• Forum server maintanace Friday night.(around 7PM Centeral time)
    Website will be off line for a short while.

    You may need to log out, log back in after we're back online.

Is metal detecting worth it?

For me its the thrill of just not knowing what you could find! It could be anything. Trash, coins, jewelry, silver, gold. Just knowing you could dig something that is hundreds of years old and just hold it and think wow I wonder where this came from, who owned it, piece of history. I also allows me to get out and get some exercise, fresh air or if I need to clear my head a bit the hobby takes things off my mind. Coins, Silver, Gold is just a bonus. I bought my ACE 250 used for $150 and I have paid for that thing about 20 or more times now with my finds and in a little over a year have $233 in clad and over $2k in gold in my first year. Take a look at my album. Just put in the time and have patients and you will find stuff. Hope everyone changes your mind.
 
All I know is, I am in the fresh air and sunshine, my back or legs do not hurt anymore thanks to all the bending and exercise, I am thrilled to death to locate and find a penny, so you can imagine how happy I am to find better things.
This hobby gets in your blood, or it doesn't.
Then there is all the trash you have to dig to find the good stuff.
That really does take patience, along with that little thing we call the learning curve...which usually takes a whole lotta hours.
 
actually i think this is one of my inexpensive hobbies. i shelled out far more on my fishing hobby(5k on a boat, hundreds on tackle, hundreds on poles) and know that hobbie will never pay for itself. it is what it is....just a hobby but with metal detecting there is always that potential of finding something that will pay your machine off right then and there. if you went out and bought an ace 250 for 200 bucks and only use it once a week and find 5 bucks in clad every time out you'll pay for your machine in a year. i find that most of the fun is in doing the research and the thrill of the hunt, i'm happy even when i come home skunked. not to mention the health benifit of it by getting out in the fresh air and walking. :waytogo:
 
some people like to camp..so they buy a $5000. to $30,000. camper, for me it was a $27,ooo. motorcycle.......it's all in the hunt, I know a lot for people that fish and pull out big money for a rod,boat, and motor.... sometime they don't catch anything, but they still go fishing.......I think it is the fact of not knowing whats out there.....to me..the metal detector is my fishing pole.....
 
Metal detector - $200-1500
Pinpointer - $125
Lesche - $40
Shovel - $10-70
Kneepads - $10
Pouch or toolbelt - $15
Additional coils - $100-500
Batteries - $ongoing

Digging up a piece of history - priceless.

Getting yelled at for getting all the dishtowels filthy using them for dropcloths - not so great. :lol:
 
Metal detector - $200-1500
Pinpointer - $125
Lesche - $40
Shovel - $10-70
Kneepads - $10
Pouch or toolbelt - $15
Additional coils - $100-500
Batteries - $ongoing

Digging up a piece of history - priceless.

Getting yelled at for getting all the dishtowels filthy using them for dropcloths - not so great. :lol:

Finding her a nice ring to shut her up about the stupid dishtowels...also priceless!
 
When I started, I used (and then purchased a new one) a $1000 detector. Never even considered payback.... just enjoyed the hobby so much, I decided it was for me. You can see from my sigline I have acquired a lot more equipment. I enjoy the hobby - period. RickO
 
I used to blow more than that on partying and had absolutely nothing to show for it so yeah, I've spent over $1000 on detecting and if I find a quarter it's worth it. It's not so much about the finds as it is about getting out and doing something. For me it's relaxing.

You are so right, I have spent 100s on a night of partying, and xxxx on gambling.
The number of concerts, and sports events I have paid to go to. you don't get ANYTHING back from those adventures.

I am avid fishermen, So I can understand the comparison between fishing and metal detecting. I think its great when I find stuff metal detecting. But there have been trips I find .30, and a bunch of junk. But I think going out, doing a little research about the history of an area, and being outside is worth the price of admission.

My local MD shop puts on trips to the Caribbean 4-5 times a year. I see the booty they take home. one trip last year 5 guys took home 644 grams of 18k gold jewelery There are photos to prove it!!

direct quote from the trip:
"A total of 228 pieces of gold jewelry weighing in at some 644 grams of 18K! The gold scrap value alone is worth more than $18,000 at today’s gold prices!"

The last time I was in his shop he was saying he has been detecting since the early 70s, and mention how he just cashed in 9lbs of silver a few months earlier. You do the math.

I personally usually work to make money, so I can afford to do the things I like to do in my free time.
 
