If you are a beginner or thinking about beginning, I would suggest keeping a few things in mind. First of all, don't expect to go out your first time and come home with thousands of dollars in coins, jewelry, and relics. Expect to dig up a few coins along with trash such as soda tabs, bottle caps, and other assorted junk. Patience and persistence is the key to this hobby and finding things. Take the time to really experiment and learn your detector- speak to others who have been detecting for a while and read detecting forums on the Internet. Join a metal detecting club and attend meetings. Most of all- have fun with it!

There are some questions you need to consider before you go shopping for a metal detector: The place you purchase from should ask the same questions to determine what detector is best for you.

Where Do You Want to Detect? On dry land, dry sand at the beaches, wet sand at the beaches, in fresh water such as ponds and lakes, or in salt water such as in the ocean, bays, saltwater ponds, etc? Each of these areas have unique requirements for detecting. It is even more prevalent if you ever go into "trash" filled areas such as parks or on the beach. Where you detect will also dictate the additional tools you will need. For example, on the beach you will want a sand scoop. On dry land, you will want a shovel or garden trowel.

What Do You Want to Detect? Are you searching for coins, gold, relics such as old brass and iron items, or all of the above? Some detectors have unique features that may be better suited for particular types of searches.

Discrimination - Many detectors have different types of discrimination capabilities, or the ability to filter out junk targets such as iron or soda pull-tabs.

Tones, Visual Displays, or Both? Some detectors rely on tone (audio) alerts alone, others have visual displays - some with numbers and others with more graphic indications such as coin shapes, etc.

Ease of operation? Depending on your learning curve and the amount of time you will spend learning your detector, you may want to choose a "grab and go" detector or may prefer one with more depth of settings and programming capabilities. Some upper-end detectors can have complicated programming options you can set and tinker with for any condition or hunting. The best question to ask yourself in this category is "am I doing this occasionally for fun or going to become a die-hard treasure hunter?"

What is your budget? If you want to get a decent beginner's detector for dry land and sand, expect to spend around $200.00. If your budget is tight, it may be worth saving for an additional month or two to get the detector with the features and quality you really want rather than "settle" for a lesser detector now- chances are the one you get will be the one you use for a year or more. To paraphrase a saying I once heard, don't give up what you want in the long run for something you want today...

Where do you purchase from? You can purchase your detector from a local dealer or over the Internet. I personally prefer to purchase from a local dealer for a couple of reasons. Although you may end up spending a little more, I find it is well worth the extra personalized help you receive setting up your machine and the expertise in how to most effectively use it. Beyond that, I just believe it is always a good thing to support local merchants. If you do decide to purchase from an Internet merchant, check with the metal detecting club in your area to make sure it is a reputable dealer. There are a few good ones out there, but remember, you lose that localized personal help.

Do some research on the Internet - read reviews of the different detectors you are thinking about. Find metal detecting clubs near you and ask their opinion- they know what the best detectors are for the area you live in. They may even allow you to join one of their members on a hunt to try it out before you buy. For detecting clubs in Delaware, see the "Links" page.

Some very popular brands of detectors (especially in Delaware) are:

Once you have purchased and received your metal detector:

• Read the manual
• Practice using it before you go hunting!
  • "Air test" it with coins and rings laying on top of the ground to see how it responds. Learn the tones and visual displays for each type of object.
  • Create a test garden with buried coins and other items at various depths to gain a good understanding of how it operates and responds.
• Every detector has its little tricks and nuances you need to learn to become good. When I purchased my first detector, I learned a few things about it that saved me from digging a lot of junk when I took it out into the field.
• Figure out where people congregate and go detect! Don't just rely on where people hang around today; some of the best sites with the best finds are where people used to congregate, but don't necessarily do so anymore.
  • Parks
  • Playgrounds
  • Beaches
  • Swimming holes
  • Fishing areas
  • Schools
  • Around old stores and houses
  • Trails through woods
  • Camp areas
  • and the list goes on...

I started out with a Garrett Ace 250. For the price, it did an awesome job of detecting coins and other objects. In addition to the 8" coil that came with the unit, I purchased a 10" coil to provide a little more scanning area and sensitivity in some areas. It has easy controls, is easy to learn, and has a graphic display that greatly helps identify the type of find. On the beach, it performed very well outside of some "hot spots" of very mineralized sand that I had to avoid with it. On land, it did well too, finding coins and a very old brass button on a friend's farm. (he actually found the button while using mine) I eventually wanted to detect on the wet sand at the beach, which the Garrett Ace 250 is not designed to do, so I purchased a Minelab Sovereign GT. Later, I added a Digimeter to the Sovereign GT so I had a visual numeric display of what I was detecting. I have been happily using that ever since, but eventually want to upgrade to a higher-end detector. It is amazing how hooked you can get on this hobby!

