Where to dig to find ancient coins

[hook17]

Hello everybody! I recently moved to southern California and started metal detecting on the beaches .. but I find only modern coins and nothing more .. Give me somebody advise where should I try to search more? I want to find something from old coins .. I went around a bunch of beaches and nothing interesting.. help please

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[xr7ator]

Permission on old private properties. You can work the old schools and parks, but everyone does that and they have been hit hard.

On public lands, think about places that might be good that others would have passed on for one reason or another.

 

[hook17]

Permission on old private properties. You can work the old schools and parks, but everyone does that and they have been hit hard.

On public lands, think about places that might be good that others would have passed on for one reason or another.

Thank you for answer. About parks..There are all parks in a green lawn here.. Is it possible to dig a lawn with grass?

 

[Noah_D]

Thank you for answer. About parks..There are all parks in a green lawn here.. Is it possible to dig a lawn with grass?

To dig a lawn with grass we usually dig a plug... you pretty much cut a circle in the grass, plop open the "plug", find the target, and put the "plug" back in.

By the way, welcome to TNet!

 

[Force_of_Iron]

Dig under the MET in NYC they have some good collections

 

[Billieg]

No one's going to tell you where to go to find old coins. For one, 99.9% of us don't live there. You need to go to the library and look at old newspapers to see where fair grounds were and places where people gathered, old swimming holes. Look for old buildings that burnt down and see what's there today. I spend 4 hrs researching for every hr I spend hunting.
Good luck.

 

[Noah_D]

Dig under the MET in NYC they have some good collections

Yeah, I think you might have some luck if you go digging under Fort Knox as well. I have heard its tough to get permission though.

 

[Noah_D]

And about research, I usually look at old maps to find old house sites. You can find a lot on Historic Map Works, Residential Genealogy ? and at the LOC website https://www.loc.gov/maps/
You can also find a lot at local libraries or historical societies. They often have old newspapers and maps. I haven't tried using newspapers for this yet but I know a lot of people have and have success doing so.

 

[Megalodon]

To dig a lawn with grass we usually dig a plug... you pretty much cut a circle in the grass, plop open the "plug", find the target, and put the "plug" back in.

By the way, welcome to TNet!

Ummm. If you remove the sod plug, so will the next lawnmower to pass over it, leaving a lawn full of holes. Hunt lawns only after rain or when the soil is damp and the roots can recover. Dig a U-shape plug and leave the hinge. This will make the plug easy to replace in the same way it was cut.

 

[Megalodon]

Hello everybody! I recently moved to southern California and started metal detecting on the beaches .. but I find only modern coins and nothing more .. Give me somebody advise where should I try to search more? I want to find something from old coins .. I went around a bunch of beaches and nothing interesting.. help please

Beaches are great for learning to use your detector and the digging is easy. The real finds at beaches are jewelry. Turn down the discrimination on your detector and dig everything.

Consider hunting old farmfields too.

 

[Noah_D]

Ummm. If you remove the sod plug, so will the next lawnmower to pass over it, leaving a lawn full of holes. Hunt lawns only after rain or when the soil is damp and the roots can recover. Dig a U-shape plug and leave the hinge. This will make the plug easy to replace in the same way it was cut.

Thats good advice! Where I hunt here in Ohio the soil is usually either pretty damp or so dry that it never gets mowed anyway. So I didn't think of that. I usually just give mine a few good stomps as well.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

In California you're probably not going to find coins much older than the 1850's since there just wasn't a very large population there until then and I would guess there really wasn't a whole lot of money in circulation. I'm sure the odd Spanish coins older than that turn up occasionally, but I would think not very often.

