Today's find: one of my father's first detectors

[cheffer]

I got into this hobby thanks to my dad, who, along with my mother and his brother began detecting very early on when the first commercial detectors hit the market in the late 70's. I have to constantly suffer though his stories about how these guys were pulling silver in handfuls out of parks and picnic areas and ski slopes. He often tells me about how they were literally on their hands and knees on the ski slopes because there were so many coins in the ground.

As they're getting ready to downsize we've been going through their house and cleaning, and we came across dad's favorite old detector, his Garrett Groundhog. It's a monster machine, must weigh around 7 or 8 pounds and has the control box separate from the shaft to wear over your shoulder:





I haven't tried to fire it up yet, I'm sure it still works. Maybe I'll take it out for a spin but I'll have to go to the gym first

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[Trezurehunter]

Detectors sure have come a long way ! That is a nice piece of family memorabilia.

 

[Kray Gelder]

Now that's a unit that saw some use!

 

[secondstar]

Bring that back home with you so that we can mess with it!

 

[Digger RJ]

Cool!! 7 or 8 lbs!!!! Wow.!!! I bet that was a workout after a few days on the ski slopes!!

 

[SD51]

That was also my first detector and I still have it!

 

[xr7ator]

Actually the large coil is why the unit is hip mounted. I did the same thing with a Garrett Master Hunter 7 while using the 12" coil back in the 1980's. Standard coil was 7.5".
I still have the machine and have yet to find a deeper silver dime with any other machine. I could find dimes at 14" plus with the 12" coil and tuned hot.
Back then, I was used to swinging with my right arm for a spell and then changing to my left arm, for obvious reasons.

 

[A2coins]

Nice antique I remember the radio shack one with the orange coil I bet they did well imagine coin roll hunting in the 70s

 

[BLK HOLE]

If a detector could tell stories....I bet it would appreciate a quick swing through a park

 

[WHADIFIND]

I swung this very machine for about 10 years!
(Maybe that's why my right arm is longer than my left. )

I still have it and it still works fine!

 

[GaRebel1861]

I’ve still got my Garrett Groundhog from 1978. It’s does not work anymore and is now an artifact in my artifact room.

 

[SanMan]

That's a good machine, they don't miss much!

 

[Rookster]

Dang
That’s a Beast. buy all means save that thing.

 

[RVRoamer73]

Man, ya gotta love that machine. It's awesome!!

 

[invent4hir]

Very cool that detecting became a family hobby! My dad and I did some in the late 1960s with a Heathkit detector. It didn't last long, as all we dug were bottle caps and pull tabs. Sold that detector about 10 years ago - in still working condition.

 

[Tuberale]

Nice machine! My first was a White's, of course, since I lived pretty close to Sweet Home.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Nice, my first detector was a Garrett ADS back in the 80's. Actually it was my moms, but I used it a lot more than she did. I wish I still had it.

I do have this old L880 Bloodhound that I took out a few times, but it's more weight than I want to swing these days and it takes four 9v batteries....