Gerry in Idaho

That always makes it easier with the wife when she knows there will be some gold to wear. I'll be pretty tied up the rest of this month and after 4th of July, things will open up for me some.

Not a stupid question at all and in fact I get asked it quite often. In this case when there is quite a bit of visible gold and it is of substantial size, most of us will keep it as is so we can hopefully get more than actual gold value. If there was very little visible gold and or a smaller piece, many of them get processed. In all my years of chasing gold, I just recently crushed some high grade ore as I felt it would be hard to try to sell and make anything more than actual gold value? This prized rare museum quality Arizona gold will probably end up in a Private Collection.

As we can see from the many folks posting their favorite gold detectors, there is no right or wrong unit. Each of us has our own style of hunting, our own physical limitations to our body, our own desired features we prefer, our own limited areas to use a detector, our own knowledge or lack of (better be user friendly to some and can be the most complexed detector for a few, if they understand it), our own budget range and on and on. Each of us has our own reasoning why we swing what we swing and I am fine with that. If you are successful and happy with your results, then you should be proud of your gold hunting accomplishments, as we all know it's not as easy as most folks think. And another issue brought up. Gold Detector or Lead Detector? Well we all know the facts are more lead is recovered than gold, but how many people would actually purchase the best VLF lead detector on the market or the deepest lead detector out there. it is a play on words to keep our dreams alive. Yes on a rare occasion, we do dig a target that is in fact not lead, but actually gold and as some of you know (Simon comes to mind 1st as we have witnessed his progress), it is very addictive and gold fever does exist. Just think of Ron who found the 3 pound rock with his SDC-2300 this year (having over 16 ounces of Au in it). I'm most certain that Idaho man will spend the rest of his winters in AZ with his 2300 swinging those hills. Weather your favorite gold detector is one of past (a couple detectors from the 80's were mentioned) or present ( a nice selection of brands and models were touted) and some of us keep dreaming of the future gold only? But the reality of it is, we do want a variety. Not only want, but I feel we need to have a strong group of leading metal detector manufactures to help fill our itches. I look forward to hearing some more of your favorites as it just goes to show so many different styles, reasons and flavors. We have seem a few folks are find with what they have and that is good. I am the kind of guy who just wants more options, more features, more disc, more, more, more (and less weight) all at a better price.

Is this the biggest gold find in the United States, so far in 2020? I’ve been patiently waiting for the time to share this magnificent recent discovery. It's funny because I actually had a conversation with some newer prospectors this last winter and they wondered if there was still any mammoth gold finds to be made. Once again I share some Success Pics of my customer and his 3 pound golden rock. Ron from Idaho purchased an SDC-2300 from me, but what was more important, he took the 3 days Field Training class my staff and I offer. Guess I don’t need to tell you, but I think he has it figured out. This Arizona gold discovery recently is said to be the largest piece of Au found in the United States this year with a metal detector. I can only confirm what I have heard and seen posted on other sites and so far I think it is. Here are the details. The golden rock weighs in at 3 pounds and after numerous Specific Gravity Test’s it shows over a pound of gold. It was even sent to a specialist and professionally tested again with authentication paperwork and came back at 16.973 ozt of gold. The rock was approx. 16” deep and he was about to dismiss it as huge trash, but since he’d already found a few smaller bits in the area, he decided to keep digging. Those who know the SDC-2300 realize Big Gold is not it’s specialty and most owners of the 2300 don’t dig beyond 10 to 12” at most. I wonder how most folks would react if they just dug up something like this? I’d immediately go back to the truck, change my shorts, grab a GPZ-7000 with Super Deep heavy boat anchor 19” coil and head right back there. And since I already have a bad back, I'd have to get Lunk to do the digging. So glad you did not give up Ron and I hope you do find a buyer for that beauty. Thanks for allowing me to share.

Gold Hound - What the hell am I supposed to say? My jaw just fell to the ground and I am in total Awe and Amazed. You Sir have set my new standard of a true "Gold Hound" Very few of us are actually true successful multi task detectorists for a variety of treasures as it takes different locations, detectors and knowledge. The 146 oz patch with those monster 20 and 30 ouncers is stunning to say the least. Then to top that off, the collection of museum quality silver and jewelry and that gold ear/nose ring artifact is literally "once in a lifetime" finds for most MD'erists. Yes the GP/GPX are very capable detectors as you have proven. Yes I agree the 7000 is even better for most gold, easier to operate and less struggle with the power cord and headphone wires. The CTX 3030 used to be one of my favorite Coin/Relic detectors and you have proven is capabilities as well. Thanks for allowing us to see some of your hard earned efforts as the pics are very impressive and encouraging.

