are local parks picked clean?

brian11 · Nov 16, 2009

I've only been detecting about 2 years, and realize the learning curve is long, but I have never found a silver coin. I have found a few silver (& other) rings at the beach and tons of coins. But nothing older than 1965!! I have a DFX. In parks I use the preloaded coin and jewelry with a few adjustments, or the pre loaded "deep silver " program. Is it possible that parks are pretty well picked clean of silver? any ideas?

extractor · Nov 16, 2009

How old are your parks ?

rginn · Nov 16, 2009

It does go to how old the site is. Plus, folks didn't just lose silver coins by the hands full. (Well, sometimes they did.) I was alive when we spent silver coins for candy bars, and believe me if we lost a dime or quarter, we made an effort to look for it. I could buy a pair of pants for a dollar back then. Keep after it. I like to just go out in the middle of nowhere and start detecting, and my best day was findin an 1876 seated liberty in just such a spot. I like to put the DFX in Hi-Pro, and dig every hit. The best advice I can give you is research, research, research, and in the meantime check every spot of ground you got permission for. Don't never give up, and you'll come up with some cool finds.

Tom_in_CA · Nov 16, 2009

In some areas, I would have to say yes. But it depends on what you mean by "picked clean". I mean, sure, if they scraped off the top 8" with a tractor for some sort of construction purposes, then yes, you'd get to the deeper previously un-reachable coins, or coins that were masked by surface trash, etc... But for all practical purposes, I know some parks in my area, that were hit heavily in the 1970s and '80s. Then during the latter '80s, and into the '90s and '00s have become veritable junkyards as the neighborhoods became blighted. Pitty the poor fellow, even a detecting ace, who tries to get more silver out of there now. He'd probably swear it had never been any good. But I distinctly recall 30 yrs. ago getting IH's, barbers, deep wheaties and mercs, etc... Now they're just a waste-land of zinc pennies, foil wino-caps, etc.. Would I consider them worked out? Yes. Would I go there if I saw that the scraped off the top 8" for astroturf installation? yes

Shortstack · Nov 16, 2009

RGINN is exactly right. You can bet that the 3 foot strip at the sides of all sidewalks will have been picked over pretty good. You need to get to places people without detectors have played. That would be the open areas, any hilltop and / or hillside; underneath heavy bushes that have been in place for years. Think out of the box. I found a 1936 Buffalo nickel about 5 feet out from the edge of the front sidewalk at my old school; less than 2 inches deep. Why is this a good example? It was outside of that overhunted strip alongside of the sidewalk. I'd hunted this school many times in the past and so had a dozen other folks. (this is a small town and not THAT many detector hobbyists)

Two friends and I were hunting a Middle school yard in Oklahoma City about 1996 and one of them found 2 rings in a triangular shaped grassy area about 7 feet x 6 feet x 5 feet formed by 3 sidewalks. We wondered how many hunters before us had ignored that little spot. That's the same day; same school yard where I found a one ounce gold pendant with 10 diamonds in it. It was at the grassroot level (about 2 inches deep) and outside of the sidewalk strip. It was about 6 feet out from the edge of the main sidewalk running from the parking lot to the front of the building.

As a simple experiment, try running your detecting path about 6 feet out from the sidewalk edges or just aim out through an open area in the middle of the yard. Go slowly and overlap your coil sweeps only about 1/2 the diameter of your coil or less.

Woodland Detectors · Nov 16, 2009

NEVER! Plants grow push stuff around .Soil conditions Blah blah blah ::)

brian11 · Nov 16, 2009

the parks are from 1920's... I have never seen anyone using a MD in my area...except a couple times at the beach.. I will try some more remote areas off the parks...just seems like there would have been so much less "traffic" that the odds are less. I bring up the AC sensitivity, but unable to increase pre amp gain without become unstable...Does anyone else consistantly use a pre amp gain of 2? Thanks for all of your responses...!!I really appreciate them.

Tin Nugget · Nov 17, 2009

Find the age of the park. Do some research on it. Many old parks were used for allot of community events. Take a look at the grounds. Many old parks have had fill dirt dumped on them and pushed around. Are the tree roots in some areas exposed and covered in others? Are there ridge lines. When you dig a plug does the soil change color and consistancy etc. I have often found rocky loose soil when digging a plug in a park and it can be 3 inches of it at one corner of an open area and one foot at the other corner, fill dirt dumped and smoothed out. Anyway get a good visual and poke around. If you start finding the old style pull tabs then you know at least that area has not been dumped on in awhile.

