Posts Tagged With: metal detecting

When Rubbish Is Good News

Posted on September 22, 2026 by David

Take a look at the finds above. Not exactly a day’s detecting to set the pulse racing. A few buttons, pieces of lead, a buckle, a worn coin and several objects that might take a little more investigation. A disappointing collection? Perhaps. But if these were your finds from a new field, I’d be asking […]

Categories: Research | Tags: finds, metal detecting, Site Research

Don’t Let One Good Find Fool You

Posted on September 2, 2026 by David

Why one exciting discovery doesn’t necessarily make a good detecting site Which of these finds catches your eye first? And which might tell you most about a site? Take a look at the finds above. Which one caught your eye first? I’m willing to bet it was the hammered silver coin. That’s hardly surprising. Put […]

Categories: Research | Tags: Detecting Strategy, finds, metal detecting, Site Research

Would You Detect This Field?

Posted on August 25, 2026 by David

How to assess a site before you ever switch on your detector Take a good look at the photograph above. Would you ask permission to detect that field? At first glance it looks promising enough. There’s a narrow country lane, established hedgerows, mature trees and farmland that has clearly been worked for generations. Perhaps you’ve […]

Categories: Research | Tags: Detecting Sites, Detecting Strategy, metal detecting, Old Maps, Site Research

Should You Stay… or Should You Go?

Posted on August 11, 2026 by David

Every detectorist eventually faces the same question: should you keep searching the same field or move on? The answer isn’t about luck—it’s about learning to read the evidence.

Categories: Research | Tags: Detecting Strategy, History, metal detecting, Permissions, Site Research

Where Treasure Really Begins

Posted on July 28, 2026 by David

The most important discoveries are made long before you start searching. People often ask me where the best places are to search for buried treasure. They expect me to name an ancient field, a deserted village, a forgotten footpath or perhaps a stretch of coastline. My answer usually surprises them. Treasure doesn’t begin in a […]

Categories: Research, Uncategorized | Tags: Detecting Tips, Historic Maps, Landscape History, metal detecting, Productive Sites, Research, Search Strategy, Site Research, treasure hunting

The Day I Stopped Looking for Treasure

Posted on July 21, 2026 by David

The best sites don’t always look special; it’s the history beneath them that matters. People often ask me what changed after more than fifty years of metal detecting. They usually expect me to talk about technology. Perhaps a better detector, a new search technique, or some secret that transformed my results. But the biggest change […]

Categories: Detecting Skills, Metal Detecting, TIPS | Tags: Archaeology, Detecting Strategy, Landscape History, metal detecting, Metal Detecting Tips, Productive Sites, Site Research

What Fifty Years of Detecting Has Taught Me

Posted on May 26, 2026 by David

When I first started metal detecting in the early 1970s, the hobby was very different from what it is today. Detectors were crude by modern standards. Most required constant adjustment, depth was limited, and discrimination was basic or non-existent. There were no online videos, no forums, no downloadable maps, and very few books dedicated to […]

Categories: Metal Detecting, Treasure Hunting, Uncategorized | Tags: metal detecting, treasure hunting

The First Signals: What Your Finds Are Telling You in the First Hour

Posted on April 8, 2026 by David

You’ve chosen your starting point.You’ve read the ground.You’ve committed to a line. Now comes the moment most detectorists focus on—the first signal. Then another.And another. For many, these are simply finds to be recovered and pocketed. A coin here, a fragment there, perhaps a piece of scrap. Each one taken in isolation. But that isn’t […]

Categories: TIPS | Tags: finds, metal detecting, treasure hunting

The First 15 Minutes: How I Decide Where to Detect (Before the Machine Is Even On)

Posted on April 1, 2026 by David

There is always a moment when you arrive on a new permission—or even an old one—that matters more than most people realise. It comes before the headphones go on. Before the detector is switched on. Before the first step into the field. You stand at the gate, or by the track, and you look. In […]

Categories: TIPS | Tags: metal detecting, treasure hunting

The First Hour on a New Site: What I Actually Do

Posted on March 24, 2026 by David

Most detectorists think success comes down to finding the right field. In my experience, it often comes down to something else entirely—the decisions made in the first hour. The Hour That Matters Most Most finds aren’t lost because they aren’t there.They’re lost in the first hour—when we make the wrong decisions. I’ve learned this the […]