Steve Herschbach

Use the all metal mode, run the sensitivity as high as you can without the machine becoming unstable, get a proper ground balance, and dig everything that signals. If you want to risk missing nuggets but are digging too much trash and don't care, you can pass on targets that id 6 or lower. An alternative would be to use single tone disc mode, and dial in a disc setting of 6. https://fisherlab.com/hobby/finds-Steve-Herschbach.htm https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/357-fisher-f75-strikes-gold-twice-in-a-row/ https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/7607-fisher-f75-ferrous-tone-quirk/

I don't know - I have never been to England in the spring. I was simply told by others that fall has the better chance for good weather and so that's been my choice, and after this last trip still would be. My first trip it rained a solid week so there are no guarantees anyway. The bottom line is fall just fits better for me for that sort of trip - spring has my eyes gazing towards Alaska . I am sure the spring hunts in England are just fine. Hopefully some of our UK forum members can enlighten us more on the weather patterns. These things never last forever, as those who now regret never making that Ganes Creek realize. If it is within your ability to afford one of these trips, I highly recommend people consider it. No matter what you will find items far older than can be had in the U.S., and pretty much every day you hunt. Gold is obviously a low odds thing, but 12th - 16th century silver coins come out of the ground on a near daily basis for somebody in a group. A hunt like this would be hard by yourself because there are dead periods where one person can't find anything to save their lives. Been there, done that. Working in a group, especially with radios, does for me at least cheer me on. I am happy as long as anybody in my group is scoring because it keeps my spirits up. They do not "steal" a find I may have made. Some people get bent out of shape when they are not doing well and they see others making a good find. These trips are not for those people. If you feed off the success of others as I do, these group hunts are great. The worst thing ever is when nobody in the group is finding anything - that sucks. Luckily that almost never occurs on these trips. Honestly I have found enough gold in my life. Seeing people find it for the very first time is a real thrill simply because they have such an over the top reaction that I enjoy. I like finding gold but being there nearby when others do is the next best thing.

Hi George, The finds have thinned since eight years ago but obviously great discoveries remain to be made. A really great trip. Wish you had been there but I am sure you are in a better place right now so there you go. Best wishes, say hi to Bee for me! Steve H

Welcome to the forum William, glad to have you here. 78 that is inspiring, especially after those operations... or maybe because of them. I hope I am still mobile at your age, aches and pains do grow by the year now that I have passed 60.

Hi Jeff, I am not sure why you think your post would start any trouble. We don’t do trouble on this forum! From all I hear the Quest delivers very good performance for the price. I admit that personally I find the idea that they got their start getting caught ripping off First Texas to be a turn off, but that’s just me and I suppose I should get over it. Thanks for the report, it confirms what I have heard elsewhere. Quest Q40 Metal Detector

7 x 11 maybe, 17 x 11 does not make sense. We now have a 15 x 12 coil so hard to imagine Minelab going longer and skinnier though I personally would love such a coil. They already have an existing mold of 17 x 13 via the CTX and so that is far more likely. 17 x 11 would get the ground coverage and keep weight at minimum but would not satisfy those looking for more depth. I don’t know. It’s not like Minelab tells me everything by a long shot and I don’t pester them with questions. I would love a 17 x 11 coil but I will believe it when I see it. Right now I need a smaller elliptical for nugget hunting far more than a balance killing extra large coil. The 15 x 12 in brilliant and I can swing it all day, but a 17” is getting into counterbalance and harness territory.

