What do you use to probe for coins??

[pennyfarmer]

I use a screwdriver because most of the items I probe for are new and most of the old stuff I know it is deep and I cut a plug without probing.

I was just wondering what folks use and if anyone thinks the way I do. I have only ever had 2 silver dimes within probing range at a park. So I just go on with my coin destroying screwdriver.

 

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[Maui Mike]

I use a scoop... well after all, i search in the sand.. shaka Mikey

 

[Sandman]

I've used the screwdriver before but now while hunting grass, I use a bayonet. Why, because it can wedge into a pull tap for levering it out of the ground. I have plucked a few rings out like this too. It also makes a nice slit in the sod for inserting a finger to get the coin out and you don't have to push hard to get it to touch a coin and feel for the resistance which is different for a rock.

 

[lms7652]

Screwdriver....

 

[TORRERO]

I use a bayonet.

?? DO WHAT
Didn't these go out with WW2

I have used a screwdriver for most of my 20 or so years of hunting....
and I have a nice Severly scarred seated liberty quarter to prove it....
ha ha ha ... (true story)
(didn't stop me from using a screwdriver though...)

 

[EE THr]

I tried a metal probe about twenty years ago, in a park that I thought was fairly new---I found my first Mercury Head, with a big scratch across it. I put that probe on a shelf and lost track of it since.

I figure if it's not worth cutting a small horseshoe, I don't want it anyway.

A bamboo chopstick will work, though, if you want to probe.

 

[Bum Luck]

A bamboo chopstick will work, though, if you want to probe.

That's a great idea!

I use a pinpointer and a finger.

 

[Jason in TN]

I've used the screwdriver before but now while hunting grass, I use a bayonet. Why, because it can wedge into a pull tap for levering it out of the ground. I have plucked a few rings out like this too. It also makes a nice slit in the sod for inserting a finger to get the coin out and you don't have to push hard to get it to touch a coin and feel for the resistance which is different for a rock.

I like it. If you wear your camo and maybe a a hat a little sideways and talk to your self now and then then you should not have to worry about any one bothering you.

 

[Bum Luck]

I've used the screwdriver before but now while hunting grass, I use a bayonet. Why, because it can wedge into a pull tap for levering it out of the ground. I have plucked a few rings out like this too. It also makes a nice slit in the sod for inserting a finger to get the coin out and you don't have to push hard to get it to touch a coin and feel for the resistance which is different for a rock.

I like it. If you wear your camo and maybe a a hat a little sideways and talk to your self now and then then you should not have to worry about any one bothering you.

Get one of those cammie hats with the long hair coming out from under it.

 

[pennyfarmer]

I will have to add today as another time that I have found a silver coin within probing range in a park. I got a silver rosie right on top, it was a recent drop that has me baffled I may post it in todays finds.

 

[Shortstack]

I've used electrician screwdrivers for about 30 years. They're 3/16 inch wide, common blade with 10" long shank. I use a smooth SLOW insertion until the least resistance is found. Then STOP PUSHING. Pull the blade back out while noting the depth of the object, then move the tip over SLIGHTLY and use another smooth SLOW push. That is how to determine the size. In 30 years, I've left a mark on only 1 or 2 coins. The point is NOT to try stabbing the thing to death. Most coins will be less than 3 inches deep.

 

[tlzkaasen]

What if you used electrical tape on the screw driver tip to prevent marring/scratching?

 

[Sandman]

I like it. If you wear your camo and maybe a a hat a little sideways and talk to your self now and then then you should not have to worry about any one bothering you.

I have had the police show up to see what the guy in the park is doing walking around with a knife. The bayonet is dull as heck and it's main purpose is the center point and good steel as it is USMC issue. Wearing camo has it's purposes. I wonder how many visitors you'd get by wearing blaze orange?

Either way, mothers call the kids away from you. Can that be bad?

 

[pennyfarmer]

Either way, mothers call the kids away from you. Can that be bad?

I have now begun to use one of my own kids as people repellent. We both have headphones on and people leave me alone. I feel more comfortable hitting the tot lot while folks are there.

 

[Shortstack]

What if you used electrical tape on the screw driver tip to prevent marring/scratching?

The tape wouldn't survive the blade being shoved into the ground. I just use a 'driver right out of the bin. Some folks grind the flat tip into a more rounded shape. It's a personal choice.

 

[treasureace14]

i dont really probe.
i dig a hole than say "yeah i found a penny!"
then i do my happy dance 8)

 

[thunter95]

Vibra probe or a bullseye II

 

[Old Fart in TN]

I use a vibra probe and a knife for most of my retreivals

 

[kdismuke1]

LARGE KNIFE. CUT ROUND PLUG.

 

[Born2Dtect]

I don,t probe many targets. I just use a pin pointer, older Whites Bulls Eye to locate them. I did however make a nice probe, 4 " of an old wooden broom handle with a 3/8" X 9" soft brass rod pressed into it, leaving about a 6 " probe. Any deeper than this I would bend up the rod. The brass being softer keeps from scratching the target.

Ed D.