Silver Coins can be Found in Forgotten Places

If you are over 30 years old, you probably remember stopping at a Phone Booth to make a telephone call sometime in your youth. You know the phone booths that you actually got inside of and pulled the glass door closed behind you. Then you put your coins in the slot and dialed the number.

I guess I’m showing my age, but I remember phone calls being 15 cents at one time, and later a Quarter. That wasn’t too long ago, or so it seems anyway. There was a phone booth on just about every block in the town that I grew up in. They dotted the landscape and were an important amenity around town should you need to call for a Taxi or emergency personnel. They were easily identifiable with their light blue paint and were usually lit up with a single light.

Some were red, but they all looked pretty much the same. Clark Kent notoriously changed into Superman in Phone Booths, they were that amazing! I remember as a kid being able to find coins in the coin return all the time. Back then, a good score would be like a Quarter, Dime, and a Nickel. Oh yeah, you had somethin then!

No one really noticed it happening, but slowly those old phone booths started to disappear. Some were later replaced with more open pay phones, and others were removed permanently.

Today, finding an actual phone “booth” would be a task as they have all but been replaced by cell phones. So why am I blogging about all but forgotten phone booths then? Well, for a couple of reasons.

First, phone booths were coin operated, and that meant that everyone who used a phone booth used coins to make phone calls. How many times were Quarters and Dimes dropped while fumbling around trying to make a call? When phone booths were still common-place, silver coins were also common to have in pocket change.

Secondly, even though those old phone booths are long gone, those spots can still be a honey hole for the metal detectorists willing to do a little research to locate where some of those phone booths once stood. There is no guarantee, but it stands to reason that silver quarters and silver dimes “could” be found quite regularly. With a little research you may be able to put yourself into some not so well known spots that could produce some nice finds for you.

One form of research for you could be a simple image search of places around your city or town. Look at old photos online and see if you can spot some old phone booths, then see if you can go out and find that spot and do a little metal detecting. Who knows, you just might have the best day detecting ever.

It may not work out every time, but this little secret is one more that you can put into your tool box for a rainy day when you’re ready to switch things up a bit!

Thanks for reading, Happy Hunting Everyone!

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Also We Now have an Archive, so you can go back and read articles that were posted earlier in the week! The Archive feature was needed, and makes the paper both newspaper and magazine like!

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Got My Diggin’ It With Friends T-Shirt

Just got my 4th annual FMDF Diggin’ It With Friends Treasure Hunt T-Shirt! Bill at Grey Area Graphics hooked me up with some cool WeDetect.Net stickers, and put our logo on the sleeve! The proceeds go to a charity set up by FMDF member Beefcake, Clad4Kids provides toys and clothing for underprivileged children so that they can have something for Christmas. I’m proud to help out with such a great cause!

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The K & M Discovery Team would like to invite all forum members and hobbyist out to our 4th annual FMDF Diggin’ It With Friends Treasure Hunt being held at Prospect Park in Rich Hill, Missouri. The hunt is Saturday, May 19th. We will be meeting at one of the shelters in the Park at 8:00 am rain or shine. After a brief welcome and rundown of the days events we will be off and searching!

We do not charge an entry fee to attend and this is not a seeded event. However we will be giving away a few prizes after the hunt and we’ll be hosting a BBQ/picnic and we would love it if you would bring along your favorite dish. Please feel free to show off your heirloom tomato salsa, your grandma’s green bean casserole recipe, something you bought at the farmers market, something you canned, or whatever else your heart desires. We will be providing and grilling the meat onsite…READ MORE ON K&M Discoverys Blog

Five Places To Metal Detect

Okay, so you have your metal detector and now you’re ready to get out there and find some treasure. But, where do you go? Here’s a list of 5 places that you can find in just about every city. We’ll start with the most typical.

