Research is the key to finding the best spots to hunt. Places where old homesteads and trails used to be often turn up good finds. Just about any place where people go will turn up something.

Places that haven’t been searched before are ideal, but there are many stories of people going over places that were just hunted over and finding good stuff.

Kids have learned about metal detecting by following behind another metal detector and digging up the same holes- and finding all the things that were missed!

Most American coins made before 1965 were 90% silver. Coins dated 1965 and later contain no silver. So, Coin Shooters try to find areas that were inhabited before 1965. The trick is to find somewhere that is not off-limits to metal detecting.

Any historical parks, sites, or monuments are usually off-limits. Wherever you metal detect, you need to have permission. You can get permission from the owner or caretaker of private property. For public property, go through the city or state. City Halls often give out free permits.

For more information regarding the authorized places to hunt treasures or detect metals, go here!

1. Old homesteads are classic places to search. So many people have found amazing things from searching them: buried treasure boxes with money and jewelry, jars filled with old coins, or just stray coins. If you know someone who owns a farm where an old house is, or once was, ask if you can go over it. The owner will probably permit you simply because they are as curious about what you might find as you are.
2. “Treasure” is a tricky one, because one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Things that were considered rubbish years ago can even end up in museums today. Old campgrounds and children’s summer camps often turn up good finds. Think about how neat it would be to find an old pocket knife.
3. Swimming areas are good places to find jewelry because it falls off in the water. Saltwater and sunscreen both make the skin slippery, and rings fall off all the time. Sometimes a ring will have an engraving and the finder can return it to a grateful owner, but most often the rings get added to a collection.
4. Any abandoned areas are worth searching, even trailer parks. Developers buy up property and they don’t mind you searching over it because it is all going to just be demolished for new construction.
5. Towns and cities build up around waterways, often rivers. Searching along the rivers in and around towns and cities can turn up things from long ago that were lost and waiting to be found. You almost need to think, “Where would I be if I were a long-lost coin?”
6. If you want to find old things, you have to go to old places. Churches are regularly some of the oldest buildings in any community. As long as you are respectable, they don’t usually mind you searching the property. Quite often they are large properties too; just make sure you stay out of the graveyard part, if there is one.
7. Schools are another place, but you have to find the old schools. Sometimes old schools are now private residences. This is a place where some research pays off.
8. Any abandoned buildings you come across could yield treasure. Oftentimes, along older highways that were once more major routes, you will find cottages that used to be rented out but are now all boarded up. You will also see gas stations that haven’t been operational for years. Who knows what is hiding under that overgrown grass, or that gravel driveway? The owners might think you are crazy to waste your time searching, but they will probably let you.
9. People didn’t go to public pools to swim, they used to go to lakes and swimming holes. The farm with the pond in the middle of the field with the diving board that you always wondered, “Whoever used that?” Go and see what you can find.
10. Any place where people used to gather outside, an old drive-in movie lot, or a town square, all of these are places where you can find things from the past. Although searching public parks and beaches that are frequented today might yield more loot, a single thing found from a time past can hold much more value.