Are newer machines the key to older coins ?

[Jazdo]

Hi all.. I have been detectin since the mid 80s,and have wanted a new detector since the mid 90s,but have always
put it on the backburner due to various reasons. My first machine which I still use some is a INCA,followed by a
Golden Sabre II in 93 I think LOL..

My ? is are the newer machines with Target ID and all the bells and whistles really worth it ? I mean I have
found 1880 coins on top of ground and memorial cents at 6 inches so why all the depth issues?

The deepest old coin I have dug was a Barber Half at almost 7 inches other than that its 4-6 for the most part.
Maybe I am missing alot huh..

Soil condition probably has some to do with machines and depths,but no 2 machines are really the same
anyhow.

I am thinking a Tejon mainly because of reviews and the dual disc. followed by depth capabilities. Plus I
really wouldnt think of changin brands.I dont think Tesoro is topped by anyone.

So lets hear some responses.First hand accounts from people that have newer machines,and input
from THers like me who have used old school machines forever LOL

 

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[Nick A]

I'm still not seeing people posting finds with any other brands to seriously rival the Minelab machines for the type of detecting I do. People's finds are the truest test of a machine to me.

Scenario #1: Linda lives in a very old town(1700's) where no one has used a detector and owns the ACE 250. Jimmy lives in a relatively new town(1900's) where lots of people metal detect and he owns the Minelab E-Trac. Linda has lots of finds dating back to the 1800's, while Jimmy has never found any coins older than 1910. If you were to go by what each has found you would think the ACE 250 is much better than the E-Trac. A sad mistake.

The reason there has never been a detector holding the title as "the best" is because there is no such thing. There can only be what is best for you. If you feel the Minelab has no rival then it is probably the best for you and your type of hunting, but that does not mean it is the best for me and my type of hunting.

I believe the best way to compare detectors is a head to head in the field, and this will only show what might be best in those hunting conditions, and nothing else.

You are absolutely RIGHT ON THE MONEY! That's why I specified when I asked originally that people show me silver coins found in hunted out city parks and schools in the USA. And still, the majority of the people I see with 100+ silver coins per year, from these types of sites, are Minelab users. I'm talking about experienced hunters with top-of-the-line machines hunting in "Jimmy" types of sites.

The amount of silver coins from these hunted out sites with Minelab machines is SO significant, so much more than other brands seem to find, that it becomes meaningful, just due to the sheer volume of the results.

I admit head-to-head testing is ideal, but how many of us have the time or ability to do that before we purchase a new machine? We much go by what data we have and try to see through the hype of marketing materials. Watching forum posts is a great way to do this, as is asking those users you see finding the types of targets you want to find what they use.

Oh, and if you know where Linda is hunting, I'd love to plan a road trip out that way with my Minelabs.

 

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[Nick A]

Willee.... ...Very good response to those who think all those bells and whistles are there answer to finding all the ... "good stuff ",,, but they will never see the truth...........

I agree with you Jim. Bells and whistles alone are not the answer. But excellent equipment, experience, site research and time spent in the field actually detecting are all part of the answer.

 

[Jazdo]

I used a Tesoro Inca & Mayan for years. Great detectors and I found a heck of a lot of good stuff, but then any detector will find a lot of good stuff when conditions are right. We had hunted our city park for a good 10 years and never found more than an occasional wheat. The park was established in 1883, so we found lost at the lack of old coins. We assumed it had been hunted out since we were all very good with our detectors at the time.

In 1991 I decided I was going to buy a new detector so I bought a White's Eagle Spectrum. As usual, we took it to the city park for a trial run. After turning it on and ground balancing, with the factory Coin & Jewelry program, my first hit came within 1 minute of swinging. It ID'd as a dime at 6 1/2". My buddies checked the target and got nothing. Out of that hole I dug 3 silver dimes, 1 barber and 2 mercs, a 1942 war nickle, and 3 wheats. I couldn't move 2' without repeating this over and over. I ended up pulling over 2000 coins over the next few years many back to the 1800's.

Those older detectors can do a good job in the hands of an experienced user, but don't be fooled into thinking they are any match for even the lower end detectors of today.

