The Detectorists 40 Hour "Workweek" Challenge. Sign up here.

[LM]

The Detectorists 40 Hour "Workweek" Challenge. Sign up here.

Had a fun conversation with a friend recently about whether or not it would be possible to earn an hourly rate higher than a McDonalds paycheck with a MD. I've been doing this since I was a tot and am firmly convinced it would not be possible, but it should be interesting to test this oout. In another thread, the same topic came up again, so if anyone's interested in a good excuse for getting out of the house and doing some MD'ing over the month of June, here it is

The basic idea is this.
Spend 40 hours detecting in the month of June. Do four, 10 hour days, 40 1 hour days or however you want to do it. This sample size will used to represent a 40 hour work week.

Add up the value of all your finds.
In the case of clad, face value.
In the case of silver coinage, standard face value multiple.
In the case of coins with numismatic value, typical ebay sale prices.
In the case of jewelry, melt value @ spot on June 30. In the case of jewelry worth more than melt or artifacts that are potentially valuable, we can agree on a reasonable estimation but at that point, you've probably exceeded a weekly wage and will be categorized as a 3 anyway.

Objective:
To determine the probability of an experienced detectorist being able to earn an hourly rate equal to or greater than $7.50 across a sample size of multiple detectorists.

Criteria:
40 hours spent in the field detecting, over the course of one month.
Careful logging of all finds in addition to all fuel expenses incurred.
Absolute integrity in terms of reporting finds and time use. No padding or exaggerating. If you feel you won't be able to resist this temptation, please don't participate.

Determinations:
The value of all finds made over the 40 hour sample size will be added up to a dollar amount (v) and from that, expenses (e) subtracted (v) - (e). The sum of (v) - (e) shall be divided by 40 to determine an hourly rate (h) and categorize that outcome within the sample.

Categories:
Detectorists who meet an (h) up to 7 will be categorized as 1's
Detectorists who meet an (h) of 7.1-9 will be categorized as 2's
Detectorists who meet an (h) greater than 9.1 will be categorized as 3's

1's represent an hourly rate equal to a wage offered by an unskilled job
2's represent an hourly rate approximately equal to the wage offered by an unskilled job
3's represent exceeding the hourly rate of an unskilled job

If you're interested, post here. All that's required of you is 40 hours of detecting in June and keeping track of your finds, then posting your June totals on July 1st. I'll be more than happy to do the math and keep track of everything.

Ideally, I think at least 10 guys would be adequate, but the more the better.


SIGNED UP SO FAR

mlayers
lsmorgan

 

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[newfie]

Re: The Detectorists 40 Hour "Workweek" Challenge. Sign up here.

I'll give it a shot....I think I already know the outcome....

 

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[Montauk3]

Re: The Detectorists 40 Hour "Workweek" Challenge. Sign up here.

Beware the I.R.S.

 

[goldseeker4000]

Re: The Detectorists 40 Hour "Workweek" Challenge. Sign up here.

If I were going to try this, it would be far better to plant yourself in a good gold producing area and try that way. A fellow would be better off. but on the other hand that is risky too. I have tried hat the last two summers living in my suburban up in the mountains and prospecting gold. I was almost skunked this past summer and the summer befor I was skunked. but prospectors are eternal optimists- this spring and summer I am going to find the good stuff. I can feel it. Laughing. Hope I am not wrong!

 

[Captain Loosechange]

Re: The Detectorists 40 Hour "Workweek" Challenge. Sign up here.

Sign me up, I think it will be fun and I think we already know the answer but would like to see some actual data. One request though to make it more accurate I would say that after the June totals that the same group of participants do it again in say October or November because June is one of my prime months for swimming hole gold and silver and that could skew the results. Not many folks swimming in October or November and most of what was lost has been found or sunk to deep to find by then. So I would say a June and October or November test then average the results of both.

 

[deepskyal]

Re: The Detectorists 40 Hour "Workweek" Challenge. Sign up here.

So how's this working out for you guys?

Was out yesterday and averaged about 40 cents an hour...no silver, just clad. About par for me I think. Would have had a better time if there wasn't 6" of fill on top of the original field. .

Al

 

[Daedalus]

Re: The Detectorists 40 Hour "Workweek" Challenge. Sign up here.

I am going to do this and keep track of 40 hours of over all total .
Do not think I will come close to the wage that would be earned, but you never know as you could hit a few
high value items .
But if one did this you would have to make more for each month as it would be very hard to keep this up in the winter months.

Looks like fun to give it a try though !

