Best chance At gold and silver

[Kseps1983]

Recently bought an Ace 250 and in my free time from nursing school I treasure hunt. Of course I'm addicted like everyone else and would love to increase my chances of finding gold and silver. With that being said...I think everyone would benefit on advice from MD individuals with years of experience.

-I fully understand you can find precious metal anywhere by being lucky but what I'm looking for is where its found more often....

WHEN DETECTING AROUND SCHOOLS WHERE HAVE YOU HAD BETTER LUCK FINDING GOLD AND SILVER (EX: the running track, baseball field, football field, etc)

WHAT TYPE OF SCHOOLS PRODUCE BETTER TREASURE? (besides the obvious schools built 100 years ago)...grade schools?.....high schools?

WOULD YOU RATHER GO TO THE TOT LOT OR A SCHOOL (for reference both were built in 1980)

AT A TOT LOT WHERE DO YOU INCREASE YOUR % OF FINDING JEWELRY? (near the swings, bottom of the slides, park bench, inside the playground or outside?)

Thank you all who write their advice through past knowledge and experience. It will help not only the newbies but MD'ers with experience.

[RickO]

I would say your best oppotunity is the beach.... I do not (anymore) hunt parks, tot lots etc..... however, I have seen several reports of jewelry found at sports fields. HH RickO

[Jae.999]

WHEN DETECTING AROUND SCHOOLS WHERE HAVE YOU HAD BETTER LUCK FINDING GOLD AND SILVER (EX: the running track, baseball field, football field, etc) My answer: under bleachers/stands because the athletes rarely wear jewelry and the fans are more prone to lose theirs from jumping/cheering.

WHAT TYPE OF SCHOOLS PRODUCE BETTER TREASURE? (besides the obvious schools built 100 years ago)...grade schools?.....high schools? My answer: High schools. The little ones rarely wear gold/silver and besides teens could care less if they lost any cause mom and dad will just buy another one.

WOULD YOU RATHER GO TO THE TOT LOT OR A SCHOOL (for reference both were built in 1980) My answer:I haven't had a chance to hit a school yet but I have found silver/gold rings/earrings in tot lots.

AT A TOT LOT WHERE DO YOU INCREASE YOUR % OF FINDING JEWELRY? (near the swings, bottom of the slides, park bench, inside the playground or outside?) My answer: Oh definitely near the swings! But then again I have found silver earrings under the bench. btw...Don't pass up detecting wood chipped tot lots. Them are the ones I've had the best finds! HH

[Kseps1983]

Very helpful responses so far, I have to say that everyone on this site so far seems to be very friendly, informative and all around awesome people. Keep it up.

[Dustyloins]

Best time to hit those places is early in the morning unless you want to have a crowd following you around and asking questions.........

Dusty

[tabdog]

Hay Kseps,

I don't find many silver coins, but I find a lot of gold and silver jewelry.

What's the best place to find it?

Tot lots, swim beaches and elementary schools with playgrounds that
the public has access to when classes are not in session.

The schools probably top that list, but there are more tot lots than good
schools.

The best place in a tot lot is everything. Leave no stone unturned. Do not
use any disc. Recover everything that produces even the slightest response,
or know why you can not recover it. (as in below fabric or unmovable)

Then be efficient so you can do 3 or 4 tot loots in a day. (1,800 targets)

Then the gold will begin to trickle in,

and then,,,, it could start to add up,

[Stealth]

Originally Posted by tabdog

Then be efficient so you can do 3 or 4 tot loots in a day. (1,800 targets)

1800 targets a day! jeez you must have some big pockets! right now, im lucky if i get over a buck from a tot lot... im thinking i need to get out of the more populated areas so i have less competition. nice haul btw!

[Texaspast]

I have a research suggestion for you. Back in the '40s and '50s, lots of schools would have an aerial photo of the school in the yearbook. If you have a small-town school or a rural school near you, find some of their old yearbooks. The library may have copies. Look for where there were groups of trees on school grounds but maybe not up close to the school. These trees may or may not still be there. Hunt around where those trees were. Kids would take their lunches to school and eat and rest under those trees. I have found several great sites this way.

[tabdog]

Originally Posted by Stealth

1800 targets a day! jeez you must have some big pockets! right now, im lucky if i get over a buck from a tot lot... im thinking i need to get out of the more populated areas so i have less competition. nice haul btw!

Hay Stealth,



I think I was in a an area where no one had ever hunted
the tot lots and schools very well. It took about two years
to find most of the places within 60 to 75 miles of my house.

I remember finding 147 coins in 20 minutes at one tot lot.
There is one that I cleaned out several pounds of nails and
screws. There was another that had tens of thousands of
small pieces of aluminum. I spent one winter cleaning that
one tot lot out.

There was one that had about 75 fish hooks. (they're hard
to find) I dug so much junk out of there, it took two days.
Just as I was finishing up, I dug a deep target,

It turned out to be a heavy platinum and 18k gold wedding
band!!!



It started getting to the point that I just had to drive too far.

With all that I learned doing that, I could still re-hunt places
and make some gold finds. But it slowed down.

Then, my health began to decline. I got a metal detecting club
going.

Now, I don't hunt 40 hours a week any more. I have slowed down
to the point I mostly hunt artifacts with my friends at the Arkansas
Treasure Hunters Club.

Happy Huntin,

[dogpound]

also around public swimming pools or lakes with swimming beaches is a good place to find jewelry

[Kseps1983]

TABDOG...I'm amazed by the vast amounts of "stuff" that you've dug up. Truely impressive. Advice is greatly appreciated. I'll keep at it and post some news when I find some decent things. Good luck and happy hunting everyone.