Is it true anywoods you go into your likley to find a coin?
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Sandman
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The ground was here a long time and the chance someone went in there sometime in the past is very good. However you are better off searching places where people gathered in past times as there is more chance someone dropped something.
Tom_in_CA
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No, it's not true. At least here in the USA. And to the extent it might technically be true, I would not phrase it as "likely", because you may have to cover hundreds of acres to find a coin, in a lot (most) woods here. You have to go to where people congregated. Ie.: camped, recreated, swam, slept, ate, stopped at, etc.... To simply go "in the middle of nowhere" simply because "someone may have walked there", is not going to be productive.
Now in Europe, there may be a ring of truth to that, because they have thousands of years of history. So unlike here, they can go out to most any furroughed field, and ...... given enough time ..... will eventually pull up a coin, EVEN if there were never a house, town, village, stop, etc... on the location. Simply because of having had millenia of cultivation will mean that at some point, a coin or two was lost (even if only 1 every 500 years, in a given few acres). I suppose the same is true of forests over there? But in the USA, very little is over 400 yrs. old, as far as metal items (european influence) goes. Here in CA, I can think of remote forests where you could walk for hours, and be lucky to hear a single nail.
Now in Europe, there may be a ring of truth to that, because they have thousands of years of history. So unlike here, they can go out to most any furroughed field, and ...... given enough time ..... will eventually pull up a coin, EVEN if there were never a house, town, village, stop, etc... on the location. Simply because of having had millenia of cultivation will mean that at some point, a coin or two was lost (even if only 1 every 500 years, in a given few acres). I suppose the same is true of forests over there? But in the USA, very little is over 400 yrs. old, as far as metal items (european influence) goes. Here in CA, I can think of remote forests where you could walk for hours, and be lucky to hear a single nail.
dahut
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It depends on how you want to define "woods." That 30 x 30 patch of trees which once held an old house, well sure, probably.
The 2500 acres of virgin timber down the road - well, maybe not.
Now I have found coins in some rather odd places, I admit. But I always try to know, before I go.
The 2500 acres of virgin timber down the road - well, maybe not.
Now I have found coins in some rather odd places, I admit. But I always try to know, before I go.
deepskyal
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I remember back in the early 80's when I first got started, hearing that you couldn't walk a mile in any direction in Pennsylvania without hitting some sort of road. Anything from old logging roads, oil fields, long gone farms, access roads to construction site....old indian trails and what-nots. I read this in the newspaper and the thought has never left me and I've also found it to be fairly true.
Pennsylvania is also steeped in colonial history and people went where there were no roads at all.
So I'd be one inclined to say...yea...you can find coins darn near anywhere in this state. Not a lot of virgin woods here. I've seen pictures of what the lumber industry did to the mountains.....looked like someone shaved thousands of acres bald....not a tree standing as far as the eye could see.
So where were those lumber camps
?
Al
Pennsylvania is also steeped in colonial history and people went where there were no roads at all.
So I'd be one inclined to say...yea...you can find coins darn near anywhere in this state. Not a lot of virgin woods here. I've seen pictures of what the lumber industry did to the mountains.....looked like someone shaved thousands of acres bald....not a tree standing as far as the eye could see.
So where were those lumber camps
?Al
Frankn
Gold Member
There are two things involved here,luck and observation. The important thing is, someone had to loose it first! So as you are going along observe your surroundings! Can you see an old abandoned road or path in the woods? If you can, try your luck. I will give you an example. I saw what looked like an old wagon trail thru the woods about a mile from my farm. I took my detector there and walked up the trail. About 200' up the trail I found an indian head penny. Just one, but it was worth the 1/2 hr. I noticed a depression in another woods. I came out with a tool that has been identified as one of the earliest fly tying jigs. It took some time to conserve it but it turned out to be a real trophy. The fishing shop offered me $50 for it! Good Luck!
DCMatt
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Let me start by saying there is lots of histroy in the ground around me. I live in Virginia about 25 miles west of Washington DC. My detecting buddy saw a patch of woods near his work and remarked that it looked like natural grade with mature trees, so we went in to detect. I dug a half cent and he dug two large cents on the first trip. Other relics showed that the area was probably a logging camp in the early 1800's. Since then, another large cent, an IH, and a '46 Washington quarter 
have come out of the ground (along with many buttons and other relics).
The moral to the story is, if it looks like old woods, hunt it.
DCMatt
have come out of the ground (along with many buttons and other relics).The moral to the story is, if it looks like old woods, hunt it.
DCMatt
steve from ohio
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More money and valuables have been lost throughout time than are in circulation right now.
Old money and jewelry in the ground is everywhere. Go for it.....you never know what you will find.
Old money and jewelry in the ground is everywhere. Go for it.....you never know what you will find.
ShootTheMoon
Jr. Member
Fur traders, pilgrims, settlers, Indians, etc., etc., etc. have frequented "woods".
I think you can walk around for miles and probably never find a cent. Or piece of metal.
Or you can walk into the deepest part of the woods and find coinage, relics, etc.
Who is to say what's in the woods or not.
You can be optimistic and believe that or you can be skeptical and say you can't just walk into every woods you come to and expect to find something.
Given time and patience, you might find something, even if it takes you weeks or months in the same woods.
I think you can walk around for miles and probably never find a cent. Or piece of metal.
Or you can walk into the deepest part of the woods and find coinage, relics, etc.
Who is to say what's in the woods or not.
