What is your opinion on detecting residential boulevards?

[SWINGER1969]

I was looking at some big victorian homes in town today on my lunch break quite a few of them have been converted to apartments and was thinking of detecting the boulevard between the sidewalk and the street, but i just couldn't bring my self to do it. whats your opinion or doing this?

 

[SWINGER1969]

55 views so far and no comments is this a bad subject?

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

I know of someone who has done it and he does well he has found old mercury head dimes and such it all depends on the age of the area.

 

[OldNBroken]

I do them any chance I get. They are public property even though some people think differently. I do use discretion when I decide though. If it's well-manicured or obviously kept up by the homeowner I respect that and don't do it without their permission. Yours mentioned being apartments now I probably would be all over it. I've had some great hunts on parking strips. I have had run-ins with a few people. Crappy neglected lawns and parking strips but they come out throwing a fit about getting off their property. Even though I know they are wrong I don't argue, I just move on.

 

[SD51]

I know that they are public property but I only detect an area that I have permission to be there. Then there's no problem when someone questions me.

 

[Toecutter]

Well here in Michigan the property between sidewalk and road is owned by the home owner, the city owns the gas and water lines, I would have to ask permission here...

If I knew it was public property I would hit them all and not worry...

Apartment or corporate property I would hit until told otherwise...

 

[Jason in Enid]

You need to find what YOUR CITY says. Some cities have those curb strips as city-owned, public right of ways and its completely legal to hunt them. Others, they are private and belong to the property they sit in front of.

 

[Peyton Manning]

Found a 1907 quarter this year doing it

 

[smokeythecat]

I'm kind of scared to. I just go to private permissions these days.

 

[ToastedWheatie]

I've donethem. Trashy, but there are coins to be found. Fewer "relics".

 

[hvacker]

Digging holes there can only lead to grief. Imagine looking out your window to some stranger digging up your grass.
This is exactly why cities and towns pass rules against this.
Even a town that has no specific rule about this won't mean the home owner will tolerate it.

 

[ToastedWheatie]

I've done areas like this.
If the house is close to the road, or the homeowner has put more than average attention to it, I walk past.
But areas like this?
No one cares as long as I'm not breaking into their car.

Now your making me think about it again. I've only done it once or twice in that area, but their are killer looking prospects. I guess I'm going back today...

 

[CASPER-2]

I used to hit them when i was younger - up here we call them "tree belts" - because they still have a tree or 2 on them or they used to have
trees on them 100+ yrs ago - I have found Barber on up on them and have gotten some silver jewelry too - 1 old gold ring too
Up here in New england because we get snow - you can find a lot of change on them - especially near old stores - I had 5 small candy stores
and hit small grass strips outside of them and cleaned up - people may drop coins and they end up in the grass - but you think about the
winter - you drop anything in the snow while on the side walk - its gone - if they shovel - most likely it will get dumped onto
that strip. I was hitting those strips in a few older neighborhoods in the early 80s. Few guys saw me doing them or got told i was doing good on
them and they started hitting them too. One guy was hitting some in a higher class area and guy came out swearing and threatened to bash his
head in with a shovel if he did not leave - i find if you get out at sunrise or early on a sunday morn you are less likely t ahve this kind of problem
towns "own" from sidewalk to streets up this way - some times it is good to check with police - that way if they get a call - they
know its you - I try and give a card to local police - it says right on it - POLICE ASSISTANCE. Years ago i was hitting after midnight near an old town common
on the "tree belt" - police pulled up and thought i was looking for worms. I told them I was detecting and they both laughed saying "your not gonna get much
on that small area. I pulled out a huge gold ring...some IHs, buffalos and some silver coins. They could not believe it. Spot was on a parade route
so people would sit and stand on these grass strips like 4 times a year for over 100 yrs - some of them 200 yrs
When other spots run out or you think are cleaned out - there are tons of these strips to hit - look for the older ones - hit ones near parks and schools
out side of old churches - outside of old cemetaries - hitting in them might be off limits - usually hitting outside them is ok
Ive gotten seated coins and LG cents on grass outside of them
When i was younger i would go to old schools that were hammered by lots of others but I knew almost none of them would hit near the
roads on the side walk strips - they did not wanted people honking and yelling things at them - kids some times throwing pennies at them
another reason to go out early less traffic
Thinking back - i got a fair amount of silver coins this way - Good luck

