Detecting style question.

[Ronstar]

I posted the two silvers and three wheats on Todays Finds yesterday. We know the area has had detectors off and on over time but the thing that stuck out to me yesterday was that I found relatively easy wheats and silver Rosies but no quarters or larger and no nickels.
jkline told me he had made a hit and miss walk thru awhile back and found wheats but no silver. I was using a grid search pattern and mostly finding pennies and dimes. Thus, how many people set their machines to just hit high value targets like quarters,halves, dollars, and nickels (or gold)?
Other theory was someone with a beep and dig and inexperienced just stumbled on the good stuff (could be a newer detector too I guess and just not properly setting it up and only high targets sounding). Anybody have similar experience or thoughts? I mean what are the chances this area just has no quarters or nickels? And why dont Canadian quarters tarnish like clad? Nevermind, they just be different.... lol

 

[Tony-Ok]

I posted the two silvers and three wheats on Todays Finds yesterday. We know the area has had detectors off and on over time but the thing that stuck out to me yesterday was that I found relatively easy wheats and silver Rosies but no quarters or larger and no nickels.
jkline told me he had made a hit and miss walk thru awhile back and found wheats but no silver. I was using a grid search pattern and mostly finding pennies and dimes. Thus, how many people set their machines to just hit high value targets like quarters,halves, dollars, and nickels (or gold)?
Other theory was someone with a beep and dig and inexperienced just stumbled on the good stuff (could be a newer detector too I guess and just not properly setting it up and only high targets sounding). Anybody have similar experience or thoughts? I mean what are the chances this area just has no quarters or nickels? And why dont Canadian quarters tarnish like clad? Nevermind, they just be different.... lol

Detecting with a grid pattern will help you when trying to fully cover an area . You have to remember detectors from the 60s , 70s and 80s BFOs- TRs where not as tech savvy as the detectors of today. My first detector ( Garrett BFO coinhunter) had a max depth of about 5 inches !! Many targets where just out of the range of detection. Lots of modern detectors can be set up to ignore trash (high disc), leaving nickels and jewelry. Every site is different. I am currently working a site that has been hunted over the years (as said by the owner) by others. My funds are coming in 6-8”. So far 5 wheats, 3 silver rosies, 1 merc, 1 walking half, 2 junk rings. So I think stuff is still at many locations. Technique and know how to max your detectors abilities works to your favor . HH Tony

 

[Ronstar]

So you’re just thinking someone took off the first layer and I’m into the second??? I could see that but no quarters, no nickels, no nothing at that depth other than the two Rosies and a few Memorials. Went back today to same basic area and found three more wheats but this time further in to the complex and came out with 13 clad quarters and a bunch of Memorials!!!

 

[BobOso]

When I get tired of digging memorial cents, I listen for the dimes/quarters. but in doing so i know I am also giving up the chance to find rings, same for nickles after 30+ pull tabs this old body says pass it up.
But in the last month I did find 1 war nickle and 1 buffalo

 

[jim tn]

I pretty firmly believe most of the easy pickings were gleaned off the majority of our parks and school yards back in the 80's and early 90's. I started with this hobby back in 1972 and while detectors didn't have or start to have any serious depth until the late 80's, early 90's, most prior were still deep enough to scour the top few inches of turf. And, any quarters and halves added a bit more depth due to their size.

Coin ratio's can be site relative, too. Milk used to be a nickel, so more nickels got lost in tot lots and school yards. I was thrilled when milk went to a quarter for hot lunch programs here, as many more of them were being lost and thus found. Now the kids are using credit cards.

I kind of think as we go along, there will be less coins being used and thus lost. HH Jim tn

 

[BobOso]

Credit cards, hmm, we need a plastic detector.

 

[Ronstar]

Bet we have RFI capable detectors for the chip or x-ray glasses. Can you imagine a bunch of old zombie guys walking around staring at the ground and suddenly collapsing to the ground and digging? Oh wait, we already do that......

 

[still looking 52]

Metal detecting 101 is different for different people, for example, Ron your skills are probably 10 times better than the average person detecting so to you these finds were basically metal detecting 101 but to the average person these finds were not noticeable.
If you watch the average person detecting they usually don't have their coil that close to the ground and when they swing the coil they get even further away from the ground which gives them maybe a maximum depth of 3".
I remember a couple years ago we were hunting this park and this guy pulls up in his truck and ask us how we were doing , before we could say anything he says you won't find any coins in here I've got it cleaned out.
We explained to him we had found a pocket full of coins each, his mouth dropped open, he couldn't believe we found that many coins in there.
He had to be just cherry picking the top 3" of ground because we weren't doing anything special in our minds.

 

[irnwrkr]

A couple years ago I was at a beach and three young guys with detectors came up to me and we talked a bit, they took off swinging their units like they were whacking weeds. I stayed right in the area I was working a grid. Three hours later they came back with very few finds, while I had a bag full of good stuff. Low and slow, slow recovery on my unit and drug my scoop so I could make a good track back and forth

 

[squirrel1]

Could be lots of things.
EMI
Detectorist detector model
Detectorist skill
Some ferrous decomposing over time.
Size of coils used.
Amount of time spent in site previously.
What the persons who previously found and where they found it.
Ground matrix and or coins shifting small amounts
The previous detectorist methods used to grid, if they did at all.
How fast did they sweep?

Try the following.
When you locate say a coin. You dig. Then you cover hole. What do you do next after you pick up your detector?
Do you pick up your detector and press on? If you do, you could indeed miss a find.
Rather pick up your detector take two steps backs then proceeed.
Very easy for a find to be within 8” or a foot from where you located previously and dug.
And if you stand up and press on you just might miss.

 

[JimmyCT]

Metal detecting 101 is different for different people, for example, Ron your skills are probably 10 times better than the average person detecting so to you these finds were basically metal detecting 101 but to the average person these finds were not noticeable.
If you watch the average person detecting they usually don't have their coil that close to the ground and when they swing the coil they get even further away from the ground which gives them maybe a maximum depth of 3".
I remember a couple years ago we were hunting this park and this guy pulls up in his truck and ask us how we were doing , before we could say anything he says you won't find any coins in here I've got it cleaned out.
We explained to him we had found a pocket full of coins each, his mouth dropped open, he couldn't believe we found that many coins in there.
He had to be just cherry picking the top 3" of ground because we weren't doing anything special in our minds.

I love when others indicate they cleaned it out. When I hear these words, I hunt the place even harder and I have always found plenty of nice old coins they left behind from “cleaning it out”

oh and watching someone with the pendulum swing is always a joy to watch

 

[jim tn]

I know I never clean a spot out. In fact, I enjoy hunting after myself. Some of my better finds have come after numerous other outings on the site. HH Jim tn

 

[Ronstar]

I did learn awhile back that after finishing the hole to make a large arc around the plug then move forward. If one coin down maybe two or more. This technique did land me a nice silver ring not too long ago. Other technique that seems to work is never work the same patch from the same direction, change it to attack from 45 or 90 degrees from original search pattern.

 

[onemore]

Years ago, when I was a club member, there were many folks that used to only dig silver tones, which really shocked me...

Everybody does their own thing.

I dig everything that's at the right depth... and been pleasantly surprised many times.

 

[laplander]

I call them high toners, they go after the shiny stuff only LOL
HH Jeff