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Silver shortage

T

Ted S

Well-known member
I only have six silvers for the year with my Equinox 900. Last year I had over 20 at this time of the year and ended up with over 30. I am pretty close to throwing in the towel. Anyone else having a bad season? :(
 
I expect that the finding desirable targets will slowly begin to decline now that almost everyone has a metal detector and those promising sites will be hunted to death. Detectorists will have to spend more time researching in order to locate promising sites in less traveled areas.
YouTube has opened up the hobby to the masses and detector manufacturers have responded with mind boggling choices for buyers. Next up - detectors that dig the target for you.
 
You are ahead of me Ted…. I only have four silver coins so far….
I finally found my first dollar coin yesterday….. I usually find several each year.
Don’t give up……..
 
Here's the deal. Most people here know I have done my research for over 40 years. I have spent a lot of time in libraries on line and knocking on doors! I have a friend that goes along and he depends upon my research. He found a 43 Walker half yesterday at one of my sites and a couple of Mercs at another. I told him that he needs to find us some places to hunt but he won't do any research. that does tick me off a bit. He wouldn't have hardly any silver coins over the last 25 years if it wasn't for my sites that I find and get permission to hunt. I think I ma just getting burned out on the hobby. We just started fall trap shooting league and I bet I haven't put 500 miles on both motorcycles this year. We also enjoy cruise ins with my 69 Dodge Dart GTS 340 but that is about done for the season! I also can't hunt 8 hours a day like I used to. I am getting to old for this!
 
Sharing locations with friends sometimes is a double edged sword. Going along with me fishing buddies sometimes returned to fish my secret location without me. A good fishing partner spoke words of wisdom my secret spot on a public lake is likely the best place for several other people. 🤔 Sometimes my friend fishing from my boat caught the most and largest fish. I did enjoy the success of my fishing partner even when I was out fished. My thoughts were I was a good fishing guide.
Private property metal detecting locations are different. I don’t have any luck with finding a private property permission. Like a door to door salesman you have to have thick skin to absorb the sometimes raw and loud negative energy from your request. Negative images of the holes to retrieve the finds can hinder the process of permissions. I can only guess. Going alone had made the outing easier to manage in the past. No one else to consider for the amount of time I spent on a location. Then a dangerous encounter brought me to realize that solo detecting public parks has some potential issues. Especially now that I appear to not have the youth and size to defend myself.
I enjoy the solo fishing trip, and I enjoy the company of a friend who likes fishing as much as I do. So I guess it’s okay with me to share the water and sometimes enjoy the solitude. It’s obvious that I don’t get out much with my detector as much as I wish I could.
Please excuse the ramblings of a senior citizen on the length of my post.
 
I hunted the field for about 3 hours yesterday. I found a copper ring that was pretty old and crusty along with a wheat cent that was in the same hole as a big piece of iron. This Equinox 900 is a good machine! A farmer drove by in a combine as I dug out what appeared to be a tie rod end for an old tractor. I held it up for him to see and he gave me a thumbs up! I carry tile flags in the truck and marked an old ground rod that was sticking up in the field. These can cause major damage to a combine if it goes through the head. I also mark rocks and pick a few up for the farmers. This saves them money and I do have a few places that I don't need permission for due to my practices in the field. I am a bit stiff this morning and I ain't getting any younger!!
 
Ted S said:
I only have six silvers for the year with my Equinox 900. Last year I had over 20 at this time of the year and ended up with over 30. I am pretty close to throwing in the towel. Anyone else having a bad season? :(
Click to expand...
The law of diminishing returns !!!!! They aint making anymore silver coins and everyone is using plastic !!!!
I just found a merc dime the other day. Put it on my windowsill with all my other silvers.... I had 2 !!!!

Im a beach hunter 99% of the time. When beaches are barren, I head inland to schools and parks. This weekend I decided to hit
my most productive sites. I love basketball courts surround by grass. In over a year, my best site produced 1 small pocket spill of 2 quarters.
I just couldnt believe that's all there was. Ive never seen another detectorist here in over 20 years. The beach is where all the action is and no one seems to bother with parks and schools. Its just like the beach, everything is on plastic and coins are few.

Since they stop production of silver in 1964, its given everyone the opportunity to clean out most high traffic area's way back when. Since Im not a land hunter,
I dont do research or ask permission as I only live 2 miles from the beaches. Off season is just a matter of waiting for the next winter storm. That WAS the way
it use to be, until replenishment killed the beaches. So now i have to be a better detectorist inland and figure out how to find gold rings in dirt !!!
.
Ted, dont feel too bad, I think everyone is feeling the pinch on good finds nowadays.

Relatively speaking, I only got started detecting in 2000. All I can say is Thank God I did and was able to amass a nice pile of gold & silver for my retirement.
I have found no decent gold rings this year. I only lucked out and found a platinum band. Ive spent most of this year in FL on family business. The west coast
doesnt get much wave action and people dont swim much in my location.

No one ever said it was going to be easy finding treasure. We just have to be satisfied with less and work a whole lot harder for it.

Cheers,
Donna(NJ
 
I figured you had been in the hobby longer than that Donna.
I started out in 2006 and once I figured out what I was doing, I started hitting mostly local school yards and was amazed at the amount of coins people had lost.
With that said, around 2009 or so, I noticed a sharp decline in new coins getting lost in places like tot lots, then found out that schools here have some type of prepaid lunch program.
That really effected the elementary schools, but I was still doing pretty good at high schools and middle schools.
I have been lucky in recent years to locate a couple new to me schools that obviously have not been detected in many years… those were fun to detect and actually last year was my best year as far as finding clad since I started detecting.
I have also found a few sites that I am sure had been detected years ago for silver coins, but quite a few were left behind too!
As far as the beach, I only started detecting there about 13 years ago and have noticed a drop in coins, but as far as gold, I have only found a few gold rings there although I am sure it is still the best place to search if that is what you are after.
Last year I decided to try detecting in a local river where there is a tubing business and it turned out to be quite good to me.
I found lots of clad, 3 cell phones (1 still worked and was returned to the owner), and I even found an old large cent dated between 1796-1807!
For me even though things are changing, I am still finding enough to keep me interested.
 
