Happy holidays to all my treasure hunting friends

Platinum, gold, silver, diamonds, emeralds and rubies, none of these treasures we look for are as important as family and friends. 

Take care of the treasures you already have at home and you will always walk out the door with a smile on your face knowing even if you do not find what you are searching for you will return home to treasures.

Now you know why I am always a happy treasure hunter, happy holidays my fellow treasure hunters! 

Another treasure hunting year comes to an end

As another treasure hunting year comes to an end you will be pleased to know I have decided to change the format on my beach treasure hunting blog and get with the times, I hear the collective sigh of relief from long time readers of this blog lol 

From January 1st 2021 I will be starting a new Vlog style concept to help people interested in searching for old coins, artifacts and modern jewelry, it will be heavily coastal related but it will include inland searching too.

How best to use your metal detector and "Twin optical scanners" to locate and recover what you are searching for in the areas you intend to search, you will of course see a lot of video content.

My work related travels have allowed me to explore amazing locations and search for a wide variety of things at those locations, from 350 million year old fossils, ancient artifacts to relatively modern but significantly important or valuable recoveries.

Important aspects of treasure hunting I preach about in my treasure hunt guides are searching and learning, meaning trying different search areas and learning from those searches.

This blog was never about searching local beaches and wasting time waiting for good beach conditions, it is about grinding and finding instead of following others to the same sites fighting for scraps. 

I still prefer to be known for my recovered treasures instead of blog hits, days old eroded beach photos and cheesy copy & pasted treasure related articles.  

Being on site living the moment recovering what you are searching for is so much better than being a day late and a dollar short all the time.

My new Vlog style content will put you out there in front in the thick of the action, leave the fluffy stuff to the local hunters still living in Groundhog Day mode. 

This year has been a heck of a ride, between the thousand pound gorilla in the room called Covid and my work schedule, but I made the most of my down time by saving plenty of history.

I hate to say it and I am certainly not taking the subject lightly but I was kind of pandemic ready having always been a loner searching for different types of treasures off the beaten track. 

The more I found myself avoiding crowds the more cool sites I visited and the cooler the things I recovered so I ran with it lol 

There really are many advantages to trying new treasure hunting sites and of course searching for a wide variety of treasures, also not just relying on your metal detector.

 "Twin optical scanners" are just as important to a treasure hunter as a metal detector, you eyeball sites, scan site conditions and spot exposed treasures when you keep your eyes open and you are aware of your surroundings.

I would say some of my best finds were seen before they were picked up this year.

Some people may say that is just good fortune, but is it really luck when you research sites and work hard to put yourself in the right place at the right time? 

One very important lesson 2020 has taught me is to never overlook anywhere as a treasure hunter, as readers of this blog will see as the year comes to an end. 

 

Minelab Equinox and CTX 3030 target ID numbers explained

If you are a beach hunter, the photo below represents everything you need to know about target ID numbers.  

These 300 and 400 year old Spanish shipwreck emeralds, blood red garnets and pieces of amethyst were recovered this year on beaches I was metal detecting at and as they are non metallic they have no target ID numbers. 

The gems in this photo represent just a fraction of the eyeballed finds I have recovered this year while searching beaches using a metal detector.

That is exactly the point of todays blog, stop obsessing over target IDs on your favorite Minelab metal detectors because the numbers mean nothing if you are searching for old coins and artifacts. 

One of my pet peeves is answering questions connected to target ID numbers on the Minelab Equinox and CTX 3030, especially from beach hunters searching areas with a little history like the Treasure Coast of Florida with its three and four hundred year old Spanish shipwreck beaches.

I still hunt by ear and dig almost all metal targets when searching beaches for Spanish treasure, I know my metal detectors are quite capable of identifying small iron targets and fish hooks so I take care of the rest of the digging decisions.

If you waste time farting around looking at target ID numbers on your metal detector screen and sweep until you enhance the numbers accuracy you are wasting valuable search time.

You also do not see finds like the gems in the photo washed up begging to be picked up, not when you are fixated on potential ferrous and conductive property guestimates on your metal detector screen. 

