I have been searching for coins/jewellery for nearly as long as I have been a keen gold prospector, but in my apprentice days, it was mainly beach detecting with my Sovereign. The parks were always so full of junk, and it seemed like such hard work digging those holes, and it wasn’t until the X-TERRA Series first came on the scene that I started enjoying park hunting.
On the beach, my recovery tools were as simple as a long handled shovel. Targets could be deep, and the ground was generally always soft, so it was a simple equation of getting the target out of the sand as quick as possible, and going to find the next one. But when I started park detecting it was a different ball game. The ground was so variable: hard soil, dry soil, wet soil, sandy, rocky, no grass, thick stubborn root grass etc. and it took me a while to work out the best method / tools to get the targets out of the ground. In any case, the following four rules always applied, and still do:
- Use the most efficient method
- DON’T damage the target
- Minimise the size of the hole
- Refill the hole, and leave no sign of a hole being dug
So to achieve the above in a variety of different conditions, my park/inland detecting tool kit now includes: a robust long screwdriver, and small sharp digging trowel (as seem in the video below), a more heavy duty digging tool, a small pick (for less sensitive areas), and a plastic scoop – perfect for those dry sandy hole bottoms that keep caving in on itself. Now, most seasoned coin hunters will admit that no matter how skilled you get at pin-pointing, sometimes the coin isn’t where it should be, or where you thought it would be in the hole, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve scraped a few silver coins in my time. So, needless to say, I now have a new addition to my bag of tricks – the new PRO-FIND 25 pinpointer.
It’s also great for those deep targets, because you can’t get your detector coil down a small plug or hole. With the PRO-FIND 25 you can probe it in the hole, find the exact location of the target, and remove it in the least amount of time and with no damage to the object.
The PRO-FIND 25 has some great features including adjustable sensitivity, but I’m going to stop talking (writing?) and let you watch the video.
Nenad Lonic
Technical Sales Representative, Minelab
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