OK. Time to be honest with everyone for my 25+ yrs of selling gold detectors. The secret is out. They are actually "Lead Detectors" since in reality we'll find more ounces and pounds of lead than we do gold. Yes I have been sugar coating it all these yrs, but I need to come clean with everyone. I think the manufactures do as well. When we open the metal detector catalog and pass up the coin/relic detector, we need to look for the big bold lead sinker or bullet at the top and then they can mention all the lead detectors they make and sell. I totally hear you and no hard feelings.

Reg - Your input is just as valuable as the next guy and I've seen you on here enough to know, you're not much into "not thought out" quality or ergonomics, which I totally agree and especially with the price of some detectors. I personally have not used the QED as reasons you stated above. Simon shined some light onto it and I do like the what he mentioned. I also know some guys who are very successful, do not like to mention their detector or settings, as in reality they are giving away part of their earnings. My own father used to tell me to quit training my customers on gold detectors every time one of them would find a big nuggets. He'd say, if you didn't train him, maybe that would be your nugget? Heck, old dad never realized I get just as excited when one of my customers finds something nice. I know deep down that my Field Staff and I had something to do with it. Thanks for mentioning a detector many folks here in the US have never heard of, as it adds more opportunity and knowledge to the thread. Simon - Thanks for helping us Yankees know more about the QED and its capabilities. It is interesting to see how fast you have progressed from one detector to the next and as you stated, each has their own strong points. Heck, just having the lady go with you on occasion for a coin hunt is worth keeping the GB-Pro around. Yes I too agree one of the strong points with the ZED is the simplicity and not being tethered into the harness. So many folks do not realize the importance of having more than 1 gold detector, but maybe it is because their fever is not as strong. Guys like you and me, we broke the thermometer. Thanks for sharing and shining. 2Valen - I appreciate you taking the time to tell us your desire to have a light weight detector like the NOX. Yes, I feel Minelab certainly did us all a favor with this one, when compared to so many of their older units and technologies. I assure you the day will come when you find the heavy metal and I sure hope you take the time to shine on this fine forum. After the 1st one, things start to come along much easier. Thanks again and good luck this season with it. Glenn - Do you realize how much treasure has been found by the names you just mentioned and in the pic? How amazing was that and I appreciate you sharing it. Thank you thanks you. Norvic - I have to agree with this "Now Minelab have been so consistent with their new gold detectors having the edge on the previous model, I just put my name down with the local dealer to get me one soon as". Well said. Mitchel - You bring up a strong point with the GPX and its 20+ coil selection. I'm in the same boat you are with the ZED as I have yet to find a 1/2 oz solid nugget with it and have with many older SD, GP and GPX detectors. But in all fairness, I amd usually detecting the same ground with the 7000 that I have hunted with the others. Now I know for a fact that 4 of my Field Staff have found bigger gold with their 7000's. Heck, I think each of them paid their GPZ's off the 1st year, but in all truth, they hunt gold nuggets much more than I do. I also like to chase Civil War Relics back East, Water hunting for gold/platinum rings and just love the older US coins too. Being a multi task detectorist keeps me on my toes with a variety of detectors and know that I enjoy sharing with my customers. I guess you and I need to swing some new ground with their 7's instead of going over the same old stuff we hunted in years past with the GPX. My gut tells me this year I'll hit a nice one with at least an ounce of Au in it though...Hope you do the same. Thanks for sharing.

That terrain is amazing looking Tom and glad to see you out there tasting a different variety of detector flavors. Good to see you enjoying some heavy metal and Spam. I myself enjoy it and for some reason my wife thinks it is evil. Thanks for sharing and we need to do a hunt later this summer.

That is an interesting find and it sure would be nice to know when/how it arrived at that site. Did you detect it and then look down or did you spot it before swinging a detector over it? I was with some clients detecting in Oregon years back and one of them dug a beautiful green bottle. At the bottom was a couple ounces of mercury in it. Not sure what he did, but I guess there could have been gold in the mercury too. Cool find.