1. Parks and Playgrounds

Old city parks or playgrounds can be a great place to find older coins as well as modern clad coins and jewelry. Baseball diamonds or soccer fields can also be a good place to find lost jewelry. Pendants from necklaces and class rings get lost when players are running and jumping around during a game. Many detectorists have had success hunting old ballfields. Large trees and picnic areas where people may have sat in the shade can also be good spots to hunt.

2. Woods Hunting

Old wagon roads and paths through the woods can lead you to some long forgotten foundations and cellar holes that hold relics to the past. Using Bing Maps, or Google maps, you can get a birds-eye view of wooded areas in your town. Hiking trails, deer trails, ancient trails and old foot paths can be seen more easily from above. A little research can help you find some virgin spots and up your chances of bringing home old coins and unique relics from the past.

3. Beaches

Metal Detecting on local and popular beaches can be very rewarding with the possibility of finding jewelry, watches, ear rings, coins, and of course your share of fishing weights and relics depending on the type of beach you’re hunting. Detect in areas where large numbers of people usually congregate, as well as hunting the “trough” as the tide goes out.

4. Farm Fields

Old farmsteads and in particular the fields can some times give up old coins in areas that you wouldn’t think old coins could be found. Some towns from early settlers are long gone now, but at one time stood in the middle of what is now a corn or tobacco field. Hunting fields after a rain can increase your odds of finding a deeper coin or two. Don’t underestimate the potential for some great finds hidden in the middle of a field.

5. Creeks, Lakes, Rivers

Old swimming holes on creeks, lakes and rivers are prime spots for finding lost items such as jewelry, coins, watches, knives, sunglasses, fishing gear and other relics. At one time, travel by Ferry or Boat was the preferred method in some areas. River banks where old “Picnic Groves” or Ferry launches were located can be amazing spots for early coins and jewelry.

The “picnic areas” were used while waiting for the ferry to arrive or depart and early settlers would sit along the river banks and have a drink or lunch and items were surely lost. A confluence, or meeting of two bodies of water was a likely place for a ferry launch or stop. Towns were set up along these confluences for commerce reasons, so these long forgotten spots can be rewarding for the knowing metal detectorist.

Always seek permission no matter where you metal detect

Knowledge and research are as important as the rest of the hobby. More often than not we’re going to find our best finds where no one else has looked.

Read more Metal Detecting Blogs at WeDetect.Net

Happy Hunting Everyone! Thanks for reading

Increase Your Odds of Finding Better Targets

How can you increase your odds of finding better targets when metal detecting? Well, we all know that many things factor into the equation, but there are a few things that you can do to increase your odds.

This may seem like an obvious one, but, RESEARCH! I would argue that research is 60% of the key to success. Going to playgrounds and public places is fun, and we all do it, but if you really want to increase your percentage of good targets you are going to have to become a good researcher. Learning about where an old ghost town once stood is not only interesting but your research can also lead you to places that are long forgotten, and likely never hunted by other detectorists.

Playgrounds, parks etc are well known areas to metal detectorists, and have probably been detected in the past. So, by expanding your knowledge with research you will be putting yourself in a position to sniff out some goodies in areas that others have missed out on.

Historic Aerial Maps

As years pass, the landscape changes. New houses are built, old ones torn down, and entire neighborhoods can spring up or disappear. Old maps give you a chance to get a birds eye view of where structures once were. Bing Maps allows you to look at an area with 360 degree views. Some areas have different images, depending on which way you turn the map. Some images will be in the summer when there are leaves on the trees, other views you can see what the area looks like in the fall or winter when there are no leaves on the trees. That can be beneficial in finding old roads or paths through the woods that ordinarily can’t be seen. Paths and trails are very obvious from the air. I actually found a wagon road that literally goes through my backyard and down into the ravine/ hollar to where a farmstead once stood. It has lead me to my personal homestead that I get to hunt anytime I want.

Even typical parks and public areas have changed through the years, so aerial maps are a great tool for the treasure hunter and metal detectorist.

Another thing that you can do to increase your odds of finding better targets is to Avoid Detecting in Crowded Areas.

