We began our inaugural metal detecting season as soon as the snow melted in the spring of 2022. Although eager to begin accumulating treasure, we didn’t have a clue what we were doing so we just took the mantra “dig everything” to heart and, well, dug everything.
The first place we hit up was the beach at our community lake and almost immediately we started ticking off the milestones. Like first pull tab. First rusty nail. And first piece of metallic junk.
At the time, all of it was fascinating to find. It felt unbelievable that this machine could ‘see’ things hidden in the sand. Little did we know at the time that this garbage, especially the pull tabs, would become such a commonplace nuisance in our metal detecting hobby.
Alongside the ample junk, there was plenty of evidence of children playing. Toy cars found as regularly as granola bar wrappers and yogurt bottle seals. And digging tools ironically buried in the former holes they’d dug for sandcastles and canals.
There were also be extended moments of nothing. No beeps. No squeals. Not the slightest indication of a target. Sometimes the pause was long enough to start me wondering if our detector was still working.
Eventually, we found our first money. A penny, of course. These too would become so common as to be almost as much a nuisance as the pull tabs. At least they have some actual value and with enough of them, perhaps worth a treat from the candy store.
Sadly, it is no longer 1980 … or 1920 … and it takes a lot of pennies to buy anything. You really can’t comprehend how little a penny is worth until you’ve collected 397 of them and realize that isn’t enough to buy a bag of Oreos.
By the time our first year of metal detecting had come to a close, including the 397 pennies, we accumulated $24.77 in assorted clad. That’s detectorist slang for modern coins. Not a bad haul but a reality check for our get-rich-quick aspirations.
Part of the blame for this pedestrian dollar total stems from the complete absence of toonies and only five loonies. If loonies were as plentiful as pennies, we’d be laughing. But people put more effort into retrieving dropped loonies and toonies than they do pennies.
Old, collectible coins were also rare. Not surprising in relatively young Western Canada, but not impossible to find. Three 40s era American Wheaties were kind of cool. A 1931 Canadian nickel, unexpectedly discovered in the backyard of my aunt and uncle’s hobby farm, was the highlight of the year. Alas, we would find no silvers in the wild.
Jewelry was similarly scarce. We eventually found a silver ring and another with a tiny diamond (we think). Both were cause for high fives and an audible hoot. Gold, however, would elude us leaving at least one box on our metal detecting must find list unchecked in year one.
The most intriguing find of the entire summer also came at our community lake. Having built some confidence in our skills we returned to see what treasures we missed on our first outing. An intense signal led to digging a foot deep hole at the bottom of which was a softball-sized iron ball.
Our initial reaction was that we had found a cannonball. While not completely unreasonable, upon further reflection that seemed highly unlikely, cool as it might have been. Perhaps a shot put, then? That didn’t stand up to scrutiny either. I’m now convinced it is a ball bearing from an industrial crusher, likely a relic from the earliest days of our subdivision’s construction.
At the other end of the spectrum was our most concerning find. This one left us with no questions as to its identity. I’m not a pearl-clutcher about drug paraphernalia but it was slightly unnerving to find an intricate pipe built from compression fittings on the grounds of a K-4 elementary school. Thankfully, the vintage lighter we found was at a park and not a school.
The remainder of our seasonal haul was the now-expected assortment of trinkets, ammo casings, fishing weights, and random metal items that people discard or lose. The excitement in finding such trash abated over the summer but the lure of genuine treasure kept us digging.
In addition to our own hunts, we joined the local metal detecting club to learn how to detect and participate in their events. This was the best decision we made after purchasing our detector. Great folks, knowledgeable, and always keen to help newbies out. We couldn’t wait for next year to come.