After 18 years of cleaning that park with the Eagle Spectrum the good stuff is few and far between. I know there is plenty left, but it is not within the ability of the detectors I have used. The XLT, Minelab SE and Sovereign GT, and the DFX. The DFX and SE can still pull a few goodies at extreme depths(10-12") and what had been masked at shallower depths, but the pickins are slim. I sold the SE and GT and now only use my DFX. I could show my finds but that really doesn't prove anything since I'm the one who cleaned the park out in the first place.

Yes learning the detector you use is most important to get the best performance, but that best performance will always be limited by the detector you use.

Thats interesting.. I hunted for a couple years with someone who used a Eagle II SL and was
surprised at watching him dig a new quarter at 12". He also made some great silver finds
with it !

 

[Jazdo]

Try sending your Minelab in for repair. I hear they have stopped all repairs on models older than 1 or 2 years old.

Possibly the other reason I am sticking with Tesoro !

 

[Nick A]

Try sending your Minelab in for repair. I hear they have stopped all repairs on models older than 1 or 2 years old.

Well that's spreading a rumor that's going to get out of control. Better to know the facts. The detectors they can no longer service due to lack of parts are all almost 10 years old or older. I am posting the dealer bulletin here.

Minelab machines are built well and will easily last 10 years or more. If after 10 years, my E-Trac can't be serviced, I'll buy another. I will certainly have gotten my money's worth out of it.

 

[Nick A]

Tesoro and Garrett both repair anything anytime, with few if any questions asked. And in ten years I doubt you'll have enough finds to pay for a mid range Tesoro let alone a Minelab. While in only 2-3 years a Tesoro owner will have enough finds to pay for the original detector and maybe even a start on a new one.

Well, I for one would prefer to use a newer machine, rather than a 10 year old machine with components that might fail at any time due to age. If I drive a long way to a hunt site, I need to be sure my equipment is going to work, and an old machine just increases the risk of failure in the field.

All I need is 2-3 more gold rings in the next few years and my Minelab is paid for. One beach hunting trip could do it. Gold rings and scrap silver jewelry also paid for my last Minelab, and I get to keep all the old and silver coins. Sounds like a good deal to me. But I'm also not concerned with paying for a machine with my finds. It's a hobby, not a business. If detecting had a great return on investment everyone would be doing it.

You stick with what you like, I'll stick with what I like. I could make some disparaging comments about Garrett and Tesoro machines, problems I have heard about and other rumors, but I will not do so. If you like 'em, that's great!

The original post asked the question are newer machines the key to older coins, and for hunted out sites I believe the answer is "yes!" whether it is a new Tesoro or a new Minelab. If you are not hunting hunted out sites, you can find old coins with almost any machine as Digger explained in his post.

I still have yet to see Tesoro users finding the quantity of old silver coins in previously hunted sites that Minelab users are finding - 100+ silver coins per year. My five examples (myself included) still stand.

Bryce - http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,209115.0.html 308 silver coins in 2 years!
Dan - http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,209005.0.html 1022 silver coins in 2 years!
Gary - http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,210334.0.html
Mike - http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,212098.0.html

I have only seen one person, thrillathahunt, posting a quantity of old silver with a Tesoro and it showed a photo of a quantity of silver found over two years and did not give a count of the number of coins.

I'm open to believing that another machine is better than what I have, but I need to see the proof. If you can prove to me a Tesoro will get me more old silver coins out of hunted out sites, I'll get one! And if I find it really is better than what I use now, I'll be happy to post and tell the world what a great machine it is and show my finds. So far though, my Minelab is showing me it gets results and can make finds just like the other guys have posted, and that's more than hype or talk.

 

[Nick A]

I think I've just been subtly insulted.

I've been detecting for 19 years and while I never swung a BFO that hardly makes me new to the hobby.

As for the implication that only inexperienced people post finds on the web, I counter that only people who have something to hide are unwilling to post. Such as people who may hunt private property without permission.

What about the countless finds that have been shared for over 40 years in treasure magazines and metal detecting books? The finds shared in promotional materials from every detector manufacturer? Are these people also inexperienced? The people in the magazines certainly don't hide behind cryptic usernames as many on the message boards do. They even tell you about the sites, what area of the country they are from, show the finds, post their pictures and their names! (They must be crazy, right? Besides who would pay $3-4 to read a magazine full of stories like that?)

"Very few people post pictures of their finds" Really? Uhh, have you looked at the Today's Finds forum? Thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of posts of finds over the years. Not to mention the dozen or so other active forums online where hundreds of people experienced and inexperienced alike post finds daily.

