Detecting by the road?

nostalgia083 · Jan 16, 2020

Hi all, I have some old maps of my county from the 1800s and there was a wagon road in the same area of the road going in front of my house and have thought of metal detecting near it. I was thinking maybe in the ditch near the road for example. Have you detected near your road and found anything from way back?

CarsonChris · Jan 16, 2020

You never know till you try.

Dirty Nails · Jan 16, 2020

I've detected along many old wagon roads and foot paths and I always did well - mainly with coins from the 40's and 50's. I would certainly give that area a try - good luck.

Chipk · Jan 16, 2020

Yep. Lots of curbstrip goodies including a number of 1850s and newer silver coins, including 2 1850s seated half dimes. Also my oldest coin a 1715 Spanish 1 Reale that was less than 2 feet from the road.

Best of all? This pocket watch I used to think was lost but now believed was buried. Porcelain case with emeralds to mark the hours and gold dots to track the minutes

nostalgia083 · Jan 16, 2020

Chipk said:
Yep. Lots of curbstrip goodies including a number of 1850s and newer silver coins, including 2 1850s seated half dimes. Also my oldest coin a 1715 Spanish 1 Reale that was less than 2 feet from the road.

Best of all? This pocket watch I used to think was lost but now believed was buried. Porcelain case with emeralds to mark the hours and gold dots to track the minutes

That's cool. Have you ever had anyone bother you though doing it by the road?

tinsmith · Jan 16, 2020

I was finding clad Along side of a road and was laughed at by a guy who said, " There's nothing there " , ha ha ha ha. Ok. Laugh away pal my pouch is filling with quarters n dimes while getting my exercise. Laugh away.

Dirty Nails · Jan 16, 2020

Oh sure. Sometimes you'll get the simply curious. Sometimes you'll get kids. Sometimes you'll get scowls. Sometimes you'll get people looking for "their" rings and cash that they "lost" and you found. Usually though, I've found that if I provide a short greeting or answer and immediately go about my business and ignore the onlooker, they get bored and go away.

tinsmith · Jan 16, 2020

I've had the guys who claim - " If you find any gold rings I know who lost it and I'll take care of it" he exclaimed and I first thought he was joking. I stepped of the dirt road and onto a small rocky beach in Maine. The ring claimer got up on a pier above me and watched my every move. Told me he was not kidding. Nice,, a middle age crack head. Imagine me digging a ring right then. I would have given it to him alright, not in his hand though!

Tom_in_CA · Jan 16, 2020

Personally, I think you are much better off at the places of actual habitation, and where people stopped. Eg: stage stops, etc.... Not just "random stretches of road or path "

In the various stage stops out here in the west, once we start wandering the wagon roads that lead into or away from "ground zero ", it grows sterile and silent.

Is that to say that a random target couldn't be in the "middle of nowhere " ? Of course anything is possible. But you're going to be much better off where they stopped, ate, slept, drank, played, etc....

GKL · Jan 16, 2020

TIP: Maybe consider wearing a reflective vest for safety since it is close to a road -

maxxkatt · Jan 18, 2020

I have hunted an old road through 200 acres of old growth trees and found mostly old trash like sardines and beer and spam cans. Seems like they just tossed them aside. But have not found a single coin, modern or old. I was disappointed, I just knew there had to be something good in the road.

I am going back with my 800 and 15" coil and set it up just for silver coins and see if going deeper helps.

Chipk · Jan 26, 2020

nostalgia083 said:
That's cool. Have you ever had anyone bother you though doing it by the road?

Recently O was challenged by a neighbor who demanded that I leave. The area I was hunting was nothing but leaf covered dirt and I didn’t care for his approach. So I refused and the cops were called. They basically told the guy to leave me alone.

beest · Jan 26, 2020

Yup. Detected old roads. Love to research for old roman or medieval roads. Those days people didn't go or live far from those roads, so that's were the hotspots are to be found.
And it's proven that that's were the activaty was and the 'theory' is solid, byall the nice finds (both objects as ancient homesteads) i did near them.

Overthere your history is some later, but in my opinion the discovery of america didn't go otherwise. They went and lived near those early roads, so also there i would go for finding old hotspots.

Good luck! Hope to soon see some nice finds you did.

FreeBirdTim · Jan 26, 2020

I have hunted an old road through 200 acres of old growth trees and found mostly old trash like sardines and beer and spam cans. Seems like they just tossed them aside. But have not found a single coin, modern or old. I was disappointed, I just knew there had to be something good in the road.

Yup, that's why I don't detect along roads. WAY too much trash. Every slob over the past 100 years has tossed their trash out their car window. All I ever find is bottle caps, pull tabs and crushed beer cans. Not worth the effort.

beest · Jan 26, 2020

The trick is to find nowadays quiet roads which once were busy.

This for instance once was a known busy medieval 'freeway'.

And this was a roman road. At the back in the woods, were the red cross is, a roman solidus is found (not by me).

beest · Jan 26, 2020

And another one.
Roman and Medieval road (probably also in the stone age). I've hunted these fields and found roman coins and relics in this area. And other hunters found more there.

I'm sure such old roads (trails?) must be possible to find overthere.

Detecting by the road?

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