future trends and diminishing returns of detecting

Hey there maxx-katt, as someone who's been into this since the 1970s (started as a teenager in Jr. High), I can comment a bit on this

There were definitely a few forward thinking hunters who cashed-in on virgin sites. That can regale you with stories of silver in the parks, blah blah.

But you'd be surprised how many persons (myself included) who weren't that forward thinking. We were content to just ply the school yards and junky parks, looking for merc's and roosies and wheaties. It never occurred to me, back then , to do exotic things like stage stops, beach erosion, old-town urban demolition , etc.....

Not that I didn't occasionally try. But when a few "pesky bullet shells" surfaced, I grew bored, and left for "greener grounds" back at the elementary schools that "didn't have as much junk". Looking back, I realize now, that the bullet shells were rimfire henries, that should have given me wood. Doh! And decades later, I would return to the exact same sites and find reales and seateds. Doh !

Just didn't understand the relic mindset. And I have seen the same attitude , with 1960s and '70s hunters that I've talked to. They were content to do sand volleyball courts, etc.... It never occurred to them to do ghost towns, forts, etc.... (too much "junk").

Bear in mind that discriminators didn't come out till the mid 1970s . And weren't in popular use till the later 1970s (slow to catch on in the pre-internet era). Thus foil, lead, tabs, etc... were a big problem. And bear in mind that the machines back then didn't go too deep either.

Yes I'm sure there were people who were forward thinking, and understood "good junk", etc....

I can recall that I never even found a seated coin till the early 1990s, despite having already detected for 10 or 15 yrs. by then.

So as virgin as things were in those days, there was a lot of un-exploited ground. And even today, it amazes me what sites (when I travel) that have not been exploited.

But a sad truth to the 1970s and '80s, is that .... yes .... the easy silver in the parks is gone. I pity the persons who go now, and try to get silver out of some of the parks that used to be our stomping grounds . I would not touch those parks with a 10-foot pole now.

IF a location could truly be "hunted out" (not likely as that would entail multiple gridding of acres upon acres of land) then sure...there's nothing left to find.


However, I've gone back over places that myself and many others have been over numerous times and still found silver and wheaties.

I started detecting in 1983 and did the usual paces.....schools, parks, ballfields, picnic areas, carnival grounds etc. etc. and could go out and basically EXPECT to come home with some silver coins. Nowadays I no longer expect that, if I dig one "YIPPEE"....it's a bonus. I don't get the least bit excited about digging Wheaties because 99.99% of them are garbage and are no better than digging a copper Memorial cent. Now that I'm in my seventies, I'm happy that I'm in good health, physically fit, and can still get out there and hunt at all. I only hit the easy places now and I'm happy to come home with a handful of clad, maybe a piece or two of sterling and the VERY occasional silver coin. The clad is converted at year's end to buy silver and/or gold and that's fine with me.
You won't see me out there with a shovel, camo gear, a $2500 detector, or a video camera to show everyone in the world a video of me digging a Zincoln. A coffee and donut before the hunt, a few hours hunting, and then a burger or pizza with a couple of pints after the hunt and that's a GREAT day no matter what. I'd bet that because of diminishing returns that a lot of the new people getting into the hobby are going to be disappointed when they don't strike it rich immediately and their detectors end up collecting dust in their cellar or garage.

pryan67 said:

IF a location could truly be "hunted out" (not likely as that would entail multiple gridding of acres upon acres of land) then sure...there's nothing left to find.


However, I've gone back over places that myself and many others have been over numerous times and still found silver and wheaties.

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Hey there pyran, if you can go over a spot, that you've been over multiple times, and still find "silver and wheaties", then by definition : That spot was not 'hunted out'.

But I can think of spots, that used to give up easy silver for us "back in the day", that you would truly truly truly beat your brains out for nothing. And while it's conceivable to "turn over heaven and earth" to dig out the 20 zincs (that have been introduced in the 20 to 30 yrs. since the 1970s/80s) looking for an elusive missed oldie, there comes a point where .... a guy has to ask himself if it's worth it. Versus simply finding greener-grounds.

