Are These Results Typical?

[Simon.R]

Hello everyone. I purchased a Tesoro Compadre a few days ago to play around in the local parks. I've spent about an hour each morning searching through the wood chips on the tot lots and have found a surprising number of coins each trip. I've even found a silver ring. I'm averaging approximately 5 dollars an hour in loose change. There are nearly 300 of these small parks in my city and I'm planning on heading to a different one each day. I guess I must have minimal competition here because based on everything I've read on the forums I'm doing pretty good.

 

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[bologna321]

I'd say you are doing great compared to what I usually find. If i break $1 a trip its above average :-)

 

[eman1000]

A five dollar clad day for me would be very rare. Sometime the ball diamonds will cough up 2-3 dollars but most of the playgrounds are $1 or less.

The Compadre is the tot lot killer though!

So I'd say your killing it. I'd be hunting outside the playground area if the school is older than 1970.

 

[Illinois Jeff]

Good days........bad days. I've had some parks yield a lot of finds while others seem dry. I also had great luck in sand based volleyball courts. Sometimes a little homework pays off too. How old is the park? What was there before the park? Local libraries may have some old maps of those areas.....might be surprised to find that there were some old homes that stood there. Its what you make of it. To me a bad day of detecting is still better than a good day at work.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Great hunting, I say hit everyone of them and soon!

I exclusively use the Tesoro Outlaw for school grounds and play areas, these machines are very sensitive to jewelry.

 

[smokeythecat]

Welcome Simon R. You are doing fantastic. Keep at it.

 

[Hawks88]

Hey Simon great finds man. That’s almost like having a part time job, only your having fun doing it. Can’t beat that.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

..... I'm averaging approximately 5 dollars an hour in loose change. ..... I must have minimal competition here.....

Welcome from Salinas, CA. I hunted once in El Paso, in about 1981-ish, when visiting family in that area. Just dinked around at an old park. I remember a silver roosie and a wheatie. Woohoo. Also recall hitting some vacant lots, where turn-of-century homes had been torn out. Somewhere near San Jacinto plaza part of El paso. I recall a few early teens wheats from there.

As for your question: Yes: Minimal competition in such tot-lots and sand-boxes, in some cities. Because a lot of hardcore hunters bristle at clad, and are strictly in it for the old coins and relics. But some guys make sport of that. And they do indeed come in with rings from those places . And that clad does indeed add up over time. So it all depends on what venue of the hobby you're into.

 

[Loco-Digger]

You are doing just fine. After you clean them out during your 1st round, your finds will decrease. I had some virgin sites that were so infested with clad that I came home with over $40 in my nail pouch, averaging 5-8 bucks an hour back in my inaugural season (2014). Now when I go back after 3 years of hunting I feel lucky to average $1.50 per hour. Hit all those parks hard before someone else digs the goodies. My 1st season (8 months) I dug over $500. My 1st machine paid for itself in 60 days, my upgrade to a Fisher F4 was paid off in the next 4 months. I ended the year in the black and that covers my accessories expenses (shovel, nail apron, hand trowel, batteries, gloves etc.). The bug bit me hard and I hunted every free moment the 1st year. 4 years into the hobby I might hunt 1 or 2 nights a month in the summer and about 4 hours every Saturday and Sunday when it;s not freezing outside. Just to let you know I am a working stiff and put in over 40 hours a week on the job.

Keep it up and good luck on your future hunts.