Anybody know anything about metal detectors?

I've been interested from afar in this treasure-hunting hobby for a couple of years now, and I think I may finally buy a detector this spring. Anybody else into this hobby as well?

Funny you should ask that. I have had that as a hobby(among others)since 1960, building my own designs when Audio frequency balanced bridges and TR's were first started. This was way way before discrimination, VLF and Coin ID was even thought of. They used to pay me to give seminars "1981-85" on how to use the the various types. Was a Whites, Compass, Technetics, Garrett, and Bounty Hunter dealer too for many years during the 80's. Found the FIRST Gold coins for the Whites "new" Eagle Series of programmable metal detectors.(2-$5 1905 gold pieces). They ran a brief picture in one of their catalogs. I still have copies I believe, on 5 articles I wrote for Western & Eastern Treasures magazine during and before they were known as Western Treasures. Can send you scans on what I have. Some of the stories may be lost now but I have 4-5 of the old Treasure Mags that carried some of the stories. Most of my hunting started at old parks, base of old large trees, mountain cabin sites, old boating sites, old abandoned homes, jogging trails, football fields, early fair sites, Old sidewalk medians, Old cities that tore up the streets to resurface them, below the high water marks of the ocean, in the surf line etc. gradually becoming more selective in the late 80's at old ski resorts and abandoned tow-rope ski & sleding sites in the Sierra's because of the late 1800's coins. Final stages of hunting is confined strickly to 1850-1880 Ghost towns of Nevada where no trace exists now. Using old maps, library research etc. with GPS to locate and profile the site, (figuring out how the town or camp was built back then). As you do this over the years you don't hunt for common money or jewelry items anymore.....you find too much and there is no excitement in it. Yes, I have found Gold coins in the 1800's, 1900's, diamond rings, and Extremely rare coins(seated liberty). One of the coins was an 1874cc dime in fine condition...look that one up!. formed a club of 36 members once....but they were a mxed bunch that could not handle the tough work that a professional hunter must do to be successful. Still have my favorite detector...a Whites Di Pro SL with several rods for dedicated coils so that I do not have to switch coils. Modified the meter on it and scale to identify specific gold coins.(another science first). As you can see I get excited talking about this hobby....Yes I sell the coins....stopped displaying the thousands of coins and jewelry items after I quit being a dealer. That is when I started MAKING money in the hobby. :-) -end of salivation- P.S. Don't rush out and buy a Pulse Induction underwater detector...they won't detect a 1 carat Platinium Solitaire ring. I demonstrated that at a Whites Dealer Seminar. :-(

You are absolutely correct Bill. The Antiquities laws are unforgiving. One cannot disturb the "midden" anywhere other than on personal property legally. In Padre Is. Texas the confiscation is automatic....same in Indian lands etc. It is usually overlooked except at historical sites open to public visitation, like forts etc. Being a life member of an Archaeological Society I find most treasure hunters are distructive and cannot even replace their coin "plugs" so that the grass can grow back. The No-No EVER is to disturb a grave site let alone the MOST dangerous and virulent diseases can live in a grave site over 100 years. Only the weaker and less virulent diseases die early. It is a FELONY with MANDATORY PRISON for violation. Even the beaches are sometimes enforced because the City has a contract with a private clean-up and "screenng" crew that gets the lost items as part of their compensation. I did do a lot of on and off duty crime scene searching for local enforcement agencies & S.O. when I was with them for awhile. One must be both prudent and discrete at ALL TIMES. One of my hunts that was done in 105 degrees plus in the middle of a rotten tomato field just after harvest.....
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