Experiences and best spots

[Shane508]

Do you guys have more luck searching in wooded areas/trails, or public places like parks and beaches?

I've only been doing this for a few weeks (after years of saying "I'll get around to buying a metal detector one day). My first day, I had a lot of luck, finding 3 tokens, a Tibetan vajra, and an old button, all within 45 minutes or so.

Since then, I've tried other wooded areas with trails, and have only found a key and a farming tool, both which look to be from the 1800s maybe.

I'd love to find some really old coins, relics and such, but I feel like people have more luck finding more things in public places like parks and beaches, rather than finding historical pieces. My only concern is the laws. I've done a lot of research, and it seems like most public parks in Massachusetts have laws about not removing soil and such. I'm guessing most of these places don't enforce those laws, but I don't know what the penalties are if you do get caught.

What are your experiences for places that you have the most interesting finds? Whether they're worth something or just cool to find. I'm more about the thrill of finding something cool, than finding something that is worth money.

 

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[Loco-Digger]

The majority of my best finds in Ohio came from private yard permissions in the older part of town. Remember people have been detecting since the 1970s and most parks & school grounds have been pounded to death. When I go East to NY to hunt with friends we go into the woods that were once farms and had plenty of homes that have not existed since the turn of the 20th century. Hundreds of years worth of coin drops and cool relics. I also see the farm fields in the East are way more productive than the farm fields in Ohio.

 

[Deft Tones]

I don't remove the soil. I move it out the way and move it back as it was when recovery is complete. I'm not interested in taking soil home, so I don't remove it.

 

[Shane508]

I don't remove the soil. I move it out the way and move it back as it was when recovery is complete. I'm not interested in taking soil home, so I don't remove it.

See, I do the same thing, but I didn't know if that is a technicality. When you lift a clump of soil with a shovel and then put it back, you're technically not doing anything wrong, so I'm curious if that is permitted. I've been looking at it that way as well.

 

[Shane508]

The majority of my best finds in Ohio came from private yard permissions in the older part of town. Remember people have been detecting since the 1970s and most parks & school grounds have been pounded to death. When I go East to NY to hunt with friends we go into the woods that were once farms and had plenty of homes that have not existed since the turn of the 20th century. Hundreds of years worth of coin drops and cool relics. I also see the farm fields in the East are way more productive than the farm fields in Ohio.

Thanks. So I think I'm mostly going to stick with the old areas that I've been visiting. Although I had a scare the other day; the first 30 seconds of walking on a trail, there was a giant load of fresh bear droppings right in the middle of the trail. Couldn't have been more than an hour old. I need to start going with a partner, to be more intimidating to bears.

 

[cudamark]

Swimming beaches are best for jewelry and modern change. Modern parks are good for change and to a much lesser degree, jewelry. Old parks are good for old coins and some relics. Old home sites are good for all of the above. Random woods searches are hit and miss. You might run across a good site, but, most areas will just have hunter trash after miles of walking. You have to also figure in the degree of trash you will have to contend with. Urban parks are the worst. Some are almost unhuntable due to all the pull tabs, bottle caps, foil, iron, etc. Beaches can have a lot too, but, they're a lot easier to remove and get out of the way by a quick scoop of the sand. I find the best good targets vs. trash ratio to be at old home sites. Sure, you're going to run across some sites with tons of nails from previous construction and repairs, but, usually homeowners don't throw tons of bottle caps, foil, and pull tabs everywhere like the do in parks. Most times, you will find that home sites haven't been hunted before either, so, the good shallow stuff hasn't been cherry picked. Unless there is a specific law saying No Metal Detecting, I wouldn't worry too much about the typical "don't disturb, molest, remove, etc" verbage in your local ordinances. Those were there long before metal detectors were in use and were there to target people thinking they could take the parks flora home to landscape their house. You'll still run across those who think detecting should be included in those rules, but, until they actually do, you're not going to be prosecuted for it. Will you get some "scrams" from park employees or other do-gooders with nothing better to do? Sure. Just hunt that area at off-times when nobody is there to complain and leave the place looking as good as before you started. Learn to cut a clean trap door plug and take whatever trash you dig and dispose of it properly.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I like cuda-mark's answer. Both on spots for coin-potential (versus rusted farm junk). And his comments on your laws concerns.

You say: " ...My only concern is the laws. I've done a lot of research, and it seems like most public parks in Massachusetts have laws about not removing soil and such...."

I got news for you: It's not just MA where you'll find those rules for all venues of public land . It's ALL 50 states . And even deft-tones semantics will fall on deaf ears, if someone wishes to make a stink about it. Eg.: the difference between "cut", "slit", or "dig", "pop"and "move", blah blah blah. Even wording forbidding "alter" and "deface" makes some md'rs skittish. But it fails to realize that if you leave no trace, then you have not alterED or defacED anything. Will every last busy-body agree with those semantics ? Of course not. And if you go trying to "clarify" or "get permission" (thinking that will solve the wording problem) you can often just make it worse. Eg.: swatting hornet's nests where a desk-bound pencil pusher just gives you the "safe answer".

