Metal detecting was something I wanted to do for a long time but never got around to it until a few years ago. My interests go back many years to my pre-teen years when there weren't many detectorists and only a few brands of detectors.

My long time friend Tim had an early radio shack or bounty hunter detector when we were about 12 years old. Im talking like 1974. We never found anything amazing but he did find a few Indian head pennies and discovered boxes of dynamite blasting caps that were for some reason buried in the sloughs between the sand dunes on the New Jersey Shore. We would dig for and find these crates and then just start throwing them at the ground, at each other etc. They would pop with the sound of a small firecracker. It probably was a lot more dangerous than we realized but we never got hurt and it was a lot of fun.

We had to dodge the local dune protector, Mrs. Patrick, since deceased, who had an ocean front house since torn down for one of those generic oversized ocean front McMansions that most of us can only ever dream of owning. If she spied us, she would get out her bullhorn and bellow. Please get off the dunes! and we would scat like cockroaches when the lights were suddenly turned on. At some point, we would sneak back and carry on. Mind you, we never dug into the dunes. Even at that young age we all realized that those dunes were the only thing protecting our families' homes from the hurricanes and Nor' easters that are regular visitors to the Jersey shore.

It was while we were digging for those blasting caps that we started finding old bottles, nothing really old, nothing really amazing, just your typical late 1890s to early 1920s stuff. The better ones were the cobalt blue Bromoseltzers and aqua Lea & Perrins Worstershire sauce bottles. Occasionally, we would find a bottle that was originally clear but due to the magnesium content in the glass and exposure to the sun, had turned purple. We started selling some of the bottles that we had doubles of to local antique stores or placing them on consignment. We never made much money but it was fun, kept us out of trouble and was an introduction to an interest in history that many of us still have today.

I still have the majority of my bottle collection, though I later moved on to specializing in old blob top beer bottles and then onto beer memorabilia (known as breweriana in the fancy circles). I still have all my blob top beer bottles, probably over 500 different beer cans, many beer trays etc. I lost the intense interest but kept the collection. I have parted with a few of the more valuable cans on e-bay recently. I probably would put up more of my collection but the mailing part is such a pain.

By the time I was 16, I was much more interested in finding ways to get at the contents of a beer can or bottle than caring about the container. The drinking age was 18 then and underage drinking especially if you were close to being of age was not as frowned upon as it is today. Our parents would be very upset and you would be surprised how many people would buy you a six pack or two if you stood outside a liquor store and asked them. By the way, neither I nor any of my close friends ever got arrested for anything, though Tim got a ticket for disobeying a lifeguard but that is another story.

Well, my late teens and twenties were pretty much concerned with girls, music, beer etc. So, it really marked a departure from my earlier interests. I can't say for sure what rekindled my interest in metal detecting but I think buying a 100 year old house in a town chock full of history may have had something to do with it.

After sniffing around the Internet for a few months, I asked my wife for a White's detector for my birthday. I was looking for one in the $300 to $400 range. I told her to see if they might have any floor models so I could get more bang for the buck. She ended up getting me the XLT for almost double what I had planned to spend. I was a little upset especially if I decided that the hobby was just not for me. Well, by now, the machine has paid for its self unless I add in hours spent, gas for the car etc.

My first day in the yard, I found a 1945 mercury dime in like almost uncirculated condition except, that is for the scratch I made while digging it out of the ground. Still, I was ecstatic. My yard was filled with treasure! Right? Wrong! I have spent hours and hours over almost every square inch and have found plenty of clad quarters and dimes, modern nickels and modern copper and zinc pennies. Some were very deep. Some had been buried a long time. I could just tell. I am also pretty sure the yard had never been hunted because these coins were everywhere and too many to have been passed by. I am certain there are some older coins but I feel they are very deep. I will try and try again with the XLT and I will try when I get my new machine.

I did find a very heavy 14K gold bracelet in my backyard after I removed about 6 feet of leaves behind the fence on my property. I believe whoever lost it must have been tossing a trashcan of leaves over the fence and it went over the fence with the leaves to be buried before he realized it was gone. I can hazard a guess whom may have lost it but it was my payment to myself for properly disposing and composting the leaves, something that if he had done, wouldn't have cost the loss of the bracelet or all the hours of work to me.

Some of my more interesting finds to date have been a 1785 Nova Constellatio, a 1876 seated quarter, a 1914 barber dime in fine plus condition, a few other barber dimes, a slew of mercury dimes, silver Roosevelt dimes, a few silver Washington quarters, a half dozen or so Indian head pennies, many, many wheat cents and loads and loads of modern coins. I have found a lot more sterling silver than gold, mostly rings, though a few necklaces and earrings. I have found 2 gold rings, one with a red coral stone and a 14K heart stopping engagement ring with a 1 plus carat marquis diamond that turned out to be fake.

A few more unusual items include a lead toy that is either a cowboy or a Canadian Mounty, painted red & black and a Long Branch - New York Railroad baggage tag. I know the tags are collectible but have not seen any from that railroad line. So, as far as I know it is unique.

Having spent many, many hours detecting on the beach I can honestly say I am the proud owner of probably a good 100 pounds of lead, mostly in the form of fishing sinkers. And this is probably after giving away a good 20 pounds of them. Lately, if I find them and a fisherman is around I ask them if they want them. They usually do. And it's a good thing too. Otherwise my pants would probably fall off.

Happy Hunting!