Steve - Yes the 7000 or GPX-5000 are proven money makers for many folks, especially the boys down under with all those bigger gold nuggets to chase. And again we hear the praise of the famous GB-2. But you bring up things about it many do not realize, why we in fact still love it. yes the ergonomics is the best of any gold detector made and for those who hunts long hard hours, side hilling tailing piles, the weight was every bit of important as the performance. I will have to say though, there are some really good VLF Iron ID detectors now and that is part of why I don't push it as much. Plus we all know the Manual GB can be a big turn off for those who don't understand. Yes the 25 yr old GB-2 will certainly go down in history and hang on the mantel of many a old nugget hunters. Thanks for giving your feedback and thoughts. GB_Amateur - 1st off, I do want to personally thank you for giving input and as you said yes this is for everyone. In the long run I know a few of the manufactures read these posts and when they see a variety of comments from different degrees of users, it could/should plan the seed for future products. Yes the EQ-800 is a fine gold detector and in many ways, better than their GM-1000, but why Minelab does not even have it listen with their gold detectors? Sometimes you just can't fix stupid, but to be fair the advertising folks will only say what they are being told from higher ups. Well at least you, my Field Staff, many of my customers and myself know its capabilities for gold. Thanks for feeling comfortable and posting. Hope to see more from you in the future. ID Mineralsurveys - I enjoyed your little story and thanks for listening to Lunk. I have to toot my horn and feel very fortunate to have the Field Staff Experts I do as they are all very accomplished gold nugget hunters. As for coins and relics, we're getting Lunk up to speed and he is progressing well. But gold detectors, he is a rock star. I like that you had some really nice success with the GB-2 but was also willing to try a new product. Yes I agree 100%, both those detectors are quite capable and each has their own strong/weak points. Today, I sell the GM-1000 as the most User Friendly VLF gold detector on the market and a great tool for those who want a 2nd unit for the occasional family member or buddy who wants to tag along. Pretty much turn it on and go. Now you know the GB-2, it is king of tiny, but in reality, one of the hardest detectors to operate for those who don't have help. But if you are fortunate enough to find someone willing to help you learn the manual GB of the Bug-2, it then becomes a walk in the park. Thanks for replying with good input. Alaskaseeker - I like the detail and length of your reply. I almost had to get a 2nd coffee (sip that is) before I finished. I get a sense you have had quite some success with the GB-2 and probably well deserved. But as one who lives in GOLDEN State AK, have you ventured far away from GB-2 and tried any of the other 30+ models of gold detectors that have come/some gone in the meantime? If you have not, I'm ok with it totally. But I would think a guy who gets good gold is also making sure he has the best tool at all times, if financially possible. I do like how you are very proud of the GB-2 though and nothing wrong with it. Thanks for helping. Glenn in CO - Those rare collectible specimens are gorgeous and thanks for sharing. The most popular (in my opinion) VLF gold detector White's has every made, the Gold Master Tracker. Man was that wise of Jimmy Sierra to make sure it was Hip/Chest mountable. Many on here probably have never heard of such a man, so please do yourself a favor and look him up. Jimmy Sierra Normandi was one of the most influential detectorists with White's for many years. He was one of my MD'ing idols as a young kid and I was able to detect England with him in 1990 and yes we had the XLT hip/chest mounted. Another bit you bring up and it is very important, so thanks for saying "Invisible Gold to a PI". You are 100% correct Glenn and for the last 10 yrs during my training I have been proving/showing it to my customers and why the importance of having more than 1 tool. I recently pulled 13 piece of high grade ore from a tailing pile with a VLF and my ZED only could hear 2 of them. Ended up with just over 1.5 ozt of gold after crushed and poured. Please don't crush those in the pics, they are Picassos. Thanks for showing and sharing. Norvic - You, wise man have been around for a few moons and seen many a gold detector come/go. One of the early pioneers of green gold machine by Garrett, the A2B Gold Seeker or Ground Hog, I can't recall, but I do remember PHrunt had one. That my friend pre-dates my 45 yrs of detecting, so hats off to you. I do recall on my trip down under some 15 yrs ago, and talking to bloke in a pasti bar one night, he told me to ship him every used unit I could get my hands on. It seems Garrett was well respected in Australia for early gold detectors. Yes the 7000 is certainly the most capable of the bigger detectors. Glad you have kept up with time/change and willing to as well. Do you still have that wall hanger of the A2B that helped mold you into what you are today? Thanks for the trip back in time my friend. Jim McCulloch - My friend and another mentor for many yrs. You Sir are certainly a man who is most dedicated to one brand. I salute you for your loyalty for these many years to White's. After all, they are the same company that helped me in my early years as well become a pretty accomplished MD'erist. I have to wonder, if you ever took all the Au you found and piled it on a table for a pic or two? I just know it would be the fastest sharing photo to go around. Yes the GMT will go down as one of their best for us old school guys, but I have to give credit where credit due and I honestly think (no---- I know for a fact) the 24K is a better performing gold detector....and you are correct again, it needs to be hip/chest mountable. Why the manufactures are going away from hip/chest mount, I have no clue, but I and many others sure do like that option. And as Glenn shows in the pick, when on the side of a hill, it totally makes sense. When the time is right and you are ready to dig your last hole, I hope someone is there to put a White's in there with you. Well deserved my friend. I would have expected nothing less from you.

