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I can't tell y'all how many times I've spoken to someone that's been in this hobby longer than me, that doesn't come out with something like; "oh boy, years ago we used to go home with pocket fulls of silver after our hunts". And these stories always amaze me, especially since I've only been hunting hard core for 10 years now, and before that just sporadically, non-seriously since I was a kid. So...

Anyone remember the 'good ol' days' of the 70's & 80's. Please share with us some experiences of those magical times Time

Joe
Well Joe I did start detecting in 1971, I didn't have much luck as was disappointed with the machine I bought off the back of a comic book and it wouldn't find much. And it didn't help much being a military brat we moved to England not much time to detect and I was to chicken to as people so just did the yard did find some England pennys and half pennys I did go to the channel and did the beach I did find a US knife / bayonet I think was from ww2 and I got a tracer bullet but haven't been able to find that yet.
Then we moved back to the states we moved to Wisconsin out in the sticks so not too much detecting it was about 1990 when I got going doing lakes in the water and old building spots. And yes the beaches were loaded hardly anyone detected The good and bad stuff was everywhere I remembered one day I was at the lake detecting we didn't have any water scoops so we either dove down or pulled it out with our feet I had a target didn't know what it was got it with my toes and pulled it out and was a switch blade knife open, lucky I didn't get hurt.
Yea things were good because hardly anyone detected. I don't know what it is like by you but over here there are 5 people at the lakes detecting before 8 am. I have some small lakes here you are lucky to find one penny all summer and they are wall to wall people.
But if you do your research you can still find virgin spots on land and in the water
the only problem here the state says they own everything in the water and under the water
I hear ya, Steve. Well...

I'm mainly a coin guy, so, that takes up much of my hunting. However, I do like to hit the beaches here in NJ/NY 6 or 7 times a season to look for gold. Yes, the competition here is pretty thick. Heck, it's fairly routine to see guys on the beach hunting the low at 2, 3 o'clock in the morning. It's pitch dark, with only the moon for you to see. Then, you'll spot another headlamp way off in the distance. It's another detectorist walking toward you, lol. And...

God forbid there's a major nor'easter. You'll be lucky if there's standing room on the beach!

Detectors didn't NEED to be that good, or that deep back then, Steve. Pretty much everything was original drops. So, barbers, Indians, seateds, coppers...all laying a few inches deep!!! 

My buddy fluke is always saying two things; "could you imagine if we could go back in time with today's machines?!" & if we find a really good spot; "can you imagine what was here 20 or 30 years ago before ANY people hunted it?!".

Joe
Hey Steveo,I was an army brat too. In 1977, me and my buddies where playing football in Ft. Riley Kansas. We saw a soldier metal detecting the grassy strip by the sidewalk...so we started following/annoying him. Dude was pulling out old coins leftnright!! I remember he was using a Whites. So I got excited,and started mowing lawns untill I came up with $60 and bought the entry level Whites...and soon found out just how much trash is in the ground. But I started hunting out in the woods, and found some minnie balls. I left my detector on the porch one day,and I guess it grew legs cause it was gone. For decades I always thought about getting another, but was too busy growing my hair,chasing girls,getting wasted...you get the picture,lol. Finally got another detector in 2000,a Tesoro Silver umax. Sometimes I think of all the oppurtunities I missed out on,but no use crying over spilled milk.
I just wish I had an inkling for detecting back then. I've lived in four states in the North East, including NJ, Joe, (2 years in Patterson). I worked in Manhattan for 8 years. If I had a detector then no telling what would of happened but I look back and can really kick myself sometimes. For all the money I spent on fishing equipment, I could have had a real nice detector and probably made some good finds. Oh well. I occasionally meet up with real old timers who tell me all the stuff they've found where I'm currently detecting. And they can tell some good tales. Lot like fishing. Coulda, shoulda, woulda!!!!
Small world, Ohio! I used to work the next town over from Paterson, in 
Elmwood Park. Only live maybe 10 minutes from there. You'd be surprised at some of the old stuff we pull out of this semi urban area, however, most of our history is either paved over, developed on or heavily filled. Go a bit north, south or west though, and there's still raw land going back to the 1700's! Sadly, with so many hunters in the state, even those places have been hit pretty hard. It's still out there though, a lot. Just gotta be the one to put your coil over it Wink

Joe
No kidding! I remember Elmwood Park (East Patterson). I worked on that exterior redo of St. John the Baptist across from the Passaic County jail for 18 months of that 2 years. And your right about getting out of town. Cleveland has been turned over a zillion times and detected that much too by guys that "compete" with each other, some "full time". I live way outside West of Cleveland now. It's a more target rich environment.
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