A question to anyone, I have started metal detecting about a year ago with an inexpensive $100 BH Discovery 1100. The detector works great it picks up all the newer Canadian coins with a low sound for steel, it even gives me a high pitch sound for old silver dime, quarter or copper penny. I got hooked on this hobby, and feel like upgrading, to a 300-$500 unit something like a Platinum. But the problem here in Canada most coins from year 2000 and up, are made of 94% steel, I have to dig-up all the metal to be certain what it is. Here is the question; does a $300 to $500 detector show me the correct nomination of the Canadian coins, or does it just indicate a low # say 12 steel? My guess is all the detectors are set up for US coins, and the programmable ones cost more than $500.
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Canadian Coins
- Thread starter abingo
- Start date
mwaynebennett
New member
I can't tell you for sure, but my guess is that any metal detector will see steel coins as steel/iron and if you discriminate-out iron, you will miss the Canadian steel coins.
Mark
Mark
detectors from 1980s with analog coin meters are the best chance of iding canadian clad
these meters have a needle and are more stable
found on some of whites fisher etc
what city are you in?
many of the newer programmable ones you mention bounce around so much
they are of no or little help
these meters have a needle and are more stable
found on some of whites fisher etc
what city are you in?
many of the newer programmable ones you mention bounce around so much
they are of no or little help
Sven
Well-known member
I have used several brands models that work really well with Canadian clad, generally they will bounce between several of the middle or higher numbers. If you also have tone ID, most will fall into a med to high tone when lying flat. If they are lying on edge that's a different ball game. You'll hear them as a low tone and ID's in the low iron ID numbers, usually within a four number spread in that range.
Make yourself a chart and then tape it to the top of our detector for reference as you learn your machine. Pay attention to the ID numbers and tone.
These are my Fisher F5 numbers similar to a BH
LOON 59-62 7-8 on edge low tone
TOON 58-61, 69-70 7-8 on edge low tone
5 CTS 24-30, 53-60 6, low tone or 27-29 on edge double beep
25 CTS 68-72 6,7 on edge low tone
1 CTS 67-69. 28-32
SIL 1/2 dime 59-60 ZINC
LC 60 ZINC, 59-60 DB
IND head penny 52 TAB
SILVER RINGS
78-80 25CTS
39-44 TAB
51-53 TAB
GOLD RINGS
18 FOIL
22-25 FOIL or 22-27 DB(double beep)
27-28 5CTS, 41-44 DB
30-34 TAB 5CTS, 49-51TAB
38040 TAB
Fisher ID EDGE has positive and negative numbers plus 4 tones, minus numbers are always for iron and low tones
TOON 24 to 28 -23 to -24 on edge
LOON 25 to 31 -19 to -24 on edge
QUAR 24 to 32 -12, -20 to -21 on edge
SILVR 31 to 33
GOLD 5 to 7, 9, 10, 14, 17
PULL 11, 15
FOIL 3 CAP 7
SILVER RINGS
78-80 25CTS
39-44 TAB
51-53 TAB
GOLD
18 FOIL
22-25 FOIL 22-27 BD
27-28 5CTS, 41-44 DB
30-34 TAB 5CTS, 49-51TAB
38040 TAB
Make yourself a chart and then tape it to the top of our detector for reference as you learn your machine. Pay attention to the ID numbers and tone.
These are my Fisher F5 numbers similar to a BH
LOON 59-62 7-8 on edge low tone
TOON 58-61, 69-70 7-8 on edge low tone
5 CTS 24-30, 53-60 6, low tone or 27-29 on edge double beep
25 CTS 68-72 6,7 on edge low tone
1 CTS 67-69. 28-32
SIL 1/2 dime 59-60 ZINC
LC 60 ZINC, 59-60 DB
IND head penny 52 TAB
SILVER RINGS
78-80 25CTS
39-44 TAB
51-53 TAB
GOLD RINGS
18 FOIL
22-25 FOIL or 22-27 DB(double beep)
27-28 5CTS, 41-44 DB
30-34 TAB 5CTS, 49-51TAB
38040 TAB
Fisher ID EDGE has positive and negative numbers plus 4 tones, minus numbers are always for iron and low tones
TOON 24 to 28 -23 to -24 on edge
LOON 25 to 31 -19 to -24 on edge
QUAR 24 to 32 -12, -20 to -21 on edge
SILVR 31 to 33
GOLD 5 to 7, 9, 10, 14, 17
PULL 11, 15
FOIL 3 CAP 7
SILVER RINGS
78-80 25CTS
39-44 TAB
51-53 TAB
GOLD
18 FOIL
22-25 FOIL 22-27 BD
27-28 5CTS, 41-44 DB
30-34 TAB 5CTS, 49-51TAB
38040 TAB
fisherf5user
New member
Sven, I appreciate that list. I've condensed it and I'm going to tape it to my detector. Just wondering, how do you go about filtering out the junk? All the areas I go to are really trashy, mostly beer caps. Do you just walk away from the targets outside the range of stuff you specified? Or do you just ignore signals that bounce around too much? For any one that's interested, I condensed Sven's list to something that would fit on my detector.