Hey all. I'm a newbie. I was wondering what keeps you going. Alot of you out there spend $500 on equipment and you will never find $500 worth of finds. Is it the thrill that the next thing could be a 24k bar? is it the history behind coins? Is it that you are uncovering the past? I want to convince myself that it's good enough to spend a few $$ to find less than what I paid for my equipment.

If you have to convince yourself that bad maybe a different hobby would be better.
 
Hey all. I'm a newbie. I was wondering what keeps you going. Alot of you out there spend $500 on equipment and you will never find $500 worth of finds. Is it the thrill that the next thing could be a 24k bar? is it the history behind coins? Is it that you are uncovering the past? I want to convince myself that it's good enough to spend a few $$ to find less than what I paid for my equipment.

If you do it as a hobby, may be the investment will be paid back by the finds. (is this where payback comes from :lol: )

If you'll start this for a living, you have to work hard to get ca$h out of this. And...investment will be much more. Read about the professional treasure hunters and their equipment.
 
I have never had that problem. I started out buying a $75 detector, bought a $200 detector next, sold my $75 for $50... bought a $600 detector...sold it for $600. Bought my E-trac for $1500... No one is getting that one!!!... I have found over $600 in gold in one week of vacation to Florida. In silver coins... My collection is probably pushing on $7,000 - $10,000 value. I reinvested a few common silver coins to buy my Lesche digger and my Sunray probe. I am out "$0.00" from this hobby, and have enough clad money to put in my tank if I should need it. I don't know of any other hobby that I get paid to do. I was an avid fisherman before getting into this hobby. Bought a boat, tackle, and a vehicle to haul the boat... You know what they say about boats...Nothing but a hole in the water to throw your money into. This hobby is like no other hobby. I wouldn't trade it for anything!!!!
 
FYI.. I know of a guy who in just 3-4 years has found enough rings etc to be able to buy 3 brand new 1000$ detectors... But then again.. He is down on the Beach every single day 3-5 hours a day :P..

3000$ .... sounds like a lott......

3,5y times 300? days times 4hours = 3.500 hours
to find 3000$ = $0,86 an hour :no:
that's before costs (batteries, petrol, md, car) so still no profit!!!

but if you calculate the profit by hour (profit/hunthours), even the worst payed work is more interesting ;)

but i guess he has 3.500 hours of very cheap relaxation, fun en exciting :lol:
what's the cost for gym nowadays? theatre? sauna? shrink?
 
let me think about this...
Return on investment...hummm... home: with interest $400K +/-. Value today $50k +/-. Two daughters raised to the age of 18: $500K +/- a few $100k. Mostly plus. College education for above: $180K each +/-. One 32 year marrage and counting...$...Nope. I don't even want to go there.

That's over $1,000,000 for a 1400 s.f salt box, a little sex, cold feet against my back, and an occassional "thanks Dad. I'm taking the car. OK."

My metal detectors paid for themselves in about a year. Their real return was being able to find little pieces of history that would have been lost or forgotten forever.

However, if you want teturn on investments...maybe try cars.

:lol:

Dave
 
let me think about this...
Return on investment...hummm... home: with interest $400K +/-. Value today $50k +/-. Two daughters raised to the age of 18: $500K +/- a few $100k. Mostly plus. College education for above: $180K each +/-. One 32 year marrage and counting...$...Nope. I don't even want to go there.

That's over $1,000,000 for a 1400 s.f salt box, a little sex, cold feet against my back, and an occassional "thanks Dad. I'm taking the car. OK."

My metal detectors paid for themselves in about a year. Their real return was being able to find little pieces of history that would have been lost or forgotten forever.

However, if you want teturn on investments...maybe try cars.

:lol:

Dave

To funny!!! haha!!! that was the best!!
 
Finding her a nice ring to shut her up about the stupid dishtowels...also priceless!

Haha. I am only kidding, Digger. My wife is awesome...not only does she give me plenty of time to get out and MD (and we have two little kids), she ooh's and ahh's over my finds and listens to me go on and on about metal detecting and actually seems interested. :yes:

(I need to get that on record, she reads here sometimes. :lol: )
 
Are you kiddin me???

Heck no, it ain't worth it.

But, I'm gonna do it no matter what thay say,
1-5-1-2011.jpg


Happy Huntin,

Tabdog
 
Sure, metal detecting is worth it. Now, the valuables you find are a nice bonus, but the real value is being able to get out for some excercise, clap on the headphones and tell people to just bugger off.:D
 
why don't you spend 100 dollars on this hobby try it then you will know why people spend hundreds on equipment then if its not for you your only out a hundred dollars heck if your like me you spend more then that on junk you only use once good luck :D
 
Back
Top Bottom