Are You Finding Less Coins?

[billjustbill]

Following a monthly flea market, I went out detecting early this morning. The morning started out rather scarey with few dropped or shallow coins. After frustratingly finding only a few pennies, I walked up on a $10 Bill!!

But, my view of finding lost/dropped clad-coins is getting dimmer. Glancing at them as I poured today's finds in to my instant coffee jar and soapy water, I did recover 1-Power Pachinko Token, 16 quarters, 15 dimes, one nickel, and 12 pennies dated in the 70's that sounded like dimes. The trouble is that 95% of those coins were 3"-6" under the grass.

As I was walking my grid-work where the flea market vendors setup, one lone vendor and their camper trailer was getting ready to move on. He sold Harley-Davidson clothing, collectibles, and cycle stuff. He began to talk about the "Change" he had seen, since 2008.

He said, "Back in 2008, when gas started to go up, you couldn't find a new Harley, and people were paying $20,000 dollars all the way up to $50,000 plus for the 'Trikes'. Now that jobs have been drying up, the people who bought those big fancy new ones are now selling them because they don't have a steady paycheck to make the payments; the newspapers are full of 'em. Back in '08, we would sell at least $4,000 a weekend from Texas to Tennessee. It started dropping in 2009, but since the first of 2010, we're 70% off those numbers!!. I'll bet you're not finding much, are you?"
I replied, "No. You're right I'm not. The last two months, it really seems people are really watching their coins!!"

So, I'm asking how you see you coin finds going?

Bill

 

[fistfulladirt]

I'm not a clad hunter, they just get in the way of the oldies. When I was learning my new (then) DFX, I dug thousands of clad coins the first year. I still think that the kids are dropping just as much coin on the soccerfield, if not more. I think I could go out and dig $5-10 in clad in a day, every day, for a month, easily. Like I said tho, they just get in the way.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Well since I just returned to MD'ing in Sept, I cant really speak of any trend with certainty.. BUT... I have noticed big time since Sept that Tot lot's have about dried up as far as coins... I even tried letting them rest for up to a month, and find very little.. I figured that parents are just not handing out the coins to the little ones like they did before, and maybe more people have pulled their MD'ers out of the closet and dusted them off, looking for any way to supplement their income...
That was one of the biggest reasons I got a water machine.. Looks promising too. I tried out a small lake close to my home and found two rings in the first 10 min of hunting... Got some good clad too... I live in between both coasts, so it is a bit spendy to drive my truck to either side in the hopes of finding gold... But I have probably 5 lakes with beaches within 35 minutes of me... That is what I will concentrate on for a while..

 

[kyphote]

Personally, the Civil War stuff is what I'm most worried about. They don't make that stuff anymore. I finally exhausted my only good spot. Six months of fun, though!

 

[2bits]

I don't intentionally hunt for clad, so I would not know if it's fading out. I mainly hunt old sites from the 1800's and earlier along the Old Spanish Trail.
Maybe now you will start finding more of the good old stuff. HH
Doc

 

[emesis]

no...

 

[Deepdiger60]

There is 3 towns out here all have schools that go back to the 1850,s plus the modern add on,s hey all have huge fields i could since last year fill coffee cans with clad coins if i made it a full time job that includes old silver coins and IH,s and even a few coppers mid 1800,s but most are clad with dates that go back to 1960,s to 1990,s not much new coinage after those dates .This is no bull last Fall i started on one end of a school field detecting it took me 2 hours to reach the far end i had to stop and dig a coin every 2 feet !! i asked the grounds keeper he said he has not seen anyone MD those fields since he started working there in 1980 most finds where between 4 and 6 inches .One thing i found out today kids buy a cafeteria credit card,s for lunch they dont bring change anymore or at least not for lunch ,back in my days a pint of milk was 10 cents i can only imagine how many silver rosie,s i gave the lunch lady Dd60

 

[billjustbill]

