It’s amazing how much stuff people lose. Before I started metal detecting I had no idea how many objects have been lost by people. Old coins, jewelry, and other interesting finds are literally scattered everywhere just beneath the earth’s surface. With the help of gravity, old metal objects sink slowly into the ground just waiting to be found.
To find buried metal people use metal detectors. A Metal detector is an electronic device that sends a signal into the ground and then receives a signal back when it detects a metal object. 
Most objects sink about 12 inches or less into the ground which is about as deep as a high quality metal detector can go. I’ve found countless old coins at 5 inches deep or less where even an inexpensive beginner machine could find them.
When a metal object is detected the metal detector will give and audio signal letting the user know there is something there. Since there are many different types of metals, each metal gives a slightly different return signal which the metal detector analyses to help determine the size, depth, and material of the object.
A hand digger or shovel is then used to retrieve the object, hopefully something interesting!
