the life of me I can't remember what got me interested in metal detecting. And this was just a few days before Christmas 2016. Jeepers!! Too many meds I guess.
I wish I could remember, just so I would know. Maybe later.

 

[Xraywolf]

A natural progression for me, when I was a kid I flat out liked to dig deep, random holes in the hopes of finding something, so it didn't take much to prompt me to dig more accurate holes.

Interestingly, when I was a kid in the mid 1970's my grandfather had a metal detector but it didn't spark my interest then, never seen him use it and never asked anything about it. At that time finding dinosaur bones was my fantasy, wasn't interested in metal.
Still have access to my grandfathers old house, which burned down last year. Built in the 1890's, very large yards, tons of kids there over the decades, you'd think I would hit paydirt but no, barely found anything there. I presume the reason why is my grandfather pounded it to death back in the day.

 

[Mackaydon]

Here's a sidebar to my post in #3 above.
Between June of 1967 and June of 1968 the price of silver went up so that it was profitable to redeem the certificates for their silver. Essentially you could redeem a $1 silver certificate for 0.7735 oz.of silver, which would be worth up to $1.90, depending on the price of silver at the time. But Public Law 90-29 mandated that after June 1968 the silver certificates would no longer be redeemable in silver. Another problem: silver certificates could only be redeemed in person at the New York or San Francisco Assay Offices – the Government would accept no mail orderredemptions.
Here's where I come in: I worked at a bank during this time when tellers had a tremendous opportunity—if they were aware and acted upon the situation. The New York Times reported in 1967 that many bank tellers were making about $50 profit a day by skimming out silver certificates as they passed through the banks, and replacing them with Federal Reserve Notes. Adjusted for inflation this would be about $350 a day in profit!
I'd take those SCs,drive to my local SC redemption store and trade my SCs for Federal Reserve Notes on a ratio of $1/ SC for (up to) $1.51 in FRNs. That experience would get anyone hooked on treasure hunting; it only fortified my treasure hunting addiction.
Don....

 

[Andy Nunez]

Well, I inherited my grandfather's small coin collection and when I was a kid, I'd play in an old factory and found three Mercury dimes lying around. I had read about detectors and when I found out a friend of mine had one, I asked to go with him sometime. These were older 70s machines and I wanted something better, so in 1987 I bought my first machine, a Bounty Hunter RB Jr. from Kellyco. When I got my first silver quarter at a Boy Scout camp, I was hooked. I have owned two Bounty Hunters, a Tesoro, a Radio Shack, 2 Whites and 4 Garretts. I still have the Tesoro Amigo II for competition hunts, and my two Garrett Aces, because I just like the tones from Garrett. If I had the money, I'd get the AT Max.

 

[doggoneitdignit]

Hey John I can mention what I thought of my old first starter Radio Shack Metal Detector 3001 I think not a very good starter for kids looking for big treasure just 1" max surface pennys for me who jar full.



Then moved on to Whites 4000 D Series 3 which I found lots with that unit, busted tables saved up enough money to buy one at a local pawn shop for US price maybe 300.? Can't remember as it was going for back near 1984 which I hunted for a 5 years with it after that hanging with buds, party's and girls were of interest then stopped detecting until a few years ago here now ~30 years later.



Missed how fun it was finding things and sharing stories on this site. First Detector I purchased here was a Garrets Ace 300i stock coil. Then picked up a Tesero Vaquero and Compadre here. Still love my 300i and use it mainly for my son who is not into the sport, maybe same thing friends and girls?? Should have got him involved earlier.


Wife and I hitting the beaches tomorrow. Hope to find some good things here. HH

 

[Ammoman]

I Spent most of my childhood on the island of Guam. Digging in fox holes, exploring caves and finding personal items left by soldiers from ww2 sparked my imagination. I don't think i had a choice in the matter.