There is 3 towns out here all have schools that go back to the 1850,s plus the modern add on,s hey all have huge fields i could since last year fill coffee cans with clad coins if i made it a full time job that includes old silver coins and IH,s and even a few coppers mid 1800,s but most are clad with dates that go back to 1960,s to 1990,s not much new coinage after those dates .This is no bull last Fall i started on one end of a school field detecting it took me 2 hours to reach the far end i had to stop and dig a coin every 2 feet !! i asked the grounds keeper he said he has not seen anyone MD those fields since he started working there in 1980 most finds where between 4 and 6 inches .One thing i found out today kids buy a cafeteria credit card,s for lunch they dont bring change anymore or at least not for lunch ,back in my days a pint of milk was 10 cents i can only imagine how many silver rosie,s i gave the lunch lady Dd60

Before the local remodel of the town's municipal swimming pool, I got to go inside and detect the sunbathing area. It was layered with clad coins; well over $125.00 of the first batch of clads came from there.... After clearing out a lot of clads and silver rings in that area, I did find some good gold.

Don't give up on those places like your football fields.... Remember, the cheerleaders and the band members lose their jewelery, as do the weekend young adults out playing touch-pass football and jogging around the tracks.... :>)
Bill

 

[Silver Surfer]

Interesting about the bank refusing to take "dirty" coins.... I asked my bank about the coins I often find (really the zinc pennies from fertilized fields) that are corroded, black, and even some that are clipped...
They told me that as long as they are identifiable as US coins, they have to accept them. They said they get sent back to the mint for replacements and then are destroyed..

I wonder who is right?

I would have had far less $$ to turn in if my bank didnt accept them, but they are always rolled, so maybe they dont realize how bad some of them are until they open the rolls... I make sure though not to try to turn in coins that are so bad that you can only make out a few letters, etc...

 

[Deepdiger60]

The reason you are finding less is you are seeing 60 year old with disposable income, 2000.00 machines and nothing to do who can hunt 40 hours a week and view it as a contest, and tv shows that make everybody think they will get rich with a detector, and manufacturers and dealers all too willing to milk that cow to flood the market with their product.

There are just so many finds OUT there.

Hi Spooky then i guess there should be a age limit on those who wish to make metal detecting a hobby ? us retired guys and gals or semi retired people should find another hobby your saying because we have very expensive machines, if i do find something worth a few bucks or a lot more it stays with me i have no reason to sell it to make a profit ,also i dont believe a word those company's state about there products except the machines find stuff .What is your reason for metal detecting i would like to know. Good hunting .Dd60

 

[rogues71]

I have been metal detecting for several years in my current location, and although my intentions are not to find clad, it always pops up during the search for the older stuff. When i get lazy or just don't have the time for a intense hunt or research for a older site i hit the ball fields and parks in the area, and i have noticed the retired seniors are hitting these places even harder today as compaired to the past. Three years ago it was uncommon for me to run into 1 other person detecting, and now there are 1/2 dozen in the ball fields, so yes even clad seems to be competitive now, but youth is my advantage. The seniors wont dig in hard ground, and the wont detect once it breaks 95 degree's in Arizona. It seems i'm the only fool hunting in 110 degree weather, but i have noticed a decline in gas rebate cash, and that's even when i let it restock for 4-5 months as i make my rotation from site to site.

 

[Deepdiger60]

The reason you are finding less is you are seeing 60 year old with disposable income, 2000.00 machines and nothing to do who can hunt 40 hours a week and view it as a contest, and tv shows that make everybody think they will get rich with a detector, and manufacturers and dealers all too willing to milk that cow to flood the market with their product.

There are just so many finds OUT there.

Hi Spooky then i guess there should be a age limit on those who wish to make metal detecting a hobby ? us retired guys and gals or semi retired people should find another hobby your saying because we have very expensive machines, if i do find something worth a few bucks or a lot more it stays with me i have no reason to sell it to make a profit ,also i dont believe a word those company's state about there products except the machines find stuff .What is your reason for metal detecting i would like to know. Good hunting .Dd60

I could care less WHAT age people are.
In fact, do YOU know how old I am?

