Knowing where to metal detect can mean the difference between going home with junk and going home with old coins. The most challenging part of metal detecting is consistently having places to go detecting.
Having the latest and greatest equipment means nothing if there aren’t coins under your coil. A new detectorist with an inexpensive unit can find just as good or better items at a good site than an experienced user with a high dollar machine at a bad site. There have been many times when I’ve found silver coins dating back to the early 1800’s just an inch or two under the surface.
The key to finding productive sites varies greatly depending on the area you’re hunting. For example, I have been to towns where you could metal detect all day in a park and not find a single silver. At a different town I could pull 5-10 silver coins in a single day out of a public park. The same can be said for churches, schools, and pretty much any other well known areas.
My first seated dime was found in a small church yard right in the middle of the city and it was just 2 inches under the surface. The kicker is that the town where I found it had a club and a whole gaggle of metal detectorists, many of which had high end machines.
The best method is to simple get out and start hunting a variety of sites to see what is most productive in your area. Old coins can be found everywhere and there is no area that is “hunted out” in my opinion. At least I have yet to find one.
To find places where to metal detect is very simple. Any area that has been inhabited for a long time can be a potential place to detect. Every piece of land is either public or owned by a private party. If private you’ll need to find out who owns it and get permission. It really isn’t any more complicated than that and a lot of times people over complicate the process. Once you start gaining some experience patterns will emerge and certain types of sites will become your favorites.
Check out our advanced training series to learn exactly how I found over 200 silver coins last your!
Here is a comprehensive list of places to metal detect that should give you a good start.
Where to metal detect
- Parks
- Churches
- Schools
- Residential houses
- Between the sidewalk and street (check with the city ordinance to make sure it’s OK).
- Fairgrounds
- Old picnic groves
- Vacant lots
- Old sports fields
- Sledding hills
- Revival Sites
- Cival war sites and battlefields
- Fishing and swimming spots
- Old hotels and taverns
- Boyscout camps
- CAmpgrounds
- Beaches
- Old rivival sites or dance sites
- Drive in theatres
- Old water wells
- Old mining sites
- Hunting cabins
- Railroad depots
- Playgrounds
- Old colleges or military schools
- Racetracks
- Old horse trails and paths in the woods
- Old golf courses
- Natural Springs