Mike C. - Those early PI machines by Minelab were serious eye openers. I used to think the guys at Rye Patch in the mid 90's that had them were chasing ground noise as they had 18" deep holes and just as wide. I used to run around with a VLF out there and find 30 to 50 pieces a day with it and thought I was a bad ass. Then one day I walked up on a guy with a green 2100 and he just popped a 1/4 oz'er at 16 to 18" depth, I was in shock and total amazement. The following trip had me down there swinging a borrowed 2100 and my paperwork had already been submitted for a Minelab Dealership. Thanks for bring back old deep memories. Principedeleon - I read your post and scratch my head. Not sure if you want the dream detector that only beeps on gold or if you have not owned some of the newer technology detectors on the market? I can easily tell ferrous from nonferrous and with some detectors at certain sites, I can call gold before I dig it and be right 7 times out of 10 (pretty good odds). I guess your favorite gold detector is still to be made yet? I'm good with that and thanks for input. Flakmagnet - Yes the 7000 is a serious detector and hopefully some day we will have it in the box of a light VLF, but I think the coil will certainly make it Toe Heavy. When I tested the 1st prototype 7000, it did not even come with a swing arm, talk about a serious back burner. Glad they realized most folks need the extra arm. GPZ is the deepest detectors I have ever used for a variety of gold size. Thanks for adding to the thread. Tom Slick - White's Surf PI was knocking many precious metal rings back in those days as we did not have Tungsten, Stainless, Carbide and Ceramic to slow us down. The newer generation along with the price of Au has left some of us old dogs with the occasional scrap of a gold band. Those were certainly the days and the PI had the punch too. Appreciate your words. RickUK - You bring up the capabilities of those medium kHz range detectors and I feel that was a big help for many detectorists and even some manufactures. Tesoro jumped on early and hard with many models in the medium frequency range. Garrett and Fisher/Technetics also seen the importance and proper kHz for mid tones and White's realized they better adjust some of their coin machines to match. The DFX was a solid contender for the top digital guys who wanted all the bells and whistles. I sure do wish they would take some of the V3I's colored graph chart capabilities as well as kHz change and put it in a sub $800 waterproof detector. Thanks for helping us. SnakeJim - Your selection shows your wisdom and those mentioned machines were serious icebreakers in the day. 19kHz, 50 kHz and early PI Power. I know you have many stories to tell and we look forward to it some day. Thanks for contributing.

White's has been a serious player in the MD'ing world for many yrs and their gold detectors has put many nuggets in folks pokes. Thanks for your input and be sure to update us on your NV trip. Good luck.

LST was one of Tesoro's best gold detectors. I hated to see them close shop, but after the kids took over, the drive was already on the downhill. Your last words are very important. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience.

As a dealer myself, I have to agree with Rick. Sometimes manufacturers miss some of the simplest of things. Nice adjustment Skookum. What's even more funny is that we get a broomstick attachment in the box. Please someone post a pic of your Monster on a broomstick.

