Variations on Metal Detecting
Thursday, October 20th, 2011For the hobbyist that enjoys metal detecting, here are the major types that are participated in.
1. Looking for coins or coin shooting, can be done after any large gathering of people, or at any time. For the serious coin hunter, there are historical places that can be sought out that may yield a very satisfying collection; but you will need to do your homework to find them.
If you are more interested in flakes or nuggets of precious metals in their natural habitat, then it is called prospecting.
And then there is a broader type of detecting (which is a lot like coin shooting) where the enthusiast is looking for anything of historical value. These type of metal detectorists often have a high regard for ancient relics, and on occasion have great competence in their field. Europe and Asia are more likely to have a greater yield of relics such as axe heads, buttons, buckles, bullets and coins, because of being populated for a longer period of time. Some of the more notable British finds have been the 3,285,000 Staffordshire Hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold, the Ringlemere Cup, the gold Celtic Newark Torc, Milton Keynes Hoard, West Bagborough Hoard, Stirling Hoard, Roman Crosby Garrett Helmet, and countless other less substantial items.
4. Beach combing involves the act of searching for jewelry items and coins along the shoreline. Beach combing can be easy or quite involved, depending on the preferences of the treasure hunter. These beach combers also become very acquainted with the erosion and tide movements that make each beach unique. Beach combers tend to utilize just two search methods. Many people prefer a systematic approach to combing the beach, this pattern is called “griding”. This is when you search an area in no particular pattern and hope to go over a great deal of beach in a relatively short amount of time. “Random searching” is the second method. This method involves simply traversing the entire beach without a particular course in mind, so as to search a greater area in a given amount of time.
Enthusiasts in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada can join metal detecting clubs and affinity groups in order to gain additional knowledge, display found treasures, and gain a greater understanding of the pastime in general.
Daniel Akinson has been detecting nearly his whole life. Visit MetalDetectorsOnline.net to learn more about Tesoro Metal Detectors and minelab e trac today.