fairgrounds?

[Metalmole]

Has anyone here hunted at any fairgrounds before and have good luck?

 

[FCCDFEd]

Yes, I was able to get permission to hunt and WOW. Lots of clad, several junk rings, nice 18k gold ring, and other assorted jewelry. Found barber dime, couple of mercs and a key date buff. I was able to hunt it for the last three years, but now the state owns it and will build a new court house on it.
Easy come easy go.

 

[diggingnewengland]

Yes I have had good luck at the local fairground here in Maine. Check to see if it is OK to hunt and give it a try. Good Luck http://gold.diggingnewengland.com

 

[Metalmole]

I just finally got the name of the person that runs the fairgrounds near me and wed is my day off so im heading there to try to get permission

 

[jeff of pa]

yes the fairgrounds near me has been hunted for years.

in the last 2 years alone has produced a Colonial Coin,
a Large Cent, a 3 Cent silver, a shield Nickel, a seated dime,
Barbers, indians, Wheats, Mercs, Silver roosies,
& Tons of Memorial Junk,clad, Shotgun Brass & Can tabs
for us.

 

[mlayers]

I hunt the fair grounds all the time. When I don't have much money for gas I walk to the fair ground and do my detecting. Have found some nice coins and jewerly there....Matt

 

[lookindown]

I hunted one for an hour.......a lot of clad.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

metal mole, is the fairgrounds you have in mind private? Or fenced? I don't know why a fairgrounds would be any different than a school yard, or public park or beach, when it comes to "permission" issues. If it is a public fair-grounds, and not closed to the public (ie.: gates only opened for when there's an activity), maybe you can just go. I mean, of course, use discretion if there is a caretaker's premises right there and you're a sore thumb in front of him. Ie.: don't be a nuisance, or whatever, granted. But if it's set up just like a regular park type grounds ......

Also be aware that fairgrounds were the first places, back in the day, when md'ing was getting popular in the 1970s, that got pulverised first. Not that "anyone gets it all", and of course, there's always new clad replenishing it, but....... some fairgrounds are going to be stingy and worked hard of all easy gimmees, when it comes to silver/old coin hunting. Hopefully though, yours is virgin and never been hunted

 

[oldcoon]

I used to hunt a fairgrounds. I and several others, 40 years ago. They haven't had a fair there in over 50 years and now the field is farmed, corn one year, then soy beans the next. Back in the days when we hunted all the dimes, quarters and halves were silver. All the pennies wheats. But that was then and this is now.

A few years back a newbie got a brand new detector and did a little research. He "discovered" the old fairgrounds and prepared to hit the mother lode. I understand he was talking about mother when he left but it had nothing to do with lodes. He never realized others came long before he was born and cleaned the place out.

Now I say "cleaned out" in only the broadest sense. You never get it all and if a guy wanted to devote a lot of time and effort he probably could pull a coin or two out of the ground. However you would earn every penny of that silver dime.

Remember, nothing has been replenished in over 50 years.

FYI this was the place I met western movie star Sunset Carson.

All in all, fairgrounds are excellent places to hunt.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Old coon, and I would add to your post, that ..... no doubt ....... all the people around your corn-field fairground would tell any new person "no one's ever hunted it before". Why? Because they never saw anyone after. And afterall, they've lived down the road for the last 50 yrs, and certainly they'd be the "first to know". Heck, even current caretakers (of cases of still-used fairgrounds) will tell a newbie this. Because they simply have no idea, or they just didn't happen to see it back then, etc.. I've seen this happen all the time, where someone tells someone "it's never been hunted before", when I happen to know it's been pounded to smithereens

 

[Metalmole]

metal mole, is the fairgrounds you have in mind private? Or fenced? I don't know why a fairgrounds would be any different than a school yard, or public park or beach, when it comes to "permission" issues. If it is a public fair-grounds, and not closed to the public (ie.: gates only opened for when there's an activity), maybe you can just go. I mean, of course, use discretion if there is a caretaker's premises right there and you're a sore thumb in front of him. Ie.: don't be a nuisance, or whatever, granted. But if it's set up just like a regular park type grounds ......

Also be aware that fairgrounds were the first places, back in the day, when md'ing was getting popular in the 1970s, that got pulverised first. Not that "anyone gets it all", and of course, there's always new clad replenishing it, but....... some fairgrounds are going to be stingy and worked hard of all easy gimmees, when it comes to silver/old coin hunting. Hopefully though, yours is virgin and never been hunted

I think it is private becasue they also race there on the weekends and have other events. The gate is only open once and awhile during these events.

The mayor was one of my teachers so I asked him before break and he said to ask first. Once I find one of the people I hope they will give me permission.

 

[jeff of pa]

Most "Fair Grounds" are fenced in, and private Property.

The one we have been Hunting has No Trespassing signs.

I Have had permission from at least the 80's.

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Best advice when hunting any fair grounds I can give is bring your SMALLEST coil!!! lol

Oh and, Pull tabs are the Debil!!!! lol

 

[Metalmole]

Best advice when hunting any fair grounds I can give is bring your SMALLEST coil!!! lol

Oh and, Pull tabs are the Debil!!!! lol

Thanks I think all I will need is my classic id lol

 

[jeff of pa]

Best advice when hunting any fair grounds I can give is bring your SMALLEST coil!!! lol

Oh and, Pull tabs are the Debil!!!! lol

Yep if a Place Dosn't have Can tabs,
it is either New, Or hasn't been used since the 40's

 

[deepskyal]

I'll add....just because you see the fair grounds doesn't mean it's always been there. Quite a few I've researched started out in one location, then moved 10 years later, then moved again 2 years later then moved one more time.

The fair sites I've looked at online have a history, list owners, what the general attendance might have been back in 1880...etc. You may luck out and find an older site from an original fairgrounds that might not have been pounded to death or been developed over. There's a fair ground that was on a site and moved to build a school. Probably didn't move too much soil around for something like that.
Also, when some of them did sell the original land, there is areas from the new construction that could be from the fairgrounds left untouched by construction.

Old timers like me did pound the obvious but didn't necessarily do the research to discover that it wasn't the original fairgrounds. Now all you do is look it up online.

Al