 

[CASPER-2]

oh word of advice - i would not use a shovel - myself and others i know that hit these spots used sharp knives and cut perfect plugs
if you find out that it is legal to hit these areas - they can still report you if you are digging big holes and leaving a mess
you could not tell i was there - i try keeping all the dirt in the hole if possible - if targets arent deep - recommend probing

 

[1942 merc]

Good way to get in to a confrontation with an angry home owner . Legal as it may be I think it is disrespectful .Why meet this man or women in that manner when you can meet them by going to the door . I can handle a no at the door better than a WTF at the sidewalk . Who knows you may end up getting the whole house .Do not take your gear to the door .Do not try and talk them in to it . Ask , Get a yes or a no and be on your way . I prefer getting them when mowing but if your brave enough to dig before asking door knocking should be no problem .

 

[fistfulladirt]

My city of 33,000 is tearing down vacant houses left and right, (city buys the house, then demolishes it). I’ve hit the strips in front with no problem.

 

[CASPER-2]

Good way to get in to a confrontation with an angry home owner . Legal as it may be I think it is disrespectful .Why meet this man or women in that manner when you can meet them by going to the door . I can handle a no at the door better than a WTF at the sidewalk . Who knows you may end up getting the whole house .Do not take your gear to the door .Do not try and talk them in to it . Ask , Get a yes or a no and be on your way . I prefer getting them when mowing but if your brave enough to dig before asking door knocking should be no problem .

so many miles of them in smaller towns - I would never hit a manicured one - most yards will have a row of hedges - a wall or fence then side walk then the grass "tree" belt or median - most around can be war torn - from cars riding up on them or plows or just pedestrian traffic - best some times to have a back up story - looking for a key or ring someone lost - a mailman lost a route key somewhere along his route and i went and found it but used that one to hit
those belts all along his route - of course now and then I would come across an intellect that asked - "why are you digging?(I use a knife but...")
and i would just say" I got a good target here...so might as well go for it"
The 2 silver halves I got hitting spots like this - were both in deep worn spots right next to driveways where they kept cutting the corner and wore
a hole thru the grass - i didnt even have to dig - i struck my knife in both times and they were both under surface like 1/16th of in.
if you kick t the dirt - you would have popped them up - one was a barber and one was a walker - was shocked both times

 

[Jason in Enid]

The biggest problem in my town is that many of the oldest homes, that "public strip" (and it is city owned and public) is the majority of the homes front yard. You can have 10 feet of "curb strip", then sidewalk and only 3 or 4 feet of actual private lawn. That changes the dynamic as people really do feel its theirs as its the biggest part of the yard and they do maintain it.

 

[CASPER-2]

The biggest problem in my town is that many of the oldest homes, that "public strip" (and it is city owned and public) is the majority of the homes front yard. You can have 10 feet of "curb strip", then sidewalk and only 3 or 4 feet of actual private lawn. That changes the dynamic as people really do feel its theirs as its the biggest part of the yard and they do maintain it.

We got lot of colonial neighborhoods up here that its that way also - make you drool
friend of mine killed it in the 80s asking people if he could just hit there and not their yards and killed it with old coins
many guys around here wont hit those strips thinking they are too trashy - too small or too close to the road
try ones near actual public places - old schools - churches - libraries - town halls - near old commons - old parks
ive done good hitting those - many only 2 feet wide

 

[ARC]

Digging holes there can only lead to grief. Imagine looking out your window to some stranger digging up your grass.
This is exactly why cities and towns pass rules against this.
Even a town that has no specific rule about this won't mean the home owner will tolerate it.

Agreed.