I've learned from and contributed a lot to these online forums. There are many more readers than contributors. The information that people are willing to share is invaluable to old and new detector users. Why do you read the forums? Would they be as interesting if no one posted any finds?

You can live your life in fear and I feel life is much less rich. Afraid someone will steal your site, afraid someone will criticize your post, afraid someone will claim something you purchased is stolen. Life is too short to live it in fear and not to share with others. If I can help someone enjoy the hobby as much as I do, I want to do it. If I can recommend a detector and someone buys one starts finding things they like and it makes them happy, gosh, I think that's great. I love finding old coins. If someone else loves finding old coins and I can help them do it, that's wonderful.

I guess if I were "smart" I'd keep all my secrets to myself and tell everyone how horrible Minelab machines were so they would not have the success and joy I have had and I could keep it all to myself. I wouldn't even waste my time writing and taking pictures to post anything, I could spend a few more hours detecting and finding goodies to hide away.

I am by no means saying one detector is "best". What I am saying is based on what I have witnessed others finding and have read on these very forums that Minelab users appear to be making the best finds (in my opinion). If the other brand users are curmudgeonly and reticent about their finds, so be it.

Lastly, if you saw the coin collection posted that may or may not have been stolen. Wouldn't YOU want YOUR stolen coins back if they were yours? Or is it ok to buy and keep stolen coins, just as long as you keep them to yourself? If I found out I had purchased stolen coins and they could be returned to the rightful owner, I would want that to happen. Even if I meant I was out the money I had spent on the coins.

 

[Keppy]

Very few people actually post pics of their finds, so maybe just the younger people who are sold on Minelabs with less experience are also the only ones inexperienced enough to post their find pics on the public web. I'm just trying to get you to understand that pics of some but not all people who use Minelabs isn't exactly a scientific way of doing a poll. There's not even a + or - associated with your claim. I have hunted for 15 years and wouldn't consider posting pics of what I find. I just recently read someones thread of some one posting pics of a coin collection he bought only to then receive an e-mail claiming the coins may have been from a robbery. So my point is that when it comes to what machine or even what brand of machine is best, that is still an open ended question because there are too many variables to determine the answer.

...I never post my finds i never tell what i find it is no ones business but mine............... some get in trouble with the IRS or EPA posting and telling if you are smart you don't show and tell.... also you could be robbed.... Look at ..Jimmy Sierra .. with the " Goats Doctor's Silver " He was robbed of that find............Over $40.000.00 .........

 

[Nick A]

Very few people actually post pics of their finds, so maybe just the younger people who are sold on Minelabs with less experience are also the only ones inexperienced enough to post their find pics on the public web. I'm just trying to get you to understand that pics of some but not all people who use Minelabs isn't exactly a scientific way of doing a poll. There's not even a + or - associated with your claim. I have hunted for 15 years and wouldn't consider posting pics of what I find. I just recently read someones thread of some one posting pics of a coin collection he bought only to then receive an e-mail claiming the coins may have been from a robbery. So my point is that when it comes to what machine or even what brand of machine is best, that is still an open ended question because there are too many variables to determine the answer.

This is a treasure hunting forum. Unless it is a cache, why would you want to come on a forum and talk about not posting finds?

I have lots of experience, and I think that sharing the finds and the stories of the hunt are the best part of the website.

I would encourage everyone to share their finds. There is no reason to fear anyone taxing your murky dimes.

Besides, how much talking can you do about not posting finds?

þlæbah, that's a great reply - you're right on! I had more to say here, but you said it better and without it getting personal, so I'll just leave it at agreeing with you!

 

[Digger]

I can understand both sides of this debate. Sure no one is going to lay claim to that crusty dime you found, but that shiny gold diamond ring is a whole other situation. I have no problem posting pictures of my finds, but I never give out enough information that an item could be claimed except by the person who lost it.

I still don't think posting pictures of your finds proves anything when it comes to detector performance. Now posting pictures of those finds being pulled in extreme conditions(very deep or trashy) can be informative.

Without a doubt the Minelab is second to none on pulling that deep silver from those hard hit sites, but I believe most Minelab owners will admit they don't find all that much gold. They don't need to admit it because all you need to do is search the Minelab forums to find a low number of gold finds. Nothing wrong with that unless you plan to hunt mostly gold. If you look at the White's forums you will clearly see far more jewelry being found. It is really just a matter of preference. If there was one detector that was best for all hunting, we would all own the same detector.

