How to Find Old Coins with a Metal Detector

Have you ever wondered how to find old coins with a metal detector? Finding a centuries-old coin is just a lucky find, but are there any tools, techniques, or tips to maximize that luck?

Well, there are a few things that we can recommend so you can be lucky enough to find old coins with a metal detector.

1. Selecting High-Potential Sites

The journey of finding old coins with a metal detector starts with a site where there is a high potential of finding old coins. Although there is no guarantee that you will find coins from any particular site, research increases your chances by many folds.

There are three ways you can educate yourself on all nearby high-potential sites for metal detecting.

1.1 Talking to Experts

If you have anyone in your circle who knows or has studied local history, then you can have a thorough discussion about how and where local people in older times buried their valuables in their lands or fields to protect them. Knowing about any specific family and where their home or land was will increase your chances for the most valuable coin found metal detecting.

1.2 Historical Maps

Another great source of information is the historic maps. If you have a map that explains your local area’s history, then there is a fair chance that you can select a potential site for metal detecting. Knowing where people lived and traded will help you a lot in finding old coins.

1.3 Online Resources

Finding a valuable old coin is only possible if the local area has historic importance. So doing online research about the history of specific sites for metal detecting will help you understand what major events have happened there and what kind of valuables you can find there.

Having complete knowledge about coin materials like gold, silver, and bronze, or information about coin size will be very helpful for later stages.

2. Have All Essential Tools and Equipment

Having all the essential and proper tools and equipment for metal detecting is crucial for success in this hobby. There is some advice for you from a field expert who will surely help you along the way.

2.1 Choosing the Advanced More Professional Metal Detector

If you want to hit big, then never go for cheap. Professional and more advanced metal detectors have the required cutting-edge technology and features that can help you Identifying old coins buried deep inside the surface.

Features like multi-frequency operation and customizable detection modes enable you to detect the frequency of any specific metal. You can adjust the detection mode to detect what you are looking for, gold coins or silver coins. More advanced detectors can inform you about object type, size, and depth, making it easier for you to dig for treasure only.

2.2 Understand the Metal Detector Settings

Based on how metal detectors work, pro metal detectors have three main settings that you must know about to find old coins.

Discrimination Settings

Discrimination setting is about setting your metal detectors to detect only certain metal coins based on their conductivity. This setting low frequency can help you avoid any low-conductive metallic trash like nails and filter out specific high-conductive coins like gold or silver coins. Adjust your detector setting based on the initial research you have done about the selected area’s history.

Depth Capability

Professional metal detectors have a special mode called deep detecting mode through pulse induction (PI) systems or enhanced VLF (Very Low Frequency) capabilities for coin detection.

Very low frequency helps detectors detect even the smallest of coins buried deep in the ground based on their high conductivity. Understand your environment and soil condition to adjust your detect depth setting.

Sensitivity and Ground Balancing

Sensitivity is usually adjusted on-site depending on several factors, including soil composition. Soils with high mineral content need low sensitivity to avoid false signals. To avoid false signals, ground balancing is also very helpful. Most advanced detectors have manual, automatic, and tracking ground balancing features.

The best thing here is to have a section of the site as a testing ground and test different settings and ground balancing. After having the best setting, you can go for the entire site scanning.

2.3 Accessories for Effective Coin Hunting

Along with quality metal detectors and their proper setting, you will need some other metal detecting tools for effective coin hunting. Depending on the condition of the soil, you might need digging tools like shovels to dig hard ground and pinpointers to quickly find coins from the soil you just dug. You also might need pouches to store old coins and protective gloves for your hands.

3. Best Practice for Successful Coin Hunting

The best practice recommended for all types of metal detecting is valid and good for coin hunting as well. Metal detecting the entire site with overlapping sweeps and maintaining a consistent search pattern will do a great job for you.

4. Understanding Coin Signals

This is where your initial research about coin material, size, and selection of the best metal detectors with all their settings will help. Each metallic item buried has its own recognizing tone and VDI number. You need to shortlist the tone, whether it’s a low, medium, or high tone, and set a range of VDI numbers to hit the treasure.

It will mostly be based on your experience and initial research, but usually, old coins made from valuable materials have a high tone with a high VDI number due to their high conductivity. There are also high-value small iron or brass coins that give low or medium tones with low VDI numbers.

Going for a low tone and small VDI number will also give you a lot of false signals from iron nails and aluminum foil and help you in your most valuable metal detecting finds. So it’s all about what initial research and experience you have and what the initial response you get from the site when metal detecting a small portion of it.

5. Some Tips on How to Find Old Coins with a Metal Detector

With all the research, the best metal detectors, and experience in finding old coins, we have some small tips that can come in handy in the long run.

• Master your metal detector as each machine is different and responds differently. So it is highly recommended that you know each and every feature of your metal detectors.
• As metal detecting is a game of luck, we highly recommend you dig every deep signal you get with a setting made to detect deep old coins. This increases your chance of finding treasure.
• If you have an old site where you have had success with some particular metal detector setting, then we recommend you do a revisit with a different setting. A site with one type of old coins has a high tendency to have other old coins as well, as it can be a popular trade point in old times.
• If you are on a completely new site and do not have initial success with one particular setting, you can do multiple scans with different sensitivity and frequency settings.
• If you initially find an old coin in a deep hole or dirt plug, then it’s always a good idea to double-check it as there can be more coins in there.

6. Extra Tips for the Seasoned Metal Detector: Preparing the Site for Metal Detecting

After you have a site for metal detecting, the next important thing to do is to prepare the site for metal detecting.

6.1 Cut Grass, Weeds, and Bushes

If you happen to have an old site like an old field or an abandoned city site, then there is a fair chance that there will be a lot of long-grown grass, weeds, and bushes. Long overgrown grass will decrease your metal detector penetration range, and weeds and bushes will just not allow you to scan the area.

So take your time to cut and remove all these weeds and bushes before you start scanning the area.

6.2 Remove Stones and Metallic Pieces

If you select a site that happens to have a lot of stones and some metallic pieces lying on the ground, then it is necessary to remove as many stones and metallic pieces as possible. Stones will not allow you to scan the area beneath them, and metallic pieces will just give you false signals.

6.3 Drain Small Ponds

If your potential site has developed a small pond due to rainstorms, then draining that small pond, if possible, is highly recommended. Water even a few inches deep will not allow you to scan or dig the affected area, so draining it is in your favor. If possible, you can use that water to moisten the surrounding area as moist ground helps scan land better.

If you are wondering how to metal detect after a rainstorm , then we have a complete guide on this as well.

Conclusion

How to find old coins with a metal detector can be seen as a game of luck, but with the right tools and technique, you can have calculated luck. Always have professional metal detectors that allow multiple frequency settings. Valuable old coins are made from high-conductive materials, so setting low frequency, deep detection, a loud tone, and a high VDI number can help you find more old coins.