What Inspired you to Metal Detect?

[Jolly Roger Blue]

As a young boy, I rode into the Superstition, and Bradshaw mountains with my dad, prospecting for gold. That started my treasure hunting fever. During my last year in the Army (1976), I was sent to southern Germany. One day while my unit was out in the field doing infiltration exercises, we saw a German guy with what turned out to be a Garrett VLF/TR detector, and my Sargent sent me over to check him out. He spoke perfect English, and we talked for a couple of minutes before the rest of the squad sauntered over. We were all amazed by his finds that morning, including some WWII coins, a gold Nazi ring, and a Roman coin! When I saw the gold ring my brain went immediately to the gold nuggets my dad and I would find in the Bradshaw mountains. When I went home to Phoenix, AZ, later that year, the first thing I bought myself was a Garrett Master Hunter. I have been hooked hard ever since!

Hey what happened to all your Tesoro metal detectors??

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[Nevada Prospector]

I got hooked when my father found a $20 gold coin in his orchard.

 

[Treasure Hunting NM]

Went out metal detecting once with my step father early in 1981. Fast forward 38 years later and I met a friend who had a couple of detectors and asked if I wanted to go. First thing I find is a tungsten ring and I got hooked. I found a AT Pro on craigslist for $400 with the pinpointer and shovel and starting going out on my own. Now 2 to 3 years later I found $1600 in change, 241 rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, 2 Silver dollars, a Walker, silver dimes and quarters, wheats, foreign coins from all around the world, and lots of other goodies. I ended up buying a AT Max too with the change I found and am still going strong. I think it's so cool because you never know what will pop out of the ground at the end of your shovel. I am definitely hooked for life.

 

[Rhapsody]

I've been loving this community, especially getting to see stuff out of the ground that's older than me. And sometimes older than most of yall XD. However, I have to wonder, what inspired any of you, ladies and gentlemen to metal detect? I know when I got into metal detecting, I always wanted to do it when I was a young lad, and actually brought my first metal detector at 19 the (Bounty tracker IV) I think that's what you call it. I never used it as much, i then brought the at pro, and still haven't used that one as much, mainly because college has been keeping me distracted.

Hope to hear your comments, have a safe day, and happy holidays.

Picked up a copy of "Eastern and Western Treasures" when I was ten years old and was instantly hooked by the finds page. Saved up two years and bought a dinged up White's Coinmaster 4900/d detector (was 1983) and would ride my bike to the woods and just dig, feels great to be outside and the finds arejust icing on the cake. Happy hunting,

 

[golddigger14s]

Better than sitting in the house, which reminds me I need to get back out. Also, check out the magnet fishing thread might be just as interesting as detecting, (just more garbage).

 

[nwdetectorist]

I've been loving this community, especially getting to see stuff out of the ground that's older than me. And sometimes older than most of yall XD. However, I have to wonder, what inspired any of you, ladies and gentlemen to metal detect? I know when I got into metal detecting, I always wanted to do it when I was a young lad, and actually brought my first metal detector at 19 the (Bounty tracker IV) I think that's what you call it. I never used it as much, i then brought the at pro, and still haven't used that one as much, mainly because college has been keeping me distracted.

Hope to hear your comments, have a safe day, and happy holidays.

Early 1970s and I saw a beautiful Spanish Conquistador's walnut (or similar hardwood) rifle fore stock with silver inlay that a prospector found in the hills with a metal detector. He said he had gone back many, many times to the same area while prospecting, but could not find other part of the rifle. I was 14 and suddenly the visions 'El Dorado' danced about in my young mind. So... dad got me an older machine with which I found a pocket knife, large sheet of brass and some other detritus. I really wanted those expensive BFO machines, but no cash flow... Fast forward to the early 90s and I inherited a White's TR66 with different coils. I found some things but not much. Then, in 1994 I was able to trade this to swap meet dealer who had a buyer wanting my particular machine. What I got was the early version of White's Eagle Spectrum (after some payments were made) and I was off and finally finding lots of change, some silver and gold rings and occasionally older silver and IH pennies too! Today I use the Equinox 800 and am older and beat up so cannot gut out several hours of detecting, but still I find goodies. TOO MUCH DIRT - NOT ENUFF TIME HH