 

[Jazdo]

Check out the field tests, there is very little difference all around between the Minelab Explorer and the Tesoro Tejon.

Wait, what? I looked at the field tests. The list of differences seems endless. Not the least of which is a meter of some sort. At a minimum I like to have the depth displayed, and in trashy parks having some sort of ID rather than just a discrimination knob.

I'm still not seeing people posting finds with any other brands to seriously rival the Minelab machines for the type of detecting I do. People's finds are the truest test of a machine to me.

Seems like the Tejon has it's place, especially for relic hunting and it seems many relic hunters like the Tesoros.

Anyhow, to each his own. If you like the Tejon and it's finding the targets you want, awesome! I like my Minelabs and they are finding the types of targets I want... also awesome!

I can't really compare Tesoro to Minelab -park ratio finds.. I just dont hunt that many parks !
You can see some of my past posts as to what I am finding.

I am not a huge relic hunter. I enjoy finding buttons however,just not huge on iron. More of
a coinhunter. I also love the old pins,tags,tokens,and so forth.

I wonder how some of those read on a TID system.. wouldnt want to give up findin those
items to cherry pick silver so to speak ! also to include nickels,and rings.

 

[Nick A]

Rings, jewelry, relics, tokens, buttons, tags... I have a bucket of "junk" on my back porch including a Model T hubcap and dozens of matchbox cars. I have nickels, indian heads, 600+ wheats too. All from this year. The Minelabs find this stuff too, not just silver coins.

 

[Don in SJ]

I usually do not reply to posts of this nature but this one has amused me to some extent. So many factors go into getting finds and of course the first one is good research on finding the locations to hunt, which has been said here, and of course knowing your detector is paramount.

I started in the 70's with a Heathkit detector I built, and went onto to a Whites TR unit that my Father-in-law gave me, But for about 20 years I was using Garrett detectors. In 2000 I got a Minelab Explorer XS and almost 9 years later I am still using that same detector and would buy another one in an instant if this one every decided to break electronically, which it has not!

I have also bought as backup detector a Tesoro Tejon, which was nice but with no tone ID and display, I got tired of digging targets that I would have never dug with the XS and also the Tejon had a horrible shaft wobble for the earlier models, which turned me off, however I wish I would have kept it as my backup machine, since I traded it for a Fisher Excel ID as my backup and that is and was a piece of junk for quality of construction and electronics.

The XS has been an excellent detector for salt water beach hunting, but of course I am mostly a woods hunter and the rugged XS has been super all these years.

My finds have been outstanding for both relics and coins and I do hunt with my son who also used Garrett detectors for a long time and in recent years has been using the Fisher CZ70 which has been more than adequate and compares favorably to my XS.

Overall, I believe at minimum a medium priced detector that has at least tone ID is a big advantage, and I only wished that the Tejon had true tone ID and I would have loved the detector for my backup. Shadow X5 would be great, but sure was an expensive bugger when it came out.

Any detector that goes over a coin 3-6 inches should be able to pick up the coin, but only some can pick up a coin that is deep and next to iron or some other metal, and that can make a difference in pulling out coins and relics that others have missed.

Don

 

[dirtscratcher]

I find it odd to worry about a metal detector paying for its self. The local coins shop sells worn mercury dimes for $2, the ones I have dug are priceless.

 

[ivan salis]

anyone hunting heavily hit in the past areas ---so called "hunted out" areas--- will benifiet from a deeper depth type machine in the 3 and 15 range (they are the deepest going ) and / or from using larger deeper hunting type coils . -- thats just common sense thinking detector wize .

 

[thrillathahunt]

Maybe it's just me, and I probably will get some heat for saying this, but I have senced a bit of cockiness or even downright arrogance in some Minelab users. Almost a condescending attitude towards "other" detecter users.

It's like we all should just take our "other" detectors to the pawn shop and go out and buy a Minelab if we know whats good for us!

 

[Nick A]

Maybe it's just me, and I probably will get some heat for saying this, but I have senced a bit of cockiness or even downright arrogance in some Minelab users. Almost a condescending attitude towards "other" detecter users.

It's like we all should just take our "other" detectors to the pawn shop and go out and buy a Minelab if we know whats good for us!

