My name is Mal and I have been a metal detectorist since 1978. I live in a small village just outside Oxford with my wife and son surrounded by beautiful countryside steeped in history going back to the Iron Age and beyond.
I was first introduced to metal detecting by a stranger I watched in a field next to where I was fishing. He was walking about strangely with this flying saucer on the end of a metal pole and every now and then he dug a hole and put what he found in his pocket. Well curiosity got the better of me and I wandered across to see what he was doing. He said he was hunting for old coins and he brought out of his pocket an assortment of old pennies and half pennies he had found. I was hooked, excuse the pun, fishing forgotten and went about finding out where to buy one of these strange machines.
I eventually tracked down a store that sold them in Liverpool and bought one of these strange devices. Off I went to a friend whose father ran the local Public House. I searched the garden to see what I could find and this created quite a stir with the regulars, me walking up and down with a strange device attached to some headphones on my head, they watch with great amusement and wanting to know what I was doing. The clever ones throwing pennies in front of me to see if I could find them, I did and just stuck them in my pocket. The upshot was that I found an Edward VII penny dated 1901 and still use this as a ball marker when I am playing golf.
As technology progressed I upgrade my detectors over the years then switched to Minelab with the Explorer XS, SE, E-TRAC and now using the CTX 3030, Excalibur II 10” and X-TERRA 705.
Every machine I have owned, I have used the philosophy that I would not buy my next machine until the current one had paid for itself. My E-TRAC paid for itself in three weeks with rings found from the beach and my purchase of the Excalibur II has more than found its share of coins to cover its cost so far two fold.
Best coin with E-TRAC Augustus Denarius 16 B.C.
Best artefact with E-TRAC Roman Dolphin broach
With the Excalibur and now the CTX 3030, I try to get in the water at the beach as regularly as the water temperature allows. I have had many rings and other jewellery items from the beach over the years. I tend to spend about 75% of my detecting time searching beaches as my in-land sites are all farmland that only allow access during harvest time.
Unfortunately, you really have to work the beaches in the UK as they do not seem to have the same Bling Bling losses that our detecting buddies across the pond in the U.S.A. are fortunate to have, but I do find them.
At the end of September 2012 I upgraded to the CTX 3030 and the following week travelled to the annual Minelabowners.com rally at Corfe Castle, Dorset in the UK.
Every year bar one, I make a pilgrimage to the Minelabowners Rally where a great time is had by all. It’s not just about detecting but to meet up with the cyber friends I have made and met both old and new, each year through the Forum. It makes the journey so worth while.
Amongst the finds I made this year was a rare Edward the Confessor silver penny minted locally at Wareham. This is a very rare coin and I was fortunate to win the Find of the Rally first prize with this find.
The following week on another site I again using the CTX 3030 found a rare gold 1/4 Stater of the Celtic king Cunobelin 10-20 AD.
Minelab detectors are the best I have used and now with the CTX 3030 I hope the great finds keep coming.
I just love this hobby adding items from the past and present to my collection that is growing all the time. I try and get out at least twice a week. I am glad I retired early to have enough time for this great hobby.
You will find me regularly contributing on the Minelabowners.com forum (Mal – please feel free to contact me through this great Forum) with many other like minded folk.
I hope that all you have the success that I have had searching and I hope you have many great finds over the years to come.
Signing off now,
Happy Hunting to one and all,
Mal - Oxfordshire, UK