You can be optimistic and believe that or you can be skeptical and say you can't just walk into every woods you come to and expect to find something.
Given time and patience, you might find something, even if it takes you weeks or months in the same woods.
Charlie P. (NY)
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jasonbo said:I was once told this by a old avid treasure hunter.
Best place to find a lost coin is to look where someone was when the dropped it.
People don't have much use for coins or reaching into their pockets in the woods, so few coins are lost there. But once in a while it pays off. You're there, so maybe someone was before you. If an old picnic spot has been overgrown or some spot where a camp was . . . that could be a hot site.
Do some thinking first for spots in the woods where coins might be needed or clothes removed/replaced.
Al Czervik
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Charlie P. (NY) said:jasonbo said:I was once told this by a old avid treasure hunter.
Best place to find a lost coin is to look where someone was when the dropped it.
People don't have much use for coins or reaching into their pockets in the woods, so few coins are lost there. But once in a while it pays off. You're there, so maybe someone was before you. If an old picnic spot has been overgrown or some spot where a camp was . . . that could be a hot site.
Do some thinking first for spots in the woods where coins might be needed or clothes removed/replaced.
Well said Mr. Charlie P. (NY)
Well Said ...
~ Al
ShootTheMoon
Jr. Member
Thought I said this....who knows how old a forest is?
Many forest(s) in my state (AL now) were made by CCCs planting pine trees.
Many forests have been chopped down due to loggers and many replanted.
Sit back for story time:
About 15 or so years ago in Colorado I was horseback riding into some woods, this was a 20 mile ride.
After 5miles in, I decided to go off the beaten path and follow a small creek bed (5ft wide) as far as it would go.
I rode for about 2 hours, sometimes using the creek to ride in if the trees or bushes got too thick.....eventually the trees were thinning out and the creek was running clearer and had narrowed down to about 2 ft across. After another hour the creek ended in a small pool and was flowing from some rocks, like a natural spring. I dismounted and walked a little further away from the spring, until I saw a small clearing, in the clearing was some kind of bricks and a wooden shanty missing all but 2 of its sides. (Looks like a fire took out the rest.) There was a type of chimney and fireplace, blackened and sooty and I poked around a little finding nothing exciting and decided to look around the clearing and saw a narrow trail through the trees and followed it until it dead ended. I went back to the shanty and found 2 more trails, one dead ended and another seemed to go on ... after about 30mins a bear scared me off. (Yes, a BEAR!) I high tailed my butt back to my horse and quickly left!
I later asked my grandfather about this shanty. He said he didn't know and to ask my great grandmother. (She is full Sioux Indian and had ran amok in these woods since she was a girl) She said it once belonged to a trapper. And that it had been used by trappers for the last 75 or so years that she was aware of. There have also been boys who camped there, etc. It was rumored to have been used by a "wanted" man in the late 1800's who had robbed a local post office. I don't know why a post office, my grandmother wasn't sure either.
Anyway, I love story hour don't you? I guess you never know what once was in the woods.
I also wish I was a metal detector enthusiast back then!
A little history lesson into the woods you would like to detect could give you little tidbits on whether it was used by trappers, low-men, boyscout, Indians...etc.
I like to believe there are no true virgin "forests" in the U.S. Granted there may be acres undiscovered in the past that WE know of, but who knows about uncharted history?
You wouldn't believe the acreage indians, trappers and hunters can cover.
Many forest(s) in my state (AL now) were made by CCCs planting pine trees.
Many forests have been chopped down due to loggers and many replanted.
Sit back for story time:
About 15 or so years ago in Colorado I was horseback riding into some woods, this was a 20 mile ride.
After 5miles in, I decided to go off the beaten path and follow a small creek bed (5ft wide) as far as it would go.
I rode for about 2 hours, sometimes using the creek to ride in if the trees or bushes got too thick.....eventually the trees were thinning out and the creek was running clearer and had narrowed down to about 2 ft across. After another hour the creek ended in a small pool and was flowing from some rocks, like a natural spring. I dismounted and walked a little further away from the spring, until I saw a small clearing, in the clearing was some kind of bricks and a wooden shanty missing all but 2 of its sides. (Looks like a fire took out the rest.) There was a type of chimney and fireplace, blackened and sooty and I poked around a little finding nothing exciting and decided to look around the clearing and saw a narrow trail through the trees and followed it until it dead ended. I went back to the shanty and found 2 more trails, one dead ended and another seemed to go on ... after about 30mins a bear scared me off. (Yes, a BEAR!) I high tailed my butt back to my horse and quickly left!
I later asked my grandfather about this shanty. He said he didn't know and to ask my great grandmother. (She is full Sioux Indian and had ran amok in these woods since she was a girl) She said it once belonged to a trapper. And that it had been used by trappers for the last 75 or so years that she was aware of. There have also been boys who camped there, etc. It was rumored to have been used by a "wanted" man in the late 1800's who had robbed a local post office. I don't know why a post office, my grandmother wasn't sure either.
Anyway, I love story hour don't you? I guess you never know what once was in the woods.
I also wish I was a metal detector enthusiast back then!
A little history lesson into the woods you would like to detect could give you little tidbits on whether it was used by trappers, low-men, boyscout, Indians...etc.
I like to believe there are no true virgin "forests" in the U.S. Granted there may be acres undiscovered in the past that WE know of, but who knows about uncharted history?
You wouldn't believe the acreage indians, trappers and hunters can cover.
Woodland Detectors
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or snakes
