Anybody ONLY Ring Hunt On Land?

[Critterhunter]

Just curious if any of you guys spend your time only digging low and mid level targets and no coin signals on land in the hopes of finding gold rings? I ran into a guy once who said he does that exclusively and has made some really good finds. Not just in gold rings, but also in other odd ball good finds that just don't read as high as coins. Seems like by shear numbers many places might in fact have more gold rings laying around than what silver might be left at those sites, if there ever was any silver at those sites.

If you do hunt this way then what's your strategy in terms of targeting locations?

 

[jabbo]

I searched parks exclusively for gold for about 5 years. Was using a Cortes, Found plenty of ladies rings and some gold chains. Dug way less mens rings because they are in the zinc penny range.One gold chain was apparised by a jewelry store for $900 - $1100, another appraised at $1600. The ladies rings I give away to relatives and friends, sold any heavier rings for scrap gold. Haven't searched for gold the past 2 years, into old coins now. Be prepared to dig tons of pulltabs when searching for gold. I dig almost no pulltabs searching for old coins. The gold stuff can be very shallow, I eyeballed some gold laying on top of the ground and on top of the wood chips. I have the Golden uMax, ready for gold.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

depends on what type locations you're talking about "on land". Some are simply going to be too silly punishing, to think you're going to be a "hero" and go rescue a ring. There are inner-city-blighted urban parks where the ratio of trash aluminum (foil, tabs, slaw, etc...) to each gold ring would be on the order of 1000 to 1. No kidding! So why bother? However, certain athletic fields venues will have less trash, and a more condusive to gold jewelry losses (d/t people frolicking their hands, tumbling about, etc...). As opposed to picnicking type places with those little elevated cookstove and BBQ pit type spots, where people eat, is a natural recipe for junk. Because they're eating (read: "foil") and drinking (read "tabs) and cooking (read "molten aluminum globules").

 

[kai_gold]

I live in a newer area so the only silver around is most likely jewelry. I now only search for gold inland. Strategy really comes down to location. Easy digging like playgrounds and most everything gets dug. At parks I will usually only dig gold range ids and sometimes quarters. In really trashy parks I may concentrate on a narrower range of id depending on what I am more likely to find. Typically I prefer easier to dig spots as here in Phoenix people litter much more than in other places I have lived. Some of the areas that would most likely hold gold losses have a piece of metal trash every 6 inches on the surface and visible so you can only imagine how much is under the ground. With a small coil it would be possible to pick up some coins there but since I am after gold I don't spend much time at these kind of places.

 

[Smudge]

Critterhunter,

The only gold jewlery I have ever found was inland. It must have been my rotten luck, but gold jewlery eluded me on the beach.

I have no criteria at all when I jewelry hunt because I have find it everywhere: parks, parking lots, open fields, you name it. I tried to think about specific areas to hunt for jewelry, but none of it panned out. You just have to be ready for it anytime, anywhere.

 

[jabbo]

I agree with Smudge. I live one hour away from the Jersey shore. Been there with my CZ-20 about 5 times each summer for 5 years. Found plenty of junk jewelry and one ladies gold ring, and a ladies wrist watch. I sold the CZ and quit the beach. I did a lot better in parks for gold. I know a guy who owns a condo right on the beach. He doesn't hit the beach with his Safari, says all he finds is junk jewelry, so he travels inland for old coins and relics.

 

[kschae4]

Jabbo- very true. Though I live down the shore, I prefer inland hunting as you've mentioned. Once, I did have some luck beach hunting, when I found a 1964 high school ring in the sand along the steps leading down to the beach and was able to re-unite it with the owner who had moved to Florida. If I feel like I just need to get a quick hunt in, then I'll hit the beach to find the latest in clad !

 

[BH_Landstar_]

I've been detecting since January 2010 and I've only found 3 good items on the beach in that time, all my other silver and gold jewelry finds have been found inland in the dirt and not the sand.

I live 20 minutes away from the beach on the North East coast, and I still hunt inland unless I want to find some easy gas money, then I will hit the beaches early in the morning to rake up the lost coins, I can come away with close to $10 - $15 over 2 hours on a good day if no one else has been there to clean up.

 

[Mike Hillis]

Critterhunter,
I'm a jewelry hunter but I can't say that I only dig the low conductors. While I set up for a certain range of low conductors based upon the site analysis, I can't pass up the coins. I mean battery money is battery money, right? Plus they give me more intelligence about the location so I need them, too.

HH
Mike