Gold coins are really hard to find, no kidding so where are they

49er12

Bronze Member
Aug 22, 2013
1,238
1,630
Rolling Rock, Pennsylvania
Detector(s) used
Minelab xterra, Whites DFX, Notka Makro Simplex. Folks the price don’t mean everything, the question is are you willing to put in the time to learn the machine, experience will pay off I guarantee it.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You no what we all want to find a gold coin you no what I say your going to need more than luck. Let’s put this is perspective, gold coins for the early settlers must have been rare I mean if they where poor how would they get in first place. Silver coins can be found by anyone. Who could afford gold coins, my goodness if your living in a shack or cabin. In America other than ship wrecks where are they, anyone care to state there case.
 

Shipwrecks and in Civil War camps and on battlefields.
 

Maybe I’m wrong but, if you had five silver dollars or a five dollar gold piece it was the same, right?
It’s only been since the country went off the gold standard that the metal is worth more than face value.
 

I have an early 1900's $5 gold coin. Back then that was BIG money. A weeks pay if you were lucky. People just did not carry them around.
 

I'm guessing gold coins were so valuable if lost they were usually well searched for until found, if possible.
 

I have yet to find a gold coin. But if I were to really go after that goal. I would do some research of the surrounding areas, find where community buisness once thrived. (Tavern, tannery, old mills,etc.) The more ppl there are congregating, the higher the odds of drops. If these have road beds crossing along establishments. Pay close attention to the first 100ft of that road either way of coming into said area. This is just my thoughts. Although I am going to implement and make it a routine on my outings this season.
 

My first one was at the beach, a shipwreck beach. Some idiot lost one at another beach 75 miles away, as it had come out of the holder it was in. The other was at a CW site.

Never found any at home sites, but I have found sterling flatware at home sites where people who had more $$$ had lived.
 

Gold coin finds are rare which means that most people who detect will never find even one. I've been fortunate enough to find one and if I never find another I won't be surprised. The one I found wasn't a US coin but a modern (2002) bullion coin minted at the Perth mint in Australia and sold by the Shawnee Nation in Oklahoma. Apparently it was used a piece of jewelry because I found it in a soccer field.
 

Heck, I can't even find a Seated. If I ever find a gold coin I'll probably stop detecting.
 

Gold coins? Seriously, fourteen years of detecting and still no silver quarter. Gold finds, old coins and many good things but not that quarter.
 

So, silver dimes and half dollars, SusanM? If so, that is odd, for sure.

Gold coins just weren't dropped very often. I remember back in the 80's reading a TH magazine and the story was about one that did the research, found out that when a new dog or horse track opened up, that they were making a big thing about the new tiny one dollar gold coins and that they were used at the track. The track was loong gone but they had found the spot and did manage to find a few of the little beauts.
I've personally found three morgan dollars and after many many years of detecting. I didn't think I'd ever find one after really getting into this hobby putting in the time and realizing the odds. How the hell do you lose a coin that big? One just never knows what the next scrap aluminum target will really be. Actually, the last sentance might have a LOT to do with them not being found very often. I could have very well heard one or two over the years of non dug targets...
 

Don't feel bad it took me a long time to find my one and only Seated Dime. I talked with a guy who detected 40 years and never found a Barber Half Dollar. We had a good laugh I was lucky and Dug 3 of them..He message me about week later with this trashed Barber Half i was happy for him. it's part of the fun to me detecting shareing finds.
 

It is interesting. I found my first (glass half full!) seated dime on Thanksgiving day 2017 and started this hobby in 1984. Also, I've got to have dug dang near 20 barber dimes but not one barber quarter or half. I did mention my Morgan dollars, 1887o, 1891 and 1900o. Had they been quarters or halves..... So, I don't complain and hope to find a gold coin as well as many other items, one day. One day, SOON! lol HH ALL!
 

49er12....well said,,I really enjoy your thoughts,,Take care out there
 

So, silver dimes and half dollars, SusanM? If so, that is odd, for sure.

Gold coins just weren't dropped very often. I remember back in the 80's reading a TH magazine and the story was about one that did the research, found out that when a new dog or horse track opened up, that they were making a big thing about the new tiny one dollar gold coins and that they were used at the track. The track was loong gone but they had found the spot and did manage to find a few of the little beauts.
I've personally found three morgan dollars and after many many years of detecting. I didn't think I'd ever find one after really getting into this hobby putting in the time and realizing the odds. How the hell do you lose a coin that big? One just never knows what the next scrap aluminum target will really be. Actually, the last sentance might have a LOT to do with them not being found very often. I could have very well heard one or two over the years of non dug targets...

In 38 years of detecting I've found three silver dollars.....two Morgans and one Peace Dollar. In that time though I've only found ONE Ike Dollar. This is probably because Morgans and Peace Dollars actually circulated unlike Ike Dollars.
 

So, silver dimes and half dollars, SusanM? If so, that is odd, for sure.

No silver half but quite a few dug silver dimes and silver items like a thimble. Not finding big silver doesn’t annoy me as much as not finding the quarter. It’s a curse, I tell you.
 

In 38 years of detecting I've found three silver dollars.....two Morgans and one Peace Dollar. In that time though I've only found ONE Ike Dollar. This is probably because Morgans and Peace Dollars actually circulated unlike Ike Dollars.
Ha C2S, I think you have a few years on me but I remember Grandma giving me an Ike for birthday gift for three years when I was between the age of 10-13, in early 1970’s. I’d carry that sucker in my pocket for a week until I couldn’t take it anymore and probably bought something dumb like candy (remember how much you could buy for a buck back then!). My friend got a Peace dollar for his birthday, I remember the jealousy.
 

I appreciate your comments as well I do. Giving my 2 cents, I found my fair share of silver dimes, not easy but barber and Mercury dimes, but silver quarters not so, the gentlemen is right ever since went off the gold standard face value isn’t true price, anyhow gold coins more practical beaches shipwrecks,inland Pennsylvania or Ohio not likely out west maybe. So I find large cents very rarely, Indian penny, v and Buffalo nickels , dimes as stated and regular clad. I like finding relics to. I live far from ocean but not Lake Erie so it’s how do I approach it, anyhow I thank all of you we keep asking and learning
 

Please educate us that simply don’t no, this metal called silver and gold how did they determine the actual price and other metals such as platinum is worth more. I mean is this a dam game or is it the demand for something that’s hard to find or mind. The gold standard means what now.(deleted for rule infraction)
 

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