| In part one of this three part series, we discussed | | | | built colonial home. Using a Fisher 1210 she |
| coinshooting without using any electronic | | | | uncovered some wonderful coins. There are |
| instruments. In this segment we will look at coin | | | | homes out there in the world that date back to |
| shooting with a metal detector and | | | | the 1600's and the advantage of looking at these |
| how-to-elements of metal detecting research. I | | | | sites are two-fold. Most treasure hunters will not |
| love this arena and for forty years I have | | | | ask permission to hunt these areas for fear of |
| participated passionately with all types of | | | | rejection. You could be the very first person to |
| detectors and want others to experience the | | | | check that yard. The second advantage is that |
| same ecstasy that a valuable or keeper coin | | | | yards usually will have a lot less junk than most |
| brings when it comes out of the ground. | | | | other frequented sites making hunting there so |
| Today we are blessed with great technology in | | | | much easier. |
| the metal detecting hobby. When I started | | | | A little research of any city or town can produce |
| detecting on Christmas day of 1969, I had a | | | | many sites that will be productive for finding |
| $50.00 BFO unit manufactured by a FL high school | | | | valuable coins. My favorite and most productive |
| science teacher, Jim Ford. That Medeford unit in | | | | sites have been old watering holes for |
| many ways matched or was better than the big | | | | stagecoaches, fresh water swimming holes and |
| boys and I became hooked on coin shooting my | | | | beaches, church campgrounds and revival centers, |
| very first time out. Today the metal detectors | | | | old schools sites, WPA work sites, WWI and |
| are far superior and one of the biggest keys to | | | | WWII training sites, old fairgrounds, parking meter |
| anyone's coin shooting success is research. | | | | sites of the 40's and 50's along city streets and |
| Coin shooting is the most popular form of | | | | old dance and performance areas in city parks. |
| treasure hunting as coins can be found virtually | | | | County atlases published years ago are available in |
| everywhere people have been. Just in the US | | | | most city libraries and historical societies and they |
| alone, in the last hundred years, more than a | | | | give the locations of these old sites. Get a |
| hundred million coins have been lost and only | | | | modern map and compare the two. It is eay to |
| about twenty-five million recovered or dug-up by | | | | follow through with and drive right to those areas. |
| coin shooters. | | | | Reading histories of a city can also produce many |
| The most obvious areas for hunting coins are the | | | | old sites. Pictures taken more than 100 years ago |
| sites that are still in use. These sites include school | | | | reveal potential sites too. If you are looking for a |
| yards, parks, picnic areas, roadside rest areas, ball | | | | rare coin, like the 1909 SVDB Lincoln Cent or the |
| parks, swimming holes, carnival grounds, art | | | | 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter, look for buildings |
| jewelry show grounds and many more areas like | | | | and homes that were built at that time. The |
| these. Although most of the coins found at these | | | | internet has a wealth of information and research |
| sites are relatively new, they are great for | | | | material about communities also. As a people |
| training and teaching the user the basics of their | | | | person, my favorite research method is to get to |
| detector's operation and the sounds that the unit | | | | know the senior citizens of a community. These |
| makes on all types of signals. I personally do this | | | | individuals remember the old days, and usually, will |
| type of searching to fine tune my recovery skills | | | | gladly share information that will make coin |
| needed in working those researched sites that | | | | shooting rewarding. |
| contain older and more valuable coins. Often the | | | | Joining a treasure hunting club and getting to know |
| targets that are very faint at the edge of of the | | | | members will also be productive in terms of |
| detector's depth range, are the coins other | | | | finding new sites. Questioning fellow detector |
| treasure hunters have missed due to not using | | | | users in the field can also be productive. In 40 |
| good headsets, or sweeping to fast without | | | | years of coin shooting, using good research skills |
| overlapping each sweep by 30 to 50%, or just by | | | | has produced enough leads and sites that will |
| them being marginal signals. | | | | carry me through the next few years and I |
| The biggest untapped field for finding older and | | | | know I will reach my personal-lifetime goal of |
| more valuable coins is old home sites. A family | | | | 200,000 coins. Get started by doing some good |
| member of mine in Wallingford, CT has a 1732 | | | | research. Can you dig it? I do! |