Why is silver harder to find these days?

[TheHbeast]

Admittedly, I wasnt alive for this "switch" but I hear that at some point silver became much more difficult to find as coinage. What is the reason for that? Have they all been found or are they much deeper in the ground? I've found two silver rings and two dimes and that's it, It's sad to think that it used to be easier.

Also, does anybody have tricks for detecting for silver? Good spots, methods, etc?
Thanks for Sharing!

 

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[Xraywolf]

Well, stands to reason that over time there will be less and less, since the supply doesn't replenish like clad.
Still out there, so the reason you haven't found much is because you haven't been swinging your coil over any. Solution ? Keep swinging until you find some, get creative and check more places, use google maps to find grassy places in your area that are off the beaten path.

 

[releventchair]

Admittedly, I wasnt alive for this "switch" but I hear that at some point silver became much more difficult to find as coinage. What is the reason for that? Have they all been found or are they much deeper in the ground? I've found two silver rings and two dimes and that's it, It's sad to think that it used to be easier.

Also, does anybody have tricks for detecting for silver? Good spots, methods, etc?
Thanks for Sharing!

You're following decades of detectorists.
Mid seventies for sure silver was getting nabbed.
Which is when much of it quit being produced and folks started pulling it out of circulation.

Stories of gallons or more of coins came out of certain areas as the past was recovered.

To find silver , follow the rules of where many people gathered briefly (or longer) when silver was still in circulation , or a few people during that time spent a lot of time. (And some folks were just plain broke where you hunt a low populated site).
Then after finding such sites, detect where no one has detected prior.
That can be a tall order.

The historian that demonstrated detecting to me in the mid seventies hunted most spots I came up with. And he was not alone!
Buckets of coins and relics came out of some parks over time.
A gallon jar of Indian head cents sat on a store counter from the owners casual detecting in the nearby park.
That was long ago. And how many hunters since?

 

[Tom Slick]

Silver dimes and quarters stopped being made after 1964. Kennedy halves were 40% silver from 1965 till 1970. That means that very few coins were made from silver after 1964. I've been digging silver coins since 1975 along with thousands of other detectorists. Stands to reason there just isn't very many silver coins left in the ground after all these years. Most of the silver coins were taken out of circulation by the end of 1965 by Horders and the Government. It's been 55 years since folks were carrying silver coins in their pockets so it keeps getting harder to find them.

 

[Lucio21]

I was told one time that the rivers and other waterways were the highways of the past. There are 2 spots, 200+ miles apart. Both next to rivers. Each site has given up well over 100 silver coins. Silver jewelry as well. That's not counting the 1000+ wheaties. 50+ indian head cents and countless other coins, relics and more.

A friend of mine bought his first detector. He was getting discouraged because he was not finding much. I think most people hit the most obvious places when they get a detector for the first time. Playgrounds, fairgrounds, tot lots etc. Which can be a great learning experience, but can be a little bit of a let down when they get their head pumped full of clownish expectations from the Youtube heroes.

I told him to find any water, as long as it was public and hunt the banks, especially if there are woods. He found a spot, I got a text about 10 mins after he started with a photo of a 1935 quarter.

I have noticed when hunting with other people that people are LAZY. They cherry pick a site and move on. They avoid the woods, thorns, and anything that may make them work a little harder.

Cleaning up behind people who cherry pick is the best feeling ever. Especially when you show them a handful of silver they were too impatient to find.

 

[Aeds151]

Im at 6 silvers for the year and I started metal detecting in late February of this year. If I can find some, you can as well. Just got to put in the time.