Ron does have a beautiful set of teeth. I told him so and only then found out he had the work done and was in an ad. I think he was in the first season of Dig Wars also, but I don’t watch the detecting shows so I am not sure about that. Whatever, he is an amazing detectorist with really great teeth! My trip was extremely smooth. A big mistake people make is taking too much stuff. Washers are available, so I had a pair of pants for travel/going out, and a pair to hunt in. Long sleeve shirt and a couple T-shirt’s. Lots of underwear and socks. Light jacket. Rain gear. Good pair of Keene light weight waterproof boots, travel shoes, slippers for barn. General toiletry stuff like toothbrush, etc. Two complete Equinox, one with stock coil, one with 15” coil. You need a UK to US power adapter, and I got one plug in powered splitter that has 6 full power USB outlets. Enough for detector, headphones, iPad, iPhones, etc. You need a second power adapter and another USB source in case detectors are charged in a mud room. The first ten days I charged everything in my room at one location. The last week the detector was in the mud room - just going with whatever the group is doing or as hunt manager directs. A radio is good. Mindys group everyone had their own. Ron provided radios, a better way to go I think as it insures they all play well. My old Garmin Rhino did not seem to work as well with other brands at long distance. Mindy mentioned she might do the provide radio thing in the future. Do ask to be sure. Bring spare alkaline batteries for anything that needs then but rechargeable are the way to go as long as you have the adapters needed. As I noted, spades are provided. I took my standard trash pouch and a pinpointer. My pouch always has a $1 disposable rain poncho and emergency toilet paper in the side compartments. You never know when a rain squall might appear and the poncho takes the edge off wondering if it’s worth putting rain gear on. When traveling new foods can lead to urgent trips to the nearest ditch or hedge row so do be prepared. I had no issues with either this trip however. I got a new super light suitcase at Costco, and all the above in the bag tipped the scales at 40 lbs. Critical stuff went in a satchel carry on that fits under the seat with room to spare. Valid passport of course. Plan ahead to get one if you do not have one. I got pounds sterling at Wells Fargo before I left. A couple hundred pounds left me with extra. You can just use a credit card but when traveling, you never know. The cash was easier for at stores and for misc purchases, and easier when everyone pitching in for a meal or drinks at a pub. My AT&T account was non-functional in the U.K. With the time zone flip it was easier for me to just rely on WiFi for the whole trip and text my wife, keep up on forum, etc. The barns all had WiFi as did pubs, etc. I did not miss the phone, except for that brief time when I lost it! There are disposable SIM cards you can buy for use while in the U.K. and everyone was selling them at the airport. I don’t know much about that but it is an opinion for those who need a phone and who do not have an international plan. I think that’s about it. If anyone has questions do please ask. I am writing up a Treasure Talk blog right now that will go over the Equinox itself, settings, general thoughts and hunt strategy, etc. that will hopefully be posted soon.

I got a chance to handle a set of these but not actually use them. However, the quality is apparent just holding them. Top of my list as a potential purchase as an alternate to the Minelab brand phones.

Start by contacting this guy in Scotland. I am sure he can offer some pointers. And you never know, maybe Derek and his wife would like to hunt gold in New Zealand! https://www.minelab.com/usa/go-minelabbing/treasure-talk?author=290104 My mom was a Cameron so I really should visit Scotland someday myself.

There are all sorts of ornate watch winders that are worth keeping if you are into that sort of thing. I am so I keep them. https://colchestertreasurehunting.com/watch-winders/

Simon, just do it. Seriously, just do it. Family with a B&B trying to get you to go and a wife who is on board? If you do not do this I am going to cut you from my will!

Hi Rick, Many thanks mate! You are very fortunate to be surrounded by such incredible history. I actually did spend most of the next day methodically gridding the area where I found that gold bit, hoping for more, but all I got was the normal pile of lead and various widgets like watch winders. Good on you and the staters. Celtic gold fascinates me because the artwork is very much a "New Age Modern" look that is quite unexpected given the time frame. The nice thing about visitors is they often remind us how special the places are where we live. Alaska was like that for me. I had to stop and remind myself sometimes that my everyday experiences would be very exceptional for those living the city life, for example. In your country the sheer age is astounding. Every day I found things dating back to before the U.S. became a country or was even discovered. We had dinner one evening across from the house where the captain of the Mayflower lived. It is very hard to get my head around all the history but I enjoy every second of it.

Thanks Happ54, do consider just doing it. My two story threads and links have all the info needed. Ok, last set of photos.... Typical lunch in the field I do like hunting in the vicinity of the old churches, as at minimum you know there has been a lot of activity in the area dating back to the building of the church, and likely far earlier. St. Peter's, Great Totham is a beautiful structure and grounds surrounded by huge fields. I had visions of finding a religious medallion perhaps, but this day was a tough hunt for us all, with my best find of day a milled silver sixpence. 13th century St. Peter's Church, Great Totham Tim (Ill Digger on forum) in front of vicarage at St. Peter's St. Peter's at sunset Somehow 16 solid days of detecting flew by, and the sun set on the last day of the hunt. Season over for everyone, no more detecting until February 2019. As I noted before Tim made a fabulous find this last day, but I want him to have the fun of telling his own story about that. No matter what, a thrilling end to a picture perfect trip. It really does not get better than this. Metal detecting can bring you adventure as near as your backyard, or at locations around the world, but whether near of far the excitement and potential for great finds is always there. I do hope you have all enjoyed my tale. Thanks for reading and do share with anyone considering such a trip or who wonders why we all do this. I made a rare Facebook post to make it easy to share with you friends. Again, thanks for reading! The sun sets on the perfect metal detector adventure! Once in a lifetime find

