Relic hunting vs. coin hunting

[Phillip_in_NM]

Ever since I started in this great hobby, I have heard people describing themselves and certain machines as EITHER relic hunters or coin hunters. Is the difference between the two mainly a matter of location as in schoolyards/parks vs. ghost towns/battle grounds or encampments? Or is it more about your desired target? What makes a good relic machine? Or what makes a good coin machine?

I primarily hunt in old ghost towns. I am looking for old coins and tokens, but what I often find are harmonica reeds, bullets, buttons, brass, old tools and the like. So... Am I a relic hunter or a coin hunter?

 

[pax]

Anything I can get my coil over that is old relics coins.as long as I am out of the city im happy. I don't have a specific target

 

[Nauti]

Phillip,that is a good question and one that i've often thought about myself.To me,a metal detector detects metal and does not fall into one category or another.I've owned so called relic machines that have been brilliant on coins and so called coin and jewelry machines that have been brilliant at finding relics.When somebody states that a certain machine is better at finding coins than relics or vice versa I can't quite understand what they are talking about.Some machines may have a better iron range than others allowing small iron relics to be picked up better but generally if a detector is good on coins it will pick up relics and vice versa.
As to your question to whether you are a relic or coin hunter......you are a detectorist,whose coil just has'nt gone over many coins or tokens yet.

 

[MarkCZ]

Coin Hunters, (also known as Coin Shooters) work very hard at searching around all metal that isn't a coin, hence the ID detectors were born.

Relic hunters find great satisfaction in running All-Metal and finding an old rusty barn door hinge, (that's just to say what they hunt for could be could be all over the ID range)

Now, Civil War relic hunters is a bit different than just a "Relic Hunter"

Mark

 

[Steve O]

I am a specifically searching for old coins, therefore I am a coin hunter for old coins. I don't dig iron if I can help it. If a relic is found, I will keep some of it and put it into a drawer full of other stuff.

If there were CW battlegrounds near me, I would definitely hunt CW relics.I rarely hunt jewelry on purpose, but an occasional piece will pop out.

I never hunt clad, but have a drawer full of clad. I use a 1021 cz for coins in low trash areas...it's a coin machine...it high tones on US coins. I use a f-75...it can be set up to ring high tone on US coins also. The f-75 is also good in iron nail infested areas especially w/ the 5" coil..for finding old coins. I hunt zero disc 95% of the time...the other 5% depends on how much smaller bits of iron in the ground.

Occasionally I'll use all-metal on the 75, if there is low trash and the area has higher emi.

With the above statements, I can say I'm a hunter of coins, of the older variety.

 

[mudpuppy]

Great question to ponder! "What am I?"

Fortunately this sport has many different sub-sets of hunting preferences that would take a lifetime to master them all.....If a guy lives near a beach, he's most likely gonna be a beach hunter...If a guy lives in Nevada, perhaps a nugget shooter?
Clad is a good place to start out hunting as a noob...it teaches everything you need to know about metal in the dirt, then, if you ever get a chance to hunt a old battle site, or somebodies private yard, you will at least know the basics and probably meet with some success...Theres a style and equipment to fit everybodies personal preference...

I like clad stabbing for some reason...its just plain fun fast and furious, never far from the truck or a restroom, easy money quick!. I hate beach hunting! But I do a lot of it anyway, since I have miles of beach here....its hard and often unproductive, hot, sometimes biting flies, really strenuous walking on sand, etc.....Its interesting to read everybodys reply to the original Question, What Am I? I guess we are all addicted in detecting in some way, and can probably cross over from one skill set to the other pretty fast if the situation merited..
Mud

 

[Larry (IL)]

You are a coin hunter-relic finder..........

 

[GeorgeinSC]

A guy that I go to church with was bad mouthing me and told someone that I was a Metal Detecting ADDICT.

Guilty as Charged. And he thought that he was saying some negative about me. LOL.

I mostly hunt coins and jewelry but there are times that I go to the woods near my home and hunt relics. I just enjoy the hobby of metal detecting.

 

[Phillip_in_NM]

You are a coin hunter-relic finder..........

I think you hit the nail on the head!

 

[Southwind]

I think location is a good part of it. A relic hunter, in my opinion, mainly searches forts and camp sight type locations while a coin shooter hunts parks, schools and yards. As has already been mentioned a good ID machine seems to be the main choice of coin shooter, because they tend to avoid obvious trash to keep from destroying the park/school/yard, while a beep-n-dig tends to be more the norm for relic hunters who are more likely to dig everything.

 

[yowow#1]

I think it is the desired target that makes you a relic or coin hunter. For me i would call myself a relic hunter, i would love to be able to find old coins and tokens. But i had much rather have old things of history whether they have any monetary value or not, as to find modern coins "pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters"