Good Detectors for Searching for Coins?

A

Argentiferous

Tenderfoot
Mar 27, 2021
5
13
Detector(s) used
Ace 350, Equinox 600
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I'm not new to the hobby of metal detecting as I've had an interest in it for years, but it's only recently that I've gotten back into it. I have a lot of spare time currently and am looking for ways to spend that spare time metal detecting. I've been looking for coins, but haven't had too much luck finding any (though I found my first one today). I'm currently using a Garrett Ace 350 that I've had for a few years, but I'm running into the limitations of this metal detector as it is often detecting nails, chunks of metal as coins. I'm thinking of investing around $700 in a new detector (less if I can get one used or off of eBay) and need to know what I should be looking for as far as a new metal detector is concerned.
 

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Guaranteed, you will find just as much junk if not more with a higher end detector, including nails.
Limitations of the Ace really is meager depth and lack of tones, outside of that it is a coin/ring vac. Everyone will tell you to get the nox, hardly even worth asking anymore. Expect a learning curve, and don't expect old coins flying up from the ground at ya.

Simplex is a decent upgrade over the Ace, slightly superior depth [is allegedly waterproof as well] Update-able and a nice load of features for the price, where it really shines for me is simple things like backlight, adjustable volume and the shaft easily breaks down.
 

Minelab Equinox or Minelab Vanquish 540 pro pack. Both detectors are multi-frequeintcy. You can't go wrong with Minelab detectors.
 

"I'm not new to the hobby of metal detecting as I've had an interest in it for years, but it's only recently that I've gotten back into it."
So if you have been detecting before-but how long ago, 1-50yrs ?

There's a few questions as where are you searching now? eg: park, beach, bush, homestead, private home, church, hall, school

I drive down the road see a lovely X spot to detect-if it's not a private/homestead/bush it's probably been detected at one time or other in the last 50 seasons.

Maybe the spots you have chosen are just hunted out/or filled in/or never had anything to begin with.

I would suggest just taking a few minutes and make a finds garden (so to speak) bury a few coins at different levels and see if you can hear them-it's a start.

The 350 should be able to pick up coinage at some depth I would think.

I have always had just high end machines (:dontknow:) and the amount of trash/iron/garbage has made me think "like this sucks-spend all this $$$ and I'm digging crap"

But that's what it's all about the learning curves that come along with the passion. Experience/machine/weather/soils/history.......
 

Welcome to Tnet! Currently, IMO, the Equinox is the best all-around detector on the market.
 

Remember, more trash is dropped than treasure. Expect to dig trash. Many say that he who digs the most trash finds the most treasure.
I'd keep at it with what you have for now. Have you used the machine for at least 50 hours? Do you have a pinpointer? Speed up recovery so you can dig two to three times as many targets in one outing.
 

Xraywolf said:
Guaranteed, you will find just as much junk if not more with a higher end detector, including nails.
Limitations of the Ace really is meager depth and lack of tones, outside of that it is a coin/ring vac. Everyone will tell you to get the nox, hardly even worth asking anymore. Expect a learning curve, and don't expect old coins flying up from the ground at ya.

Simplex is a decent upgrade over the Ace, slightly superior depth [is allegedly waterproof as well] Update-able and a nice load of features for the price, where it really shines for me is simple things like backlight, adjustable volume and the shaft easily breaks down.
Click to expand...

Apparently at one of the houses I am metal detecting at at the moment, someone was careless with the nailgun, shooting it all over in the yard when the house was last being worked on (and they were fired for it), plus with nails falling out of equipment, trash, etc. I'm not too surprised I'm finding nails there (even if most of them were picked up with a magnet). I'm wondering if I'm missing some objects that might be deeper, though. It's more difficult to get a consistent signal on some of the deeper objects I have noticed. Sometimes I'll try and dig for an object but I can't find anything with my pinpointer where I dig, so it makes me wonder if either I'm not digging deep enough or maybe I need a detector with a smaller coil.


Chuck M said:
Minelab Equinox or Minelab Vanquish 540 pro pack. Both detectors are multi-frequeintcy. You can't go wrong with Minelab detectors.
Click to expand...
cudamark said:
Welcome to Tnet! Currently, IMO, the Equinox is the best all-around detector on the market.
Click to expand...