View from "Bunker Hill" Weather for October - great, as it can actually snow! Temps in F My ten days with Mindy came to an end and I moved to a new barn to be with Ron's incoming group. The first barn was "country casual". This one has been renovated to more "ultra modern". Very nice upstairs but no photos. My wife would like this place. I opted to stay on a fold out bed downstairs because I want to sleep as cool as possible. It was also very private as I had it all to myself and could get up before the rest of the folks and get some coffee going. Kitchen at "Ron's Barn" My "room" - just right for Steve! Another picture of my 1.03 gram "gold sheet" One nice thing as far as travel is that long handle spades are provided. This reduces too much bending over digging thousands of targets. I normally could pinpoint and get target with one dig, but if I got in too much hurry would miss with the big coil. It's worth that extra few seconds to walk around the target and get a good target center. I also found the nose of the large Equinox coil to be a terrific pinpointer for nudging in the pile of dirt, just tilt the coil and poke around with nose down. It worked well as is or using the pinpoint mode. Then grab that handful and wave over coil. I got good enough at this I abandoned using a separate pinpointer the last week. For small targets grabbing a handful and waving over the coil was more efficient than trying to find the small lead and copper bits that only signal at an inch with a handheld pinpointer. When done kick soil into hole, stomp, and smooth. Digging tools provided Night out - manors along road in Dedham, England Steve playing Dr. Who. The booth was full of cobwebs but still had a dial tone! The Marlborough Pub in Dedham The menu - price in English pounds It was fun to go out and visit several pubs for dinner to see a little bit of the towns and have the local experience. This is on top of any money paid for the trips and is optional; a person can stay back at the barn and fend for themselves if desired, except for the rare "go straight from fields to pub" situation. Food ranges from "ok" to excellent. The main thing is never be in a hurry. We always got seated quickly (reservations) but a long wait to order, a long wait for food... basically you have entered a slower pace of life. Just go with it and enjoy the company and surroundings. Letting dinner settle.... Beautiful English manor next to field we hunted, grounds immaculately groomed

Congratulations on a great hunt Brian - proof you do not have to fly to England to make great relic finds!

12th Century St Mary the Virgin's Church, Little Bromley open to the public Amazing stained glass interior More stained glass And one more Early vintage Mini Cooper I did not find it but I got to hold Mindy's stater fresh out of the ground - wow!! English sunset at end of long day hunting English garden - do make time to stop and smell the flowers!

My understanding is that it is illegal to convert farmland into subdivisions in England like we do in the U.S. because the farmland is too limited and of value to the country. The island is not getting any bigger! Therefore farm owners often convert barns into apartments available for lease ,which is convenient since we are metal detecting on farm lands. Here is the place we stayed for my first leg of the trip, and the van that Mindy drove us around in. "Barn hunt" home for ten days Living room / commons area This barn actually has fields we can hunt within walking distance, good for the last day when time is short. Surprisingly for an island less than one sixth the size of my home state of Alaska, Great Britain still has some wide open vistas. There is far more open country than I would have imagined. Some views go on forever Drive by view of St Osyth's Priory, an abbey founded in 1121, undergoing renovation. The group would have killed to hunt inside the wall enclosed abbey grounds and surrounding park! St Osyth's Priory Some English homes This is the excavation where I found my Celtic gold. One dig with the spade and out. Most finds only take a turn of the shovel but some needed more digging. The main thing is holes MUST be filled in a good fashion or fields access can be lost. Dispose of all trash properly - that often meant nearby ditches. Just one turn of the spade and Treasure! Wheat rows sprouting

I took photos as I could along the way. Here are the better ones in the order in which I took them with some notes. The farm fields we hunted were mostly planted with wheat for the fall/winter but many had signs of having been planted with potatoes or small patches of onions or carrots over the summer. Some fields are in "stubble" which is nothing more than mowed down wheat stalks in most cases. The stubble is harder to hunt when dry but affords a refuge during rainy weather as the stalks soften up and the ground is not muddy like the fresh plowed fields. The plowed fields can be deep plowed and very rough. They get plowed/processed again for a finer finish but still loose and lumpy. Some get processed yet again it appears to a very fine flat finish but it may be just the consistency of the soil I am seeing that creates the finer finish on the first go. The fields get planted and then "rolled" to compact, and they sprayed with fertilizers and/or insecticides. I am no expert on all this, just trying to get the idea across. We hunted all the various phases and the wheat can be hunted until too deep to swing a coil though. All the farmers have differing levels of tolerance for detecting activity depending on the state of the fields and the hunt managers keep tabs on all that for the group. Bottom line rolled or planted fields made for the easiest walking. The newly deep plowed land could literally break ankles, and the fluffier, rougher stuff is somewhere in between. It is just fine but I did notice at the end of the day I was more tired from walking on it. Here is a photo of a loose and lumpy field... Hunting a lumpy farm field Driving is not just about driving on the other side of the road. I can handle that. The parking and navigation laws are near non-existent compared to the U.S. The basic rule is you have the right-of-way while in your lane. And you can park almost any way you want as long as one lane is left open. This means one lane is often blocked. the open lane has the right of way, and if you are in the blocked lane you want, then dart out and make a dash for the next open area in your own lane. It feels like a game of chicken at times, but the person in the wrong lane must always give way, even if it means backing up. People park forward or backwards, and often halfway up on the curb -whatever. These lanes were designed for horses at most, and bless the Brits they leave it all be and just cooperate as best they can to deal with it. In the U.S. we would raze it all and build a superhighway. I admit I kind of prefer the English way of dealing with limited land and cultural resources. It in the end adds to the charm of it all, though it can be frustrating when you run into a rude and aggressive type who tries to intimidate others to get the right-of-way. Ron is a fire engine driver and therefore his skill level at navigating this stuff vastly exceed my ability to watch it all for a couple days. I had no problem being in the back of the bus at all times, securely strapped in! Notice cars parked in lane facing both ways, view from normal left lane driving Now we are in the "wrong lane" with oncoming traffic. The oncoming has the right of way, and we are going to dive into the little opening on the left so they can continue on. Then pop out and make a mad dash for the next open stretch. Very exciting! Navigating the narrow streets Downtown Manningtree. I think squiggly lines mean no parking. Mindy getting supplies at classic English butcher shop. She is a great cook! Misty morning, damp field

