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.
The Canadian Large Cent holds a special place in the annals of numismatics, historians, and metal detecting enthusiasts embodying Canada’s rich historical and monetary evolution. This coin, first minted in 1858 and produced until 1920, offers a window into the economic, political, and social shifts that shaped Canada during its formative years. This article delves…
United States tax tokens, specifically the metal variants, present a captivating cross-section of numismatics, history, and metal detecting. These small but significant artifacts were primarily issued during the tumultuous years of the 1930s and 1940s, marking a direct response to the economic turmoil unleashed by the Great Depression and the logistical quandaries posed by collecting…
I know what you are about to read goes against everything we’ve been taught. Many XP Deus users, including myself, have read Andy Sabisch’s book, The Deus Handbook, or watched Gary Blackwell’s instructional videos. Some of us have turned our yards into test beds like Calabash Digger, while others hit the fields to fine-tune their…
Detectorist Phil Massie is a ghost town hunter; he researches to find towns that used to be bustling but have no buildings that are standing today. The ghost towns are mostly railroad towns, logging camps, tent cities, and vacant mines. Phil swings an XP Deus II metal detector and showcases some impressive relic finds on…
Let’s start with the big question: What is a VDI, and how does it relate to metal detectors? In simple terms, your metal detector is sending a wave of energy into the ground and when that wave hits a metal object, it will, in turn bounce the wave back to your detector, providing it’s own…
No matter where you metal detect you are likely to unearth an old bullet or casing. From shotgun headstamps to Civil War Minie Balls, there are ways to help identify the ammunition in question. Thankfully, I’ve been able to get some insight from Aquachigger who has agreed to share some of his knowledge. In this…
The history of Ohio is vast, admitted to the Union as the 17th state in 1803 and the first state from what was once known as the Northwest Territory. Like many states, Ohio has had its fair share of trials and tribulations. From Fort Laurens’s involvement in the American Revolutionary War, the battles of the…
For most detectorists, treasure can mean many things. The spots we hunt are all different, however, our final motive is to recover lost items, coins, and treasure! It doesn’t matter what machine you use or the location you are at in the world, there is always something that gets us excited in the field of…
When you are organizing your clad coins found from your metal detecting adventures, consider putting the following coins to the side, rather than depositing them in a bank, dropping them into the local Coinstar machine, or using them for a purchase. The list below is key dates and mints of clad coins and wheat cents,…