 

[mlayers]

Re: The Detectorists 40 Hour "Workweek" Challenge. Sign up here.

I see there is getting a few of us to try this. But remember this is just for fun and we only have to detect 40 hours in the month. Which is not that hard. Normaly when I go out and detect I hunt at least 2 hours or more. Then has been time when I am out 5 to 6 hours a day. Yes in June is when I also hunt a lot of beaches. Captain Loosechange I will also keep track in October to see what I come up with as I would not be in the water and I would only be hunting tot lots and other yards. I hope we all can be honest and this is only for fun......Matt

 

[UTcoinshootR]

Re: The Detectorists 40 Hour "Workweek" Challenge. Sign up here.

I only found one place where I made close to minimum wage...As soon as I removed a target, another was detected. Sometimes I just drug my pinpointer over the target area while I was on my knees because I got so many multiple hits with the detector. I spent most of my time on my knees...up, down...up, down....my back really hurt after hunting that spot. Funny thing is it was a school from the turn of the century (last century)...I didn't find so much as a wheat penny.

I ran into the same thing here in Utah. I found a school in a very rural area with so many quarters it took me 2 weeks before I even started digging dime signals. The school was from the 20's and yet I didn't find any wheats or silver. Crazy.

 

[Keppy]

I'll give it a shot....I think I already know the outcome....

The outcome for most i would say 95% or higher is not good ...That is why they call it a hobby...

 

[Skippy SH13]

My current take for the year is right around $700 (including sales of rings, and unsold items at expected value) for somewhere between 250-300 hours of detecting. This puts the value right around $2.80/hr. It definitely does NOT pay the bills.

That being said, it's THE most fun I've ever had making $2.80 an hour! I'd rather be swinging than working McDonalds.

Does that mean it's not possible to make more? Good grief no, just not the norm. A good hunt with a couple of rings will overshadow the rest of the hunts... but in the long haul, I spend a lot of really crappy 1.5 hour hunts at lunch, coming back with a buck. Still rather be doing that, though!


Skippy

Had a fun conversation with a friend recently about whether or not it would be possible to earn an hourly rate higher than a McDonalds paycheck with a MD. I've been doing this since I was a tot and am firmly convinced it would not be possible, but it should be interesting to test this oout. In another thread, the same topic came up again, so if anyone's interested in a good excuse for getting out of the house and doing some MD'ing over the month of June, here it is

The basic idea is this.
Spend 40 hours detecting in the month of June. Do four, 10 hour days, 40 1 hour days or however you want to do it. This sample size will used to represent a 40 hour work week.

Add up the value of all your finds.
In the case of clad, face value.
In the case of silver coinage, standard face value multiple.
In the case of coins with numismatic value, typical ebay sale prices.
In the case of jewelry, melt value @ spot on June 30. In the case of jewelry worth more than melt or artifacts that are potentially valuable, we can agree on a reasonable estimation but at that point, you've probably exceeded a weekly wage and will be categorized as a 3 anyway.




If you're interested, post here. All that's required of you is 40 hours of detecting in June and keeping track of your finds, then posting your June totals on July 1st. I'll be more than happy to do the math and keep track of everything.

Ideally, I think at least 10 guys would be adequate, but the more the better.


SIGNED UP SO FAR

mlayers
lsmorgan

 

[Papalittle]

If I lived on one of the coasts and hunted popular beaches I would probably try but living in Nebraska I am lucky to find 2.00 after 5 hours of swinging.

 

[timemachine]

I like to metal detect gold but it's hit or miss...less fees, dues, etc. Tell ya what...if I hit that lottery nugget, this won't feel like work no more!

 

[Skippy SH13]

Well... If we're looking at averaging time. Today on the way to work, I noted my gas station (where I've been getting my morning beverage, for the last year) had a snow cone shack being put up. I asked the manager if they'd always done that, and he noted "yeah, for years, I can't remember when they haven't." I then asked the manager if I could come detect the strip of grass beside it at lunch today. He said, "no problem!" I offered to split 50/50 any Aztec gold I find. That always gets a laugh.

Well, lunch came and went, and in exactly 1 hour, I found $8.68. Better than minimum... actually LESS than I expected. The road is at a busy intersection, and I guess most folks don't sit against the street on the grass. Other snowcone shacks have yielded $30 or more in the same space.

I got tired of finding quarters so I "willed into existence" a gold dollar. It worked. I had to laugh. More dimes today than I expected, too... but alas, free money in the ground is still free money!

-Skippy