Best Place to Metal Detect Coins (Woods, Beaches, Fields?)

  • By: Admin
  • Date: January 29, 2024
  • Time to read: 9 min.
Best Places to Metal Detect Coins

If you’re a beginner with a metal detector, starting with items that are easy to find is always a smart idea. Coins are some of the easiest items to find when you’re out with your metal detector, in part because people drop coins all the time and they are seemingly everywhere. But what’s the best place to metal detect coins?

When you’re interested in finding old coins, however, you still have to know where to go to find them, and that’s what this article will help you do. You can go anywhere you like to find coins, but since there are some places that make it easier than others, it’s good to know exactly where those places are.


Where to Find Coins with Your Metal Detector

When trying to find the best place to metal detect for coins, just know that you can usually find old coins just about anywhere. That being said, below is a list of places that are especially good for finding coins, and we’ll also tell you why.

Along Old Travel Routes

Best Places to Metal Detect Coins

One of the first rules of thumb regarding finding old coins is to find a place that is or was frequented by as many people as possible. People drop and lose things all the time, including coins, and the longer a particular location has been around, the better your odds of finding coins and just about anything else.

Travel routes that are rarely or never used usually work best because there likely won’t be too many other people swarming the area with metal detectors. In addition, you may find some great coins that are so old you’ll be able to get a lot of money for them if you try and sell them.

Some of the places you can try include old convenience stores, restaurants, railway stations, pubs, and even entire towns. The more secluded they are and the older they are, the better. If it is still inhabited by people, talk to some of the locals and find out where people who lived there long ago spent most of their time.

Get a “feel” for the place before you go there because this will help you decide where to stop and detect coins and other items. If you don’t find anything that excites you the first time, make it a point to go back there again because it may take you a few visits to find something of value.

Close to Riverbeds

detecting coins

The reason bodies of water are such valuable places and are among the best places to metal detect coins, is because items wash up on shore all the time. This includes not only coins, but items of jewelry, and lots of other items.

And if there is a busy town nearby, it is even more likely that you’ll find something to get excited about. It doesn’t just have to be a river – it can be a lake, a stream, or a creek. In fact, any body of water will do.

Best of all, things are continuously washing up on shore, which means even if you visit the area regularly, you’re very likely to find something different every time you go there.

There are a few things you’ll need to remember if you use your metal detector around any body of water. The first is that the coils on your metal detector need to be waterproof. It’s alright if your control box isn’t waterproof, but make sure the coils are.

The second thing to remember is that because bodies of water such as rivers and streams legally belong to the public, you won’t have to have special permission to go metal-detecting there. Any time you like, you can bring your metal detector and start searching for coins and tons of other items that you’ll be excited to go through once you get home.

Down a Trail or Designated Path

best place to metal detect coins

If your town or a nearby town has a popular hiking trail or walking path, especially if it is a long one that goes through forests and other locations, this is a great place to bring your metal detector.

It doesn’t matter if the trails are old or new because either way, you’re very likely to find lots of coins and other items while you’re there.

Even old wagon trails usually contain items you’ll want to bring home with you, but the abandoned ones sometimes have more items simply because there tend to be fewer people going out there with metal detectors and searching for things. This alone makes them the best place to metal detect coins as you not only have fewer people but your finds tend to be of better quality items.

If the trail or path runs through a busy area such as a park or camping area, you may need permission before you bring your metal detector out there. It’s always better to check local laws and make sure it’s legal for you to be out there metal-detecting than it is to just head out there and learn the hard way that you’re not supposed to be there.

People walk, jog, or hike along these trails, so the chances that many of those people have dropped something in the past are incredibly high, so they are great places to find a lot more than just coins.

In and Around Abandoned Houses

best place to metal detect coins

Abandoned houses are usually still owned by someone, so you may have to get permission before you go out there with your metal detector. Otherwise, it’s possible that you might be charged with trespassing.

Once you get the “okay,” make sure you use your metal detector for both the inside and the outside of the house. Abandoned houses are usually found in very remote locations, so you can take your time once you get out there and make sure you go over every inch of space before you leave.

Some of the best places to use your metal detector in an abandoned house include close to any drainage areas, near the baseboards and along the walls, and on the floors in the attic and basement.

The older the home is and the longer it’s been evacuated, the more likely you’ll find some very interesting items, including items you didn’t know existed. Not only is an abandoned house the best place to metal detect coins, but they are also great for other valuable items too.

