Best detector for coins

Coin numbers stayed very good from the mid to latter '70s on through the '80s, and by then all of the commonly worked public areas were starting to get thinned out and we don't see a generous contribution of lost coins these days because those once active locations just aren't being used much anymore.

My parents bought me a metal detector at a yard sale when I was a kid in the 1980s. I played around with it in the yard, but I sure wish I had thought of going to the nearby school and park to look for coins instead of every minute I sat around collecting baseball cards that are worthless today. Copper and silver as common as clad is today, perhaps even more so. I would also imagine people minded their own business if they saw you detecting at a school or park or some other public property, but clearly not causing damage.
 
SO many different scenarios as Monte hinted at...it’s almost a question not of “what’s the best detector” but “what’s the proper mindset”. The most expensive machine won’t find what’s not there,the cheapest machine will find coins to 4”....and everything in between.
 
SO many different scenarios as Monte hinted at...it’s almost a question not of “what’s the best detector” but “what’s the proper mindset”. The most expensive machine won’t find what’s not there,the cheapest machine will find coins to 4”....and everything in between.

I have to echo this comment by IDX....I have mentioned this in other posts over the years. It is less about what kind of machine you are using than HOW YOU ARE USING IT.

Someone with a "radio shack special" will find good stuff as much as a ML CTX or Nox 800. I have seen users of a CTX swinging wildly (at times 12" off the ground) thinking that because it is a "superior" (read expensive) machine it will just magically find the good stuff by passing over it; then I see someone with a RS "special" slowly and methodically using the detector in a dedicated swing pattern and deliberate swing speed. Guess who will find the next "treasure".

Learn your machine and learn it well, understand all of the nuances of its "patterns" and capabilities and then learn how to search a given piece of ground correctly.

Everyone feel the pang of jealousy when they see the newest/flashiest detector go into a "pounded" location and pull silver this and that and gold this and that, but consider how you really hunted that piece of ground in the past.

Even I go back over locations I have hunted before with my trusty CTX (and yes I have owned ML 705s and ETracs in the past) and still pull additional deep silver and even gold that I have missed in the past. Changing my search pattern, speed, sensitivity, etc. all make a difference. Then there is Mother Nature that gets a vote, whether the ground is wet, dry, hot, cold, etc.

Finally, what was your state of mind when you hunted? I can tell you I hunt differently after I find the first silver of the hunt than when I am searching for that first old coin.

Just adding my 2 cents.

HH all and Good Luck.
 
If you are after coins, from shallow to deep, do not like digging a lot of false targets, like your machine to be relatively quiet and not listen to a barrage of different tones and experience mental and physical fatigue. But leave a spot feeling like you have left very little behind, a nice used Etrac cannot be beat. Learn how to work the coil at what i consider a slower pace than other machines and you will notice how many more coins you are finding versus your father on your trips. Depending on site you may need a 8x6 sef or sharpshooter type smaller than stock coil. Some other machines separate a little faster and better like the Nox 800 or deus or a Nokta/Makro machine, but with the proper swing and coil you will leave very little behind.

This is for a land based user(not water) seeking coins for the most part, using a program like Bill's trashy park. If you were not hunting mainly coins there are some better machines if you like to dig a lot.
 
I am looking for an entry level detector for me and the kids. How does the Garrett Ace 400 stack up for coins?
 
Thanks for all the replies. I wound up buying a used Etrac and yesterday was my first real hunt with it. Found 7 wheats, a 35 Washington Quarter, and a 64 Rosie.

I definitely feel like I’m digging less trash with it.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I wound up buying a used Etrac and yesterday was my first real hunt with it. Found 7 wheats, a 35 Washington Quarter, and a 64 Rosie.

I definitely feel like I’m digging less trash with it.

