How Old Were You When You Started Metal Detecting?

[Tom_in_CA]

Since "nostalgia" is the theme of this thread, here's another.  It's not mine, but it's someone I know :

 

Back in the early 1970s, there was a lady archaeologist here in California.  And she wanted to get her 12 or 13-ish yr. old son interested in history, digging things, etc....  So for some reason, she gave her son a metal detector for Christmas.  So he could play "Junior archaeologist", or whatever.  Probably just some Heathkit or BFO of of that era.   However, it was good enough to find coin-size objects.   So the kid would follow his mom out on to some of her projects (she was digging some western contact period sites, at the time, with the local university or whatever).  

 

And I guess, back in those days, there was not the animosity between archies and md'rs.  The little tyke was ignored , and looked at as harmless.  After all, that's his mom that's duly-authorized, and ... no one paid the little tyke any mind.   

 

BUT HE FOUND some wickedly old stuff when snooping around the archie digs and scrapes.  Since, of course, they were working in sensitive monument type sites.   And naturally, when the kid moved off to normal turf, school yards, park, beach, then naturally, it was only clad, foil, etc....

 

So he wised up at a very young age, and quickly became bored of anything that wasn't seateds, reales, etc....  TALK ABOUT SPOILED AT AN EARLY AGE !   By high school age, he partnered up with another local high school kid, and the two of them went on to do some hair-raising Indiana Jones type antics stuff all around CA and NV. 

[F350Platinum]

Heh, 60. Now I'm 61. ? I messed with Bounty Hunters and such when I was younger, but it never took root like it has now. Too old to play in rock bands anymore, and I think I've photographed enough for a lifetime.

[Norvic]

Late starter I got into it at 27 in 79.

[Goldpick]

Think I was about 16 when I purchased a Micronta detector from Tandy Electronics (oz version of Radio Shack).  Thought I was going to find loads of gold nuggets and ended up finding lots of buried fencing wire and an inch thick steel plate about a foot down, and also had plenty of bump sensitivity issues with the coil.  I first tested out the detector in our front yard and used Dad's wedding ring as a target and couldn't locate it - it was found eventually.?

Ended up ditching the Micronta and purchased a second hand MInelab XT17000, though had little time to use it once employed in the gold exploration industry in some pretty remote areas.  

Later on for some silly reason I thought of trying to locate an old Micronta detector for nostalgia sakes, probably a good thing that it never eventuated.

[Hamid]

Interesting replies, thank you for sharing ?

I have been detecting when I was little boy. 

My first find are coins my first ring is plastic, my first chain is gold chain, my first earring is gold earring. I’m doing well in this younger age. I had much fun?

All the best to everyone ?

Thank you ?

Sincerely 

Hamid

[Tony]

I was 13.......the rich kid down the road had a Whites and a Compass detector. I had this piece of junk (Micronta?)......but I loved it. Cost me $19.95 back in the day. A couple of years later I bought the Compass from the rich kid for a great price.....I think mainly due to the fact that I was a solid kid for my age and took care of a couple young punks who liked to beat up the rich kid. A couple of years later I “discovered” beer and girls and it would be another 20 years before those novelties wore off and I rediscovered my real passion of detecting again ?

[Hardtimehermit]

I was 41 and looking for a new path after quitting alcoholic lifestyle that was most certainly going to kill me. Contractor i worked for bought a 5000 gpx and found a guy out of gold hill that would train us, so we went down and stayed over night on one of his claims. None of us had any experience with a detector so i was hooked the next morning when we found a 1 gram nugget in the wash. After that day the other guys were over it seeing we did not find an ounce, but i knew enough to know just to find a nugget first time out was impressive. Well then i found out you could find meteorites too, i went off in that direction for a few years, and now i have an equinox 800 that has found me coins and jewelry, and hopefully some natural gold someday too!  ?? ht

[GB_Amateur]

5 hours ago, Tony said:

A couple of years later I “discovered” beer and girls and it would be another 20 years before those novelties wore off and I rediscovered my real passion of detecting again ?

Good for you it took only 20 years to right the ship.  ?

[Barrel Proof]

I think it was about eight years ago for me that I started, but now I'd like to spend more time doing it.