I've been looking into the Equniox; I'm trying to decide if there's enough of a difference that I should be considering the 800 over the 600, especially if I'm primarily out hunting for coinage.


pepperj said:
"I'm not new to the hobby of metal detecting as I've had an interest in it for years, but it's only recently that I've gotten back into it."
So if you have been detecting before-but how long ago, 1-50yrs ?

There's a few questions as where are you searching now? eg: park, beach, bush, homestead, private home, church, hall, school

I drive down the road see a lovely X spot to detect-if it's not a private/homestead/bush it's probably been detected at one time or other in the last 50 seasons.

Maybe the spots you have chosen are just hunted out/or filled in/or never had anything to begin with.

I would suggest just taking a few minutes and make a finds garden (so to speak) bury a few coins at different levels and see if you can hear them-it's a start.

The 350 should be able to pick up coinage at some depth I would think.

I have always had just high end machines (:dontknow:) and the amount of trash/iron/garbage has made me think "like this sucks-spend all this $$$ and I'm digging crap"

But that's what it's all about the learning curves that come along with the passion. Experience/machine/weather/soils/history.......
Click to expand...

I've been into metal detecting since at least the early 2010s, but wasn't in a position to enjoy it as much as I can now. I've been searching around old farmhouses with a history of structures existing on the property as far back as 1861 according to the plat maps I've been able to find for my area (even if the house that is standing currently is a lot newer). I did also search part of a property where there used to be an old schoolhouse, but I only found iron/aluminum/porcelain junk. All of the spots I have detected on are private property and haven't had anyone detecting on the property until I have detected it, as far as I know. Sounds like a good idea as far as testing what I can find at different depths; I did a test long ago with several different coinage types, but I didn't test for depth nor do I remember how the different items detected. I plan on also searching a property that used to have a railway depot on the grounds, especially since it seems like there was a lot of activity around the property at that time when the railway was in operation.


xr7ator said:
Remember, more trash is dropped than treasure. Expect to dig trash. Many say that he who digs the most trash finds the most treasure.
I'd keep at it with what you have for now. Have you used the machine for at least 50 hours? Do you have a pinpointer? Speed up recovery so you can dig two to three times as many targets in one outing.
Click to expand...

Hopefully my perseverance through the trash will pay off on the properties I am searching! I can't remember how much time I have put into this machine; I've had it for a while, but didn't get around to really using it a lot until recently. I have a pinpointer to aid in my search.
 

Good luck with finding the best detector for you! Also the level of mineralization in your ground is also important to consider when buying a new detector! Wish you the best in your adventures. And welcome to the forum from Oregon!
 

Argentiferous said:
Apparently at one of the houses I am metal detecting at at the moment, someone was careless with the nailgun, shooting it all over in the yard when the house was last being worked on (and they were fired for it), plus with nails falling out of equipment, trash, etc. I'm not too surprised I'm finding nails there (even if most of them were picked up with a magnet). I'm wondering if I'm missing some objects that might be deeper, though. It's more difficult to get a consistent signal on some of the deeper objects I have noticed. Sometimes I'll try and dig for an object but I can't find anything with my pinpointer where I dig, so it makes me wonder if either I'm not digging deep enough or maybe I need a detector with a smaller coil.
Click to expand...

All depends on your level of patience, I tend to walk away from trashy places like that, and is the main reason why I stay away from parks. Other guys will clean up layers of junk to possibly get at good stuff lurking below.
Smaller coils can help, but you have stumbled onto a key of finding deeper coins - The signal will be broken up and weak, makes perfect cents, I mean sense. You can do an air test and see the concept, the further the coil is from the target, the weaker it will be, until you get no signal at all. Detecting, if only temporarily, in all metal mode can help a bit with depth and iron, and you have to sweep very slow with the coil as level and close to the ground as possible ,,, Then when you find a weak target, engage the pinpointer of the machine [which will also be weak compared to a surface coin] to get a profile of the object and its approximate location.

