Finally the truth! Sort of...

[mastereagle22]

Was talking to a guy about detecting and he mentioned that he knew a guy that bought a DFX and paid for it in clad the first few months he owned it. I was totally blown away. Then I kept asking questions and he finally told me the guy detects 10 hours a day and 12 on the weekends and almost never misses a day. If I had time to take on another full-time job I guess I could have a DFX too!!!

By the way the first guy in the story was a dealer trying to sell me a DFX. Anyone else have similar experiences? This helped me to put a lot into perspective. I gues when I go out for three hours at a time and find thirty cents in clad and a few other keeper items I aint doin to bad.

 

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[birdman]

Highly unlikely. Very few people have that much time to hunt. I could see him paying for it in finds(Gold ) or over a longer period .

 

[SC_hunter]

I have seen some great totals in clad....I don't get out but maybe once or twice a week but the coins do add up. It would take me a few years..or until I retire...

 

[Tin Nugget]

I would need bionic arms and a bionic back to hunt that much.

 

[spez401]

Well, we all know that the more you go out, the more you'll find. And luck also plays a big part of it.

As for me, the first detector I bought was a Whites Surfmaster PI. I took it out as a demo from my local shop, went to the park and hunted for about 2 hours. I found a bunch of clad, and a nice little diamond ring. On my way back to the shop, I cleaned up the ring, and stopped at a pawn shop (Hey, it was my first experience detecting). They gave me $500 for the ring. I went back to the shop, put the detector on the counter, along with $250. I told the owner that I found a ring and pawned it, and since it was his detector, he should get 1/2. He said "let me keep the deposit ($100) and the detector is yours"... so in theory, my finds paid for my first detector.

I paid for my DFX, I paid for that the next summer, with finds from my Surfmaster. I didn't detect much in '02 and 03... just a few times, but summer of '04 I hit the dry beaches hard with the DFX... and bought my first Excalibur at the end of the summer

steve

 

[mastereagle22]

Well, we all know that the more you go out, the more you'll find. And luck also plays a big part of it.

As for me, the first detector I bought was a Whites Surfmaster PI. I took it out as a demo from my local shop, went to the park and hunted for about 2 hours. I found a bunch of clad, and a nice little diamond ring. On my way back to the shop, I cleaned up the ring, and stopped at a pawn shop (Hey, it was my first experience detecting). They gave me $500 for the ring. I went back to the shop, put the detector on the counter, along with $250. I told the owner that I found a ring and pawned it, and since it was his detector, he should get 1/2. He said "let me keep the deposit ($100) and the detector is yours"... so in theory, my finds paid for my first detector.

I paid for my DFX, I paid for that the next summer, with finds from my Surfmaster. I didn't detect much in '02 and 03... just a few times, but summer of '04 I hit the dry beaches hard with the DFX... and bought my first Excalibur at the end of the summer

steve

Okay Steve where do you live, I am coming to stay with you for a while so you can show me how it's done.

 

[Jack(IN)]

I bought a DFX and paid it off in clad the first time out. This is a TRUE story too!! Of course I only paid a dime for it and found eleven cents the first time out. Did I mention the dime was a 1992-D error coin? Anyways, I paid a dime and it paid itself off the first time out. I believe I am an exception to the rule tho!

 

[Jack(IN)]

Highly unlikely. Very few people have that much time to hunt. I could see him paying for it in finds(Gold ) or over a longer period .

Don't be so sure. I've got a friend who hunts seven days a week usually between 6-8 hours a day. Only time he's not out hunting is when he's working or its raining. He's 51, divorced and spending all his time digging. He bought a bigfoot coil for $219 and had it pay for itself in less than six weeks. Most of us don't have the luxury to hunt as often as we do, but there are those that do!

 

[skydiv]

he can't be hunting the same place so he has to be burning up alot of gas going to different places.

 

[John (Ma)]

It is possible, but hard to do. I look at the machine paying for itself with a little money I may find, as well as the enjoyment which accounts for the majority. Finding something foolish sometimes is worth alot.

 

[hollowpointred]

i wish i had that kind of time to devote to any hobby! usually i get out once a week for 3 or 4 hours. ive usually had enough after 4 hours.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

As basically a beach hunter we spend more time looking for the lost jewelry, and it adds up faster. A good mans ring, 14 k will generally scrap out at 50$-$100. I have yet to sale them, wife gets first choice on my finds, what she doesn't take goes on a necklace I have. I do weigh them, then check their value on Midwest refineries, then they go on my necklace.

I do hunt parks and play grounds, and have found silver and gold rings there, but much perfer the beaches. I average about 10 hours a week probably hunting both.

Good luck and good hunting.