In most places the oldest parts of town are completely built up and paved over, so I would say to look for construction projects, if you see a parking lot in the old part of town being taken up, see if you can get in there and hunt the dirt under it, piles of dirt excavated for foundations are good to hunt as well. Other than that, old houses, vacant lots, parks and church yards are about it in a city. You'll dig a lot of trash but we all do I guess to get to the good stuff

 

[hook17]

followed the advice, sat tath e library, read books, found an old Park in the city. Dug up this big Park in different places and again nothing but modern coins and garbage

Could I communicate with somebody through personal messages ?, show him my area and that someone really suggested in what places it is better to walk....

Maybe someone has more experience and with first glance on map can suggest the most likely spots, where I can try to dig...Because I don't understand why, no matter where I dig, there's nothing. Can anyone help?

 

[Billieg]

followed the advice, sat tath e library, read books, found an old Park in the city. Dug up this big Park in different places and again nothing but modern coins and garbage

Could I communicate with somebody through personal messages ?, show him my area and that someone really suggested in what places it is better to walk....

Maybe someone has more experience and with first glance on map can suggest the most likely spots, where I can try to dig...Because I don't understand why, no matter where I dig, there's nothing. Can anyone help?

Well, first, you don't have where you live in your profile so that's no help. Second, what detector do you have and how long have you been detecting? Third, are you waiting for a great strong signal to dig? There is so much more to this hobby than buying a $199 detector and swinging it 8" off the ground. I'd suggest trying to find a club or friend in the area that could help you. Good luck.

 

[hook17]

Well, first, you don't have where you live in your profile so that's no help. Second, what detector do you have and how long have you been detecting? Third, are you waiting for a great strong signal to dig? There is so much more to this hobby than buying a $199 detector and swinging it 8" off the ground. I'd suggest trying to find a club or friend in the area that could help you. Good luck.

1. Now I live in So Cali ( more exact my location I can tell in PM )

2. I was moved here from eastern Europe..So , I am new here.. And I nobody knows here and everything is new here for me

3. I have a good detector . Deus XP white coil 15-30-55 kHz
I have been detecting about 1 year

4. I'm not saying I don't find anything..I find a lot of coins and all signals are readable and good....But all coins are modern..And I haven't found anything old yet

I think I can not find the right place for a dig..Like I said before, I walked around the old Park in the city and found nothing but modern coins

I am looking for a experienced guy who can help me to find some places on the map to TRY to dig...
Couse everything I found and tried to dig are empty...

At least show an approximate place on the map, as his experience would suggest

 

[Billieg]

1. Now I live in So Cali ( more exact my location I can tell in PM )

2. I was moved here from eastern Europe..So , I am new here.. And I nobody knows here and everything is new here for me

3. I have a good detector . Deus XP white coil 15-30-55 kHz
I have been detecting about 1 year

4. I'm not saying I don't find anything..I find a lot of coins and all signals are readable and good....But all coins are modern..And I haven't found anything old yet

I think I can not find the right place for a dig..Like I said before, I walked around the old Park in the city and found nothing but modern coins

I am looking for a experienced guy who can help me to find some places on the map to TRY to dig...
Couse everything I found and tried to dig are empty...

At least show an approximate place on the map, as his experience would suggest

Well, S. Calli is a BIG area. Maybe if you put into your profile you lived in San dago or such someone from there would contact you and help you. As it stands no one seems to know where you live and no one's going to take the time to PM you to find out. You have a good detector but I guess you still don't know how to adjust it or use it. An old park should yield some old coins or trinkets. Most old parks have been hit many times so the older coins are deep and will only give off a very faint sound. Do you use headphones? When you get a very faint signal and it is consistent you dig. That's how you find old stuff. If you are just digging up loud great sounds you will just find modern junk.

 

[Duke]

Listen find the oldest house with a large yard you can ‘outside a city area preferably” then ask for permission. And if the ground has been “filled” move to the next, if they say no obviously move to the next, IMHO large yards are better than most parks any day. Even a smaller yard is ok but less to hunt

 

[Samanthy]

I don’t think you will find ancient coins. California is pretty much a modern creation.

 

[A2coins]

Welcome research is key England would be the place for Ancient coins. Good luck