The more you rely on your ears for target identification and have your eyes trained on the sand, the more you will find when searching for old coins and artifacts at the beach.

Site reading skills are very important to a beach hunter, they are wasted by beach hunters obsessed with checking and double or even triple checking target ID numbers.

Two of the biggest and most common mistakes a beach hunter can make is searching in a full all metal search mode and fully trusting in target ID numbers. 

If you follow anyone telling you that you have to dig it all you are not going to find what you are really searching for in your allotted search time, because you wasted time digging easily identifiable junk targets like small iron nails or fish hooks. 

On the flip side if you dig enough commonly found coins on beaches using your Equinox or CTX 3030 and you are now an "Expert" because you know your target ID numbers you better have good hearing. 

I can tell the difference by ear between a penny and a half ounce 10K gold class ring, a modern dime and a 300 year old Spanish silver treasure coin, an aluminum pull tab and a gold wedding band.  

Heres the kicker, the target ID numbers on your Equinox or CTX 3030 screen are exactly the same between each two examples mentioned, rely on those target ID numbers and you may leave the good stuff behind.

You will also miss valuable items because didn't pay enough attention to the search site and surroundings, especially the sand you are walking over.

Your treasure hunting number is always up when you rely on metal detecting by numbers.

Return on investment

When I am not working on TV treasure hunting shows I am at a beach treasure hunting somewhere, either searching for old coins and artifacts or modern jewelry. 

I always consider my time and how I can make the most of my site and conditions reading skills to have a successful hunt, I hate the thought of just showing up at a site hoping to get lucky.  

I hit a wide variety of sites searching for a wide variety of things and I do not always use a metal detector to be successful, you'd be surprised just how many good things you can discover and recover at sites with more than one type of treasure. 

Looking back this will go down as one of my favorite treasure hunting years because of the wide variety of finds I have recovered, the return on investment was outstanding and perhaps towards the end of the year I may post a few of those finds.

This year like previous years I paid no attention to the weather, tide time or surf height, I just went to sites and worked with what the site gave me to play with at the time I was searching.

I recovered some pretty amazing finds using my eyes, metal detectors, garden rakes, dollar store sifters, rock hammers, spades, hoes and hands, whatever it took to recover what I hoped to find. 

In my opinion, there really isn't any bad time to go in search of something you would like to detect and recover, the reason I never have an excuse why I cannot go beach treasure hunting. 

There is always a good return on your treasure hunting investment when you take the time to do research and you rely on your site reading skills. 

Research and site reading skills really pay off to a beach hunter when prime beach treasure hunting opportunities arise, for example after coastal storms cause beach erosion or a busy three day weekend at a popular beach.

When and where do you go to get the best return on your metal detecting time are two of the questions you are faced with when prime beach hunting opportunities arise, when you have one or two known productive sites you are well ahead of the game.

The more known productive sites you have up your sleeve the better, one of the perks of not posting recent finds is giving yourself a chance to hit potentially lucrative sites without the sites being metal detecting conventions when you get there. 

Your metal detector and target recovery tool are your main investment in the hobby and it is during prime beach hunting situations when you find out if your choice of metal detecting equipment is up to scratch. 

You may have the opportunity to pay for your metal detecting equipment many times over with just one good find at the beach, now that is a really good return on investment I think you'd agree. 

It happens, but you can increase your chances of paying for your time and equipment by researching the equipment you use, sites you intend to search and learn from every beach hunt.

I class myself as a hardcore beach hunter and I rely heavily on knowing how to read the beach and recognizing hot spots where I can potentially get a good return on investment. 

Not every good find you recover at the beach is of monetary value, but you could say they are a good return on investment. 

From meteors and fossils to semi precious gems and indigenous artifacts, good beach hunting finds are certainly just as rewarding returns on investment. 

An investment in research and site reading skills always pays the best interest to a beach hunter. 

                        Available at www.garydrayton.com 

How to find valuable targets before the competition

Trusting in your metal detector and using a little metal detector discrimination will help you make the most of your metal detecting time at the beach.

