Old Line Paul

This post is for all you lurkers and newbies. In December, I won a Barska Winbest Pro Edition in a church raffle. I always wanted a metal detector as a boy, but Santa never came through. But as they say, “It’s never to late to have a happy childhood.” Shortly thereafter, I found this website and started reading about the hobby. May 13 was a beautiful day, so I unboxed my new toy, plugged in an old pair of iPhone earbuds, and headed off to a nearby park. I didn’t have high expectations. First, because I had looked the Winbest up on Amazon and knew it retailed for under $70. Second, because the park is less than 25 years old and has no concession stands. It’s a sports field with a tot lot, a Fitcore station, soccer field, baseball diamond and tennis courts. How much loot could there be? I hit the Fitcore lot first, since maybe people would drop stuff while working out. More importantly, the lot is surfaced with wood chips, which would make digging and refilling holes a lot easier. Being a rookie, I had read on this website to set the detector to “all metal” and dig every target until I learned how my machine worked. So I started swinging. Minutes later, I heard my first signal. I scratched through the wood chips and out popped a 1995 penny! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Seeing old Abe staring up at me was quite a thrill. Over the next hour, I dug up 9 pieces of trash. But I didn’t mind. I was gaining confidence in my detector, since each time I heard a signal there was something down there. () The Detector Deities were looking out for me that day. If I had found the trash first, I would never have persevered long enough to find that penny. The Winbest would have gone to the thrift shop and the day would soon be forgotten. I hit the Fitcore and tot lots a few times more, and found a few more pennies and some broken toys. But the problem was not the slim pickings but the fact that a lot of people used the playgrounds. I didn’t want to attract attention or make a nuisance of myself, so I reluctantly headed off to the empty soccer field. Reluctantly, because, I mean, how much stuff can there be on the sidelines of a soccer field? (To be continued…)

Greetings! Last winter, I won a Barska Winbest Pro Edition in a church raffle. I wanted a metal detector when I was a kid, but Santa never came through. Since it’s never too late to have a happy childhood, I looked forward to trying it out. This spring, my father was losing his battle with cancer. I needed something to get me out of the house and take my mind off the sad situation. So on May 13th I unboxed the detector, plugged in some old iPhone earbuds, and went detecting for the very first time in a local sports field. It was amazingly therapeutic! The weather was gorgeous and the process of learning to detect was a much-needed mental break. To make things even better, the very first target I dug was a penny! The rest of the hour I dug 9 pieces of trash. I figure the Detector Deities were watching over me that day. Had I found the trash first, I doubt I would have persevered long enough to find the penny. I’ve now been detecting 17 times in that park. I have never failed to find at least one coin. To date, I have found 8 quarters, 13 dimes, 6 nickels and 52 pennies. My father has since passed away, but I still find it a peaceful, relaxing pastime. A word about the Winbest. While I have nothing to compare it to, it does a fine job of detecting coins a few inches under turf. It is, however, very flimsy. The wires connected to the batteries, in particular, are just begging to be broken off. We will see which lasts longer: the detector or my enthusiasm for the hobby.