But as you yourself surmise: Such things are only enforced if someone is being a royal nuisance. Making a mess, waltzing over beach blankets, through ball games, wearing neon yellow at archie conventions, etc... About the ONLY place where it is likely to come into play, is nice manicured turf. So just pick lower traffic times when such lookie-lous are not present. Like nose picking: Not illegal, but .... you still pick discreet times so as not to offend the squeemish.

 

[Shane508]

cudamark and Tom, thank you both. I'm one of those people who never really got in trouble with the law, and I'm kind of acting like it will be a prison sentence for digging in a park, when in reality, like you said, they'll just say "get out of here" haha.

I'm definitely interested in finding some old home sites now.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

cudamark and Tom, thank you both. I'm one of those people who never really got in trouble with the law, ...

Nor do I think you will "get into trouble with the law" for (gasp) digging to retrieve while md'ing. Not unless you were leaving holes on nice manicured turf @ high noon traffic with a bunch of lookie-lou's about.

You joke about "prison sentence" (and yes, I know you were just joking), but even if you make the joke tame and just say "tickets", I challenge you: Find any example of someone getting a "ticket" for md'ing, and I'll bet you dollars to donuts that it's someone night-sneaking an obvious historic sensitive monument. Or someone being defiant and obnoxious who couldn't take a warning.

Not saying that everyone is going to "roll out red carpets" for you either. When you took up the hobby of metal detecting, it's one of those things you simply have to grow callouses about. Ie.: Didn't it occur to you that you would "dig" for things, and "take/remove" things ? All of which you can, no doubt, find prohibitions on. So if those technicalities bother someone, then me thinks they've taken up the wrong hobby.

Don't over-think it Shane. The only time such verbiage comes into play is: a) nice manicured turf with scores of busy-bodies present, or b) obvious historic sensitive monuments where an archie-type might get his panties in a wad. Just avoid those 2 scenarios for now, and do run-of-mill forest or chaparral type terrain, or beaches, or ratty grass or desert terrain, etc.... In those place, the mental connotations are not present.

 

[CASPER-2]

National parks and historical spots - no nos
state parks - some with permission
public - is usually public but recently have seen signs at schools and parks - NO METAL DETECTING
- but if no sign - have at it - you can always ask police if they have a problem - most will say no
as long as you fill holes
I been hunting in Ma. since age 12 - 1975 ...like others have said - many schools and parks have been pounded
years ago - you can still find oldies down deep if you have a good machine and go slow - but for the most
part - you will just get fresh drops
you can go outside the box and get lucky now and then - hitting tree belts - area between side walk and road
ive done well there because many don't want to hunt close to the road and area is small and many think theres nothing there
they are wrong - try woods around old schools and parks - kids played in the woods too and hid in woods at school
have done good doing that too cause others just hit the grassy areas. Ma. has lots of colonial farm fields - after harvest is the
time to try and hit them - ask permission of farmers first - most don't care - but you want that permission on your side
private old yards are always usually good - ask friends family and co workers or go door knocking
good luck

 

[Tom_in_CA]

...- you can always ask police if they have a problem - most will say no
as long as you fill holes...

Casper, some thoughts:

a) Some people have advanced this idea of "asking the police". Because we all know that the police have BIGGER FISH TO FRY , doh! Hence more likely to get a "yes", than if you asked the head of the park's dept (who might be directly responsible for the grass). However, several "gotchas" in this :

b) person's have been known to be told, by the police: "Go ask at the park's dept". So now you're back to square one. Or ....

c) they say "sure, go ahead, just can't dig" (ok, now what do you do? Just wander about and only listen to beeps ?). Or....

d) they say "sure, go ahead, just don't leave holes". So the md'r heads out, and STILL gets accosted by some other city personnel busy-body. The md'r proudly whips out his 'permission". The busy body gets on his/her cell phone, calls to city hall and says: "But he's tearing the place up!" (which isn't true, of course).

e) And assume for the moment the police COULD give you the final authoritative answer, then what would they be basing it on ? Mere whim ? Mere feeling ? Or actual law/rules ? OF COURSE they would have to be answering based on the laws/rules. Right ? Ok, then why can't they be looked up by oneself ? And to the degree that, yes, some laws/rules are "catch-all" and "grey", then I'm not so sure that asking cops ahead of time is the solve-all for that. For the reasons stated above.

 

[diggingthe1]

You might try construction sites at old homes and old sidewalk and road construction sites where there was a lot of activity. I love those places. Happy Hunting.

 

[Shane508]

Found a 1942 wheat today at an old park. May start going back there.

 

[digger27]

Cool stuff can be anywhere.
I hunted some woods in a few places in big parks and found a few old coins, some old jewelry and other things.

For the last 2 years I have been hunting some private lawns after getting permission and those can be great.
Lots of tokens, tags, coins and a bunch of personal things plus some jewelry.

Most times I hunt parks and in those places you never know.
Once I dug a Dragoon cuff button in the middle of a well hunted park, and another New York Militia officers cuff button...in Kansas, pretty shocked about both.

In my parks I hunt for jewelry and coins and found a lot of silver and gold jewelry around volleyball and basketball courts and other places plus all kinds of other things everywhere.

Learn your machine and dig targets wherever and hope for the best.
This hobby is all about surprises.