Coins on edge can also return a weak signal, and throw off pinpointing too ,, But don't ignore the weak signals though sure, some will be phantom signals.
 

great machine for coinshooting is the Whites XLT if you can find a good one used on ebay
I did a quick vid on its pinpointing on you tube
search Casper metal detecting to find it
ive been using an XLT as my land machine since 1995 (been detecting since age 12 1975)
Most land finds here are with XLT - very good on small silver like half dimes and half reales
 

Argentiferous said:
Apparently at one of the houses I am metal detecting at at the moment, someone was careless with the nailgun, shooting it all over in the yard when the house was last being worked on (and they were fired for it), plus with nails falling out of equipment, trash, etc. I'm not too surprised I'm finding nails there (even if most of them were picked up with a magnet). I'm wondering if I'm missing some objects that might be deeper, though. It's more difficult to get a consistent signal on some of the deeper objects I have noticed. Sometimes I'll try and dig for an object but I can't find anything with my pinpointer where I dig, so it makes me wonder if either I'm not digging deep enough or maybe I need a detector with a smaller coil.





I've been looking into the Equniox; I'm trying to decide if there's enough of a difference that I should be considering the 800 over the 600, especially if I'm primarily out hunting for coinage.




I've been into metal detecting since at least the early 2010s, but wasn't in a position to enjoy it as much as I can now. I've been searching around old farmhouses with a history of structures existing on the property as far back as 1861 according to the plat maps I've been able to find for my area (even if the house that is standing currently is a lot newer). I did also search part of a property where there used to be an old schoolhouse, but I only found iron/aluminum/porcelain junk. All of the spots I have detected on are private property and haven't had anyone detecting on the property until I have detected it, as far as I know. Sounds like a good idea as far as testing what I can find at different depths; I did a test long ago with several different coinage types, but I didn't test for depth nor do I remember how the different items detected. I plan on also searching a property that used to have a railway depot on the grounds, especially since it seems like there was a lot of activity around the property at that time when the railway was in operation.




Hopefully my perseverance through the trash will pay off on the properties I am searching! I can't remember how much time I have put into this machine; I've had it for a while, but didn't get around to really using it a lot until recently. I have a pinpointer to aid in my search.
Click to expand...

I guess there's a few things that stan out in the replies-queries.

I have found that the amount of coinage found at a homestead site can really be from 0-30 coins. Now usually they fall into the range of 0-5 for coinage.
Example one year I went to 8 different homestead permissions, just cellar holes, nobody had detected them yet. Lots of signals, usual finds one would make at most sites, lots of little targets so I knew I was detecting ok.
The only thing absent was a coin, buttons yes, no coins.
Frustrating as I put in now 40-50 hrs total of swinging the coil at these permissions. Then I started to think why, why, why an the best I could come up with the sites were all Quaker's an maybe the coinage wasn't plenty an the purse strings were tight.
I went to another totally different area-and the coinage started up again (the 1-2-3 coins per site)
Many times farmland (fields) that have plowed buries the finds deeper, and even with time and soil conditions can make a huge difference for detection.
Site 1: Sandy/loamy soils the finds are 1"-6" deep, easy to hear.
Site 2: Heavy clay soils and the finds are 4"-10" deep, the soil/depth are getting to the limitations of machine.

One has to remember that if a public space the spot has had 50 yrs to be detected out-the parks we hit as a family in the 70's took the cream of most of the early coinage (limitations of the machines)
I have always maintained that one really/seriously need a 1000hrs on a machine before they truly know what that machine is doing. When a 50hr reference pops up that is a 5 day hunt-one might think they know what is going on but it's a minimum really.

It can be frustrating trying to dig a single coin out of a site that has limitations already set. Little money to begin with, folks very careful with money, already detected, soils, machine. Even if a coil is swung to fast the processor capability can miss a coin often. So I often like seeing the everything that is dug, are the recoveries all larger items? That is a great indication of the coil moving fast, not picking up smaller items, or if it does the operator doesn't recognize the little chap as being a noble target.
I guess the best advice is slow down the swinging and maybe things will start to pop up.

Just a few suggestions-I think if you went the route of the 600/800 machine it really might also help in the separation of iron/non ferrous targets.
 

The Simplex will seriously get the job done
 

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