 

[CASPER-2]

Lucio is right - go where others dont - schools and parks near me been hammered since the 70s
tough to find any silver unless its newer jewelry - hunting outside the box can give you an edge
woods near school grounds, parks and fresh water beaches among other spots
people used to change in the woods yrs ago at lakes and ponds - know many including myself that have gotten silver
this way. kids sneak into the woods at school - we were always told not to go into the woods during school hours
where did we go - in the woods
best place for any one to get silver coins - private homes - homes built before the 60s
Ive gotten silver at every house ive ever hit that dates pre 60s - house i grew up in - i killed it... it was built in early 40s
did pretty good at another house i moved into - got silver coins jewelry and even a gold ring

 

[Ammoman]

The big reason is this...in 1964 their were no buildings or parks or houses newer than 1964. That means, in 1964 a detectoriist had a 100 percent chance of finding a silver dime when a dime was found. We have since had 56 years of new structures built where their were none before. If you detect those new places, your chances of finding silver go down. Just take a look at how big cities have grown over the past 50 years, If a city is 4 times bigger now than in 1964 then only 25 percent of that city will be likely to have silver. Add this to everything that has already been said in the thread and it is clear. You have to do your research and pick the right places to detect.

 

[Silver Saver]

Another thing to add is that new structures get built over old ones, or landscapes get redone taking old dirt out or adding new dirt on top making old coins unreachable.
Or just that layers of trash keep adding up over time masking the deeper older targets.

I'm 29 and sometimes I think I should be spending my extra free time working a 2nd job instead of detecting. Then just detect more when I'm older/retired. But by that time it will be even harder to find old silver! Private permissions will really be the last frontier when it comes to old finds in this hobby

 

[el padron]

Mexico still has a lot of silver in the ground. They still had a 40% mexican 50 peso in circulation as of 1994. The Peso was reset shortly thereafter . 1 new peso per 10 old ones. (The same thing may happen in America soon).
Old Mexican coinage is a lot smaller then the pre 1964 American coins. The old Mexican 5 peso 90% gold coins are smaller then half the circumference of a dime.
A few years back 2007--about 2014 when the San Ysidro / Tijuana port of entry was being updated the old streets and sidewalks on the mexican side were methodically torn out and replaced.
Lots and lots of silver and gold was found under the old outbound (Towards US) dirt inspection lanes.

The HUGE outbound 35 lane US port of entry largely stems from the old Avenida Benito Juarez (Modern 2nd st)
For 80 years it was lined with peddlers that harvested the returning tourists that were captive in the outbound 4 hour wait.

Silver and gold was passed back and forth through open car windows millions upon millions of times in exchange for coffee, food and drinks. Dropped discarded and lost coinage tended to accumulate in certain spots. It was the best metal detecting I had ever experienced.

At first there were only a few Americans detecting there, mostly at night when all construction slowed down. We bribed curious Police and construction foremen with Pizza and Beer.

We were permanently bared from detecting anywhere near the Port of entry in about 2014 when "archaeologists" from Tijuana technical institute took over. (Yes that actually exists)

 

[49er12]

This is a great topic, 70s from what I here detecting was either popular or something triggered interest, also coins prior to 1964 where maybe 90 % silver , dimes , quarters. So my option new building and construction messed the searching up, gee go detect old piles of dirt. Machines where good whites etc, only hope is well, the newer ones go little deeper and can discriminate, separate better. So being that said if you got the time go over those spots they didn’t get everything, oh and yes old foundations in woods, most don’t go in due to bugs, ticks, jaggers you will find old relics if not many coins. Best advice and everyone would agree, GO SLOW AND KEEP SEARCH LEVEL TO GROUND, LISTEN TO THE SOUNDS, we promise to will get a nice find, thankyou

 

[malenkai]

I recently hunted a very old park for over an hour and didn't even find clad. It can be competitive out there. As others said, think outside the box. It is still out there, but getting harder. One large old park around here is rumored to be hunted out. I hit it a few times, and found only a couple of silvers. Then I noticed a small piece of land across the street in a housing development, about a 1/3 of an acre. Researched it, and found it was actually part of the park. 11 silvers just in that area, most along the edge near a fence. Alot of people come to a site, go to the middle of it, find nothing, and give up. In this case, not only had to find the edge section of the big park, but the edge section of that section.

