Call it beginners luck...

[Hi-Yo Silver]

Firstly, I'm new to the forum but have been seriously metal detecting for about a year. I have made some great finds over the last year including an 1841 Dutch half cent and lots of silver from rings to coins. I hunt Saint Louis and Saint Charles Missouri mostly.

So, today I'm on a hunt in a Saint Louis park and start my day finding a 1940 wheat wrapped in plastic at the base of a tree. It was in pristine condition. I'm thinking I am off to a good start but the wheat wrapped in plastic was not necessarily a sign that there would be anything great ahead. My second decent find was a 1957 Jefferson nickle about 7 inches down. After that I am finding lots of stuff from the sixties. Then, I get my best find of the day; a 1948 Roosevelt dime real deep, maybe 8 inches.

But this story does not end there. This is not really about my hunt. I was wrapping my hunt up and digging what would have been my last target. I had actually met another detectorist at this park and we had a really nice conversation, hit it off and were about to exchange contact info when a young guy walks up to me. He was a tall fellow about 18 or 19 years old and he was carrying a metal detector. The detector was one of those Radio Shack toy detectors. He wanted to talk to me about detecting and wanted to show me what he found. Turns out he had just bought the detector for 10 bucks at a swap or a garage sale or something like that, this morning.

He asked me what I had found. I told him. Then, he pulls out an aspirin bottle and takes off the lid. He pours out a pile of clad. He probably found four or five bucks. That was right where my clad count was. He goes on to tell me this was his first hunt ever and was inspired to try metal detecting from some shows on television. He pulls out a small ring from the pile of clad and wants to know if I think it's silver. Methinks yes!

I told him he has had a great day by any standard and even for someone who does this on a regular basis. The guy then reaches into his pocket and reveals a beautiful, shiny Franklin half. It was a 1952 in great shape. I was blown away. At this point I started thinking he was messing with me but his dad, who was right there with him, assured me he was telling the truth. I couldn't believe it. I congratulated him and told him that in my time detecting I have found only one silver half dollar and there are plenty of other folks who have been at it for a while who haven't found one. He seemed pretty happy. It was a real cool thing.

So, it goes to show that there is no luck like beginners luck. I found a silver quarter on my first hunt and it got me hooked. You know he is hooked now. I just wonder if he is going to stick with his 10 dollar Radio Shack special or start thinking right away about an upgrade.

Needles to say, I had to lay my coil back down and hunt for just one more hour. I didn't really find anything else.

 

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[mydogiscool]

Remember a few years back a guy in England was in a field 20 mins his first time and found one of the nations biggest caches of ancient coins on record.

 

[christo000]

ya that sounds like he had some good luck detectors the lower brands are really set up so anyone can use them and it sounds asthough he has the right idea dont forget also many of clad if at a park is pretty much almost surface stuff to any machine watch it well will pick surface. on the other hand thats great luck and i think thats what alot of people want soon as they get a machine and is to y they will go and buy the top shelf to get finds like that first time out guarrantee next time probly wont find so much and he is gonna think some thing is wrong with his machine lol good luckhh

 

[doninbrewster]

In 1978 I bought a used or demo $10 BFO metal detector in a Radio Shack sale bin. Here I am 35 years later and still excited about where I can go next to do some detecting. Hooked? Ya think? Used White's most of the years, tried a Compass X80 years ago and couldn't stand the sound and I'm now working a CTX3030 with an XLT in the trunk in case of emergency : )

 

[christo000]

In 1978 I bought a used or demo $10 BFO metal detector in a Radio Shack sale bin. Here I am 35 years later and still excited about where I can go next to do some detecting. Hooked? Ya think? Used White's most of the years, tried a Compass X80 years ago and couldn't stand the sound and I'm now working a CTX3030 with an XLT in the trunk in case of emergency : )

Even though just picked up the xp deus im already thinking whats gonna b next I love the hobby &, like collecting detectors as well that ctx 3030 im 90% sure is my next 1 whats ur opinión on it how is it

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

I heard of a guy who.... on his first day ever out, found a $2.50 gold coin on the beach (it was during storm erosion). Another elderly couple, on what was *nearly* their first days out, found 5 gold rings. Odd thing was, the next day out, they also found 5 gold rings (the storm action/erosion was just that good). On their 3rd day out to this same beach, they only got 3 gold rings. The were lamenting their "bad luck" to a friend of mine on their way out (as if 3, verses 5 gold rings, makes it a "bad" day, eh?) haha You can bet they had a rude wake-up call when the beaches sanded back in. Doh!

 

[Hi-Yo Silver]

You can bet they had a rude wake-up call when the beaches sanded back in. Doh!

Rude wake-up indeed. You have to have the patience of a saint to hunt the beach! It's a lot of nothing or a lot of trash, at least on the beaches I've hunted. But, I still think it's fun. I think beach hunting is a good way to see if you can maintain your enthusiasm and keep the hobby going on an individual level. If you can't handle the beach then it's likely you won't be able to handle the super trashy parks of which there are a-plenty where I usually hunt.

That's a good story though.

 

[Chupa]

ive borrowed a friends metal detector a few years ago when we stayed at daytona beach and didnt really find anything but still was intersested so i bought the 50 buck 9 function harbor frieght model today im going to hit hollywood beach close to my house tommorow.The beach is always jammed packed for the 4th of july. the biggest reason i think the borrowed 1 didnt work well was i didnt have the instructions and i didnt really understand the basics of how it worked . From what i have been reading it might take some time to get to know the machine any advice for a basic setting with the disc and sens i dont mind digging up some pull tabs as long as i dont miss any thing i live it south fla its mostly sand here i plan on using it at the beach, parks the feild they use for the fair grounds once a year places like that or does some have a link to a fourm that has newbie instructions for the settings Thanks

 

[christo000]

I dont know thay machine but since u just bought it it should come with a manual telling u what the controls do read it over & over till u understand what itmay do & since u got no time for a test garden I suggest doin some air tests to get a feel for what it sounds like hitting some targets id grab a variety of clad change some silver, gold, soda can pop tab iron anything u can think of that ur looki.g for or mayb out there just run it under the coil so u get an idea what to listen for aswell

 

[Hi-Yo Silver]

Hello Chupa, I think the best way to get to know your detector is to use it. You may be discouraged at first but don't use that much if any discrimination and dig as much as you can even if your detector says it's junk. You just have to get to know how your detector works.

A lot of folks would suggest a test garden where you bury different things like a gold ring, silver quarter, silver dime and so on. But I say go out and detect. Don't waste your time on finding stuff you know is there. That's no fun! There is nothing like finding something valuable buried in the ground that you didn't have before.

Also, on the beach, you should always dig pulltab signals. That pulltab signal may be a fat gold ring!