Would you give it a swing?

[Oldhead]

There is a big field right next to my development that has been nothing but a farm field since the 30's. It's now township owned and has a ball field on one end. I was thinking of swinging the more open end away from the ball field. Power lines split the field down the middle so anything more than 4 to 5 inches I doubt I'll find due to the settings I'll have to run to keep the machine quiet. Think it is worth a swing hoping to find coin that may have fallen out of a farmers pocket while plowing?

 

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[HighVDI]

Id beep it. Found a braided hair largie at a ballfield that was once farmed about a month or so ago. Probably mowed nice and tight and sounds close to home. Could always throw in the towel if it's too quiet for you.

 

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[against the wind]

Well Oldhead,,
There it is.
Everyone except Tom in California is saying that you should hunt that field. Aren't you glad that you don't live in California?

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

Where I live, we don't really have "random" fields, but we do have "random" woods. Some of my best finds have come from them. I still wouldn't hesitate one second to hunt that field. You got nothing to lose. Not sure why Tom is being so discouraging.

 

[Megalodon]

I think I'll give it a try. Took a walk out there this morning and realized there is a tot lot at one end. Gonna hit that first. Looking at historical aerials it looks like a field that was kept plowed from the 1930's until the late 90's. now its just grass.

Good luck! It is likely that the history of that field goes back to the 1600's. I have pulled english and spanish coins going back to the 1500's from farm fields. I think the East Coast has the advantage here over the West Coast. NJ also has Revolutionary War and War of 1812 history.

 

[Oldhead]

Good luck! It is likely that the history of that field goes back to the 1600's. I have pulled english and spanish coins going back to the 1500's from farm fields. I think the East Coast has the advantage here over the West Coast. NJ also has Revolutionary War and War of 1812 history.

I’d certainly love to find something civil war period. Definitely doesn’t have to be a coin. I’d be ecstatic with a nice button or buckle.

 

[chub]

I wouldnt hesitate! Remember frequency shift on the F5 is your friend (around the powerlines) . I have a few hundred hours on the F5 . If it were me I would consider AM (a little extra depth) sensible gain (help it run stable)with a highish threshold. The lack of depth was my main issue with the F5 and cranking up the sensativity and thresh was too much for me to process at times....listening 'through the noise' could make my ears/ head ache.
Despite all that sometimes I miss it!

Good luck
Chub

 

[Upnorth42]

If I have to sit and think about it then its worth a look. Maybe just a rapid pass through where you think the best chance that there used to be a house or something. If you start hitting targets slow down and look for more. If there is nothing keep passing through.

 

[Whyme]

I'd swing it no matter what. But I would also look for old 1800 or older maps of the area and see if there were any houses. Then hit those areas first. There are lots of fields in my area, I've found 3 old houses on an 1856 map in my area that are gone and are just fields now. All 3 are on the same road. Maprika is an awesome program to learn and really helps finding new places to hunt.

 

[Murphy]

If I ever think it may not be worth it then that’s when I’ll probably hang up detecting. For me it’s the thrill of possibly finding something good that I love. So needless to say any chance anywhere I’m in.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... But I would also look for old 1800 or older maps of the area and see if there were any houses. Then hit those areas first. There are lots of fields in my area, I've found 3 old houses on an 1856 map in my area ....

Why ? Why would you preference those areas first ? Why not just random fields ? Why the preference for where old habitations/activity occurred ? Careful, they'll start making fun of your education !

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hunt in the middle of the Sahara desert now. After all: Ya never know if someone didn't walk past this spot 200 yrs. ago, and loose a coin.

 

[HighVDI]

Yawn

 

[smokeythecat]

Once upon a time ago, not that long ago, I asked a friend to detect his farm. The house has history, but 1/4 mile from the house on the hillside where no history was known, I found a Confederate belt buckle. Go figure. I have a lot of "what is that doing here?" types of relics.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

... but 1/4 mile from the house on the hillsidewhere no history was known,.....

Uhhh, but sounds like you had reason to be hunting , in the vicinity, to begin with. Right ?

And sure, it's neverendingly possible that some "spot" shows up, where it was never suspected. So : Do we neverendingling hunt in the middle of nowhere ? Or do we hedge our bets and hunt where human activity was known to have occurred ?

