Coins and Relics ?

[wayne91101]

So I have been looking at Youtube videos and lots of them and looking on the Forum and I have figured out that coins and relics can be found just about anywhere. It seams like no matter where you go MD'ing you can come across something that will open up a story line of some sorts. Not knowing the story behind your find leads you to wondering what happen in the area you are working. The more you find the more you learn about this spot. SO is my assumptions correct that coins and relics can be found just about anywhere you look? I know they might not come all the time and you might not find them on your first trip or even second or third but there there and you just need to find them. i understand that there will be days that you might not find anything at all worth posting. So my question is. Can you find coins and relics anywhere you go MD'ing in the middle of the woods where there is no signs of a house or anything that might have been there in the past? I know you need to do your homework in the area you are in to see if there was any activity there in the past and I know that you might not find much. But is it worth going out getting in the woods where big pines and oaks are growing and work the area or should I just go where the homework is tell me to go?

 

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[wayne91101]

WOW no coments!

 

[George (MN)]

Research before the search is a good idea. If there was never a town in the area, then it probably was a farm at one time. Cows might seek shade in 100 degree temps, & farm hands might, too. Farmers often employed at least several people in the 1800s prior to most farm machinery being invented & in common use. The area could have been a cow pasture, or could have been an area where crops were grown, before the trees were planted.

Some farmers planted many trees near their houses, to block wind on a cool day or to be in the shade on a hot day.
Also, woods could be an area where children might play. But in the 1800s children might not receive an allowance, even if they helped with work. And farmers may not have money on them when not planning to go into a town to buy something.

Is there any evidence of trails through the woods? Old trails could have been used by people going miles on foot or horseback. Newer trails may be used by kids walking to school, but this could be less likely on private property where the woods are now in a city.

Many of the farm hands lived in tiny crossroads communities until very early 1900s. Then post offices in these places were closed down, businesses closed, as the farmhands were no longer necessary & they had to move to a city to find a job.

If an area had a house, you might see a long deep depression (or shallow if filled in). There could be remains of a foundation, a few bricks or stone walls. If the area was a farm, relics are more likely finds than coins.

If the trees are pre Civil War, troops or residents might have camped/hid there.

It's very helpful is to have old & new maps of the area to check for former house locations. The old maps may be at a local library or historical society & some may be found online. Best wishes, George (MN)

 

[Wyomingmedic]

It will depend on the area. There are parts of mountains and forests here in Wyoming where it is doubtful that a human has ever set foot. Probably not worth detecting those areas.

It clearly has to be somewhere that people have traveled/congregated. If it doesn't meet either of those, I would be inclined to skip the area.

WM

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Wayne, I don't know what youtube videos you're referring to, but .... no, you just don't go out "into the woods anywhere", and presto, eventually find coins and relics. You've got to remember that youtube is sort of like the "bass-fishing" channels on TV, where seemingly every cast produces a lunker bass, eh? Naturally they've edited out the periods of no bass hits. Doh!

Anyone you're seeing on youtube, who's seemingly hunting in the middle of nowhere (the forest or whatever) has some reason for being where he is, to begin with. You know, like there was an old campsite there that he researched out. Or a battlefield site, or a park or homestead used to be there, or ..... whatever. There HAS to be some reason, for people-to-have-been there, long-term, in large numbers, for there to be fumble-fingers losses.

Now with that said, yes, a coin can be anywhere (anywhere someone walked 100+ yrs. ago). But no, they're never going to be in prolific enough #'s to merit detecting, unless it was a well-trafficked spot. Like an old stage stop, park, school, camp site, river crossing, home-site, or whatever.

The exception to this would be in parts of Europe, where history (of refined metal carrying persons) goes back 2000 to 3000 yrs. There are fields there that have been under continuous cultivation for 1000+ yrs. So over there, yes, there are some fields and forests that just due to the age, that by just randomly walking, you'll find stuff. But here in the USA, our history is just too short. I'm sure if you walked long enough and hard enough in the random desert, or random orchards, that yes, eventually you'll find an old coin. But no, it won't be worth it. You have to find out where old spots of congregating and habitations were here.

 

[atomicscott]

Mel Fisher spent approximately 3 months researching for 1 month of actual treasure searching. I've wasted alot of time at spots finding rusty junk even AFTER doing research on the site. I spent 3 hours just the other day and only 1 brass overall rivet plus a bunch of iron trash to show for it. So, yes relics and coins can be found almost anywhere, but they still have to actually be there to be able to find them.

 

[Swartzie]

It may be worth it to go out in the woods and randomly search if the area has some history. If there are rivers, creeks, or springs I would start around these. Never hurts to go out and look around. Never know what you may find.

-Swartzie