r/metaldetecting

▲ 50 r/metaldetecting+1 crossposts

What's the most valuable item youve ever found metal detecting?

I've been metal detecting for a few months now and I found my first piece of jewelry the other day. It was a silver ring.

The other day when I was metal detecting, someone came up to me to see what I was doing. He said that he was also into metal detecting and told me he's been doing it for over 10 years. We talked about stuff we had found and I asked him what he would do with anything of value. He said every once in a while he would go to a precious metals buyer and cash in his loot. His last cash in earned him $1500.

What's your biggest cash in or what was the most valuable single item you ever found?

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u/Then_Marionberry_259 — 5 hours ago

Didn’t find anything valuable, but enjoyed beach metal detecting

Didn’t find anything valuable, but enjoyed beach metal detecting

u/Soggy_Job4363 — 4 hours ago
▲ 1.1k r/metaldetecting+1 crossposts

Sons first find with a metal detector

My son got his first metal detector for his birthday. His first find was a Vietnam era USMC Jerry can produced on this day in 1969. On this cans birthday it was unearthed again. How crazy!

u/Great_Guide_7358 — 15 hours ago

Dupondius Auguste Imperator et Général Agrippa, Colonia Nemausus (Nîmes France). + 20 ap. J.-C

Victoire Militaire. 30 mm, 2,7 mm épaisseur, cuivre vert pomme 🍏Avers : IMP portraits de l'Empereur Auguste et du Général Agrippa, Guerre et soumission de l'Égypte à Rome :: "Crocodile agressif attaché à un palmier". Trouvé dans un bois.🇫🇷🤘😎😉

u/wisigothic666 — 7 hours ago

Been metal detecting about a total of 5 hours with my new Minelab Xterra Pro.

Bought my new Minelab Xterra pro 2 months ago but got a little frustrated with using it. It sat in my garage for about 2 weeks when I decided to watch you tube videos on how to use the Xterra Pro. It worked. I work full time so Ive been going after work for about a half an hour each day. I'm no pro, but I believe I got the jest of it.

u/ihopeioffendu — 15 hours ago
▲ 56 r/metaldetecting+2 crossposts

Real Diamond or Not?

This diamond ring is pretty dirty, kinda look a little rusty I'm not sure but it says 14k. The Diamond size looks to be 2 carat, the same size as one of the stones in my wedding ring. It was in a jewelry box of costume jewelry I purchased for $10 at a garage sale. I actually bought it because I liked the box itself.

u/No-Pitch9733 — 19 hours ago

Backyard digging

Did some backyard digging today in South Carolina and found some random assortment of trash and treasure the one that interests me the most is the 1st pic if you have any ideas let me know
Coins are 2 dimes and a penny dating 1977, 1981 and 1980

u/Dangerous-Bad2743 — 17 hours ago

Finally Displayed Collection!

After years of my finds being stuffed in boxes, we finally have a house! I am fortunate enough to have a man cave where I can display my best and quirkiest finds. And yes, I do believe that the rusted blade between the utensils and the musket balls is a Spanish or Mexican lance/spearhead. Take a look and let me know if you have any questions!

u/Chiefleef69 — 1 day ago

First time newbie

Only spent about 30 minutes at my local park before dinner but it was pretty fun nonetheless. Also I broke my shovel which was just a cheap folding one so definitely going to get a new one sometime soon.

u/Adorable_Regular_791 — 18 hours ago
▲ 10 r/metaldetecting+1 crossposts

Found in the desert of southern new mexico.

No idea what this is. I think its a facet for a ring and its gold plated, but the area goes back to the 1600s.

Any ideas?

u/Pickle_ninja — 16 hours ago
▲ 216 r/metaldetecting+1 crossposts

14k white gold southeastern nc

Got lucky this morning and found this on the Minelab vanquish 440 about 3 inches deep in the sand.

u/9surfer — 1 day ago

Day 2 lol. I found this and two old sardine cans in my back yard. Wasn’t worth the plugs…I think I’m getting the hang of it enough now to move on

u/Beneficial-Wrap6574 — 21 hours ago

Rethinking Iron, A New Approach to Hunted Out Sites

Although I do not know who first penned the quote (often mis-attributed to Einstein), I think about it often while metal detecting. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. 

I returned to one of the first sites I had detected with a new plan. This site was once a homestead, it was abandoned in the late 1800s where it sat until it was  converted to a logging camp in the mid 1900s. The ground is loaded with iron cans, pull tabs, nails and so much more. 

My new approach required a custom configuration for my Nokta Legend. The default iron filter is set very high making it easy for a detectorist to avoid digging junk.  However, the problem arises when a valid relic sits close or under an iron object. I wanted to hear both the iron and the relic. 

This is where the iron filter, stability and recovery speed come into play. I lowered my iron filter to 3, set the stability to 2 and set the recovery speed to 7. I also disabled the bottle cap rejection and lowered my discrimination pattern to 6.  In short, I wanted to hear it all.

It was a long session that exceeded 7 hours. I still dug a lot of trashy targets but I was not disappointed.  The signal sounded like another pull tab. A bouncy and repeatable 29 midtone. A pull tab was what I was expecting when instead  I recovered this decorative piece of horse tack. It did not look great coming out of the ground but once the dirt was removed the details started to shine through.

What I found was  a beautiful period piece. Possibly a bridle rosette hanger or a reins guide. The details are striking.

The cast metal centerpiece features a highly detailed horse head in profile over the top of a saddle. A curved loop at the top would have allowed it to hang or attach to the bridle, while a small ball terminal dangles from the bottom. It is a beautiful piece of history that I might have never found if not for this new approach.

I look forward to revisiting some old sites with this new configuration.  I feel confident that a once hunted out site will come back to life in a new way. It’s an exciting prospect. Who knows what interesting relics I might have missed.

Thank you kindly for reading.

TLDR;

After 7+ hours of detecting a long-abandoned 1800s homestead using a custom low-discrimination setup on my Nokta Legend, I recovered a stunning Victorian-era ornate horse bridle fitting, complete with a detailed horse head motif.

u/critterInVermont — 1 day ago

Dug up in a farm field, ~ 3 in X 5in. Lightweight, possibly aluminum. Tractor part?

u/atodaso — 1 day ago

Is this even a coin?

I have been picking away at this with a composite pencil and hoping I might have something cool but it just doesn't seem to be resolving into..anything? Do you think this is even a coin?

u/jemsOutrage — 22 hours ago
▲ 93 r/metaldetecting+1 crossposts

Celtic Tribal Gaul (France). Tribal and War people called "Nerviens" (North) and called "Suessions" North-East Paris. Detecting without cleaning. 2000 years ago. Silver & cooper Alliage😉😎🤘

Coin ID

A LONG time ago I knew what this coin was and have since forgotten.

Remember something about the NL area... I dunno. Very similar to many coins but its just different.

u/CitizenALEX — 1 day ago
▲ 6 r/metaldetecting+1 crossposts

I'm new to this

Hi, I just got one of these, but I don't know how far it can detect objects. I've seen ads saying 3 meters or 2 meters, but when I put a gold chain in an 80cm hole, it didn't detect it. So I'm wondering if it detects objects more easily depending on their size, or what its maximum detection range is on land.

u/Majestic-Main9723 — 20 hours ago