That’s the way to start it out Tex! I hate to sound like a broken record but if you give the eTrac the proper attention and hang with it,you will be wearing a smile that’ll be hard to get rid of. FBS machines are just very good at “seeing” coins,for whatever reason.
If it’s one thing I would want to leave you with,it’s this....TRUST what it is telling you. I know that’s kind of a blurry statement,but you’ll understand as time goes on. You can use the information it gives you not only to decide that you SHOULD dig,but to also decide to NOT dig. And this is where some people have gone off the rails and start digging all kinds of garbage. Also understand that when hunting public land,you HAVE to have an edge,these places have been worked forever. And just because someone has perhaps been there with a high end
machine,it doesn’t mean they knew how to use it to it’s fullest ability.
Good luck out there,go get acquainted with your new buddy! Cuz you’re gonna find out very soon...it’s your buddy!:grin:
 
I don't know what the best coin machine is. A lot of people say Etrac or CTX. I have been looking at getting a used Etrac or CTX lately. I have a good friend who has both although he swings the Etrac most of the time. I can't remember a coin he has hit with the Etrac the Nox 800 couldn't also hit (This was not the case when I was swinging a single frequency machine). I will go even farther when we compare signals which we do a lot I can call trash or what kind of coin just as good with the Nox. Many times the Nox 800 even calls a trash target better than the Etrac believe it or not.

Now when I was using another single frequency detector that I have and do like a lot I would recover the ground he had already swung over with his etrac and beep lots of targets he did not dig. This machine I was swinging was calling those targets ones I should dig. I would dig them only to find it was always junk! I think the Multi-Frequency on the 600 and 800 is better than a single frequency at calling trash targets. This is just my opinion, but I don't seem to dig as much trash anymore.

I will also say this, before I got the Equinox 800 I felt under gunned against the Etrac or CTX. By that I mean it seemed I was almost always out hunted before I started swinging the Nox. Now with the Nox I feel the playing field has been leveled. My confidence since I started using it is thru the roof.
 
I coin hunt with my 705. I too have found most coins about 2"- 4" and a 7 - 8" US quarter is about the most I expect and happy with that performance . I've found deeper coins a few times. The most unusual coin dig as far as depth Go s was a copper Lincoln around a foot deep laying against a huge rock. I was using the 705 with a Digger 6" DD coil. 3 khz. Must of had something to do with the rock. How well we do coinshooting has more to do with conditions than detectors. Ground mineralization, moisture content and how long the coin has been buried as with the "Halo Effect" has much to do with our success. If I was digging coins past 8" all the time I tell you I'd probably find another hobby! Most my areas have rocks, roots and just hard packed soil. I like hunting old paths in the woods if I can. that's just me.
 
Coins?? Start cherry picking with a Tesoro (pick one) maxed out on disc and it will vacuum up halves, quarters, dimes, and silver stuff silent search, no noise, no trash, in short order. Why? just because it will that's why while all the meter readers are busy fiddling with screens and buttons and programs.

Follow it up (slowing down, taking your time) with FBS and there won't be many silver thingy's or nickels left.;)

After that you can root through the trash all you want to....or just wait til everbody else is done.

Hope I've not got too technical:grin:
 
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I have to echo this comment by IDX....I have mentioned this in other posts over the years. It is less about what kind of machine you are using than HOW YOU ARE USING IT.

Someone with a "radio shack special" will find good stuff as much as a ML CTX or Nox 800. I have seen users of a CTX swinging wildly (at times 12" off the ground) thinking that because it is a "superior" (read expensive) machine it will just magically find the good stuff by passing over it; then I see someone with a RS "special" slowly and methodically using the detector in a dedicated swing pattern and deliberate swing speed. Guess who will find the next "treasure".

Learn your machine and learn it well, understand all of the nuances of its "patterns" and capabilities and then learn how to search a given piece of ground correctly.

Everyone feel the pang of jealousy when they see the newest/flashiest detector go into a "pounded" location and pull silver this and that and gold this and that, but consider how you really hunted that piece of ground in the past.

Even I go back over locations I have hunted before with my trusty CTX (and yes I have owned ML 705s and ETracs in the past) and still pull additional deep silver and even gold that I have missed in the past. Changing my search pattern, speed, sensitivity, etc. all make a difference. Then there is Mother Nature that gets a vote, whether the ground is wet, dry, hot, cold, etc.

Finally, what was your state of mind when you hunted? I can tell you I hunt differently after I find the first silver of the hunt than when I am searching for that first old coin.

Just adding my 2 cents.

HH all and Good Luck.

This guy hit the nail on the head. Too many variables but learning your machine is key and it took me at least 6 to 8 months to get comfortable with the ctx where I knew what it was telling me and that was after coming from an etrac. I've seen users with old whites machines kill it in finds because they know the nuances of their machine.


