I was invited by some friends this weekend to go treasure hunting. I was not so enthused at the idea of scanning fields with a metal detector until we got there and discovered buried treasure before we had all the tools unpacked. So now I have the first of my metal detecting stories to share with you.
I was surprised to know that as close as the nearest community park is a wealth of riches waiting to be turned over. On this particularly beautiful day, we loaded up in the car and drove a scant five miles to a glorious park situated on a hillside, laying itself out in sloping green fields with plenty of shade trees and a children’s playground. For as gorgeous as the weather was, we were a little surprised that there were not a lot of people populating our choice of metal detecting site so we got started.The metal detecting accessories we had:
- Metal Detector (priced from low $100’s on up to impressive $1,500 range)
- Trowel
- Pin Pointer (you can find these relatively inexpensive yet indispensable)
- Markers or stakes
- Knee pads (if you’re anything like me and could use the support)
- Refreshment
For this excursion we used the Bounty Hunter Metal Detectors. These are very lightweight, affordably priced and easy to adjust for comfort. Within this park we had game fields and a cooking area, picnic tables and benches. We started sweeping in a grid pattern to avoid redundant coverage of the territory. About every four feet or so, sometimes even less distance, our detectors were sounding off. We used the ground stakes to mark the spots so we could keep sweeping. Then we would get down to digging up the money.
We focused on areas where we imagined people would have gathered to use the park which typically involves the barbecue area and benches, the game fields and grassy areas that would have had groups of people watching a game, anywhere that provides a potential for where people visiting the park would simply become separated from their coins as they fall out of pockets. I kind of thought of this park as my giant couch cushions.
The potential booty is usually coin ranging from pennies to dimes and quarters, of which we found plenty. We also found a number of pull tabs which you can easily speculate before you even start to dig those up as the detector gives you an idea. Plus we found most of these around the picnic tables where folks would have been sitting, enjoying a beverage. There is the chance to find lost jewelry and anything of metal content that may have been hidden gracefully under the ground over the years.
In the kids playground area we were disappointed by what we found. The assortment of dangerous items comprised wire, open safety pins, and a shell casing. We let the parents know who were visiting the park that by our searching we have a chance to make the grounds safer for their children and they were quite happy to let us continue. I have even heard the horror stories of finding razor blades in the gravel located at the landing of the kid’s slide.
The results of our metal detecting efforts returned a bag full of coins that we took home to clean up and take a look at grading. I will have more to offer in an upcoming blog on that subject. What I can tell you is that I am now hooked and can’t wait for the next day of treasure hunting. Metal detecting is fun and fascinating and I am just getting started.
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