In my experience, and I have a bit, this fits the bill of the person with bags of clad and boxes of silver they are hoarding, so that their family can sell it after they die.
I'm sorry, but a "hobby" isn't something you do 40 hours a week.

Then I see 12 year old new detectorists, or the guy who does it for fun and can only get our a few hours a week at best get frustrated because there is nothing left.

it's not a contest.

I can understand your concern i personally think 40 hours a week is crazy iam lucky if i get in 5 hours total in a week if that, the clad i get at schools pays for my coffee at 7-11 i was saying if ? i made it a full time job MD those fields i could fill coffee cans iam 61 years old not a digging machine the last time i did a 4 hour dig i payed, and just how old are you ? Most the land out here on the Northfork is ruled Historical land at least 80% that goes back to 1617 and no one is allowed to MD it to my disappointment , the only places i can hunt are town woods and farmers fields where i do find some really good items that i get permission to schools parks and this year the ocean beaches etc. Dd60

 

[kane23]

Finding less, partially because theres more competition. People are'nt losing as much either. Someday they will no longer make coins, that will be a sad time. Good hunting, kane 23

 

[ivan salis]

deeper copper cents --1982 and before will ring up like a dime due to a clad dime and a "real" copper cent having a similar -- electronic disturbance level of the feild made under the detectors coil --the copper core of the dime and a copper cent -- react roughly the same to a detectors electrical feild --thus to the detector they seem the "same" -- thats why you can notch "cut" out the zinc "cents" and still get the copper --"wheat cents" but be warned *** indain head cents -- normally ring up in the "zinc cent" range

 

[bazinga]

I am of the younger generation, being 28. The only time I carry any change on me is when I am going to yard sales and need a quarter or half dollar to pay for something. Otherwise, EVERYTHING gets put on a credit card.

At schools, many have lunch cards like somebody mentioned earlier. Also, there are a lot more kids on free or reduced lunches than in the past. Very little money is being carried by children. And when they do carry, they carry dollar bills. Why? Because many things are now in sold in simple numbers. A pop is $1, an hot dog is $2, a slice of pizza is $3, etc.

I can easily hunt all day in a public park and not dig $2 in clad while in my search for silver.

Also, fewer parks have concession stands. Even the in the late 80s, early 90s when I was growing up, our parks had concession stands set up in the summer so we could go buy candy for a dime and quarter. Now they are all closed up.

But the reality is, fewer people are carrying change like they used to.

 

[Deepdiger60]

I am of the younger generation, being 28. The only time I carry any change on me is when I am going to yard sales and need a quarter or half dollar to pay for something. Otherwise, EVERYTHING gets put on a credit card.

At schools, many have lunch cards like somebody mentioned earlier. Also, there are a lot more kids on free or reduced lunches than in the past. Very little money is being carried by children. And when they do carry, they carry dollar bills. Why? Because many things are now in sold in simple numbers. A pop is $1, an hot dog is $2, a slice of pizza is $3, etc.

I can easily hunt all day in a public park and not dig $2 in clad while in my search for silver.

Also, fewer parks have concession stands. Even the in the late 80s, early 90s when I was growing up, our parks had concession stands set up in the summer so we could go buy candy for a dime and quarter. Now they are all closed up.

But the reality is, fewer people are carrying change like they used to.

True people carry less change now they save it where i work Coin Star is proof of that its emptied twice a week and those bins are very large , i read not long ago someone from the US Mint quoted as saying if they made 300 million ? coins a year over 1/3 that amount is lost somewhere each year so i think there is plenty of coins in the ground for the next generation to find .

 

[bazinga]

True people carry less change now they save it where i work Coin Star is proof of that its emptied twice a week and those bins are very large , i read not long ago someone from the US Mint quoted as saying if they made 300 million ? coins a year over 1/3 that amount is lost somewhere each year so i think there is plenty of coins in the ground for the next generation to find .

