Explore real metal detecting finds, historic relics, old coins, lost jewelry, unusual artifacts, and field discoveries from experienced detectorists. This Focus Speed category highlights what detectorists find, how those items are researched, identified, dated, and interpreted, and what each discovery can teach us about history, land use, permissions, detector settings, recovery methods, and responsible metal detecting. Articles in this section cover old coins, relics, tokens, buttons, jewelry, railroad artifacts, Civil War-related finds, workwear buttons, unusual discoveries, and research-based artifact identification, often including historical context, dating clues, material culture research, and field observations to help detectorists better understand what they recover.
Simple field checks, gram-scale testing, and specific gravity for detectorists One of the first questions a new detectorist asks after recovering an unusual ring, buckle, button, coin or piece of jewelry is, “What metal is this?” Color alone is not enough. Soil staining, corrosion, plating and age can make one metal resemble another. The best…
A small metal badge emerges from the soil while metal detecting. It may be round, oval, shield-shaped or rectangular. Beneath the dirt are raised words such as “Licensed Chauffeur,” “Registered Chauffeur” or “Professional Chauffeur.” There may also be a date, state name and individual serial number. To someone unfamiliar with early automotive history, it could…
If you’ve swung a coil long enough—especially around old home sites, picnic groves, fairgrounds, schoolyards, and creek banks—you’ve probably found a marble or two. They’re one of those time-capsule sort of artifacts: small, tough, and in years gone by they were easy for kids to lose… and for detectorists to recover a century later. Many…
If you love metal detecting or history — or identify artifacts professionally as an archaeologist, museum curator, conservator, or material culture specialist — Groundbreakers: The History of the Northern Virginia Relic Hunters Association deserves a place on your reference shelf. Compiled by Civil War collecting luminaries Stephen W. Sylvia and Nancy Dearing Rossbacher to commemorate…
For centuries, marbles have captured the imaginations of children, collectors, and cultural historians. Among the vast array of marbles, clay marbles stand out not only for their humble materials but also for their archaeological and historical significance. Often overlooked by metal detectorists and surface surveyors, these small, unassuming spheres are more than just relics of…
Every seasoned metal detectorist has that one find—or non-find—that stays with them. Not because of its monetary value, but because of the emotional weight it carries. For me, it wasn’t a ring I found, but one I didn’t. A ring that haunted me for nearly a decade. Nine years ago, my wife gifted me my…
Date nails, while seemingly small and inconspicuous, represent a fascinating intersection of industrial history, infrastructure development, and materials science. Used predominantly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these nails played a crucial role in tracking the service life of infrastructure materials, particularly railroad ties and utility poles. Their historical and technical significance offers…
Los Angeles, now renowned for its fashion boutiques and extensive shopping opportunities, was a city devoid of dedicated clothing stores just over 130 years ago. This changed thanks to Morris Cohn, who established the first exclusive clothing store in Los Angeles, laying the groundwork for the city’s fashion industry. Morris Cohn, born in Germany in…
During a recent metal detecting expedition, I stumbled upon two buttons emblazoned with “Stronghold Steve” from workwear unearthed at an old dump site. This discovery piqued my curiosity, leading me to delve into the history of the mascot, the buttons, and the company behind them. Initially, I was unfamiliar with the brand, but my subsequent…