The old metal detecting adage you have to dig it all does not apply to tourist beaches or other areas you are not likely to recover old artifacts.  

Metal detector technology has really changed over the last decade making it easier to reject objects at the beach you clearly know are not valuable targets.

I consider every piece of junk you dig at the beach to be one step further away from putting you and your search coil over a good target.

For years I have used my favorite metal detector the Minelab CTX 3030 to take full advantage of the competition at heavily hunted sites, where I know at least a dozen regular beach hunters hit those sites hard.

I know other people using metal detectors will not pass up digging quarters, dimes and pennies, so I leave them behind for other beach hunters because I did not become a beach treasure hunter to search for chump change. 

When I check targets on my CTX 3030 screen and interpret target audio tones I can easily tell if my search coil is over a wide variety of coins and I can pass on scooping them up.

You can have those I say to myself as I push on for platinum, gold and silver jewelry the high value targets I go to the beach hoping to find.

Yes I am sure I do miss the odd piece of silver too, but very little of the silver jewelry I recover avoids the scrapping process anyway.

Now I know more than a few beach hunters will be reading this blog thinking about hitting the comment button with a "What if you miss this or that" question, but seriously you cannot worry about missing the odd high value target by digging every piece of junk at the beach.

Digging hundreds if not thousands of small pieces of iron, bottle caps, hair pins, fish hooks, corroding pennies and chump change every year will not justify your metal detecting time wasted digging junk you really do not have to waste time on.

I make the most of my metal detecting time by only scooping probable high value targets at tourist beaches or other heavily hunted sites. 

I wonder how many people have followed me metal detecting at a tourist beach and mistakenly believed I was not that good of a beach treasure hunter because of the amount of coins I left behind for them?

Perhaps it was just a metal detecting ninja trail of clad coins, bottle caps and unwanted junk I clearly knew was not platinum, gold or silver,  thanks to well trained ears and a darn good metal detector with an array of discrimination bells and whistles.

Again, why dig junk at the beach when searching for platinum, gold or silver jewelry?

Cherry pick the good targets and enjoy the fruits of being a discriminating beach hunter, platinum and gold bands are some of the most common jewelry finds if you get to them before the next beach or water hunter. 

Remember, every piece of junk you dig at the beach puts you one step further away from what you are really searching for so the faster you learn how your metal detector responds to junk targets compared to good targets the better.

Use a metal detector like the Minelab CTX 3030 or Minelab Equinox with visual target IDs and excellent audio target tone IDs and you can set yourself apart from the beach hunting completion. 

You sometimes have to dig the trash to get to treasure, but only when you search for old coins and artifacts. 

Learn where and when to use discrimination to increase your chances of detecting and recovering precious metals at crowded beaches.

For more metal detecting tips and tricks check out my beach treasure hunting guides at www.garydrayton.com

    

In my opinion target separation is always more important than target depth when it comes to searching for jewelry at popular beaches.

The opposite applies to searching for old coins and artifacts at less trashy beach sites known for shipwrecks or beaches with a little history. 

It still surprises me just how much value is put into target depth at popular beaches by people searching for jewelry with a metal detector.

From experience I can tell you the hardest jewelry to detect is often the shallowest jewelry as if it is hidden in plain sight.

No doubt a lot of gold I have had the good fortune to recover at beaches was simply missed and left behind by speedy beach hunters or people swinging their metal detectors like golf clubs.

Perhaps some gold was also left behind by beach hunters who simply got bogged down digging deeper clad coins and junk instead of eventually running across the gold I detected.

I use search coils designed for target separation when I search beaches known to draw large crowds and I use my ears as my main discrimination tool.
I also never worry about what I am potentially missing by hunting in the all metals mode or sweeping an extra large pizza box size search coil, I concentrate on detecting shallow or partially masked gold.
A lack of metal detecting finds always has more to do with site selection, equipment choice and search techniques than beach or water hunting conditions. 
For example, I often use small sniper size search coils in very trashy areas of the beach to spice things up.
If you sweep an 8-inch search coil at a trashy beach entrance you will find gold a 10-inch search coil will simply not be able to detect. It makes more jewelry hunting sense to try to detect and recover shallow gold than deep golden  trashy areas of the beach.