Great report NSC, thanks! In extreme mineral ground I would expect the 11” coil to have better depth on most targets. In milder ground the 15” should have the edge for depth, but mileage will vary. That’s why I never jump on the “bigger coil, more depth” bandwagon when talking large VLF coils. I buy them strictly for coverage and will just take whatever depth comes along with that extra coverage. This is one light coil for its size and no problem for this GPZ owner to swing for 12 hour days. I already have over 160 hours on the coil. It suits a lot of what I do and will see much more use than other large VLF coils I have owned. Good job Minelab! Steve's Minelab Equinox 800 with new 15" x 12" DD coil

Rivers Rat, I will do that. To be honest I felt a little guilty not notifying my forum friends in the U.K. that I was flying over the pond. I generally don’t like advertising my whereabouts until after the fact but from a more practical perspective this operation has me busy 24/7. Next time I would like to give myself extra time to see the country and perhaps visit with people. Randy, I really love your country and the people most of all. Everyone was very nice. I had random meetings with people walking their dog, or a farmer, or a shopkeeper and always enjoyed conversing with them. Our English host Chris does a great job trying to be gruff but I can’t help but like the bloke. And the history! I admit I would have to work up to the idea of actually driving myself around however. The drivers there have a tolerance for high speeds and narrow encounters that exceeds my own. You are both fortunate to have access to such incredible detecting opportunities every day, but I will do my best to come back and find a little more of that treasure myself. And that stater? No disappointment at all there. I know it is a very low odds target. Gold nuggets are easy to find compared to gold coins. I actually would have better odds of finding a gold coin where I am here, if I only applied myself to the task. Yet when nuggets beckon with almost 100% certainty of being found it is hard to make myself go look for a low odds coin. The nuggets don’t distract me in the U.K. There are people here like Cal Cobra that inspire me however so I may need to change my ways.

Thanks Hunterjack, it makes me feel good to know the story is inspiring some people. I basically just love what I do and consider myself to be incredibly fortunate to have been born when and where I was. I got started when detecting was is its infancy and have seen it grow far beyond anything anyone might have imagined 50 years ago. It is very gratifying to have had at least a tiny influence on the technology by gently nudging for decades. It has led me to friends and adventure around the world, and as a dealer for many years my basic livelihood. If a person is blessed by doing what they love then I am blessed indeed. It helps to have a wonderful wife who sends me out for gold and won't let me come home unless I find some! Thanks again everyone posting now and coming up. Sharing the story is almost as fun as living it and it will give me memories to look back on many years from now. I highly recommend people takes lots of photos and keep a journal. I am so glad I did all these years. I have a lot of photos that would have been too much for the main post but will add them separately tomorrow. Got some honey-dos to attend to now!

I absolutely love this coil, and it is not just because I am Equinox Fanboy #1 !! Steve's 2018 UK Adventure