Not every machine is for everyone and you have to find the one that speaks to you best.
 
This guy hit the nail on the head. Too many variables but learning your machine is key and it took me at least 6 to 8 months to get comfortable with the ctx where I knew what it was telling me and that was after coming from an etrac. I've seen users with old whites machines kill it in finds because they know the nuances of their machine.


Not every machine is for everyone and you have to find the one that speaks to you best.


I have a lot of respect for the Etraq "system" and the fact that FBS is still today Minelabs flagship engineering feat that's unique, in production, and produces results.

The Emulator and Exchange programs that come standard with the Etraq offer unmatched flexibility in programming and sharing files with other Etraq users and are also great computer based learning tools that fully explain and demonstrate the overall capability of the Etraq.

Relic hunting? (no) Relic hunters will usually hunt huge fields and dig everything that comes close to a good signal which says a light detector with a fast recovery speed (acres per hour?) is first on the list.

Parks, curb strips and yards? (of course)

Used? probably some of the best deals to be had today...parts? accessories? kinda reminds me of a Ford Jubilee tractor made in 1950, there's still stuff everywhere for an Etraq. (and the tractor too)

And..the US based service center will fix em if needed.

Yes, it's heavy, (so get a Pro 45) yes it's slow, (so what?) so am I:D but then, come to think of it? I still like analog too!!
 
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I am looking for an entry level detector for me and the kids. How does the Garrett Ace 400 stack up for coins?

This question has a better chance to be answered if it is not buried in the middle of someone else's thread.
First post, new to the forum...that's ok, you learn how it works, eventually.

The 400 will find most coins under average conditions as will most other detectors, the real question is where are these coins you want to find?
Really deep, masked by massive trash or iron, hiding in bad or hotter soil?
The 400 is entry level but capable enough and there are many other brands that also have very good models at this lower price pont.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I wound up buying a used Etrac and yesterday was my first real hunt with it. Found 7 wheats, a 35 Washington Quarter, and a 64 Rosie.

I definitely feel like I’m digging less trash with it.

I don't think you will regret that decision, and you wont feel the need to upgrade anytime soon if at all. Congrats!
 
Hi theolympians,
I agree with Digger27 about the ACE 400 being a decent entry level USA made coin detector. You have lots of choices however. Whites TreasurePro TreasureMaster, Fisher F22 and F44, Teknetics Delta, Liberator, and my favorite the Ameritek Minuteman.

For simplicity, ease of use, adjustability, weight, super fast recovery speed and most of all ridiculously low price, the Minuteman is an awesome detector. Just turn it on, set your sensitivity, and discrimination and detect. Its like having a hot Tesoro Silver micromax or Mojave with a display screen. It has FE tone, variable tone break, a great pinpointer and depth meter and it can handle most bad soil conditions even the beach easily and with good depth. No gimmicks, target probability guesses that are rarely right or weird tones, just detect a target, remember which target ID numbers and low, mid or high tones correspond to your desired targets, pinpoint and dig. Super easy even for newbies.

Jeff
 
Hi theolympians,
I agree with Digger27 about the ACE 400 being a decent entry level USA made coin detector. You have lots of choices however. Whites TreasurePro TreasureMaster, Fisher F22 and F44, Teknetics Delta, Liberator, and my favorite the Ameritek Minuteman.

For simplicity, ease of use, adjustability, weight, super fast recovery speed and most of all ridiculously low price, the Minuteman is an awesome detector. Just turn it on, set your sensitivity, and discrimination and detect. Its like having a hot Tesoro Silver micromax or Mojave with a display screen. It has FE tone, variable tone break, a great pinpointer and depth meter and it can handle most bad soil conditions even the beach easily and with good depth. No gimmicks, target probability guesses that are rarely right or weird tones, just detect a target, remember which target ID numbers and low, mid or high tones correspond to your desired targets, pinpoint and dig. Super easy even for newbies.

Jeff

right but even better is the fisher f-44 best damn bargain out there! tons of simple features,terrific performance,and with the 7" concentric coil,a genuine "sleeper" for sure!

(h.h.!)
j.t.
 
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