A long time ago, my mother wanted one of these, so my father bought it for her for Christmas. After dinner, she and my XH went into the backyard. He tossed out a handful of coins and off they went.

Those coins are all still out there somewhere, in Eau Gallie, FL.

LOL It was the funniest, most frustrating afternoon. I am pretty sure she never used it again after that day.

I had a friend who used one in the dessert to find "stuff" He enjoyed it and did find not only coins but unusual items.
Lots of people in CA do use them on the beaches and many do find small amounts of coins etc.

I always wondered whether thieves ever used them to find the keys that people inevitably hide near the front door.

I've never used one but several of my cousins are into metal detecting *big time*! They are members of a club that holds monthly competitions for who found the best stuff in each category. One cousin and his wife have found some *amazing* things -- including very old coins, items from the Revolutionary War, and a ruby & gold ring estimated to be more than 200 years old.

One cousin recently came to the rescue by finding a diamond ring that had been lost in a yard. He used his "old backup" detector and found it in less than 5 minutes.

BTW: when we went to the local state park last weekend, the only other people there were metal-detecting on the beach! I have been told that's not legal here. :p

This post was edited by party_music50 on Sun, Sep 14, 14 at 11:34

my nephew in Florida combs the beaches for treasures often. He has quite a selection of detectors he uses. Finds some pretty nice treasures... as his wife wears some pretty rings they didn't buy. :)

Moni

We have been thinking about buying one for my husband to use. I did a lot of research on types and rules of where they can be used. They are being banned in several places. It's definitely a fun hobby but now before going hunting you must first find out if you can legally do it.

I'm sure some rules are applied, perhaps from people who butchered up the grounds with holes. Sometimes older properties hide goodies, and owners may give permission to hunt. The lure of buried treasure is interesting.

I'd love to have one, as long as it wasn't too heavy to carry on my shoulder/elbow.

I'd love to find a ruby ring, 200 years old or otherwise!!!

Wes would find old axe/hatchet heads, tools, and bits of farm implements interesting.

I love the photo you shared, especially since it shows the Mom and son enjoying a hobby together.

(Bye the way, Old Fixer, I should be meeting Brother Bill and Sister Millie, and a slew of cousins and nephews, in October!)

Funny you should mention metal-detecting. My son had one when he was a kid, and he was out doing it with his own son this past week. Here's one thing they found. Totally not valuable (any rust collectors with deep pockets out there?), but somewhat interesting. We think it must be a door from some kind of stove. We wish we knew how old it is. Our property was an old farm.

Caroline, note that support just above the elbow. Some do, some don't. Swinging that thing around correctly just above ground level for an hour, it gets heavy, and will also tax the fingers and wrist til getting used to. Cheapo ones are not as effective, but no reason to go overboard on cost just for an occasional hobby. It's quite fun.
Good feelings for that October party you never knew was coming.
Speaking of rust, this is on my wall.

I bought one for myself last Christmas. Iowa winter being what it is, I didn't get to try it out until June. The ground was so hard I needed a spade to dig. I only got it out once, forget I have it. But I'm going to get it out in a more visible spot so I remember I have it. Now that it's rained so much it should be easier to dig. I'm pretty sure one thing I found was a hog panel. If you know what those are, you know it would have entailed a digging expedition. I left it buried! I was hoping to find harness buckles or broken farm stuff. I have plenty of places I can hunt, I just don't get it high enough on my To Do List.

I read reviews and the metal detector forum before I bought. "They" say it's not so much the price you paid as the experience you have using it. I bought a "cheap" one but most people on that forum used one at some point and all thought Bounty Hunter was a good detector.

Here is a link that might be useful: forum

That's an interesting forum, Lov_mkitchen, thanks! I'm thinking of upgrading my son's metal detector, but I only got as far as reading reviews on Amazon. I think the models I looked at were all Bounty Hunter, but there was a wide range in price. At the lower (but not lowest) end, they jumped from around $60 to $200. That seemed like a big jump.

I bought mine through Hobby Lobby of all places! It was the $60 one and free shipping. I think I used the coupon they always have. I think I checked later for someone else and they didn't have it any more. Check on line there and see.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bounty Hunter forum

Go to kellycodetectors.com they are an awesome resource for everything involving metal detectors. They carry many of the best brands and explain the features and why you want certain features. I learned a lot there. We are still planning on getting one and it will probably be from there. I definitely want one that can be used in wet areas and water since we go to the beach and the lake and the river in our rv.
I would not be able to do the actual holding of it so I want my husband to determine what type seems more comfortable to hold.
I like the Treasure Commander series by the Duck Dynasty /Duck Commander company, they have some very nice options. I like the digital displays and the different sounds for different metal groups.
They have an extremely informative library that is a wonderful resource.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kellyco library

Here is my nephew with one of his detectors:

{{!gwi}}

how about all these:

{{!gwi}}

Look at some of the pretties he found:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

The junk I find would never pay for itself in the medium price range ($200). Owning more than one would be out of the question, not that addicted. If you can't wear proper attire on that pretty beach it must be too chilly, Florida or not. But it would be fun to hear from all adventures of the hobby as you never know what may be under that "beep beep".

I wish I could honestly say I have "lost" a gold hoop earring, LOL!

I found a single diamond earring once; it was 1/4 carat. I reported it with my place of work, a hotel/banquet facility, and filed a police report on it. I found it wedged in the piped seam of a lobby sofa.

After a year they gave it back to me. I had it set in a ring and a few months later gave it to my newly engaged brother. They broke up, and she kept the ring.

Ha. Always used to check chair cushions for stray coins. And never passed a pay phone without checking the coin return slot. 10â used to buy a lot of candy!!

Ten used to buy a bottle of pop!

I have wanted one for a long time and finally bought one this summer but with yard work, etc. I forgot to even get it out! I'll find those treasures next year!

I have always wanted one, I watch some shows on Youtube about people searching for items with metal detectors. haha my brother said he buried a box of coins and a sort of time capsule in the backyard more than 60 years ago and I am sure he would love to find them again, also my sister lost an opal ring in our yard when she threw it after breaking up with a boyfriend. I would love to find that too.