I am primarily a gold prospector but I do enjoy all things metal detecting. The thing is I really like finding gold (or platinum, silver, etc.) so my focus is always on precious metals. That being the case relic hunting has not particularly appealed to me, especially given the laws surrounding finding true artifacts in this country. Many relic hunters are at least technically in violation of federal law if they are recovering items 100 years or older and in many places 50 years or older can get you in trouble. I don't need that kind of problems in my life, and so even though the actual risks involved tend to be overblown, it is not something that excites me. I have the law firmly on my side when prospecting for gold on land open to mineral entry. Eight years ago some friends suggested I might enjoy hunting ancient artifacts and gold in England. The UK has laws regarding the recovery of antiquities that are far superior to ours. They actually support metal detecting and have proven so successful that museums are being overwhelmed by the numbers of exciting finds being made. I always wanted to find a gold coin anyway. My friends suggested the operation that centers around Colchester, England. Colchester is the site of the earliest Roman occupation in England and has history extending far earlier. The Celtic tribes in particular were active in the area, with many Celtic gold coins found by detectorists. The gold coins found span the millenia though including hammered gold coins and milled gold coins of more recent vintage. Just browse the website finds page for an idea of the types of finds made every day in this area. All photos in this story may be clicked or double clicked on for larger versions. Just one field of several at this one location. I could have spent the whole trip here. The hunts are limited to a couple times per year when the farm fields have just been harvested or planted, so Feb-March in the spring and Sept-Oct in the fall. The limited timeframe and limited openings means it is hard to get your foot in the door with this club unless you apply a year or more in advance. 2019 is already filling up and people are booking 2020 now. Long story short I made the trip for two weeks back in 2010 as told at Metal Detecting Ancient Coins at Colchester, UK. I refer you there for more details especially photos of all my finds. The hunt was amazing with finds ranging over a 2000 year span. Finds that would be world class in the U.S. are not only common but considered "new" by comparison to the finds I made almost every day I was in England. Yet I did not score that gold coin. There are many found, but when you consider the number of people hunting 12 hours a day the reality is that you have to be very lucky to get your coil over one, even given a full two weeks. I came away better educated on that reality. It was a fabulous trip but I was in no great rush to return knowing what I learned, plus it rained half the trip, and UK farm field mud is as sticky as it gets. It is far easier to find gold nearer to home and I went back to prospecting and jewelry detecting as my main focus for finding precious metals. Nostalgia does creep up however, and as time passed I thought I should give it another go. I booked a slot with two of the hunt managers, Minnesota Mindy and Chicago Ron, figuring that I had a shot at maybe at least one of them. I had never met Mindy but we knew of each other from Ganes Creek days, and Ron I took a photo of making his first Morini Celtic gold coin (see story above). A year went by and then suddenly Mindy had an opening, which I jumped on immediately. Just a few days later Ron had an opening. I was going to decline, then saw by some miracle his week started when Mindy's ten days ended. I really hate making trips of any magnitude for less than two weeks. This is low odds stuff and the costs also do not justify short hunts in my mind. I booked with Ron also and suddenly had seventeen days in England on my calendar for October 2018. By sheer coincidence it turned out that a forum member unearth (hi Gary!) was booked for Mindy's portion. Field with view of the River Stour I got a ticket with United for $1250 round trip to Heathrow from Reno, NV. It is a pretty easy flight really. Afternoon flight out of Reno to Los Angeles, and then 11 hour overnight flight from LA to London. Overseas flights coach class is more like domestic first class, and if you can sleep on planes you can sleep most of the journey away and wake up in England. My return was the reverse but routed through San Francisco with a longer layover in order to deal with customs on re-entering the U.S. No real issues for those used to navigating large airports. It could be exciting for novices however but just relax and ask for help the minute you have any problems. The trips to a certain degree are like an all inclusive vacation with most everything covered, but may include nights out at English pubs for dinner. I did none of that my first trip so looked forward to seeing a little more local flavor this time around. I must be mellowing with age because it is not all about the hunt these days - I am making more effort to smell the flowers along the way and just enjoy. Accommodations on the trip are in barns that have been converted to apartments, which is why these types of hunts are referred to as "barn hunts" but there are other options. Rooms are normally shared - my room for the first ten days. Art was a great roommate. I got far more lucky with weather this time much to my relief. It makes everything more pleasant for all involved. Groups consist of seven or eight people including the host, who busses the group to different fields each day or twice a day. All morning hunting takes place on one farmers fields. The hunt may continue on that farmers land in the afternoon, or switch to another famers land. The farmers are paid by the number of people on their land each day so for logistical purposes it is one or two landowners per day. The amount of land available is mind-boggling vast. There are fields that have been hunted for the 16 years the club has been in existence, and good finds are still being made. This is part due to the sheer size but also the fact that the famers deep plow and turn the land. Targets that were too deep or on edge get