No heat here, I hope I'm not being arrogant or cocky. I am trying to backup/offer proof of my original statement that, yes, newer machines are the key to older coins. I like this debate we have going on and the opportunity to discuss opinions that older machines are as good as newer ones or vice-versa. It's not about Minelab vs. Brand X, but the newest detectors I have are the Minelab SE Pro and the Minelab E-Trac, so I can only speak of "newer detectors" in terms of Minelab. (Over the years I have used some White's, Fisher and Garrett detectors.)

Please use whatever detector brand or model you like or works best in your neck of the woods or for your style of hunting. Heck, I was sold on Fisher CZs for many years and thought they were the bees knees (and they did find me quite a few older coins) until I got my hands on the Explorer. The original poster asked if new machines were the key to old coins, and for me, the new Minelabs have definitely been the key to older coins. My old coin finds were few and far between from my hunted out sites with other machines. There were many days I was skunked for even a wheat cent, now I always come home with a few wheats, and 9 hunts out of 10, silver coins.

If you're currently making the kinds of finds you'd like, and are satisfied with the number of older coins in your pouch at the end of a hunt, then stay away from the pawn shop with your machine! However, if you're not happy with your finds and want to get more older coins, I suggest and highly recommend the Minelab E-Trac or Explorer. I am confident that others can have the success I have with these machines.

I'll post here my better finds from the past three days. A very good 90 minute hunt on Wednesday, a few hours on Thursday and today (about 10 hours total hunting time). For the clad hunters, I dug an amazing 43 clad quarters today. Makes me wish we had dollar coins! I like what I got for my 10 hours of swinging. I'm curious what your past 10 hours detecting produced (that's just me, I'm a curious sort) but more importantly, were you happy with your finds and the time you spent? If you're happy, great!! I wasn't happy with my finds with my older detector - Fisher CZ3D. I got newer machines (both used, not new, by the way) and I am much happier.

 

[ivan salis]

what brands beside minelab run in the 3 and 15 range ? --- its the signal range that determes the depth that it finds coins at ( in heavily hit areas -- deeper hunters will get "passed over " coins that shallower machines missed -- common sense tells you that but its not just "brand x" that can do it any machine with those deep seeking ranges of 3 /15 can do it in skilled hands) -- thus not the "brand name" that does it .---- detectorist are often worse brand loyality wize than the old "ford vs chevy" truck fans . I'd rather push a _______ than drive a _______ (fill in the blank)

 

[Nick A]

what brands beside minelab run in the 3 and 15 range ? --- its the signal range that determes the depth that it finds coins at ( in heavily hit areas -- deeper hunters will get "passed over " coins that shallower machines missed -- common sense tells you that but its not just "brand x" that can do it any machine with those deep seeking ranges of 3 /15 can do it in skilled hands) -- thus not the "brand name" that does it .---- detectorist are often worse brand loyality wize than the old "ford vs chevy" truck fans . I'd rather push a _______ than drive a _______ (fill in the blank)

Going technical on me. There's no doubt that a coinshooter machine and a gold machine are two different detectors. I guess this is trying to answer the question, "Why are newer machines the key to older coins?"

Have to pull out some research now. Let's see what I've got. "Lower frequencies penetrate more deeply but higher frequencies are more sensitive to smaller targets." "Different metals respond better to different frequencies which is why all gold detectors run at 15 khz and up." "The lower the freq. such as 3 Khz will be sensitive in detecting copper and silver targets. Higher freq. such as 15 to 60 Khz will be sensitive to gold targets. That's why most gold detectors sold have a freq. starting at 15 Khz and higher. The detectors sold with general hunting in mind have operating freq. starting from between 5 to 10 Khz."


Minelab’s E-Trac and Explorer use FBS which simultaneously transmits, receives and processes 28 frequencies from 1.5 kHz to 100 kHz.
White’s V3 uses three frequencies 2.5 kHz, 7.5 kHz & 22.5 kHz and operates in the frequency domain only.
White's MXT is 14 kHz, XLT is 6.5 and DFX is dual frequency 3 kHz and 15 kHz
Tesoro models use various single frequencies 10kHz, 12kHz, 14.3 kHz, and 17.5 kHz. Tejon ranges 17.2-17.6 kHz.
Garrett Ace 250 uses a 6.5 kHz operating frequency.
Fisher CZ3D and Fisher CZ20 are dual frequency, 5 kHz and 15 kHz
Fisher F5 - 7.8 kHz.
Fisher Gold Bug - 71 kHz

So, if you're looking for gold only you want a machine that handles the higher frequencies. Hence, the Fisher Gold Bug at 71 kHz, and PI units, but let's not get into PI units as most of us do not want to do old coin hunting in trashy sites on land with a PI.

