Tips & Tricks
91-105

91. Here's a sure- fire way to get a bunch of leads. Go to your health dept and ask to see all the out of business swimming pool's addresses. The pools were required to register with them at one time. When you have the list go to each and detect. Many are now vacant lots, etc. Some are now parking lots or buildings but enough are just waiting for you .

92. Buy your kids a cheap detector. This means they can enjoy themselves while your detecting. My 4 year old daughter Imogen, found a 1st World War Victory medal in our back garden under a tree. Unfortunately it was not rare as 7,500,000 were minted. The detector has already paid for itself from coins found on beaches. Happy hunting Pete

93. Do your research!Tip: Find your way to the archives or records room in your local library. Then, ask the attendant where you might find the files on your city/local parks. Scan these old articles and pictures very carefully. I've found that a very over-hunted park in my town will still produce for me simply because I know where things used to be. I've found the original location of an old bridge, and a outdoor amphitheater, both circa 1900, and have found my oldest coin to date at this park. Keep searching and re-searching.

 

94. Being fairly new to coin detecting i was always in a hurry and missed a lot of coins. One day in a park next to our properly i unearthed a 1887 sitting liberty followed by 2 buffaloes and 4 wheat pennies, all at a fast pace. The nest day i found a couple of wheat pennies dated in the early 1900!s all coins were found 4 " underground . after another pass i felt there were none left. After a year of experience and advice from my supplier i started the year off at a snail! pace and begin to fine more coins. I decided to try the park again and to my surprise the in the same area i my wife and i unearthed 30 coins dating between 1860 and 1920. My tip of course is don!t be in a hurry,make several criss cross passes and dip all beeps

95. Try getting your state highway map , it will usually list beaches & parks that you can hunt; just check laws if in doubt, & please use apron & cart out all your junk targets: Remember YOU may hunt this site again , also don,t even think about cleaning a coin if you think it is at all valuable as most coin collectors, dealers & buyers would rather clean them them their self or leave natural as is, also some coin grading services will not accept cleaned coins.

96. I've found a great place to find jewelry and sometimes even "keeper" coins is old baseball and football fields. These can be at parks, town recreation areas, or even schools. Alot of people remove these items before indulging in the activity and sometimes can't find them afterwards. Other times they will wear them during the game; only to lose them when making a spectacular, game- saving dive or something like that. Of course, under bleachers or benches is the best place to start; followed by bases or goal posts. There is always the usual trash, but the finds are worth it. I've never left a field with less than at least a few bucks in clad, and rarely without a ring or two.

 

97. We're always reminded not to take a chance on spoiling a detecting outing by forgetting to carry extra batteries or even a back-up detector. Chances are, though, if anything is going to break it will be your headphone cord or connector. This may be hard to repair out in the middle of nowhere so keep your eyes peeled for an inexpensive headset to throw in the car with your other "emergency" items...it could save the day for you!

98. Although there are many different tools and methods for retrieving our finds, most of them work best when kept sharp. Knives, trowels and even plug cutters dull quickly out in the field. I always carry a file in my car or pack to freshen that edge when necessary.

99. Rubber kitchen gloves (Playtex Living, for example) are an inexpensive way to obtain a great glove for MD'ing that is thin enough for dexterity, yet tough enough to keep you safe from broken glass and other digging hazards. They'll eventually "give up the ghost", but it's easy enough to move on to the next pair. And they're much less bulky than the average work glove. We all know how bulky pockets and cases start to get with all the accessories we bring at times.

100. Get 5 feet of 1 inch elastic strap.a buckle, a swivel snap,and a good spring paper clip. Bring strap through swivel snap and sew to gather about 10 inches back from swivel. You put this strap over shoulder opposite the side you hold your detector with, over neck down the side you do hold it with. On the detector near handle usually in front make a connector for the swivel snap to hook into.Can use plastic tie,strong cord ect.. Run wire from earphones through the two straps where the swivel snap is sewed and move it up and clip it with spring paper clip so it is out of your way.This will take some of the weight off your detector and if you let the handle go it will not jerk off your ear phones.

101. I found using a screwdriver to probe for coins etc. to be less than the ideal way to do it. My solution was to use a stainless steel welding rod embedded in an old mop handle to be the ideal probing tool. You can make it as long or short as you want it.

102. When doing an old church or school yard... Check the edges of the sidewalks very carefully... I have found many old coins right up against the sidewalk at these type sites that are supposed to be hunted out!!!

103. To eliminate brown spots when detecting lawns, cut your plug in a wedge or pie shape leaving one side to hinge the grass.. Leaving the roots connected like this while retrieving the target will encourage growth and eliminated the dreaded brown spots... When removing some of the dirt, don't forget to use a drop cloth to place the excess dirt on.

104. There are many ways in which I find older sites to detect. First and foremost is my mouth! I talk about and promote my hobby with almost everyone I come in contact with. From my friends, my barber, the guy next to me in the restaurant, at weddings, etc. (you get the idea) - especially anyone who comes up to me when I'm actually detecting! I talk about my finds, where I found them and the types of sites I am most interested in. In the course of the conversation, I ask if they remember any sites like these. I talk about how I retrieve my targets and the kind of metal detector I use. I promise you that you will be absolutely amazed!!! If you follow my advice on this one tip alone, you will have more sites to detect than you can hunt in a lifetime...

105. I have maps from the 1800’s for the surrounding counties and villages. First I look for and mark the old schools, churches, railroad stations, parks etc. to actually go locate and verify. Sometimes they still exist which is great and sometimes they are now a vacant field which is BETTER. I then look at road names - i.e. - Church Street, Railroad Ave., Stone Falls Rd, Academy St. Grove St. - well you get the idea, for additional leads.