Reality of Field Detecting

[stupot]

I don't normally write about field detecting on here as it seems a bit unfair to show ancient finds to a US forum. But here is the reality for me in the area that I live in for the most part anyway. Sometimes you can do well & be very satisfied, but on the whole, it a really hard slog. Some parts of the UK are quite different being very prolific.

The photo of finds in the gold pan represent about 20 hours of tough detecting. I pick every piece which will be added to the enormous bagged scrap pile. A lot of early lead & other fields finds, some exceptionally tiny. Even the Quest pinpointer has difficulty with some of them.

For the last couple of years I've settled on the Manti as the primary field detector - it gets really small finds with ease, its all in the superb audio. There are many tiny finds in the UK that one doesn't want to miss. We have cut silver from the Medieval period which are tiny & very thin for just one example.

I tend to search fields in their entirety, trying to find a spot that might have a concentration in certain areas. But mostly you are just hoping to pick up stuff that was casually lost throughout the centuries. As soon as the ground is tilled and flat, i'm over it like a rash doing row after row up & down. Eventually something should turn up.  Thus far, a single damaged hammered penny from the medieval period, a couple of broken Roman brooches and a really good James II Shilling. His coins are really very scarce with only a three year reign, only my third silver of him in the last 45+ years. Surprisingly, I do get the occasional Irish halfpenny showing up but condition is usually poor.

Its all about covering the ground & having a systematic approach. What has occurred is that I now use the M9 coil pretty exclusively on fields no matter how much ground there is. I love lightness in equipment and that coil certainly has it & makes the whole detector more maneuverable.

If only those droplets of white lead were nuggets!

[F350Platinum]

Nice field hunt, stupot!

I for one really love to see the ancient finds. Once a forum member sent me a very old coin (54AD) as thanks for some advice, he said they're as common there as our "Zincolns". 🤯 It is a very treasured gift.

It's quite a slog to search a particularly large place, I often have a friend along and we will find the hotspots eventually. I can only think of one recent trip where we found next to nothing, but still came away with a few random finds.

I've been using the Manticore recently to go over previously hunted places with the Deus 2, and it is definitely the companion detector. Its low conductor response is especially useful.

🍀

[JCR]

I certainly agree. We do it for the love of history, and that special satisfaction that mastering a detector & site gives. Each tiny find adds to the tapestry. 
Well done.

[Johnnysalami1957]

Thank you for sharing the multitude of finds stupot. The attraction to finding the unknown is fascinating. 

[Joe D.]

   As much as I love the colonial finds in the states, I'm always blown away by finds elsewhere in the world from antiquity! Some of the best, made without a detector, by random lucky people with sharp eyes! 

Keep up the slog stupot, and enjoy those rare finds!🍀👍👍

[Hunterjunk]

All I can hope for here is to find something near to 200 years old . Seeing history like yours makes me a bit envious but I love it.  Hope you have a few more installments .

[Wild Bill]

Stupot, I think we all enjoy seeing the finds and reading the account of a day detecting in the so called Old World.  For me in Nevada, the east coast of the U.S. seems old world!  Have you ever watched a history documentary on the Middle East, the pyramids, ancient Babylon or so many other mysterious lands and find yourself thinking what would you find if you were allowed to detect there?!   Keep up the good work.  

[rvpopeye]

Way to go stupot !  I like pics of all of the different finds no matter where (or when!) they came from.

I was once told that all the treasure in Europe is protected by dragons 🐉, you must be very brave.😉

  

 

 

 

 

 

[Detecting with CM]

Nice silver coin. Decent shape for over 300 years old.👍