By that, I mean, If you have a hunt planned at a public park try to schedule your hunts at a time when there won’t be several families utilizing the playground for little Jimmy’s birthday party. Playgrounds are public areas, and as a tax payer, you do have a right to detect the parks, but be courteous and give way to children when they are present. Going somewhere that is swarmed by so many people will only make your hunts more difficult and stressful. Go to parks early in the day, or later in the evening when most people have gone home to make dinner and have family time.

I like detecting parks on over cast days and evenings. Usually there is less people around and I’m able to have some quiet time without kids following me around and asking me 1000 questions. Less talking means more targets, and that’s the whole point!

Having The Proper Equipment will also increase your chances of locating those elusive targets

Most detectors are designed to find coin sized targets, so if you are just a hobbiest that gets out every now and then, most mid level detectors will live up to your expectations and perform as advertised. You will find coins and jewelry and have fun at the same time. If you are mostly looking for jewelry, then you will want a machine that operates at a higher frequency since they are able to detect smaller gold items more easily.

Although purchasing new equipment may be a bit expensive, having the proper equipment will certainly give you more chances of finding better targets. The second most important piece of equipment you will need is a good pinpointer. Once you have located a target and you are ready to dig, you need a pinpointer to help you narrow the search area to a much smaller area. A pinpointer can increase the number of targets because you spend less time digging and searching for each target. You also end up digging less overall because a good pinpointer can keep you from digging deeper than you need to.

The next thing you can do is Sloooowww Doooowwn

Slow your swing speed, likewise, slow your walking pace. You should be over-lapping each swing by at least 1/4 of your coil. Also, make sure that you keep your coil parallel with the ground. If you arch your swing on the sides of your swing, you will be losing depth of the detection area. You’re not looking to make a U motion, instead keep it like an underscore \_

To properly search an area, you need to criss-cross or grid your hunting area. First gridding in one direction, then gridding across #### You could also take it a step further and then grid diagonally if you wanted to thoroughly hunt a specific spot. Using these techniques will surely increase your number of finds. If you aren’t finding anything, just remember, slow your swing speed down, and go a little slower. The targets aren’t going to jump outta the ground just because your coil came somewhat kinda close to them. You have to master your technique if you want to find what others have been missing. Be diligent where others were not, and you will be rewarded when they were not.

Lastly, in the words of a good friend. “Take Some Gumption Wit Ya”

Before you set out on your next detecting trip, decide that today you’re gonna take some gumption with you. Keep a positive mind-set and believe that you are going to find some goodies, and you will. Our thoughts are powerful and set the tone for everything that we do. You love your hobby, and the targets are but a bonus of our hunts.

Enjoy your day outside, keep an open mind, “Take Some Gumption Wit Ya” and believe that you are going to have a good hunt, and, you will.

Thanks for reading my friends, Happy Hunting!

Metal Detecting an Ozark Homestead

I finally made it back to the homestead in the woods that I have been metal detecting for about a year now. I still haven’t found silver or gold there yet, but I am sure there are at least a few coins there. The area is covered in old iron and other random farm trash. It is a fairly large area with multiple foundations spread about. There items were found in what was probably the back yard of the house.

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The large iron item is part of an old Single Tree for a wagon or other farm tool.

A Few Rusty Relics

Some people don’t like digging rusty relics. For them, finding something rusty is the same as finding trash. I’m not one of those people. I enjoy digging relics ocassionally. They are a direct link to the past and each one has a story that is just waiting to be told. I enjoy the research that goes into identifying relics almost as much as I like digging them.

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These items were all found on the same homestead, except for the fishing lure that was found at another homestead near a creek.

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Garrett Pro-Pointer

Metal Detectorists are good people in general, but some detectorists go above and beyond. This year we held a Christmas gift exchange on the forum. Member Vexhold drew my name, and I was blown away by his generosity.

Can you believe that!? We’ve never met, but that just goes to show that there are still kind people in the world!

Thank You Vexhold, I appreciate the gesture and hope to find many new treasures with my new Garrett Pro-Pointer in the coming season!