nick hunter
New member
Hi
Just want to share my modest experience here.
Many European coins too do have a steel core and a very thin layer of copper.
Some high-value pre-euro coins were made of pure nickel, and reacted as iron when on edge.
The "trick" I used at the time, and still do with the euro coins, as coin spills can be masked by steel-cored coins, is to use a detector that has MANUAL ground balance and the ability to GROUND BALANCE TO SALT.
Once you have that, and I strongly advise you to test that BEFORE buying the detector, all you've got to do is to set the disc to zero, the ground balance to salt, or, if you prefer, at the setting where FERROUS TARGET (pure iron !, not alloys : very important) are silenced as if they were minerals, and go hunting.
You won't experience false readings at all ( with the GB at the opposite setting it would sure be the case), and the circuitry will eliminate the iron/steel in the coins, leaving only the alloy noble metal to respond.
Side-effect, no coin spill will be ignored, you will find most difficult coins with a solid stable ID, if using a TID unit,
Trust me it works.
Searching with a detector that is throwed out of ground balance will cost you one to two inches in depth, depending on ground conditions, but modern clad hunters don't care, the recent losses are surface finds, they're not 7 to 10" deep.
Happy Hunting !
Nick (the nasty euro-hunter
)
Just want to share my modest experience here.
Many European coins too do have a steel core and a very thin layer of copper.
Some high-value pre-euro coins were made of pure nickel, and reacted as iron when on edge.
The "trick" I used at the time, and still do with the euro coins, as coin spills can be masked by steel-cored coins, is to use a detector that has MANUAL ground balance and the ability to GROUND BALANCE TO SALT.
Once you have that, and I strongly advise you to test that BEFORE buying the detector, all you've got to do is to set the disc to zero, the ground balance to salt, or, if you prefer, at the setting where FERROUS TARGET (pure iron !, not alloys : very important) are silenced as if they were minerals, and go hunting.
You won't experience false readings at all ( with the GB at the opposite setting it would sure be the case), and the circuitry will eliminate the iron/steel in the coins, leaving only the alloy noble metal to respond.
Side-effect, no coin spill will be ignored, you will find most difficult coins with a solid stable ID, if using a TID unit,
Trust me it works.
Searching with a detector that is throwed out of ground balance will cost you one to two inches in depth, depending on ground conditions, but modern clad hunters don't care, the recent losses are surface finds, they're not 7 to 10" deep.
Happy Hunting !
Nick (the nasty euro-hunter
)
Sven
Well-known member
You may have to do your own air test to get the numbers for your machine. The numbers will be in the ball park and might shift depending upon tuning and soil conditions.
If you look at the numbers most indicate something good. You have to decide whether your going to dig all the solid signals or not and pass up on some good stuff.
There is a tremendous amount of good items you will pass on using an ID machine and there still is a fair amount of junk that registers outside the junk numbers.
I have noticed that anyone who uses an ID machine, I can come behind running all metal mode, listen only to the tones and show you a handful of coins that person missed.
Zoomer on one of the other forums finds gold with his BH 3300 all the time, his motto is dig it all, leave nothing. If you want gold dig the junk. Lot's more work but, 1 gold ring
is worth more than going home with a popcket full of pennies. I am like zoomer, digging it all.
Hunted a schoolyard near me to death with 5 different Tesoros, Teknetics Delta & Omega, Fisher Coinstrike...found several hundred coins, should have been cleaned out. At least it seemed like it.
Took my PI in there many times afterwards and found hundreds of clad coins, PI doesn't do well with pennies and that's fine with me.
Just a small sampling of what the PI found
One area I didn't hit very hard at this schoolyard with the PI due to all the junk, gave up more clad the other detectors completely missed.
Used my Detectorpro Wader
Ok so that area must now be cleaned out for sure?
Took the 1994 Discovery Treasure Baron into the same spot to double check.