Oh my, That is one of those things most everyone treasures and some more than others. Are you selling the complete roll for 1 price, or maybe in 5' lengths, heck, possibly per sheet. Non used TP a month ago was a money maker. Today, I think it's just another ass-wipe.

As a very fortunate and experienced gold hunter who has had my share of success with a variety of gold detectors and found my share of heavy metal, I get asked this question all the time. Yes I have my favorite but will not share it at this moment. The reality is, there is no "the best", for all situations and or people. What I'd like to see, hear and read is your input and answers. No wrong answers as this is your opinion. In fact, even those who have yet to find gold with your detector, your input is wanted. After all, why did you decide on the model you own? Was it price, features, weight, depth, warranty, or referral from a friend? There are many to choose from. Just off the top of my head, I can think of 20+ different current models of gold detectors. Surprisingly each manufacture makes more than 1 so there is a reason. Some on here are well known salty pros, others are seasoned veterans and quite a few accomplished rookies. Now with the price of gold we are seeing a new run of wantabees. Realize everyone's experience is different, so please also mention your level at gold hunting with a detector. Thanks for sharing your time, input, thoughts and knowledge. Me personally, I've been chasing Au for 25 yrs. Again, I'll mention my favorite at a later time.

Beautiful gold chain and charm and hats off to you. Most folks totally walk away from gold chains and bracelets, not even knowing it. I've only found about 10 of them in 40+ yrs of detecting. Most were recovered because of the charms that responded, not the actual gold chain. I do have 2 I remember that did not have charms and they were not even solid signals, just broken blips. One gold ankle bracelet I found on a beach in Bahamas was pulled up with my scoop, but it was not the initial target, a coin. The ankle bracelet did not even respond to the detector at all, just got lucky. Well done and I wish you more in the future. Thanks for sharing.

Very nice chunky silver band. The company mentioned in the link seems to sell some pretty high end items. Nice save.

Once in a lifetime find x 2. Hats off to you.

As a user, dealer, and trainer of the very popular SDC-2300, I have to agree with some of the negative comments mentioned. But I also have to brag on its good features and Steve mentioned a couple. I'll mention the strong points in order of my own greatness to this detector. #1 Performance. It really does shine and in so many sites it outperforms the GPX for the majority of gold being found at many sites I've been detecting gold for the last 25 yrs. #2 User Friendly. By far the easiest PI detector Minelab has made in recent yrs and also more user friendly than any VLF gold detector, but 1. During our group training sessions, my Field Staff and I easily see how the customers of the 2300 are up to speed and onto success while most others are still learning. #3 Compact. Just the wow factor alone says "how cool and useful that is". A MUST Have tip for you. Those who own an SDC-2300 and have not tried the Swing Arm from a GPZ-7000, do yourself a favor and get one. Not only does it make swinging the detector much easier, but your coil control becomes more stable and perfect, which will get you better performance and more gold. With the ability of the CoilTek Extreme coil selection, the SDC-2300 and these improvements will help make it even more popular. BONUS- I don't know what the biggest chunk of gold to have been recovered so far this year in the United States actually is, but I'll be posting about one of my customers finds real soon. Yes it was recovered with an SDC-2300. It's just amazing to know gold this size is still being recovered.

I was detecting a site yesterday (1900 to 1940's) and made a few interesting finds. The video can be view on my "Gerry McMullen" facebook page. How old do you think this Dr. Scholl's brass metal insert is and does anyone know of collectors for such stuff? The other 2 items are sterling and the pin is stamped. Looks like a military type pin, and your help in ID'ing is needed. The flower was a little more black and when I rubbed it it shined, like a coin does. it looks like it could have had a stone in it. Anyway, I was hoping some of you could ID a couple of these and other folks can learn from them. Thanks in advance.

That ground looks good to me, but Steve said it best. "go where gold has been found before". Now if you are in the general vicinity of gold bearing ground with those pics, I myself prefer the 1st picture as it looks like there are larger rocks, some iron stones and hills. I see the hills have had really good weathering and so the lighter material has eroded away which exposes the bigger rocks. Good luck on your prospects and please share/show us some of your gold finds as you get accomplished.