brought up or reoriented, and so areas thought dead come back to life on a regular basis. I proved that myself this trip. New fields are also added on a regular basis for those who like that feeling of being on less hunted ground. I took two Equinox 800s on the trip, one outfitted with the new 15" x 12" coil that arrived just before my departure. This is a fantastic coil, very light for its size, and just the ticket for covering huge areas. There is a depth bonus also on most targets but to me that is just a bonus. That extra 4" coverage per swing is far more important in improving the odds for finds than another inch of depth. I will get more into my settings and how they evolved during the trip as a follow up post. United wants $100 for a second bag, and I was able to bring two complete Equinox and everything I needed for three weeks on the road in a single 40 lb bag plus small satchel carry on. Nice! I could drag this out as a blow by blow accounting of each day but let's cut to the chase. Just a couple days into the hunt one of our group found a Celtic gold coin, always a good sign. Five days into the hunt Gary (unearth) scores part of a medieval gold ring with a red stone, possibly a ruby. A great find and Gary was very pleased to find gold - who would not be? Congratulations Gary! I and the others were finding various old coins and artifacts similar to what you would see in my story from 2010 - lead seals, hammered silver coins, watch winders, buttons galore, musket balls, etc. Gary scores gold and a gemstone - jewelry finds are very rare October 16 dawned nice and sunny, and we went to hunt some of the older ground in the club and so few people want to hunt there. Yet I was immediately busy digging "gold range" targets with my focus being on target id numbers from 7 on up. I will explain the reasoning there later. I made a few passes back and forth digging all manner of small lead bits when I got a nice little 7-8 reading no different from hundreds already dug in the last few days. I turned over a spade full of dirt, and out popped an oddly shaped piece of gold! Celtic "Votive Offering" fresh out of the ground! I knew it was gold but I was not sure what it was. It looked like a small torc, normally a band worn around the arm or neck. This was too small, maybe 5-6 inches long, so it would barely loop around a wrist enough to stay put. More like the size of a ring really. Whatever it was I knew it was great and my emotions soared sky high. I reached in my pocket for my iPhone to take a picture.... and had an emotional crash. My phone was gone! I went from elation to panic almost instantly. I left the find and detector where they were, and proceeded to backtrack my trail. I had not gone far and the ground was rolled flat, so I determined I must have left the phone in the van with Mindy. So I got on the radio and announced my find of a "mini-torc" and explained I had lost my phone. New Minelab Equinox 15" x 12" coil helps make once in a lifetime find Mindy was excited and said she would be right there. She did indeed have my phone, so we rushed back and took photos of the find. Everyone gets excited when gold is found and this time was no different. Now that I had my phone I got excited all over again, quite the rollercoaster! Happy guy! Photo courtesy of Mindy Desens Celtic gold, the find of a lifetime for sure. Many of the Celtic gold coins found here date from around 50 BC to 25 BC and so it is reasonable to think this find is of similar age, though that cannot be determined for sure without further testing. Gold dropped around 2100 years ago - simply amazing! Equinox and Celtic gold! The find has since been labeled as a gold "votive offering". The ancients lived for the harvest, and offerings were made to the gods in the form of gold tossed into the field to insure a good harvest. At least that is the theory that tries to explain why nearly all the farming land seems to have at least a few Celtic gold items found in them eventually. The truth is nobody really knows for sure as there are no written records from that time. For all we really know this might be an ancient gold hoop earring! That's half the fun, imagining what this stuff is and why it is where it is. The club has been hunting these fields for around 16 years, and while many Celtic gold coins have been found this is the first item of it's type, making it a particularly rare and satisfying find. It is really hard to get my head around the fact that somebody last held this gold over 2000 years ago. Celtic gold "votive offering" closeup All gold or silver that is not a coin is immediately declared as treasure to the museums. I actually got to handle the find very little before it was whisked away to a safe. The museums will evaluate it, and possibly bid on it. High bidding museum gets the find, and the money would be split between me and the property owner. If the museums decline, I will pay the property owner one half the value and eventually get it back. This normally takes about a year but can take two or more years depending on the backlog. Every item found that the finder wishes to keep must go through this process, and there are only so many experts who can identify and catalog all this stuff. I live for the hunt and the photos. It's not like I haul gold around to show off to people - it all resides in a safe deposit box. So for me the only real value is in making that adrenaline rush happen and then having photos I can easily share with others. I won't mind therefore if it sells at auction and I get half the cash. Clean and easy. If I get the opportunity to get it back however I may very well have my find fashioned into a ring. There are not many people in the world who can claim to be wearing jewelry fashioned before Christ was born. I could sell it myself no doubt for over twice whatever I pay for it, but I don't need the bucks that bad to part with such a find. Celtic gold details - actual age unknown but BC, around 25 to 50 BC if in range of coins found in area The Equinox with 15" x 12" coil did a good job making this discovery. As a classic open ended "broken ring" type signal it was reading 7-8 and was detectable to only about 4-5 inches in air tests. I am guessing it was about 4 inches deep. The Equinox is exceptionally hot on gold and while you can