Alrighty then, now there can't be much of anything left?
Took the Minelab X-terra 70, just purchased in there to find out.
Here's what it found
Wonder if "now" there is anything left?
My new way of thinking is I have three good detectors to get the job done. Might be good to take the PI in first and scope the area out of clad and jewelry.
If I do somewhat good, come back in with the Baron and then with the X-terra, dig the pennies and grab the rest.
Does go to show you, not all places are hunted out and many detectors can't find it all. Many ID machines just plain miss alot and you can't rely on target ID,
especially if you live in Canada.
If you look at the numbers most indicate something good. You have to decide whether your going to dig all the solid signals or not and pass up on some good stuff.
There is a tremendous amount of good items you will pass on using an ID machine and there still is a fair amount of junk that registers outside the junk numbers.
I have noticed that anyone who uses an ID machine, I can come behind running all metal mode, listen only to the tones and show you a handful of coins that person missed.
Zoomer on one of the other forums finds gold with his BH 3300 all the time, his motto is dig it all, leave nothing. If you want gold dig the junk. Lot's more work but, 1 gold ring
is worth more than going home with a popcket full of pennies. I am like zoomer, digging it all.
Hunted a schoolyard near me to death with 5 different Tesoros, Teknetics Delta & Omega, Fisher Coinstrike...found several hundred coins, should have been cleaned out. At least it seemed like it.
Took my PI in there many times afterwards and found hundreds of clad coins, PI doesn't do well with pennies and that's fine with me.
Just a small sampling of what the PI found
One area I didn't hit very hard at this schoolyard with the PI due to all the junk, gave up more clad the other detectors completely missed.
Used my Detectorpro Wader
Ok so that area must now be cleaned out for sure?
Took the 1994 Discovery Treasure Baron into the same spot to double check.
Alrighty then, now there can't be much of anything left?
Took the Minelab X-terra 70, just purchased in there to find out.
Here's what it found
Wonder if "now" there is anything left?
My new way of thinking is I have three good detectors to get the job done. Might be good to take the PI in first and scope the area out of clad and jewelry.
If I do somewhat good, come back in with the Baron and then with the X-terra, dig the pennies and grab the rest.
Does go to show you, not all places are hunted out and many detectors can't find it all. Many ID machines just plain miss alot and you can't rely on target ID,
especially if you live in Canada.
fisherf5user
New member
Thanks for the info. I took a page out of your book and dug everything today. 4 dimes, a nickle, and some pennies in about an hour. I'll just hunt in cleaner areas for a bit until I get better at figuring out what is what in the ground. Previously I've been going to the beach and some parks. They are so trashy I could leave my f5 at home and just bring my pro pointer!
Unfortunetly most all Metal Detectors made in the U.S.no matter the Price range all except the Garrett Euro Ace 350 read American coins on the meters and are not accurate for newer Canadian coins, some pennies depending may read as such, you can be sure many pull tabs and other junk items may read accurate on those meters. To bad they didn't make one that included Canadian coins. That's probably why they have only the 2 digit number scheme on some new detectors like the EuroTech Pro etc. There is no coin designation on this detector made manly for European market and Canadian coins are similar to these coins.
For years the hard core detectorist go by sound not by sight, the meters are ONLY a PROBABLE target and not really that accurate, your ears can be more accurate than those meters. Wear headphones and listen to what your detector is telling you, pretty soon you will be able to distinquish a penny from pull tab, or Iron grunt from a good target.
Even though years have past in this industry the meters are not as accurate as one would expect on some items, get use to hearing with your ears and you won't need a meter anyway. G.L. By the way on the Fisher F4 if you use any large amounts of discrimination you won't be picking up much new clad coins. I like what Sven has done he's tested certain coins and has given his results, these numbers may not be the same on different detectors keep this in mind. G.L.
A1MTD
Atlantic Canada
For years the hard core detectorist go by sound not by sight, the meters are ONLY a PROBABLE target and not really that accurate, your ears can be more accurate than those meters. Wear headphones and listen to what your detector is telling you, pretty soon you will be able to distinquish a penny from pull tab, or Iron grunt from a good target.
Even though years have past in this industry the meters are not as accurate as one would expect on some items, get use to hearing with your ears and you won't need a meter anyway. G.L. By the way on the Fisher F4 if you use any large amounts of discrimination you won't be picking up much new clad coins. I like what Sven has done he's tested certain coins and has given his results, these numbers may not be the same on different detectors keep this in mind. G.L.
A1MTD
Atlantic Canada