treasurehound · Nov 17, 2009

Are parks picked clean? The answer is no. Yes you may not find the newer coins but the older deeper coins are still there. If your park dates back to the 1920's it will have silver. My home town has a little park about a half block in size. I remember people hunting it back in the 60's and 70's and finding a lot of coins. I bought my first machine in 1979 and hunted it hard. Today they are still finding old coins there. Also some coins may lay on their edge for years being undetected and then they slowly flatten out to where you get a good signal. To understand what I mean bury a dime on edge 6 to 8 inches deep and run you coil over it at your normal sweep. Then go over very slowly. You will see the difference. Then lay it a little flatter and your signal gets stronger. Many people hunt way too fast and pass over a lot of the good coins. I hope this helps. You have a great machine and it takes time to learn any machine. Do a lot of research to find older places. I spend hours on the internet finding places to hunt. Now I don't have the time to hunt them all. Good luck and we can't wait to see your finds on Todays Finds.

teddy · Nov 17, 2009

Clean? No. Something always seems to get missed.

But some old parks have been hit so hard that they're no longer worth the time it would take to find that last wheat cent.

teddy

crazyjarhead · Nov 17, 2009

No place is ever hunted out. Technology, soil conditions, the speed and angle of every swing varies, etc;

Swartzie · Nov 17, 2009

brian11 said:
the parks are from 1920's... I have never seen anyone using a MD in my area...

Sounds like a place that would be loaded with silver. If there's a picnic shelter or pavilion, hit that area thoroughly. Check out local history books at the library. There should be some info on at least one of the parks in there. You may get lucky and find the old layout (map) of a park. Good Luck.
-Swartzie

rjw4law · Nov 17, 2009

I went to an old court house....walked around with the DFX Coin setting....dug all new stuff. Then I started digging all pop tabs.....within an hour I had a 1901 V nicklel a 1917 Buffalo nickle, and a 1917 S penny....+ 10 pop tabs. I decided to keep the pop tabs.

brian11 · Nov 17, 2009

rjw4law said:
I went to an old court house....walked around with the DFX Coin setting....dug all new stuff. Then I started digging all pop tabs.....within an hour I had a 1901 V nicklel a 1917 Buffalo nickle, and a 1917 S penny....+ 10 pop tabs. I decided to keep the pop tabs.

thats a great idea....thanks...

Trackerman · Nov 17, 2009

Depends on what state your in. Silver coins were produced in certain states. Also as they are found they are not replenished like modern coins.

ivan salis · Nov 17, 2009

yep clean out the junk a bit at a time to uncover whats under it --masking hides many things

brian11 · Nov 18, 2009

rjw4law said:
I went to an old court house....walked around with the DFX Coin setting....dug all new stuff. Then I started digging all pop tabs.....within an hour I had a 1901 V nicklel a 1917 Buffalo nickle, and a 1917 S penny....+ 10 pop tabs. I decided to keep the pop tabs.

What tab readings do you decide to dig...which ones to ignore?
for example...do you dig the ones that are consistent, ie several passes show 36-39? I assume I can safely ignore the ones tha t show i different VDI with each pass,,ie: 32, 27, 64,.....
Ideas...thoughts?

treasurehound · Nov 18, 2009

Most people that find the coins and jewelry are going to dig pull tabs. I dig everything. Many times my vdi will say pull tab and it actually is something else. The best advice I can give on metal detecting is to dig every target. Like I said earlier it takes time to learn your machine. Then and maybe then you can tell the difference as to whether to dig or not. It is difficult to tell someone what to dig because they don't actually hear the tone or see the screen. You have to acquire that ability. We all can give you the basics but you have to fine tune them yourself. I have been hunting for 30 yrs and I still ask questions and I am by no means a professional. So don't be afraid to ask. Again dig all targets and you will find a surprise before you know it.

eagle77 · Nov 18, 2009

I have yet to find my parks picked clean. Early summer 2009 I found a rosie in a park that is hit hard. It was less than an inch under. My lil trick is I sit there and look it over, on hot mid day early afternoon I notice where the shade is best. I look at where the family picnic is taking place and where people are playing. Habits don't change much now as it was back then. Also look at place where the young "lovers" would be sitting away from the family but still within eyesight. I hit parks that have been hammered hard and still find stuff. I slow it down about half speed and listen real close to those deep beeps.

Whenever the park guys cut down a tree or move dirt, hit it hard and several times, any place the soil is disturbed will produce something.

Be prepared and don't get discouraged to dig a ton of junk. Within that junk is where the coins and goodies are.

Good Luck!

ivan salis · Nov 18, 2009

smart fella that eagle 77 -- folks are creatures of habit --what was a "good spot" to folks back then is a good spot now if the terrain / landscape is the same --people watching can pay off --watch their patterns of use. -- where folks are at is where coins COULD be lost at both now and back then.