Hey Hivers,
Hope everyone is having a good start to the week! I appreciate the kind support from everyone who welcomed me back to the crypto-world after almost two years. It was nice to catch up a little bit...I still want to do an open mic session soon!
My life is more than just being a doctor and playing guitar haha. Now that I am between residency and a new job as a family doc, I have...well...plenty of free time. Let me introduce you to my new hobby.
Metal Detecting
(This is, me, metal detecting when I found the coin below. Living the dream. Prior to my haircut during COVID season haha.)
(1917 Mercury Dime--90% silver, found in my parents front yard)
(back-side of above)
One of my new passions (about 5 months into it) is metal detecting. Let me tell you--it is intriguing/addicting.
Digging up items in the dirt + finding history + researching more history to know what you have= making you a more knowledgeable person who appreciates history.
I have always had a passion for history and antique coins so this just fueled those passions! The oldest coin I have found so far is a 1905 Indian Head Penny, and the oldest bullet is a Civil War era Minié bullet (the three-groove/ring kind).
Many days I go out and find almost nothing of value (metal detecting is not like the youtube videos where they are finding rare gems every time). However, when I do manage to find something of decent value, or at least of some historical significance, it gives me the motivation to keep trying!
(1905 Indian Head Penny, I found this in a local neighborhood park near my home)
(back-side of above)
My Gear/Recommended Essentials
For anyone interested in starting, there are a few things that I would suggest:
Metal detector: An obvious necessity, although, an expensive one is not essential to start out. I first owned a Tracker 4. The cool thing about this one is for such a low price, it actually has different tones for different metal conductivity...allowing you to avoid some trash. It is usually under $100. For the past couple of months I have upgraded to a Fischer 22, which is a little over $200. It is still a beginner one, but it allows me to see a digital readout of the conductivity. This way I can know, not only, which type of metal, but also a good guess at the denominations (note: it is only this accurate when around 1-3 inches down). The more expensive detectors have more accuracy at deeper levels underground. Mine can detect signals up to 8-9 inches down but with less identifiable accuracy (Tracker 4 only goes down 6 inches).
Pinpointer: You can get these for around $30 on Amazon. I bought a cheap one and it works fine. Once you find a target with a detector, this allows you to have a very small detector to "pinpoint" the spot of the metal once you start digging
Garden Trowel/Shovel: Recommend a good one, still not that expensive
Gloves: safety first
Something to keep your treasures in! (I just use a backpack)
(Minié bullet, likely 1860s, found near my parents woods. This was likely fired by someone hunting long ago as it was near a creek)
Where to Dig (for historical things)?
- The older the place, the better
- Many people metal detect..so just because you find an old place does not mean you will find something
- Start in your yard to get the hang of it... then move on from there
- Use tools such as https://www.historicaerials.com/. I love this site! It lets you compare aerial photographs of most locations in the past to today. The area I live in has aerial photos dating back to the 1940s. Some areas will have even older aerials. It is also cool to look at the changes in your city, whether you metal detect or not.
- This is a hobby where library map searching comes in handy, although the internet will help a lot. There are some maps that have not been uploaded. Yes, the library is still useful, haha.
- Search where people gathered long ago
- Get permission for private property (yards are great places for coins!)
- Some parks allow and some don't...check your area, most state parks do not in my area but local parks often do. Parks do have a lot of trash so don't get discouraged!
- Leave the place better than you found it! Very important. Learn to make a proper plug in your own yard before venturing out.
A Few More Pictures of My Finds
I have found a lot of metal items, too many to put on here...but here are some highlights. I'm sure I'll miss a few good ones haha.
(Theodore Roosevelt Dam, Pocket Watch fob, made around 1912, there is some tar on it, could not get it all off)
(Silver I've found so far. Any dime or quarter found 1964 or earlier is 90% silver...harder to find than you would think. "War nickels" (1942-1945) were made of some silver...found that one in a park).
(I have over 20-30 bullets now, some old, some not so old, one of these is a live round...a couple here are from 1940s, some may be older but hard to identify)
(Very old drama tie clip...I would guess 1920s or earlier, this was found on a public plot in my neighborhood)
(Pewter kitchenware...I would guess 100 years old. Had initials and a stamp mark on the bottom)
(Gotta love the wheat cents...pre 1959..earliest one I found was 1924. Have maybe 15-20 of them now)
(Had to use some WD-40 on them to get them to work properly)
(Toy cars from the '50s-'60s)
This is just a small glimpse of my new hobby, and I hope you all enjoyed. If you have any questions, ask away. As they say, "there are more coins in the ground than in circulation" so go for it!
Cheers!
*No sources needed, all pictures taken by me