For me personally, I get a gut feeling to wait and see. I know it will turn off a few of my followers, but I got turned off by all the delays and inconsistencies. Now with that said, I'm hoping FT realized the importance of "Getting it right" the 1st time. As we have seen most new products have been delayed some, but this one really stretched the moon cycle. I'm all about new products and enjoy getting my teeth wet (especially on gold nugget detectors), but as an inlander in Idaho, my water hunts are usually 2 to 4 times a yr taking a plane ride, so that does not give me the opportunity to test and compare it like I do on gold detectors (in my back yard). Cost - needs to be affordable or they will not sell many units. What is affordable? I'd say $1000 and no more than $1500. We have some nice options out there with all the different manufactures and some of the well built ones can do white a bit and only cost $900 (NOX-800). I realize it is not a PI, but Minelab priced the EQ so that many people would jump and boy I have sold hundreds of them. Depth - of only 3 feet is a big issue with me as most of my water hunting is fully submerged detector 8 to 10 hr days. I realize 3' is probably what the control box is at, but so many times I lay my detector down (some float and others sit on the bottom). I like hunting water 3 to 6' depth. The 3' threshold they are telling us, has my mind going - "potential issues". Why not the 10 feet so many others are using? Heck FT has 2 waterproof detectors they currently sell and both are 250'. Please Fisher give us 10'. Coil Size - 12.5 seems a little big considering they are pushing how it can find gold rings hidden among iron targets. Now I also realize 12.5" gice more depth too and since most other water detectors are 12" and under, then there is an advantage for depth, but not in iron trash? Built - Looking at the unit from Steve's pic (arm cuff and forward), all looks clean and doable. Looking at a full pic of detector and the back end gives me the chills. The 3 exposed connectors are potential issues, but it's what it is. I do like the idea of a lighter detector, not for me personally as in the water the weight is negated, but for those who walk the beaches, this is ideal. Iron DISC - This is probably one of the major points of this PI and I hope it does as well as we're being told. Volcanic Sand Setting - That feature alone (if you do not lose to much depth) will be a seller for some of my customers (Terry in Hawaii, are you listening). I just might have to come over this Fall (post CV-19) and do a hunt with you again Terry. I think some of my MX hunts could also become even more productive with this feature. Technology - Yes I really like to see new ideas, but this looks to be a spin off of a couple other smaller brand detectors. Nothing wrong with that at all, as long as they make it BETTER. I do give them kudos for trying something different as that is how things do eventually get better. We'll know pretty soon, but I am excited to hear of the folks who live on the beaches and their 1st reports. Where do I rank on your chart Steve, well not as high as many of you had hoped, but I will walk cautiously. Me personally it looks like I grade a "Late Majority" on this unit. But you know me, I might try and put a spin on it and see how well it works at finding low conductor gold nuggets in iron trashy tailings. Who knows, it might score me a few more nuggies? What would I like to see of this new detector? Mostly no major issues as I realize there will be a few. Overall customer satisfaction is "Above Average", just can't please everyone. And most importantly to see each of the different manufactures pushing the boundaries with good competition. If we only have 1 major manufacture doing detectors, then our options become limited. I sure loved those good old days where we could find multi gold/platinum ring on a trips. This new detector just might help make that happen again, we'll see. Hats off to Fisher for pushing and giving us another option of lighter more advanced PI with better Iron Discrimination.

Brian, I'll have to say that is the best find you have made so far in your detecting career. Yes the gold you found on my Field Training trip is what helped you realize it is doable, but this is one of those times when you Sir, get to tip your hat to yourself. I too enjoy a challenge and in instances like this, when you are not familiar with the object being hunted or the style of detecting, is what makes you stronger in the long haul. Great story, fantastic pic and even more impressed with you and how far you have come along in the MD'ing arena. Thanks for sharing.

My sales have went down on Fisher detectors as well, which I hate to see. But in all honesty, my sales on Minelabs have went up. White's is holding their heads above water with the 24K (which I really like) and the GMX and I sell my share of them. Garrett's Gold detector sales for me anyway, have slowed some. The GB-2 must have sold out at Cabela's as I don't see it any more. Funny how the GB-2 is the KING OF TINY GOLD, but the largest nugget I ever found in the lower 48 states was with a GB-2. Here is a video right after I just it up (had to hike back to the truck to get the camera).