never say for sure it is very possible that this gold item was left in this heavily hunted area because it is such a poor signal on most detectors. Needless to say I am very happy with both my Equinox and the new 15" x 12" coil. It is the perfect coil for this type of large field detecting. Speaking of Equinox I was surprised at how many were already in use with this random cross section of hunters from around the U.S. About three-quarters of the hunters were swinging the Equinox, most having switched from the Deus or CTX 3030. Other than the typical minor quibbles people were unanimous in liking the machine and there was constant talk about how well it was performing. The Equinox really loves round items in particular, and people were reporting noticeable increases both in depth and target id accuracy at depth. Ferrous identification is almost 100% accurate under these conditions. I dug only one ferrous item in nearly three weeks that just clearly fooled me, a very deeply corroded steel spike of some sort. There were a handful of other ferrous targets I dug that I figured were ferrous but were borderline enough I figured "just dig it". Better safe than sorry, but in each case they were the expected ferrous items. Lots of Minelab Equinox plus a Deus and CTX The next day we were back in the same general area. There was one small plot Mindy wanted to hunt and nobody else was interested, so I decided to hunt with her. I was at one end of the field and Mindy the other. I was hunting fast, trying to cover area, when I got one of those showstopper signals and dug a nice 1737 George II milled silver sixpence. I had no idea what it was - kind of looked like a Roman emperor to me and so Mindy had to take a look. I found I was best off not speculating on finds as I was usually wrong though I am learning. The "George" I know now is a dead giveaway that this is a "recent" vintage coin. A real beauty though and I was quite pleased with it. 1737 George II milled silver sixpence It was only 15 minutes later that Mindy calls out on the radio that she found a full Celtic stater, the larger of the Celtic gold coins. It was her twelfth gold coin find on these hunts over the years, and a real beauty at that. I am one of those people who get nearly as excited as the finder when a great find is made - I love seeing people do well detecting - and this was very thrilling to witness. Although I was in no position to complain this was exactly the sort of find I had hoped to make myself, and it is nice to know these targets still remain. I had walked maybe ten feet past the coin as I headed for the far end of the field. Just a stunning coin, and looked almost brand new even though it had been in the ground for around 2100 years. Gold is just amazing in that regard, whether nuggets, jewelry, or coins, they pop out of the ground like they were dropped yesterday. Mindy scores a Celtic gold stater - her 12th gold coin 45 BC to 25 BC Addedomarus - Trinovantian tribe 5.58 g.16.90 mm Can you imagine, twelve gold coin finds, including a hammered gold noble, some sovereigns, and Celtic gold? Mindy is amazing. Here I am looking for my first gold coin and she gets her twelfth - now you know why this hunt attracts people. The next day we were hunting some of the newer, less hunted ground, but after some high speed scanning I wandered off to an area that has been hunted a lot before because two gold sovereigns had been found there recently. There are areas where there are lots of targets, and also vast stretches of fields where targets are few and far between. People tend to like the idea of new fields, but they often have very few targets to dig. I kind of prefer older target rich zones that have prior gold history because even after years of hunting I have no problem digging lots of gold range targets in these locations. This does usually mean lead but I am happy to dig lead targets all day as opposed to being in an area where there are only targets once every 15 minutes or more. This was one of those locations, and I was in gold hunt mode digging lots of tiny signals in the 7-10 range with 9 being particularly prevalent. This almost always is an oblong little bit of lead, but I dug another nice 9 signal and up popped a large gold flake! It was not much different than something I might find gold prospecting, but is either a fragment of a hammered gold coin that has been worn to oblivion or maybe a portion of a blank gold sheet. I don't know but it was my second gold find in three days and so very nice to see. Just making one gold find is exceptional, and two in a week is harder yet. The flake only weighs 1.03 grams and is 15.05 mm long and 0.80 mm thick. Truly just a flake of gold, and another testament to the gold ability of the Equinox even when running the larger coil. I was pleased with the find as much from a technical aspect as anything else, since I have already found countless similar flakes of gold while prospecting. I went all the way to England to find a flake of gold! It finally came time to say goodbye to Mindy and the group and get handed off to the new group incoming with Chicago Ron. Ron is an incredible hunter with a real nose for making finds. I really enjoyed watching him - an artist at work. In fact there are many people on these hunts that are amazing detectorists (Scott and Scott, and Mike, I'm looking at you) and there is always something to learn by observing good detectorists in action. What makes Ron special is he just wanders around in an apparently random fashion, yet consistently wanders into some really great finds. He has one of the best noses for detecting I have ever seen. My luck dropped off in this final week but no complaining here - nobody would sympathize anyway! I had my trip in the bag and was more relaxed and I was admittedly cherry picking a lot more now, focusing on the gold range and round targets. Most people are hunting hard for hammered silver coins, but for me those were more accidental bycatch. I just hunt for gold and let the rest happen. I had the chance to eat out a few times with Ron's group and enjoyed seeing more of the local flavor than I did on my first trip to the U.K. There was a dinner night out with Mindy's group (I bought dinner and drinks for all celebrating my find) that was a good time. I just love the