100 million coins is NOT a lot being lost. There are 300 million people. So that breaks down to 1 out of every 3 people losing ONE coin per year. So say you live in a town of 10,000 people. 3,333 coins are lost per year. That could be in the couch cushions, underneath the car seat, in the parking lot, in a person's front yard, etc. So let's just say that 2,000 of those are lost in the local city park. And let's say there are 10 guys that like to detect in that park. Each person finding 200 freshly dropped coins per year and the supply for that year is gone. Break it down and say that they hunt the park 10 times a year. That's just 20 coins for each person per hunt. You couldn't get me out of the house to dig 20 clad coins, that's for sure.

 

[ivan salis]

economic hard times mean less --random spending --simply because folks do not have "spare" fun money (everything is being spent to stay afloat fiscally on the "bills")-- so less going to the flea market , county fairs ect , ect -- less folks at those places = less money spent and thus less coins lost overall -- time to start looking at "free" places folks can take their kids to for fun -- since thats the "new" hang out spots in these tough economic times --the more folks "hang out" at a spot --the better the chances they will lose something there .

 

[Silver Surfer]

The reason you are finding less is you are seeing 60 year old with disposable income, 2000.00 machines and nothing to do who can hunt 40 hours a week and view it as a contest, and tv shows that make everybody think they will get rich with a detector, and manufacturers and dealers all too willing to milk that cow to flood the market with their product.

There are just so many finds OUT there.

Hi Spooky then i guess there should be a age limit on those who wish to make metal detecting a hobby ? us retired guys and gals or semi retired people should find another hobby your saying because we have very expensive machines, if i do find something worth a few bucks or a lot more it stays with me i have no reason to sell it to make a profit ,also i dont believe a word those company's state about there products except the machines find stuff .What is your reason for metal detecting i would like to know. Good hunting .Dd60

I could care less WHAT age people are.
In fact, do YOU know how old I am?

In my experience, and I have a bit, this fits the bill of the person with bags of clad and boxes of silver they are hoarding, so that their family can sell it after they die.
I'm sorry, but a "hobby" isn't something you do 40 hours a week.

Then I see 12 year old new detectorists, or the guy who does it for fun and can only get our a few hours a week at best get frustrated because there is nothing left because Walter and Delorothy grid every park in 20 mile radius, and spen 10 hours a day there til it is empty.

it's not a contest.

It is a FINITE resource (especially silver) and if people keep pounding it mercilessly, I give it ten years.

But that's ok...

Somebody ELSE'S problem, right?

Although I fully realize that it is everyones right to MD if they so choose, I have to say that the snowbirds really irritated me this year... They not only have their home area to hunt, but then come down here and, like you say Spooky, can hunt from dawn till dusk every day of the week...
My thought was "jeez, cant you leave something for those of us that live here year around?".... I also had several occasions where they would walk straight towards me as I was working a line, and I would have to get out of the way... One guy even found a nice gold necklace about 10 ft from where I had to move to get out of his way... He was from Ohio and by the bling he was wearing, had more money than manners... I did tell him that I was walking that line, and his comment was "is this your beach?"... Again, no common courtesy... When I am detecting and see others walking a line, I move my line at least 30 ft one way or the other from them, and quite a ways before we are even close...
Sure glad most of them are gone.. The little town I live in got cleaned out this season, big reason for me to buy the water detector. Never saw one of them with a water machine...

 

[Cool Hand Fluke]

It all depends on location. I'm in the process of "strip mining" a small park in San Francisco that's the size of two baseball fields. So far in 2010 I've uncovered about 700 coins off its gopher infested outfields, of that 29 are silvers & 112 are wheaties. I've hit other parks in the same city and found areas where you could not get a hit on a pulltab or a zinc. Just like they say in real estate: "Location, location, location".