Where I live masking is our biggest challenge.
I have found plenty of great treasure in sites abandoned long ago by many in the hobby around here, most in the hobby around here, that had a taste what it was like long ago when it was much better.
At first I learned to do it using some strange settings and observations of weird but repeating target behavior and recently using newer technology that seems to work well in my environment and makes things way easier.
I am not finding buckets of old coins but I am finding enough to keep me happy and satisfied so I think sites like these will always be around for those of us that think outside normal boxes and have open minds.
Still wish I would have started this hobby back in the 70's but with no time travelling tech available I just make do with what I got.

diggin4clad said:

I started detecting in 1983 and did the usual paces.....schools, parks, ballfields, picnic areas, carnival grounds etc. etc. and could go out and basically EXPECT to come home with some silver coins. Nowadays I no longer expect that, if I dig one "YIPPEE"....it's a bonus. I don't get the least bit excited about digging Wheaties because 99.99% of them are garbage and are no better than digging a copper Memorial cent. Now that I'm in my seventies, I'm happy that I'm in good health, physically fit, and can still get out there and hunt at all. I only hit the easy places now and I'm happy to come home with a handful of clad, maybe a piece or two of sterling and the VERY occasional silver coin. The clad is converted at year's end to buy silver and/or gold and that's fine with me.
You won't see me out there with a shovel, camo gear, a $2500 detector, or a video camera to show everyone in the world a video of me digging a Zincoln. A coffee and donut before the hunt, a few hours hunting, and then a burger or pizza with a couple of pints after the hunt and that's a GREAT day no matter what. I'd bet that because of diminishing returns that a lot of the new people getting into the hobby are going to be disappointed when they don't strike it rich immediately and their detectors end up collecting dust in their cellar or garage.

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A pint after the search? I like the way you think! We old fellows seem to see life more realistically

Finding gold back then : if it didn't have stones in it , I wouldn't get excited. I know someone now who gets excited about clad from the 70s. Now think about that for a minute. A 50 year old coin , even in circulation today. Some here say a park that was built in the 80s or 90s is a waste of time. Not old enough. I say , not true. These parks do in fact hold older silver. Maybe not as old or in quantity as a park from say the 20s or 30s. But it's still out there. It's about finding parks that have NEVER been hunted and keeping your mouth shut. And believe me , you , they are there. Parks from the 70s-90s have stuff from 30-50 years prior. Don't rule them out. Just saying...

KOB said:

Finding gold back then : if it didn't have stones in it , I wouldn't get excited. I know someone now who gets excited about clad from the 70s. Now think about that for a minute. A 50 year old coin , even in circulation today. Some here say a park that was built in the 80s or 90s is a waste of time. Not old enough. I say , not true. These parks do in fact hold older silver. Maybe not as old or in quantity as a park from say the 20s or 30s. But it's still out there. It's about finding parks that have NEVER been hunted and keeping your mouth shut. And believe me , you , they are there. Parks from the 70s-90s have stuff from 30-50 years prior. Don't rule them out. Just saying...

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Good points!


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Wmass guy said:

A pint after the search? I like the way you think! We old fellows seem to see life more realistically

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Actually TWO pints. And...whether I'm detecting or not one of my favorite spots is out your way....Fitzwilly's in Northampton.

Some folks are wired to be outdoors looking for things...they cant help it..the Metal detector makes for a good stage prop for a believable reason to be outside wandering around unattended..., so yeah...most of the time I dont even have mine turned on or batteries in it even.....its just an excuse for being outdoors wandering around looking for something.....

Theres about nothing quite as wonderful as wandering around out of doors looking for things, picking up parking lot pennies, messing about in boats..or taking a wiz in the snow on a frosty morning...(apologies to Kenneth Grahame).

Mud-puppy said:

Some folks are wired to be outdoors looking for things...they cant help it..the Metal detector makes for a good stage prop for a believable reason to be outside wandering around unattended..., so yeah...most of the time I dont even have mine turned on or batteries in it even.....its just an excuse for being outdoors wandering around looking for something.....