English people and these nights out gave me more chance to interact with them. I even took time out from a hunt to go shopping in town with Mindy just to see the town of Manningtree close up. Again, one of the benefits of making a great find - the pressure was off and I did not get so crazy about just detecting. Manningtree, England One pub in particular out with Ron and company was directly across the street from where the captain of the Mayflower lived. The history everywhere you look is just stunning. Ron like nearly everyone in his group is was swinging an Equinox, and early on one day of the hunt he made a find that is rarer than the gold coins - a huge 1653 Commonwealth hammered silver half crown (30 pence). This is one of the few English coins with no king on the front because England was a Commonwealth without a king for a brief period of years. How this 14.39 gram silver coin was still sitting in the middle of a hunted area is a mystery, but as we all know if you do not get the coil right over the spot finds get missed. The coin is 34.66 mm or 1.36 inches in diameter and 2.0 mm thick. I got a great photo of Ron with his first Morini Celtic gold on my last trip, and here he is again doing his magic. What fun! Chicago Ron and 1653 Commonwealth hammered silver half crown Ron's 1653 Commonwealth hammered silver half crown I added to my collection of hammered silver, 1700 and 1800 copper coins, and milled silver coins with the remaining time I had. I tended to wander off in oddball directions away from the group, doing the "go big or go home" thing by hoping to get into some little corner or hotspot overlooked by others. Given the size of these fields there are limitless opportunities for this sort of wandering, and it often means fewer finds. It is however how spectacular finds like a horde happen so I do enjoy giving it a go. It ultimately is my favorite type of detecting, being alone in some place wandering around doing my own thing. Gridding target rich zones is probably more productive, but it has a mechanical work aspect to it. Wandering is more freestyle and also more conducive to the sort of meditative mental state I achieve while metal detecting. I am one of those types that lives in my head and some of my best thinking is done while wandering around detecting. I get so into "the zone" that hours flash by in apparent minutes. Whether I make finds or not I find metal detecting to be wonderfully refreshing. For me at least there are few things more relaxing than metal detecting. The trip ended with a spectacular bang by another new Equinox owner who recently joined the forum. Tim was kind of frustrated with the Equinox when I met him, but I did what I could to help him gain confidence in his detector, and the finds started coming. The very last day he made a find that exceeded my own in some ways, but that is his tale to tell so I will leave it for now. It was so awesome again to be around when a major find was made, and come to find I had walked about 30 feet away from it the previous week. Miss it by a foot or a mile, and you miss it. Usually you never know what you miss, but in this case I got to find out. It may be hard for people to believe but I am happier that Tim made the find than me. I am getting a bit jaded these days whereas Tim nearly fainted from the excitement. I get a real charge out of seeing that in people and Tim is just a really nice fellow. He really worked hard for that find and it was an awesome way to have the adventure come to a close. I am sure we will hear the details about Tim's amazing find very soon. I could not be happier with my 2018 UK adventure. The weather this time was really great. I actually got a farmers tan while in England! Mindy and Ron and his wife Gretchen are all great, doing everything they can to insure people have a good time. The folks I got to visit with in both groups came from all over the country, and I could not ask to meet a nicer and more upbeat bunch of people. I really am going to have to give this another go because I finally came home without that gold coin. Even that is ok because what I did find is even rarer, and I made two gold finds on the trip. Eight years ago I went home with a pouch full of great stuff, but I think my pride was a bit wounded that I had found no gold. I am supposed to be the "gold guy"! I am constantly competing with myself at some level, and this trip really left a warm glow. Again, my thanks to all involved for making this one of the best experiences in my now very long detecting career. Just awesome!! ~ Steve Herschbach Copyright © 2018 Herschbach Enterprises Many more details and pictures later in this thread plus the settings I used so do follow along ! Here is a partial selection of some of the finds I made on this trip. I won't be able to post a complete listing until I get the museum documents back - may be a year or more from now! A few finds made by Steve Herschbach in England, 2018

“In the 2000s, there have been 46 total fatal bear attack incidents, resulting in 48 total deaths, in North America, so far. Of these incidents, 27 occurred in the United States, and 19 occurred in Canada” Source Aprroximately 1500 to 2000 bears a year are killed by hunters in Alaska. The most dangerous animal in the woods walks on two legs. Oh well, I should have left that one be. This really has nothing to do with metal detecting in general and the Equinox in particular. Sharks, bears and other things that could eat you understandably tend to freak people out. I worry a lot more about running into bad people than bad bears personally, but that’s just me. I think bears are a photo opportunity...

I have been happy with both configurations depending on the model. For my hand and arm the F75 does indeed represent my idea of perfect ergonomics, easily superior to the Equinox in that regard. I will probably mount an Equinox pod to a F75 handle assembly soon since I seem to be “all in” with Equinox. I don’t mind having theee or four set up for specific uses, like a single piece rod for water use, telescoping rod for backpacking, etc. I can spoil myself with several Equinox and still be into far less money than I used to be with a dozen various brands and models of detectors in my stable. Other than my GPZ 7000 I really don’t need anything else now.