Most playground equipment is supported by large metal poles. This poses a problem for detectorists as many metal detectors cannot get within eight inches of the poles without their detector sounding off. What this means that the sand, gravel or wood chips close to the tot lot poles are not searched as often or effectively [...]

Learning to read an old metal detecting site can lead to success, while not taking the time to get to know a site can often lead to hours of less productive metal detecting. Though an old location may appear to be original, it often is not. Over the years, landscape alterations and fill dirt can [...]

If metal detecting turf and searching tot lots isn’t producing enough gold to quench your gold fever, it may be time to get a little more serious and branch out into some types of metal detecting that will increase your odds of finding gold.  To get started, you will likely need to add a specialty [...]

One of my favorite sources for finding new places to find gold or to metal detect are old books, especially regional history books and first hand accounts.  Often, these long forgotten books can provide insights into the layout of camps, old diggings and historical events not to mention that they are usually an interesting read [...]

Metal detecting is definitely an exciting and rewarding hobby. Unlike many other hobbies, metal detecting actually helps to pay for itself by producing coins, jewelry and gold. From a marketing perspective, metal detector manufacturers and dealers often use this aspect of the hobby to sell their products. Unfortunately, this can lead to some false expectations [...]

When it comes to metal detecting, I am a strong believer in the concept of less is more. By that I mean that we should attempt to accomplish more and find more by doing less. It may sound a little confusing at first, but it is a principle that has helped me in more ways [...]

As is the case with many things in life, the idea that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence also applies to metal detecting. If only I lived closer to… I would find more jewelry… They have better places to detect. Older places to detect. More places to detect. The [...]

I came across an interesting article on Larry Smith’s metal detecting blog that deals with target masking. As many of us have experienced, trash items that are located near or above a valuable target can disrupt or alter the signal from a metal detector. Many valuable coins and jewelry items are missed due to masking. [...]

Often, detectorists tend to view tot lots as a place to search for easy clad, and perhaps on a rare occasion, a gold ring that some mother lost while watching her children as well as an occasional piece of childrens’ jewelry. The reality is that anything is possible in a tot lot. I remember on [...]

If searching for recently lost coins, then it may not make a significant difference where in a large park or other location you decide to search with a metal detector. If you are looking for the older, often more valuable finds like silver coins or relics, then where you decide to metal detect is really [...]