Last edited:
fwcrawford said:
I figured you had been in the hobby longer than that Donna.
I started out in 2006 and once I figured out what I was doing, I started hitting mostly local school yards and was amazed at the amount of coins people had lost.
With that said, around 2009 or so, I noticed a sharp decline in new coins getting lost in places like tot lots, then found out that schools here have some type of prepaid lunch program.
That really effected the elementary schools, but I was still doing pretty good at high schools and middle schools.
I have been lucky in recent years to locate a couple new to me schools that obviously have not been detected in many years… those were fun to detect and actually last year was my best year as far as finding clad since I started detecting.
I have also found a few sites that I am sure had been detected years ago for silver coins, but quite a few were left behind too!
As far as the beach, I only started detecting there about 13 years ago and have noticed a drop in coins, but as far as gold, I have only found a few gold rings there although I am sure it is still the best place to search if that is what you are after.
Last year I decided to try detecting in a local river where there is a tubing business and it turned out to be quite good to me.
I found lots of clad, 3 cell phones (1 still worked and was returned to the owner), and I even found an old large cent dated between 1796-1807!
For me even though things are changing, I am still finding enough to keep me interested.
Click to expand...
I can’t believe the amount of quarters you find while brook and river hunting!! And that large cent was a super find!!
 
Hang it there Ted. We all have been through highs and lows. Oddly enough for me my last two years silver count was dismal at best and now this year I have doubled my take and then some from both years. And this is pretty much from the same area's from the same parks I've been hunting. So press on old man, always another shiny hiding in there somewhere. Good luck. Mark
 
Donna(NJ said:
The law of diminishing returns !!!!! They aint making anymore silver coins and everyone is using plastic !!!!
I just found a merc dime the other day. Put it on my windowsill with all my other silvers.... I had 2 !!!!

Im a beach hunter 99% of the time. When beaches are barren, I head inland to schools and parks. This weekend I decided to hit
my most productive sites. I love basketball courts surround by grass. In over a year, my best site produced 1 small pocket spill of 2 quarters.
I just couldnt believe that's all there was. Ive never seen another detectorist here in over 20 years. The beach is where all the action is and no one seems to bother with parks and schools. Its just like the beach, everything is on plastic and coins are few.

Since they stop production of silver in 1964, its given everyone the opportunity to clean out most high traffic area's way back when. Since Im not a land hunter,
I dont do research or ask permission as I only live 2 miles from the beaches. Off season is just a matter of waiting for the next winter storm. That WAS the way
it use to be, until replenishment killed the beaches. So now i have to be a better detectorist inland and figure out how to find gold rings in dirt !!!
.
Ted, dont feel too bad, I think everyone is feeling the pinch on good finds nowadays.

Relatively speaking, I only got started detecting in 2000. All I can say is Thank God I did and was able to amass a nice pile of gold & silver for my retirement.
I have found no decent gold rings this year. I only lucked out and found a platinum band. Ive spent most of this year in FL on family business. The west coast
doesnt get much wave action and people dont swim much in my location.

No one ever said it was going to be easy finding treasure. We just have to be satisfied with less and work a whole lot harder for it.

Cheers,
Donna(NJ
Click to expand...
Yes, basketball courts with grass around them are good producers, especially at the basket ends. Add volleyball courts with grass surrounding them to your sources. Most inland (non-beach) courts have pretty solid sand and losses are easily spotted and “saved”, but hunt the grass surrounding the court out to about 10' - 12' as jewelry flies off in the heat of play. My wife and I have scored nicely, mostly rings, in the surrounding grass. Happy hunting.
 
Dirt Duke said:
Yes, basketball courts with grass around them are good producers, especially at the basket ends. Add volleyball courts with grass surrounding them to your sources. Most inland (non-beach) courts have pretty solid sand and losses are easily spotted and “saved”, but hunt the grass surrounding the court out to about 10' - 12' as jewelry flies off in the heat of play. My wife and I have scored nicely, mostly rings, in the surrounding grass. Happy hunting.
Click to expand...
When I first started detecting I hit a volleyball court. Just by the poll, I found a huge 18k mans ring. Paid for my detector in less than 3 weeks !!!!
Dont have too many volleyball courts but basketball courts all over the place !!!

HH
Donna
 
I did quite a bit of driving but there were crops in my hunting spots. I did do some research. I like the idea of hunting volleyball and basketball courts.. Gonna give that a try! Thanks everyone for the tips! HH
 
Ted S said:
I did quite a bit of driving but there were crops in my hunting spots. I did do some research. I like the idea of hunting volleyball and basketball courts.. Gonna give that a try! Thanks everyone for the tips! HH
Click to expand...
I have found hillsides overlooking sports fields are great places to try also… it seems they are avoided especially if they are fairly steep.
 
Well not doing that bad this year silver in parks will be as hard as gold to find in time gold will be easier to find . sube
 
fwcrawford said:
I have found hillsides overlooking sports fields are great places to try also… it seems they are avoided especially if they are fairly steep.
Click to expand...
I hear these areas are loaded with quarters 🤭
 
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