OK - Serious Questions...Honest answers Please

[Benbuck6]

I like MDing, its fun...I'm sort of loner so I just enjoy the time by myself or with my family when the kids choose to go. I haven't been much - maybe a dozen times in all but have made a commitment to go regular bc I DO enjoy it and and hey Im just over 40 and its time I do things I enjoy. In the times I have gone, I haven't found much tbh...it didn't discourage me or make me uninspired. Frankly, its like putting a puzzle together...filling in blanks to a story of a place. Whether it be a kid lost some lunch money on a swing set or realizing you are standing on a spot that used have a structure on it and every item you pull something it tells you more about that structure. But I come on here at times and see the gold rings and silver coins (I would keep the coins and scrap the gold tbh) and think things like "This could pay for our yearly Disney World Trip." Like I said, I don't feel skunked bc I haven't found anything like that, frankly its not why I go...But, I wonder how many do...

So, honestly...What is your average year? Do you find gold or silver EVERY year if so how often? How much time on average in a week do you devote to MDing? Just curious...

 

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[1320]

For me, it's not about how much time I devote to detecting, it's about the time I spend on research so I don't have to wander around aimlessly. My research time to detecting time is probably something like 10:1. Yes, I find gold (jewelry) and silver (coins, etc.) nearly every time I go out and that's many outings per year. Of course, it took me 15 years to refine all of the above...and I stuck with one machine since I began....we love each other...lol.

 

[Benbuck6]

Yeah, I definitely see where research helps and I have started doing some of that. Actually, finding FB very helpful as a few communities (including my own) have "The Way We Remember It" page. Finding old pics of schools and businesses - just saw about an hour ago a pic of the football field (bird's eye view) that pin pointed where the concession stand was which was a mystery to me as of 1975 its just been an open field. I made a mental note .
The problem is - growing the courage to takeon some the old sights around here - most are in HORRIBLE parts of the community.

 

[1320]

The problem is - growing the courage to takeon some the old sights around here - most are in HORRIBLE parts of the community.

If you're gonna be looking over your back, you'll me miserable. And the finds aren't worth getting harassed, injured or killed for. Sounds like you have a good research strategy in place. Don't be allergic to the library...lol. I'll make you one guarantee...if you go to the library and read just 1 hometown newspaper from the late 1950's, you'll come out of there with at least one lead to a good spot. And you'll come across names in those newspapers that you can throw around when you're out asking for permission. Heck, you might even jar the memories of some of those old timers and build a rapport with them....that's when the leads REALLY start to pile on.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Gold coins - never yet
Gold jewelry - some
Silver coins - a couple a year
Silver jewelry - some
Clad coins - enough to cover gas and batteries. Well under minimum wage by hours spent vs. $ dug. My best was $13.25 in 45 minutes. But some days a few cents.
Valuable relics - none. Though I did find a hammer I put to current use and a great 15 ft length of logging chain with hooks I now use
Lead - surprisingly I find enough lead to pretty much keep up on my muzzleloading by recasting balls. Either pulling my own out of the ground or finding slugs at unofficial shooting ranges

I'm by no means dedicated. Usually I hit a local park on lunch breaks or for a few hours on a weekend. Consistent money makers seem to be beaches for gold jewelry; and there are no beaches hereabouts except a few county parks that are heavily hit.

Local coin shop is very displeased with "dug" coins and it is rare to get any offer over bullion value. I usually keep all my silver or old copper coins.

But it's certainly more productive than sitting on the couch watching TV.

 

[Loco-Digger]

This was my 1st season. I dug over $510 dollars face value since late May 2014. There aren't many public places that I haven't detected in a 20 mile radius of home. I should find close to that total this season since I will be hunting more fields that had once had homesteads on them. Now that the ground is frozen, I have time to do more research and can work on permissions for later this year. I am more of a coin shooter than a relic hunter, I'd rather find a silver dime than a CW bullet. Rings and other bling are nice, but I could go all season without digging any and not feel bad. Not to say I am not excited when I dig one, but I'd rather find old coins.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

I found more gold jewelry in my first 1.5yrs of metal detecting than all years since. Maybe because I was lucky, but at that time, I hit inland beaches, sport fields and parks. I even semi-financed two detectors and fully heated my home with the proceeds.
Since then, I have "graduated" towards historic sites and research. I can truly state that I now spend more time researching new sites than detecting. My collection, as it stands, attests to my research. Not a single gold coin yet, but the silver coins found alone, dwarf the initial gold jewelry in monetary value. And the relics... they are my favorite.
May you find what you seek.
GL
Peace ✌

 

[mikeraydj]

My first year totals are below. I am not as optimistic for next year as the places I have hit are unlikely to produce as much last year. I like hunting parks and public land. Many will branch out and get permissions. I don't see myself doing that as much as others here. I do have a few old sites that I am gunning for in the spring and summer. Hopefully they will pan out. I am content to still work the parks as I like jewelry more than old coins, so patience is the watchword. In my first year I am sure that I picked the easy stuff, so now the real work begins, getting between the trash, more thoroughly working the places I have skimmed. Sometimes I think the fun is more in the searching rather than the finding as the thrill of finding is short lived.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Never found a gold coin. I normally find a few gold rings each year (last year was a skunk year), lots of silver rings, about 100 silver coins a year. Time spent? Too hard to guess. I might spend 20 hours one week, then not hunt for weeks. Usually get out for at least a few hours a week.

 

[Keppy]

I don't know ….. I don't know ….. & I don't know .. in never keep track of my finds or my time ..

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello,

I love metal detecting and over the years have found many interesting and valuable items. My favorite part of the hobby is putting on the headphones, listening to the beautiful array of tones and being out in the fresh air; very relaxing. Many of my friends call me a “purist” by my attitude towards metal detecting. Incidentally, I usually give my finds away to friends and relatives instead of throwing them in a jewelry or coin box. Then I get to enjoy the experience again and again. I do keep some of the more interesting relics to research and enjoy their beauty.

Happy Hunting

 

[jeff of pa]

been detecting over 40 years
I had 2 maybe 3 years with Plenty of Gold rings.
other then that gold jewelry is rare for me.
Silver is Decent, but less & less each year.
But Age has improved. I am finding older stuff now that I've
hammered most sites of the shallow coins.

Dig those Relics, Trash & very Weak questionable signals

 

[mikeraydj]

We are the masses. The banners are the exception. That is what makes them truly rare.