While walking the dogs this afternoon, I saw a man going thru the sandbox at the local park with his metal detector. How does it work? Have any of you used one at the beach or elsewhere? And what have you found of any value other than a few coins?
This was Eldest Son’s highest item on his Christmas list this year, and he got one. So far he’s found 11 cents down at the high school football field, and a bunch of junk – and some “seeded” coins – after the Rose Parade, on one of the median strips where people camped out.
He’s begging to go to the beach with it on Monday, so stay tuned . . . .
-Melin
Worth it how? Do you wanna know if you’ll find enough change to pay the cost of the metal detector? Probably not. It seems to me that most people just enjoy the ‘discovery’ aspect of it. You know, just hearing that ‘beep’ (or tick, or whatever sound they make!) and the hope it might be something of value.
Actually, I talked to one of those beachcombers in Pismo Beach. He has found watches and quite a bit of jewelry. Who knows? It might be profitable after all!I didn’t mean "worth it " in terms of enjoyment of its use or the fun of discovery, I meant what items have any of you found that are of any value.
It initially held promise for President Garfield to find the bullet that an assassin shot him with. But they didn’t think to put him on a bed without metal straps holding up the mattress. When the results were inconclusive, the doctors started probing with dirty hands. Months later, Garfield died of the resultant infection.
I looked in the mirror today/My eyes just didn’t seem so bright
I’ve lost a few more hairs/I think I’m going bald - Rush
It’s just a tool. Whether you’ll find lots of valuable stuff with it depends on where you look, and how much effort you want to go to (much like anything else).
People who just take one out and wander around aimlessly don’t find much. A dime here or there, etc. If you go to the effort of doing research, tracking down old town sites, abandoned construction areas, mines, etc., then you can find some significant things whether you use a metal detector or not. But the metal detector will certainly help.
If I may make a suggestion, use the the detector to get your son interested Archaology. Work with him in deciding where to look, rather than just scan around randomly. Go to the library, look up some old newspapers or something. Find some books about the history in your area, read them, and plan out a search.
If you do that, the metal detector will have been ‘worth it’, whether you find anything or not.
It’s worth it if you’re looking for gold. I did it full time for six months, picked up about 500 dollars in nuggets a week. Tough work but fun. The best detector is an Australian technology from Minelab. They probably have a web site, check it out.
Beaches used to be full of bottle caps. Thats mainly what you would find. Today, Im not sure what you find down there.
I bought a cheap detector at Radio Shack about 5 years ago and I get it out a few times a year. It finds all kinds of junk like foil gum wrappers and old beer tabs that the better detectors will reject. So far the most interesting things I’ve found…
A plow blade buried two feet deep, a gold bracelet, a bunch of melted silverware, some lead soldiers that my dad had when he was a kid at his boyhood home, about 5 bucks in change (some silver). It is also useful when parts fall off the lawn tractor while mowing. I’d suggest getting a cheap one first and see if you enjoy it. Then get a better one if you want.
“Hope is not a method”