Metal detecting is an incredible hobby to pursue. It offers adventure, excitement, and an element of unpredictability. As you engage in this hobby over time, you will become acquainted with the remarkable treasures that can be discovered with a metal detector.
For newcomers to the world of metal detecting, it is natural to be unaware of the range of findings possible. Rest assured, you will be astounded by the incredible things you can unearth during your metal detecting endeavors.
In fact, I often find myself pleasantly surprised by the discoveries I make these days. So, what might you uncover with your metal detector?
Basically, you can find everyting that has metal properties. On the beach you can find jewelry, watches, money, sunglasses, trash and other stuff. In the fields you can find war remnants, coins, buttons, gold nuggets, trash, inexplicable objects and even non-metal objects like potsherds!
Certainly! This concise introduction provides a glimpse into the exciting world of metal detecting. However, there is a wide array of objects waiting to be discovered with a metal detector. In this article, I will specifically focus on the most commonly found items at the beach and in fields.
If you’re curious about the fascinating objects that can be unearthed during your metal detecting adventures, I highly recommend reading this brief article. It will surely pique your interest!
What can you find with a metal detector at the beach?
The main purpose of metal detecting at the beach is finding valuable stuff. Good news; you have a good chance of finding objects that are valuable! Think about objects like jewelry, watches, money, sunglasses, airpods, mobile phones, buttons and hook baits.
However, you will also find a lot of trash; this is unavoidable. The only thing that you can do to reduce this is to properly use the sensitivity and discrimination function. But hey, this is also part of metal detecting.
1. Jewelry
The first thing that you can find at the beach is jewelry. People often take off their jewels when they want to go for a swim. There is a chance that these people will lose their jewels by doing this. This gives you the possibility to find (gold) rings, earrings, bracelets and chains. Always try to find the owner back in case that there is text (or a wedding date or something) on it.
2. Watches
The second valuable thing that you can find are lost watches. Almost everyone wears watches nowadays. During a sunny day, there are lots of people at the beach. There is a good chance that some of these people will lose their watch. If you are lucky, you will find a watch with a high value!
3. Money
Everyone takes money to the beach; for paying food, drinks and the parking spot. During busy days, there are always people who will lose some money. This means that you have a good chance of finding lost money on the beach. You can find both coins and bills. Good places are close to paths, beach tents and where people lie on their towel.
4. Sunglasses
The third valuable thing that you can find at the beach are sunglasses. During warm summer days, almost everyone wears a sunglasses. It is really easy to forget your sunglasses after swimming in the sea. Hence, you have a good chance of finding valuable sunglasses at the beach.
5. Trash
Unfortunately, you will also find a lot of trash; this is part of this hobby. You will often find beer cans, pull tabs, drinking cans, beer caps and nails. You can decrease the chance of finding this trash by adjusting the metal detector with the discrimination function.
In my other blog you can read more about properly using this setting in order to avoid finding trash.
6. Other stuff
Of course, there are way more things that you can find with a metal detector at the beach. Think about objects such as hook baits, kids toys, keys, pocket knives, buttons, airpods and even mobile phones! As long as the object contains metal. Always try to find the owner of the things that you have found and give it back to them!
What can you find with a metal detector in a field?
The objects that you will find in a field are often different from the objects that you will find at the beach. This is because the finds in a field are often older compared to the finds at the beach. Therefore, you will often find more unique objects in the fields. Think about war remnants, old coins, thimbles, figurines, old cutlery, buttons, buckles, keys, door locks and horseshoes.
1. War remnants
Back in the days, there was a lot of fighting in areas where many people lived. During these fights, some stuff like bullets and shells landed on the surface of a field. This stuff could have stayed on the field surface after everyone left.
This means that you can still find some of these war remnants in a field nowadays. Think about shrapnel, bombs, weapons, bullets, military buttons, knives and even military helmets!
Always be aware of the risks of detecting in an old warzone; you can still find some unexploded bombs. Always enter these areas at your own risk and inform the authorities if you find something dangerous!
2. Old stuff
Back in the days, people used hay as underfloor heating. Therefore, a lot of stuff from households ended up in this hay. When this hay was dirty, people threw the hay over the surface of fields.
Therefore, you have a good chance of finding these lost household objects in a field. People also lived on high altitudes near to a water source. This means that a lot of old stuff can also be found in fields that are located on a high altitudes.
You might be able to find old coins, thimbles, figurines, old cutlery, buttons, buckles, keys, door locks and horseshoes. You will also find a lot of pendants. If you are lucky, you can also find old jewelry! Think about necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings.
3. Trash
Unfortunately, you will also find some trash during metal detecting on a field. Think about remnants of agricultural activities. For example plow parts, bolts and nuts, metal bag closures, copper wires, nails and tire valves.
Not only trash from agricultural activities can be found in a field, but also waste caused by humans. For example pull tabs, drinking cans, batteries and metal packaging.
You can reduce the chance of finding trash by using the discrimination function of the metal detector. By using this function, you can determine which metals your metal detector should ignore.
You should also consider to avoid detecting close to the edge of a field (close to the road). This is because a lot of people walk close to the edges of a field. These people sometimes throw their drinking cans on the field. Hence, you will find a lot of trash on the edges of a field.
4. Inexplicable finds
You will always find metal objects with strange shapes; this is unavoidable. These objects are damaged and rusted because they have been in the soil for a long time; rain, sand, wind, frost and chemicals have changed the object. Often, it seems that these inexplicable objects are nothing special. However, these objects can literally be ancient cool things.
5. Non-metal objects
Not many people know that you will also find some non-metal objects. Sometimes, you find these non-metal objects because they are located next to a metal object. You can find shards of glass, old potsherds, old porcelain plates and if you are lucky you can also find an old pot in its original state, filled with old coins!
6. Gold(nuggets)
You can also find some gold(nuggets) if you are detecting at the right place. Places with a lot of earth faults are often good places for finding gold nuggets. The most people that are searching for gold use a Pulse Induction (PI) metal detector instead of a VLF metal detector.
7. Other finds
Of course, there are way more objects that you can find with a metal detector in a field. Remember that you can almost find everything, as long as the object contains metal. There is nothing to crazy to be found! This makes metal detecting the most beautiful hobby on earth.
Summary
All in all, you can find a lot of objects with a metal detector. As a matter of fact, you can find everything that contains metal. However, there are some objects that you will find more often than other objects. Therefore, I made the summary table below to give you an overview of the most common things found during metal detecting.
| Beach | Field/Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Finds | – Money – Wallets – Jewelry – Watches – Sunglasses – Beer cans – Drinking cans – Beer caps – Pull tabs – Nails – Hook baits – Kids toys – Keys – Pocket knives – Buttons – Air pods – Mobile phones – Gold Many more of course! | – (Military) buttons – Knives – Military helmets – (Old) coins – Thimbles – Figurines – Old cutlery – Buckles – Keys – Horseshoes – Pendants – Jewelry – Pull tabs – Drinking cans – Potsherds – Gold(nuggets) – Shrapnel – Bombs – Weapons – Bullets Many more of course! |
Frequently Asked Questions
You have a good chance of finding old coins in old fields. Try to search close to fields where there used to be a lot of human activity. For example fairs, old farms and old paths. Also, try to search close to an old water source on high-altitude.
The most of the time you will find trash like drinking cans, pull tabs and beer caps. However, you might also find valuable stuff like jewelry, money, watches and sunglasses.
You should use the discrimination function of the metal detector to decrease the chance of finding trash. You should also consider to avoid detecting at the edges of a field if there is a road next to it because many people throw trash on the field from the road.