Badger-NH

I had a Lesche Sampson but didn't like it. For me, it was too short, too heavy, too cold, and the blade was too narrow. The narrower the blade, the longer it takes to dig a good-sized plug. A lot depends on the type of ground you're digging in. For sure smaller is better around roots. Some people don't mind bending when they dig. I carry a Fiskars Transplanter for digging around roots. Less chance of scratching a good coin. https://www.fiskars.com/en-us/gardening-and-yard-care/products/cultivating-tools/transplanter-100s-79796931j

I can't stand the pointy heavy metal detecting shovels. The serrations are nice but they don't dig well, are cold on your hands, and are way too expensive. Most are too short. I don't like bending when I dig. I've been using an Ame's floral shovel for over a decade and haven't broken one yet. I've left a couple behind in parking areas but not a huge loss at under $30 at Home Depot. Super light to carry at only 2.5 pounds. https://www.ames.com/product/shovels-and-scoops/2916100-long-handle-round-point-floral-shovel/ My friend uses a Radius Pro-Lite Floral shovel and swears by it. It's light and unbreakable. This might be my next shovel. A little more expensive. $43 at Lowe's. $45 at Home Depot. https://radiusgarden.com/collections/pro-lite-carbon-steel-tools/products/copy-of-pro-lite-floral-shovel-1

I have a few that I've rescued from the dump. Treasure Locater made for Sears by White's. White's Coinmaster 5000/D G.E.B. Compass Judge Garrett Master Hunter 7 My first detector was a White's Silver Eagle.

Sorry, for the late reply. That sounds familiar. I've seen some pretty cool mods over the years. When I talk about the CZ series, it mostly has to do with beach detecting because that is where Multi-frequency really shines. I would choose an F-75 over a CZ any day for land.

The half-dollar really isn't as worn as it looks. The coin is 90% silver and 10% copper. Saltwater causes the copper to leach out onto the surface bringing with it a certain amount of silver. Under this coating is usually a perfectly good coin. If you remove the black, the oxidized silver coating still remains covering up all the detail. This silver coating is much softer than the coin underneath it. It's soft enough to mar with a fingernail. I've tried every possible coin-cleaning method I can think of and nothing will remove this soft silver coating without damaging the coin below it. It is permanently bonded to the coin. Coins made of pure silver do not have this problem as much. That's why 400-year-old shipwreck coins often look better than 100-year-old coins found at the beach.

I'd say silver coins are a rare find. Especially at the beach. I'd love to know what part of the coast you are hunting, without giving away the actual location of course. Consider yourself very lucky. It sounds like you've got a great spot there and not much competition. Here are a couple of French colonial silvers that I dug on a NH beach a few years back. 1746 and 1791.

I would have identified that as silver the moment I dug it. 👍

I borrowed a 10 x 5 Coiltek for a few hunts and really liked it. It will do anything the 6" will do but is a lot more versatile as it covers more ground and is probably a bit deeper due to its length. I think the actual length is 9.5 inches. It's small and light and a pleasure to swing. I would go with the 10 x 5 hands down over the 6".

As long as I've been on this forum, I never knew that Geotech was Carl. 😀

These days, I seem to get skunked about 8 out of 10 hunts, but I know the stuff is out there. 😄

Mindset is a better word but I completely disagree. Believing that there are good targets to be found will lead to more finds than thinking nothing is there. We have the same dirt-poor cellar holes up here dating all the way back to the early 1600's. Every one of those households had coins. Thinking positive thoughts will keep you going longer and looking in places that you might not otherwise consider if thinking negatively. Coins dropped in snow/leaves or darkness were lost for good. Drunkenness, fighting, getting on and off your horse, building stone walls are good ways to loose a coin. Often the safest place to keep money was either on your person or buried in the ground. Those are positive thoughts.

I can attest to that. Unlike the other modes, Gold Mode has the best depth when run wide open. I often use it relic hunting when I want to dig everything at maximum depth.

For sure, I agree the original F75 was an awesome detector but it was a hassle to use compared to Minelab and other brands. Later versions of the F75 were a little more user friendly, but they were also less sensitive which killed it in my opinion. The Gold Bug Pro and F19 are good relic machines. I kind of wish I had kept my GBP.

You won't find much with that attitude.

I dug this tiny silver last spring and was very careful with it from the moment it came out of the ground. The soil was very kind to it over the centuries. 1662 Oak Tree two pence. Slightly smaller than a Trime.

I never rub or clean my silver coins after digging. What's the rush? Why not just wait and do a careful cleaning when you get home? A friend of mine brought me back a Coinpad container when he went to England. I carry it in my pouch. https://www.amazon.co.uk/coinpad-Large-Coins-Storage-Portability/dp/B01KXDXJME I rarely watch detecting videos.

That may have been true of detectors of long ago but not of most modern detectors like the Equinox. All discrimination does is turn off the sound associated with certain VDI numbers. It has no affect on sensitivity or depth. The advantage to running no discrimination is that it allows you to hear the full audio signal of all targets.

Both Sensitivity and Recovery Speed affect depth. Set the Sensitivity as high as the machine will allow and still remain stable, then set the Recovery Speed to the site conditions. In all metal, if you hear a lot of low tones with each swing of the coil, you might want a higher Recovery Speed for better separation of targets. If there are not a lot of low tones, you can lower the Recovery Speed for more depth. Low tones are caused by iron and/or mineralization. In my test garden, lowering Recovery Speed increases depth until you get to 4. Below 4 does not have much if any affect on depth. In normal clean ground with few low tones, I usually set my Recovery at 4. At sites with a lot of low tones, higher Recovery Speeds will give you better target separation but a lower Recovery Speed can still pick up deeper targets in those same conditions. It pays to search iron infested and/or mineralized sites with both high and low Recovery Speeds.

I used to devour every issue of W&E T back in the days before forums and YouTube. I didn't know they were still in business. Now online forums seem to be headed in the same direction as magazines, being replaced by phone oriented media sites. My $80 Samsung Galaxy J2 smartphone works great but I prefer using a computer for all things internet. Forums are a great resource of information. It's way easier to write with a keyboard and mouse.

Very unlikely

All the woods and even some fields are diggable down here within 10 miles of the coast and just one inch of snow is perfect for gridding. This is my favorite time of year to coin/relic hunt.

Does IB stand for Iron Bias? To me, Iron Bias is more a personal preference than a site requirement.

I don't understand it either, but I've proven it with my machine. Maybe it quiets down in mineralization when the tracking is more active.

The manual only recommends using Tracking GB in the Gold Modes and Beach Mode 2 in saltwater. That's because places with gold nuggets are often highly mineralized and saltwater usually has high salt content. In low to moderate mineralization, all the modes will be quieter without Tracking.

Make sure tracking GB is turned off. My 800 was acting up for months before I noticed that I had left tracking on. Now it runs perfectly quiet.