 

[mastereagle22]

As basically a beach hunter we spend more time looking for the lost jewelry, and it adds up faster. A good mans ring, 14 k will generally scrap out at 50$-$100. I have yet to sale them, wife gets first choice on my finds, what she doesn't take goes on a necklace I have. I do weigh them, then check their value on Midwest refineries, then they go on my necklace.

I do hunt parks and play grounds, and have found silver and gold rings there, but much perfer the beaches. I average about 10 hours a week probably hunting both.

Good luck and good hunting.

Don't have a beach handy so here is what I suggest. I will send you a plastic kitty litter type pan. You can drop a gold ring in it and then fill it with sand and mail it to me. I will then find the ring with my detector and sell it back to you for a penny, regular old zinc lincoln cent. That would be fun wouldn't it? ? ? ? Nah not really.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Don't you live near Scottsbluff, Neb, Chimney Rock Monument, and the Platte River? A lot of early history along that river, what with the early fur trapers, traders, wagon trains and Indian artifacts. Should be a lot of U.S. Calvery artifacts to be found.

A lot of famous battles between the indians and U.S. Calvery just West Nort West of you in Wy. Look up some of Terry C Johnstons western books for reference, he reprinted some great maps in them.

Good luck and good hunting.

Marty

 

[JP]

I have been placing all of my finds in one box for the past three years since I started. To be honest I have about $25 in clad, 1 Mercury Dime, 1 silver Roosevelt dime, 1 walking half, 20 wheat cents, 2 broken silver belly rings, and finally after all this time one excellent gold ring.

I bet I have spent more on gas then the amount of clad that is there. The collectible type coins are just regular varieties not any of the expensive ones.

But again it is the excitement of the hunt and one of the only hobbies that gives you a little bit back on your investment. There might be a few persons out there that make money, but they are individuals that have time on their hands to go out there and a few lucky individuals being there at the right time. I admit when I look at pictures of what some of our fellow members find I think it's not possible, but it really is. People are constantly dropping things and people with metal detectors are there to pick it up. I know my 7 year old is constantly losing the quarters that everyone is always giving him....

Good luck out there.

 

[mastereagle22]

Don't you live near Scottsbluff, Neb, Chimney Rock Monument, and the Platte River? A lot of early history along that river, what with the early fur trapers, traders, wagon trains and Indian artifacts. Should be a lot of U.S. Calvery artifacts to be found.

A lot of famous battles between the indians and U.S. Calvery just West Nort West of you in Wy. Look up some of Terry C Johnstons western books for reference, he reprinted some great maps in them.

Good luck and good hunting.

Marty

I live in swampeast Missery. Last time I looked that was a little ways from Nebraska but I didn't do well on geography.

Seriously though, if you were asking me if I lived in that location I am in Missouri in Beatuiful Cape Girardeau. Home of not much unless you count some radio host, I think, and the cut parts from a movie called Killshot.

 

[piggman1]

To hunt that many hours a day , every day, you would have to be Superman. I bought my Whites Eagle Spectrum off of clad I found with my Compass X-100. That was about 5 months ago if I remember right. With the whites I have more than paid for the machine with clad and jewelry. In fact, I cashed in some of the clad and bought a Sun Ray pin pointer for my machine. I still have more than I originally paid for both, counting the clad and jewelry. I go out every day for at least 4 hours unless it is raining. More than that and I can really start to feel it in my back and shoulders. I am now concidering cashing in again and getting a beach / surf machine. It doesn't take many gold rings to pay for something like that. So yes, I can see it paying for itself as far as equiptment goes. Gas and time envolved is a whole different story.

 

[bedpanmoneyman]

I purchased a DFX earlier this year, when I was about to retire and wanted to start a new hobby. I go out about 3-4 times a week lately, about 2 hours each time. Mostly parks and ballfields around the area. I usually can count on finding about $1.50 in clad each time out, even though most of these areas have been hunted before. I've found over $20 during July, and I still learning how to use the machine. So to answer your question, if you don't count the cost of the gas to get there, you could probably get a payback in a few years from just clad...unless you get lucky with finding gold or silver jewelry. I did help a neighbor find her $1,000 platinum w/ a diamond wedding band she lost while working her flower beds. She offerred me $100 reward but I didn't take it. Her look of appreciation was reward enough for me.

BPMM

 

[gallileo60]

I dont see how someone could find new places in their area all the time..It seems you would have to do alot of driving...Im not in a real "rich" hunting area here...Now it could be I just dont have the imagination to find good spots...I do envy you guys that talk about searching historical area in the North....

 

[piggman1]

You have to learn to observe people. Sometimes it's in parks, and sometimes it's in drainage ditches. But where people play, meet, or gather, they will loose things. Even islands in shopping center parking lots produce quite a bit. Use your imagination and you will be surprised at what you find. Hang in there and you will see.