Machine also matters. Some machines are simply better at finding silvers than others.

 

[el padron]

I recently hunted a very old park for over an hour and didn't even find clad. It can be competitive out there. As others said, think outside the box. It is still out there, but getting harder. One large old park around here is rumored to be hunted out. I hit it a few times, and found only a couple of silvers. Then I noticed a small piece of land across the street in a housing development, about a 1/3 of an acre. Researched it, and found it was actually part of the park. 11 silvers just in that area, most along the edge near a fence. Alot of people come to a site, go to the middle of it, find nothing, and give up. In this case, not only had to find the edge section of the big park, but the edge section of that section.

Machine also matters. Some machines are simply better at finding silvers than others.

I understand that once you put in the 150 hours of recommended training so as to get "familiar " with the machine,
the $28,500 Silvermatic pulse Parkmasterpro 5000 coupled with the peripheral electrothrob extreme deep seeking high amplitude jolt coil ( $1150 on sale) is absolutely unbeatable.

Or you can get a commercial instrument pilot rating for about the same amount of effort.

 

[michael NY]

I think its an all in location location location..I recently located a new picnic grove and have dug some decent silver coins Saturday was a Walking Liberty Half Dollar. Best day was three Washington quarters a Mercury Dime and Rosie dime. Today Mercury dimes I detected a different spot its right out in the open area but tons of trash had it hidden until I hit it. the picnic grove gave my brother two slver coins also quarter and a dime.

HH michael

 

[fistfulladirt]

Silver dimes and quarters stopped being made after 1964. Kennedy halves were 40% silver from 1965 till 1970. That means that very few coins were made from silver after 1964. I've been digging silver coins since 1975 along with thousands of other detectorists. Stands to reason there just isn't very many silver coins left in the ground after all these years. Most of the silver coins were taken out of circulation by the end of 1965 by Horders and the Government. It's been 55 years since folks were carrying silver coins in their pockets so it keeps getting harder to find them.

Tom I’m sure you’re aware that 90% silver dimes, quarters and halves were minted again starting 1992 to present day. Millions. I’ve found several while roll hunting over the years, but none while detecting. Some are about to be minted in .999 fine silver.

 

[fistfulladirt]

Also, does anybody have tricks for detecting for silver? Good spots, methods, etc?
Thanks for Sharing!

Someone here suggested hunting ‘outside the box’, I agree. Also, the trashier the spot, the better.

 

[CalReg]

In my past life (1970's) finding silver wasn't a problem. I still have many of those coins, including Buffalo Nickels and Wheaties. But since my return to the hobby, finding anything older than the 1970's is rare for me. I'm still waiting for that first silver coin...I'm patient...it will happen!

 

[A2coins]

Only to make it that much better when you find one....If you found it every time would it be as much fun Heck yes...lol

 

[sprailroad]

I understand that once you put in the 150 hours of recommended training so as to get "familiar " with the machine,
the $28,500 Silvermatic pulse Parkmasterpro 5000 coupled with the peripheral electrothrob extreme deep seeking high amplitude jolt coil ( $1150 on sale) is absolutely unbeatable.

Or you can get a commercial instrument pilot rating for about the same amount of effort.

Almost bought one of those, but then I thought...lets spend only $1000 on a new detector, and use the other $27,500 for 27,500 cups of coffee at McDonalds from the senior menu.

 

[Timecop67]

Yes had way better luck back in the 80s and with a little better machine to ID silver the Teknetics 8500 that was a silver finder. The XP Orx while deep and sensitive struggles some as it likes to hit the aluminum cap and falses on Iron, which registers high up the scale. Didn't seem to have that issue with the Tek machine.

The best chance of finding silver for me has been silver jewelry. Since March have found 3 silver jewelry pieces with the XP Orx. A Sterling Ring, wristband chain and a Catholic silver religious medallion with full chain.