I guess the multiple and dual frequency machines will always be able to turn up more targets than a single frequency machine. Theoretically, if you have "cleaned out" a site with your 6.5 kHz White's XLT, and then come along with a 17.5 kHz Tesoro Lobo, you will find targets you missed and that were undetectable with the 6.5 kHz machine.

Sounds like the result of this is that a newer multiple frequency machine will be able to find more targets than the single frequency machines (not necessarily older coins). So the newer multiple frequency machines, including the old Fisher CZ and Minelab FBS machines will do better than a single frequency unit.

And this is where I start asking about accuracy of target ID - beeping over metal is not enough, I need to know if it's worth digging or not. How does the number of frequencies affect the target ID? Is a dual frequency (or more) machine going to ID targets more accurately than a single frequency unit? It seems like this would be the case. Certainly in my experience I have found that my Minelab FBS machines are the most accurate ID machines I have ever used, and they are accurate at good depth as well, though any machine will start to drop off on target ID at the edge of it's detection range.

This doesn't speak to the finding gold arguments as we have not discussed how operating frequency affects the detectability of lower conductive metals. Gold is always difficult as it is alloyed with different metals. 10k gold is about 40% gold, so the detectability of a 10k ring is somewhat dependent on what the other 60% of the ring is made of. Due to this variability in alloys, shapes and sizes of gold rings and jewelry, I do not think we can even predict accurate results for one frequency or brand or model of detector being able to find more gold while land hunting homes, parks and schools. Thin gold rings are smaller targets and will be picked up better by a higher frequency, so a higher frequency may have a slight advantage there. Nugget hunting and beach hunting are separate categories of detecting and outside this discussion.

I think it comes down to what we have all been told ad nauseam. The only way to find more gold jewelry type targets on land is by digging more junk and trash targets that fall in the pulltab range on ID machines. If you do not have target ID, you will dig more junk, hence the potential is there for more gold. So, do users of non-ID machines find more gold? Maybe. But their trash-to-treasure ratio is much higher than someone using a target ID machine.

And just a brief not about coils here too, as I feel these play a role as well. The two current most expensive popular machines are the White's V3 and the Minelab E-Trac. Both use DD (double D) coils. In my experience the DD coil covers ground better than a concentric. The Minelab I have found separates signals well, even penny size targets at depth. Better ground coverage with good separation means you will be able to recover more targets and there will be fewer missed targets due to not overlapping sweeps or target masking.

So, why a newer machine?
1. Multiple frequencies = more detected targets
2. More accurate target ID = more signals that say "dig me"
3. DD coils = better coverage and separation

 

[ivan salis]

now your geting my point ! the "statement" should be " here is why are newer machines are better at finding old coins than older machines are" ---most older machines were single freq. machines -- what is a "cleared out lot" at one freq level -- maybe isn't at another freq level (so by bringing in a differant freq level machine-- bingo new and differant stuff is found)--- the differant freqs ranges are best suited for hunting differant things ( a 22 caliber rifle is great for squirrel hunting but not so good on elephants --- and a elephant gun is a bit too much for squirrel hunting as well--- so use the right tool for the job. )---

the DFX is a well known machine uses 3 and 15 ( duel deep digging freq range) --3 for best depth and 15 better sensitivy for smaller "gold" items .

there are 3 basic schools of thought in metal detecting --I'm a type 3

#1 is --the "cherry picker" school -- folks who will pass up some stuff to avoid digging lots of junk or iffy signals --thus they are willing to forgo some stuff to just skim the cream off the top rapidly with little effort.

#2 is the die hard dig it all school -- dig every single thing you find up on the off chance its "good"--if not keep it for the scrap metal bucket . (scraps worth money)

#3 --the adverage joe -- who can vary --if hes got the time and energy and thinks it a good spot (like a civil war camp site)--he might "dig it all" --or if he in a tot lot pressed for time on a short hunt he might just "cherry pick"