Theres about nothing quite as wonderful as wandering around out of doors looking for things, picking up parking lot pennies, messing about in boats..or taking a wiz in the snow on a frosty morning...(apologies to Kenneth Grahame).

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It's finally been found ,The Loch Ness Boat !

There's still a ton of stuff in the ground and there will be for another 100 years. It's not an endless supply, but we've just scratched the surface.

I'm a numbers guy, so here's a few numbers for you to consider. I live in Rhode Island, which had a population of 69,000 people in 1800. If every one of them lost 5 coins in the 1700's, that would mean there were 345,000 pre-1800 coins in the ground when the hobby started 50 years ago. Do you really think that many have been found? No way! Probably only 20%, which means there's still 276,000 pre-1800 coins to be found!

Now let's say those 69,000 people lost a couple of shoe buckles and half a dozen buttons during the 1700's. That means there were at least 138,000 shoe buckles and 414,000 buttons lost! Using the same 20% found, that leaves around 110,400 shoe buckles and 331,200 buttons left to find! Obviously, I'm just guessing on the numbers, but you get the point. Don't worry about running out of stuff! Not gonna happen in our lifetimes! Lol!

diggin4clad said:

I started detecting in 1983 and did the usual paces.....schools, parks, ballfields, picnic areas, carnival grounds etc. etc. and could go out and basically EXPECT to come home with some silver coins. Nowadays I no longer expect that, if I dig one "YIPPEE"....it's a bonus. I don't get the least bit excited about digging Wheaties because 99.99% of them are garbage and are no better than digging a copper Memorial cent. Now that I'm in my seventies, I'm happy that I'm in good health, physically fit, and can still get out there and hunt at all. I only hit the easy places now and I'm happy to come home with a handful of clad, maybe a piece or two of sterling and the VERY occasional silver coin. The clad is converted at year's end to buy silver and/or gold and that's fine with me.
You won't see me out there with a shovel, camo gear, a $2500 detector, or a video camera to show everyone in the world a video of me digging a Zincoln. A coffee and donut before the hunt, a few hours hunting, and then a burger or pizza with a couple of pints after the hunt and that's a GREAT day no matter what. I'd bet that because of diminishing returns that a lot of the new people getting into the hobby are going to be disappointed when they don't strike it rich immediately and their detectors end up collecting dust in their cellar or garage.

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you echo my sentiments exactly!..i feel the same way,BUT it took years for me to accept this situation.i was always in 'anticipation" mode, and quite frankly, still am but to a "much" lesser degree.after 35 years' expect to find "clad" and not a whole hell of a lot else. i have "adjusted" my thinking over time, and now just enjoy getting out, and finding' the clad, and maybe a wheat ,or two.at 69,feel happy just to be able to "get out" and spend some quality time afield!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

diggin4clad said:

Actually TWO pints. And...whether I'm detecting or not one of my favorite spots is out your way....Fitzwilly's in Northampton.

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That’s a fine pub and I sometimes enjoy one or two at the Northampton brewery also. So do you ever detect up this way? Maybe you’re the sharpshooter that beats me to all the quarters here abouts

jmaryt said:

you echo my sentiments exactly!..i feel the same way,BUT it took years for me to accept this situation.i was always in 'anticipation" mode, and quite frankly, still am but to a "much" lesser degree.after 35 years' expect to find "clad" and not a whole hell of a lot else. i have "adjusted" my thinking over time, and now just enjoy getting out, and finding' the clad, and maybe a wheat ,or two.at 69,feel happy just to be able to "get out" and spend some quality time afield!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

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another old timer that sees the hobby like me. Hey it was a great week, I got out 3 times, a total of 7 hours just over $5 clad AND I scored one wheat cent that digging for clad missed on his way to Northampton!