I love to detect on the beach for numerous reasons. The walk is great, the ocean is beautiful to watch, and the fresh air with scents of the ocean does the body wonders. As I detect, children will approach me out of curiosity; I always stop to show them what I am doing and how the detector works. I was a teacher for numerous years and enjoy adding sparks to the imagination of young minds. I also have adults who ask questions- and some not even relating to metal detecting. One teenage boy asked if I knew where sand comes from. I guess since people see us walking the beach every day, metal detecting folks are generally viewed as beach experts. (Incidentally, sand is mainly from disintegrated rocks and, on an ocean beach, mixed with a small among of disintegrated shells, coral, etc) To me, it's a great walk - finding the small treasures along the way is just icing on the cake.

I also started detecting on a friend's farm. Detecting on land is somewhat different from the beach- obviously, digging dirt is harder than sand, but it is just as fun and rewarding. Within a short period of starting, we found a couple of coins (nothing real old), but then found a brass button that appears might be from the 1700s. As we find more, I'll post in the DelawareDetecting forums.

Beach Detecting Basics Part I - Hot Spots

The beaches are a great and relaxing place to detect- and my personal favorite. While detecting at the beach, please respect the dunes and beach grass as off-limit areas. The state of Delaware and most coastal towns have laws prohibiting trespassing on the dunes or disturbing beach grass. This is for several reasons including the control of beach erosion, and maintaining safe resting / nesting areas for coastal and migratory birds. In addition, there may be additional beach restrictions such as along "the point" within Cape Henlopen State park- so make sure you check the local laws and restrictions before you begin. Otherwise, everything from the dunes into the ocean is fair game.

When I started detecting on the beaches in Delaware, I was given some advice that I will share. First of all, dig every target. What made me a believer in this was when I dug a target that measured that read either a nickel or a pull-tab and it turned out to be a gold watch with diamonds on it! Jewelry will measure differently and I can only image how many people have left gold in the sand by ignoring it. Second, go to the beach while people are there and take note as to where they congregate. My favorite track is between 5 and 10 feet in from the top of the "cut" in the sand by the water. (#1 in the picture below). If you have a detector that is good for use in salt-water, there are troughs (#2 in the picture below) in the sand where jewelry and coins that were lost in the water seem to collect. WARNING- if you don't have a detector that is waterproof, don't try this or your detector will transform into a very expensive paperweight! If you do try it, once you find a trough with rings or coins in it, then work that line parallel to the beach to get more. In particular, finds are usually more concentrated in these spots within a few hundred feet either way of entrances (walkways) onto the beach and snack bars or any other location where people are likely to be pulling money or other items out of their pockets nearby.

Beyond those "hot spots", you can find things on the entire beach- anywhere people have been, items can be found, so don't discount ANY part of the beach!

Finally, after major storms (Nor'eastars and hurricanes) tons of beach sand can get removed from the beach- and that lower level that has been stripped away (#3 on the picture below) is where you will be likely to find items. I emphasized "major" in the last sentence because storms of normal magnitude typically don't move enough sand to make a that much of a difference. This area is also where you are likely to find coins from coastal shipwrecks after major storms.

Beach Detecting Basics Part II - "Gridding" the Beach

When you detect on a beach, mentally cut the beach into grids. The diagram below shows how I personally will work a beach. I will go down near the water and work the area where people congregate the heaviest by the water (section 1 on the picture below) before moving on to the next area. I walk back and forth, overlapping where I sweep my detector a little each pass to ensure I don't miss any spots until I have covered this entire area. Next, I work the area where people walk on and off the beach (section 2 on the picture below). From there, I will work both sides beyond the main path (number 3 on the below picture). If you use this type of pattern, you will cover the areas most likely to contain finds first, saving areas that contain less for later, when you may run out of time. Keep in mind as I said in part one, don't discount any area of a beach- I have found some great finds on areas of the beach where I really didn't expect to find anything. Sometimes, things are dropped or lost where nobody else expected to find anything - and didn't detect there.

Metal Detecting Ethics

• Always respect private property and never enter  without the land owner's permission. Even with permission, always touch base with farmers before entering their properties to ensure no hunting is occurring while you are there. Be very sensitive to planted or growing crops and never disturb or damage them.
• Never destroy property, buildings or what is left of deserted structures.
• Never litter; always take out what you take in and remove all trash dug in your search.
• Leave all gates and other accesses to land as found.
• Appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources, wildlife, and private property.
• Use thoughtfulness, consideration and courtesy at all times.
• Abide by all laws, ordinances or regulations that govern metal detecting in the area you are in.
  • In Delaware, be especially careful about searching in state parks as some have "off limit" areas for metal detecting or treasure hunting. For example, there was an old military base at one time within Cape Henlopen state park's boundaries - and metal detecting within most of the park is strictly prohibited due to the potential of finding old WWII munitions. You wouldn't want to hit an old artillery shell with a shovel!
• Fill all holes, regardless how remote the location, and never dig in a way that will damage, be damaging to, or kill any vegetation.
• Report the discovery of items of significant historical value to a local historian or museum in accordance with the latest legislation.
• Be an ambassador for the metal detecting hobby. Be polite and informative to those who inquire about your hobby - you are the ambassador of a pastime we want to protect and we will all be judged by how you act and respond.

©2007 Mike Futty