Coin Shooter’s Holiday – Spring Break!!!
Published by Larry on Tagged Metal Detecting Tips, Relic Finds, Site Areas
The month of March is my favorite time for metal detecting in the great state of Florida. The beaches and parks become a coin shooter’s paradise and gold mining is at its best. My coin and jewelry finds frequently have exceded 3,000 in March and my best month ever, March 1995, came with my new Fisher cz20. I dug 4,565 coins and more than 30 pieces of gold jewelry including several high school and college class rings. My most valuable gold find, a gold nugget pendant with a full carat diamond (appraised at $4500), was found during spring break and returned to its owner.
It is spring break again and many of the college students are hitting the beaches already. Most are very friendly and many inquire about what I am finding. As a retired educator, I have fun talking to the youngsters from the state colleges and from schools all over the Northeast. My sixteen years as a high school counselor, has given me some great information on the eastern colleges and I can share with delight tidbits about these schools while making friends. A bonus to this time is the trust that leads them to share with me any lost items to which they are privy. The local high school students will join them in the afternoons and weekends and later this month, fust before and after Easter, they too will hit the beaches in large numbers.
It is easy to get pumped-up as a coin shooter during spring break. I have found coins from more than 30 countries and jewelry from more than 40 different schools and colleges within the US. Due to engraving on the jewelry, I have had the joy (and sometimes fun) of returning many pieces. A student from Tarpon High insisted that I bring his class ring to him immediately or he would call the police on me for stealing it. I almost pawned that one instead of returning it. He apologized and came to my office after spring break and picked it up.
Twenty-five years of spring breaking at the beaches has taught me some interesting general facts. College students have, and lose, more high ticket jewelry items and less coins. High school students lose more class rings, coins and personal items like cell phones, shades and wallets. High schoolers play more water games that lead to jewelry and coin finds. College students participate in more sand and beach activities like volleyball and football that generate big ticket finds. Many adults come to the beach at spring break to be young again and most of them lose little or nothing, outside of their dignity. Everyone seems to have fun and I, and numerous other unusual looking scavengers, profit greatly by their visits. The picture below is of my last year’s spring break gold chain and bracelet finds. Here’s to “diggin it”! Larry
March 13th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
What type of pinpointer are you using?
March 14th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Shane,
My favotire is the White’s Bullseye, but I seldom use one as my skills in retrieval are very sharp and I primarily hunt about 90% of my time in water.
Larry