I tend to pick up a detector about once a year hunt all the places I know then sell it because there’s nowhere to hunt. I had joined here not to long ago and have since sold my detector again to raise money for a Colt rifle I was wanting. I still read here and enjoy it and know later down the road I’ll pick up another one somewhere. I look at metal detecting the way we used to be able to enjoy the outdoors and teenagers growing up. You could go to all the old coal mine lakes to fish and could hunt just about anywhere. We also enjoyed just riding the old dirt roads earlier for nothing but the enjoyment of seeing deer and turkeys and such. Then times changed. Hunting clubs bought all the land, then all the gates went up and no trespassing signs everywhere. People started dumping rubbish so the land owners stopped it. But what also stopped was kids enjoying the outdoors. Even on the river where we camped for free and a makeshift boat ramp we used soon became parks. No longer free to do anything.
They won’t kids in the outdoors but have mAde it all but impossible for them to do it.

Righteous said:

I tend to pick up a detector about once a year hunt all the places I know then sell it because there’s nowhere to hunt. I had joined here not to long ago and have since sold my detector again to raise money for a Colt rifle I was wanting. I still read here and enjoy it and know later down the road I’ll pick up another one somewhere. I look at metal detecting the way we used to be able to enjoy the outdoors and teenagers growing up. You could go to all the old coal mine lakes to fish and could hunt just about anywhere. We also enjoyed just riding the old dirt roads earlier for nothing but the enjoyment of seeing deer and turkeys and such. Then times changed. Hunting clubs bought all the land, then all the gates went up and no trespassing signs everywhere. People started dumping rubbish so the land owners stopped it. But what also stopped was kids enjoying the outdoors. Even on the river where we camped for free and a makeshift boat ramp we used soon became parks. No longer free to do anything.
They won’t kids in the outdoors but have mAde it all but impossible for them to do it.

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"Those were the days my friend , we thought they'd never end " .Mary Hopkins .

Yeah, I hear you, OP, I do. I'm one of those guys into a lot of hobbies and the same worry has occurred to me with most or all of them. For example, I'm pretty excited about writing and hopped onto the Amazon Bus when it came round picking up noobs. Then I realized how many people are writing and self-publishing on that site and I became a bit disheartened. Now, of course, ten years and change later, I realize that it's one of the best things that could ever happen to good writers because these hacks aren't submitting to houses. It's almost like a gatekeeper of sorts.

I only have a few stories up but the ones that are there have paid for, professional covers and paid for, professional edits done on them. So, so many do not bother with either of those and so let them release their MS Paint covers that looks like a kid did 'em; let them release stories riddled with errors so glaring the reader can't muddle through. Because while they are doing that I'm behind the scenes, improving and submitting.

Look how many Mustangs and 'Cudas were sold in the 1970s vs how many actually hit the strips to become race legends or heck, just look at how many even survive today. Just because someone has the tools doesn't mean they are going to use them correctly. Not at all.

FreeBirdTim said:

There's still a ton of stuff in the ground and there will be for another 100 years. It's not an endless supply, but we've just scratched the surface.

I'm a numbers guy, so here's a few numbers for you to consider. I live in Rhode Island, which had a population of 69,000 people in 1800. If every one of them lost 5 coins in the 1700's, that would mean there were 345,000 pre-1800 coins in the ground when the hobby started 50 years ago. Do you really think that many have been found? No way! Probably only 20%, which means there's still 276,000 pre-1800 coins to be found!

Now let's say those 69,000 people lost a couple of shoe buckles and half a dozen buttons during the 1700's. That means there were at least 138,000 shoe buckles and 414,000 buttons lost! Using the same 20% found, that leaves around 110,400 shoe buckles and 331,200 buttons left to find! Obviously, I'm just guessing on the numbers, but you get the point. Don't worry about running out of stuff! Not gonna happen in our lifetimes! Lol!

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Regardless of what the numbers are for lost coins in the 1700's, 1800's, and beyond, keep in mind that MANY of those lost coins have been buried under asphalt, cement, housing, businesses, etc. That said, I'm sure there are still good things to find out there.