 

[releventchair]

If you don't have another site close and want to swing , have at it.
If you are a research buff ,find out what went on in that field over the years.

An example of a municipal field I've hunted...A homestead was demolished and spread out over part of it long ago. Then fill was brought in. (And where did the fill come from and what was in it?).
Various activities were held there over the decades. Mule pulls (spectators) tractor pulls ,fireworks viewing...

So for a place to hunt close ,it works.
Pulled some firsts out of it too!

 

[Murphy]

Uhhh, but sounds like you had reason to be hunting , in the vicinity, to begin with. Right ?

And sure, it's neverendingly possible that some "spot" shows up, where it was never suspected. So : Do we neverendingling hunt in the middle of nowhere ? Or do we hedge our bets and hunt where human activity was known to have occurred ?

How about if we have a chance to go somewhere we just go? Some folks just way overthink things.

 

[Oldhead]

Uhhh, but sounds like you had reason to be hunting , in the vicinity, to begin with. Right ?

And sure, it's neverendingly possible that some "spot" shows up, where it was never suspected. So : Do we neverendingling hunt in the middle of nowhere ? Or do we hedge our bets and hunt where human activity was known to have occurred ?

We all understand where you are coming from. I certainly look at old maps to see where activity was. This field has been farmed for many years. It was even a tree farm for a while way back when. So that's what got me thinking. It has certainly had human activity all over it through the years.

 

[CASPER-2]

Personally, I do not think that just hunting "any old farmer's field" is worthwhile. There has to have been something that went on there. Eg.: a cellar hole, stage stop, park, trading post, traveler stop spot, habitation, etc....

Perhaps in Europe they can just walk out to "any cultivated field", and detect, and find stuff. But they've had 2000+ yrs. of continuous cultivation/civilization there (of which 1800+ of those years were hand-labor). Versus the USA, where our history is just too young.

Oh sure, somewhere ... in any random field in the USA, is *bound* to be a fluke wheatie, buffalo nickel, or whatever. But it's needles in hay-stacks, if you're relying on random field-worker losses. JMHO.

Actually I have found coins in every random field ive ever hit - all it takes is one person/farmer to lose a coin or a button
usually older farms were farmed by whole families or whole towns sometimes
house I grew up in when I started detecting was built in the late 30s - found out it had a small "poor farm" there
in the late 1800s - I found period stuff from when house was built - mercs and such but also found my first large cent there - lot was only about 1/4 acre - found a few musket balls too there - poor farm was maybe 5 acres
but every other field ive tried over my 40+ yrs hunting - have always come up with some keepers - from 1 acre fields to couple hundred acres

 

[Hawks88]

I wouldn’t hesitate. I’d have done it by now. Good luck.

 

[marjam]

One other thing of note; if everyone else thought that this field wouldn't produce and didn't hunt it, then you could be looking at a virgin site. Those don't come along too often. I have had one in my time metal detecting, and i spent years detecting it and getting goodies out of it. Its hard to find anything there now, you can squeak out one every now and then, but for a long time it was great. Who knows, you may come back here and post some great finds and continue to go back, finding good things for awhile. Here's hoping you do.....

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Wow, this is an eye-opening thread. I have often wondered why I bump into people who've given up, d/t they don't find stuff. And they come to me asking me to loop them into sites I'm working. And when I scrutinize the rationales of what led them to wherever-it-was they were working (with meager results) I point out to them the "better odds" (ie.: the backgrounds of types finds I've made).

When I reflect back on 40+ yrs, of having scouted out virgin stage stops, virgin county picnic sites, etc.... Their was always something that pointed me in the direction of research. Ie.: they weren't just "random forest" or "random farmer's field". Yes, I know they do that in Europe, but .... here , I can point you to ag. land that's had continuous cultivation for 100 to 150 yrs., and guaranteed: You will go for days before finding a wheat penny or barber dime that "farmer bob might have lost there 100 yrs. ago".

And yes: I grant that the east coast has had 100 to 200 years more history. But if you talked to the guys over there who are "bringing in the finds", you'd probably see that, they too are hedging their bets and hitting sites where it was known that some past activity (homesites , battle sites, etc...) occurred .