You can ignore all the trash and only dig the good stuff right?

[Andy Sabisch]

The use of SELECTIVE discrimination in most areas is required based on the sheer volume of trash in the ground. I've hunted sites pretty much around the globe and I hate to say it, with only a few hundred years of history in terms of cities & villages, we do have way more trash in the ground than countries where they have 1,000's of years of history behind them. Sites dating back to before Christ I've been to in Spain, England and Africa had far less junk than say a 50 year old park here is the States . . . .

So, even with running with some level of discrimination and listening for the "right sounds", the question is do you still dig trash?

Well, I thought these photos would be worth posting and show what I've dragged home from most of my hunts over the past several months. Yes, it's a heck of a pile and the question is, did digging them pay off? Many of the silver and older coins I've found were in sites that were trashy to the point most local hunters simply ignored them and looked for easier ones to search . . . to be honest, there were times that my mind was not fully in it where I could not spend more than 30 minutes or so at these sites but there is still stuff worth digging if you have the time, patience and use the proper settings.

So . . . here are some of the "fruits of my labor" from these sites - the bucket was overflowing so I decided it was a good time to take a photo . . . . and I have the blisters to back the photos up! To put it in perspective, the trash is spread out on the rear mat from my SUV.

Andy

 

[treasurefiend]

n/t

 

[Hotcz70]

I bet you made the wife much happier too...by getting that bucket of crap out of the house brother

Take care and thanks for this post. It is the other side of the finds...and it happens more often than a pouch full of silver.

I showed my 7 lbs of iron crap in my WOT field test post too. I pulled all that garbage out of that one site in less than 2 hours. I was bound and determined to go back at a later date and find some more stuff that all the iron was hiding.

Take care Andy.

 

[deeponedge]

When a hunter is willing to work that hard and dig some questionable signals...they usually are rewarded.

With the amount of dedication you have pictured here; you deserved some nice coins too.

 

[Andy Sabisch]

As several have posted, the reason I wanted to post the trash finds photos was so that newbies that are getting a pouch full of trash and not a pocket full of old coins and jewelry are not doing anything wrong . . . . the days of finding site after site where you dig nothing but all stuff are long gone (not to say there are not virgin sites left, just that you need to work to find them . . . . heck, in the 60's when I started, my brother & I hunted the local elementary school and on a slope we all used to play on, pulled over 300 Mercury dimes and we gave it the name "Mercury Dime Hill").

A few tips on finding the good stuff . . . . . . and it may seem real basic to some but worth repeating:

1) You need to hunt sites that were in use during the period the type of targets you are hoping to find were in use. If you want to find Indian Head pennies or Barber silver, hunting the school or park that did not go into operation until the 1940's is probably not going to give you what you are looking for.

2) With the amount of trash in the ground, hunting in all metal and digging every signal is not really an option unless you are hunting a site that is being developed or you want the site to be closed due to the holes being made. Use the technology that exists today - detector and coil selection is critical - and decide how much digging you and the site can tolerate. I have several older sites that I've hunted yet know there is still stuff there . . . as detector technology improves, I can re-hunt them and see what else I pull out.

3) You need to be in the right frame of mind when hunting the trashy sites. If you find yourself getting frustrated with each piece of junk you find, it's time to leave and find an easier site to hunt or simply something else to do. Heck, yesterday morning I was out with a friend that wanted to trashy site I had found a few months back and pulled some great stuff out from. I had 100 others things to do the day before and got to bed at 1:30 . . . and he picked me up at 6:30 . . . . . tired, I was not really into the day's hunt and it showed. I wasted time on forced signals and then got frustrated at the junk I was digging. Hardy on the other hand pulled out a silver half and other stuff . . . . . not my day and after 2 hours, we threw in the towel.

Look at the finds others post and let that motivate you to find good sites to hunt. Realize that most of the photos and stories do not tell you what they dug that went into the trash bin . . . . .

Andy Sabisch

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Andy.great post.Too many people don't realize the work involved.Thanks Ron

 

[Andy Sabisch]

You are 100% right in that many get into this hobby seeing the fins experienced hunters make and wonder why they are not doing as well . . . . must be the detector no? They buy one after another trying to find the magic tool that finds nothing but the stuff others are posting . . . . . not realizing that there is a bunch of junk that gets removed to get the good stuff or that there are years of experience learning what the detector is telling you.

I've been out with others using the same detector I am and are certain there is something wrong with theirs after I pull up the 5th silver coin and they have none.

As far as "work" recovering all the trash . . . . . it got me away from any issues at the job or home, let me unwind and at the end of a day like that, whatever is in my pouch is really a treasure. There are some that evaluate each hunt based on the value of what they find . . . that is the wrong way to approach this hobby unless you are doing it to put food on the table. Not sure there are many fisherman that can cost justify the boat, motor, tackle, clothing and gas against the stringer of fish they bring home . . . . . or amateur golfers that spend $1,000's to play 18 holes. We do this for the excitement of not knowing what you are going to find, the escape from daily life and camaraderie of others that share our interest. And you never know what that next target might be worth . . . metal detecting is the only hobby I can think of that after your initial investment, other than gas there is no real expense and has the real potential to pay for itself many times over with a single find!

Andy

 

[smkunder]

Great way to put it Andy, we do not find treasures everyday, but the anticipation is what keeps me going. I have not found a silver coin yet this year, but diggin in anticipation is whats fun for me.

Steve

 

[Ron from Michigan]

n/t

 

[Nick A]

Great picture. I wish you had the "results" picture as well. An illustration of how much junk you've dug to get as many keepers as you have. Anyhow, no shortcuts to good finds. I dig my share of junk too.

 

[Tinfoil]

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