People lose things inside of their homes on a regular basis, and since someone will eventually find those items, why not make up your mind that it is going to be you?

On Any Local Beach

best place to metal detect coins

Ocean tides, boats, and old ships all cause various items to wash ashore when you’re at the beach. People lose coins, rings, and even souvenirs all the time while they’re swimming or even sunbathing, so there are tons of items on the average beach every time you visit. So you can see beaches are some of the best places to metal detect coins.

Just keep in mind that like rivers and creeks, you need a metal detector with a coil that is completely submersible, that is waterproof. Most beaches have salty water in them, which makes it even more important to have a metal detector that is waterproof. Check out some amazing underwater detectors HERE. You can also buy a sand shovel to make digging for the items a whole lot easier.

In addition to old coins, items such as gold nuggets, jewelry pieces, and old relics can also be washed ashore, so when you go out there with your metal detector, you never know what you might find.

People tend to frequent public beaches on a regular basis, so you can literally find something new every time you go out there. You may have to get permission from the authorities in some cases, but this is usually easy to accomplish and, therefore, you should be able to quickly head out to your local beach and start detecting for coins and other valuables with your trusty metal detector. Check out our article on Beach Metal Detecting Tips (How it differs from land).

Public Areas Such as Hiking Trails, Parks, and So on

best areas to find old coins

Without sounding like a broken record, although these are the best place to metal detect coins, you have to keep in mind that many public areas won’t allow you to go metal-detecting unless you get permission from the authorities first. This usually requires only that you have some type of permit, which is usually easy to get and inexpensive as well.

Once you do this, however, you can just head out to a park, amusement park, or any other public area and start detecting. Since these places tend to be visited by thousands of people each and every year, the chances are excellent that you’ll be able to find a lot of different items each time you detect in these places.

Any place that is visited by hundreds or thousands of people each year can be considered a goldmine when it comes to the items you’ll find with your metal detector and you can see why they are the best places to metal detect coins.

Go slowly with more abandoned areas and make sure you cover the entire area, one area at a time. Write down where you’ve detected and the results so that you can know which areas are bringing the best results.

Respect all of the rules for that particular location and remember to look through the deserted spots, including every nook and cranny you can find, as well as places where trees are planted and close to any paths or trails.


What About the Woods?

best place to metal detect coins

The woods are usually a good place to be and the best place to metal detect coins because people use them to go hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting. They are not always as populated as other public areas, but you may be able to find coins and other items such as spent gun shells and old gun parts.

In fact, the items you are likely to find in the woods can be quite exciting to find, and you may even be able to sell a few of them to a pawn shop or an antique store.

Some very unique items can be found in the woods, although in some cases, you may not find as many items as you would if you chose a more populated location to metal-detect.


The Beaches?

best place to  detect

Beaches are among the best place to go metal detecting and so also the best place to metal detect coins. In part because most beaches tend to be heavily populated from year to year.

Even though beaches are utilized mostly during the warm months, that doesn’t mean that during that short timeframe, a lot of people won’t be visiting them year after year.

Beaches allow you to find not just coins, but jewelry, souvenirs, and lots of other treasures with little effort on your part.

Make sure you look in both the water and the sand surrounding the shoreline, as well as other parts of the sand if it takes up large portions of the beach area.


Fields?

best place to metal detect coins

Fields are good for coins as well, especially if they are public areas where people go to have picnics and just relax. If they contain a lake or other body of water, make sure you check that out as well.

Of course, abandoned fields will still provide you with the opportunity to find something, but it may not be coins in particular, and you may not find as many items as you would if the field is a place that people go to quite a bit.

Still, coins and other relics can usually be found in public fields, especially those with a lot of people visiting them month after month.


Final Thoughts

best place to metal detect coins

Of these three places – the woods, the beaches, and fields – the best place to find old coins will likely be the beach. Why? Because tons of people visit public beaches year in and year out, you also have items washing ashore from boats and even the weather to add to the items you’ll find directly on the shoreline.

Beach-goers enjoy time both in the water and out of the water, so you have a lot of different areas to explore once you get out there. In fact, if you’re looking specifically for old coins and jewelry, the beach is one of the best places to start.

That being said, keep in mind that it may be a different scenario in your part of the world.

Your nearby forest or woods may be the place to be when you want to find coins and other treasures, but if you keep in mind that there are numerous spots that allow for some great metal-detecting, choosing the perfect location is a lot easier.

Just remember that the more populated the area is or once was, the more likely you’ll be able to find those coins that you were so hoping to find.