Coin Hunting or 'Coin Shooting' as it's often called, is not only very fun to do, but it can easily be very profitable. Finding just one gold piece or any rare coin can easily pay for the cost of the metal detector. When it comes to Coin Hunting or 'Coin Shooting', there are some places that I call 'hot spots', or the best places.

Riverbanks - Ponds - Lakes - Swimming Holes: These locations are true treasure hunting top spots. The Riverbank is a huge area that can provide a lifetime of detecting. River banks were used as ferry crossings, and some had covered bridges with toll stations. The local old timers may be able to tell you where the local fishing and old swimming spots were. Remember many of the old fishing spots were also drinking and partying spots, and at the swimming holes a lot of people took off their outer clothes, losing change as they did. And going back even earlier in the years, folks would take their clothes to the riverbanks to wash them in the water. The same goes for old farm ponds, many were used as a favorite summer time swimming spot or picnic area. The banks and shores of rivers, ponds, streams, lakes etc, are great locations for coins, jewelry, trinkets and more.

Schools - Churches: These are also 'HOT' areas for metal detecting, most towns or even rural areas have a school, some have multiple ones. Schools that are currently open during school season are a great place to find modern coins and even a few clad coins, also numerous trinkets, diecast cars, and cheaper jewelry items can easily be found on modern school grounds.

If you are as lucky as I am, then you live in a rural or country area that keeps a lot of their old buildings. I know where there are two old buildings that served as one room school houses, these places were open in the late 1800's to the early 1940's. Just imagine the wonderful finds these old grounds may be hiding. The old one room school houses also served as churches, social halls, farm grange buildings, and as meeting places for scouts, ladies aid societys and more.

Many old Churches and one room school houses had there own treasure chests, that's right. When these buildings were constructed, the local kids and adults would bury a chest on the grounds or under a corner stone of the building. The chest was a sort of time capsule containing coins, newspapers and other unique items from the time when the building was erected. Many of these old buildings rotted away over time, and folks forgot about the buried time capsule located near the corner stone.

Searching the land a church is on is like searching for a pirates loot, you never know what you may find. And a lot of churches are very old, even many of the modern ones are like schools, they are built on the grounds where old ones stood. Churches were often the first buildings built in many towns. Right here where I live are numerous churches, and one was built in the early 1700's. Church buildings not only housed people on sundays but, most were wedding sites, reception halls, dance halls, dinner sites, ice cream social locations, group meeting spots and much more.

Woods - The woods can be awesome for metal detecting if one knows what to look for. Look for old paths, those are great places to detect along. Old paths in the woods served as shortcuts to open fields for farmers to get their equipment through, or for cattle to follow and more. In a wooded area not far from where I grew up as a child I know where there is an old path, now grown up with trees and bushes, most folks would overlook it or not know it's history. My grandfather and dad built the road by blasting stumps with dynamite and by hand cutting trees. They used the path to quickly get tractors, and other farm machinery to another open field below the woods. Just imagine the number of times my own dad and grandfather probably sat along that old road, eating their lunch or sipping some cool lemonaid underneath the shade of a large tree. Any time someone sat along a road eating lunch, they would often pull an old cloth hanky from their pocket to blow their nose or even wipe their mouth, often losing some pocket change at the same time.

Another rare but great metal detecting site that can often be found in the woods is old stone foundations and old stone chimneys, each has the potential for a rare gold coin or a jar of old silver dollars. Remember at one time this old stone foundation or fireplace was part of a familys home, with kids playing, parties and numerous outdoor activites.

Some other great Metal Detecting sites are - Parks, Beaches, Old Ball Fields, Playgrounds, Fairgrounds, Camping Sites, Camps, Ghost Towns, Battlefields, Old Picnic Spots. Make sure that you have permission to search and dig in any location you are going to do your detecting at.

There is Computer Software that is made just for the hobby of Metal Detecting. The software is called: 'Metal Detector - Treasure Hunter Professional', and may be seen at this website address:

http://www.rb59.com/md/meal.html

By Robert W. Benjamin

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