Look at using a small size search coil as driving with low beam headlights in the fog, reading less is actually more beneficial in the long run.
Think about it, if you search heavily hunted beaches why on earth would you be concerned about deep targets? 

Skimmers take coins and the odd piece of jewelry at heavily hunted beach sites, but they cannot get it all. 

Fresh dropped shallow gold is often hidden when it is laying next to a bottle cap, clad coin or other undesirable object, you have to give yourself a chance to detect that gold on the first or second sweep across where the gold has come to rest. 

Two sweeps and step forward or as I like to refer to it, rinse and repeat beach gold prospecting. 

I believe there is always something to find if you find a way to find it, you just have to put your search coil over it in trashy areas of the beach.

You can winkle gold out of the most trashiest of areas if you learn how to sweep slow and low using a small search coil. 

Note to speedy local beach hunters, I am that guy you see as you walk onto the beach and the guy you see in the same place you returned to after you took your long walk. 

I can tell you from experience gold likes to hide right next to objects that help mask it from detection. 

For tips on how to find gold jewelry at the beach, check out my beach treasure hunting guides at www.garydrayton.com  

 

Reading the competition

I recently went to one of my my favorite treasure hunting sites only to find two people already searching the area, I am an early bird so it was a double surprise seeing the site being searched and other people knowing about this hot spot. 

The first thing I did was acknowledge the other people searching the site with a friendly wave, the second thing I did was go about my business haphazardly like I did not know what I was doing. 

My sloppy search techniques probably helped the other searchers feel at ease while I sneakily determined if they really knew what they were doing and if they were at the site for the same reason I was.

It turned out they were looking for the same thing I was searching for but they were going about it in a completely different way, which I give them credit for and I will for sure give it a try myself.

When you search a wide variety of sites you can be sure other treasure hunters know about the sites you search and you will run across other people searching for the same things you hope to recover.

I am a like a sponge when it comes to treasure hunting, I really like studying or trying to "Read" other people I see searching the sites I have success at or hope to be successful at. 

Every year I find something I can adapt into my search techniques even if it is only a small wrinkle that helps me to recover more or better finds.

As strange as it sounds I would rather see people who really know what they are doing at many of my favorite treasure hunting sites, it helps to keep me on my toes and sometimes I try doing what I see other people doing and it works.

I would say 2020 has been a very successful treasure hunting year so far because of new things Ive tried and adapted instead of just doing the things I consider to be corner stones of my metal detecting foundation.

Closely watching other treasure hunters searching your sites will help you decide if they know what they are doing or if they are just hoping to get lucky skimming over a search site.

Tell tale signs of "Skimmers" include meandering around using sloppy search techniques, using unsuitable equipment and covering the ground too quickly. 

The real competition for finds at a site tend to avoid eye contact and small talk as they search a specific area methodically, they are exactly the type of searchers you should learn to read if you see them at sites you know hold what you are searching for.

Over the years I have learned that the only real competition you have is yourself when searching a site, but it can be really helpful to study the way other people searching the same sites as you go about their business, especially if you can add something that helps you at those sites.

Another thing I have unfortunately learned is 90% of the people you see out there searching for treasures are skimmers, so when you do see someone who obviously knows what they are doing they stand out. 

Perhaps things that do not at first stand out, such as sticking to one small area of a site or carrying and using unusual recovery tools, like they know where to find and how to recover it.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I say if one person can do something another person can so keep your eyes on the competition and never think you know it all, learn and evolve to be successful. 

For more tips to searching heavily hunted sites check out my treasure hunting guides at www.garydrayton.com 

 

Tips on searching for lost rings

Every once in a while I get a call to action when a friend or a friend of a friend loses a wedding band, bracelet, ear ring or other piece of jewelry with sentimental value. 

So here a few things to take in account before you head out the door with your metal detector to recover wedding bands which are the most likely piece of jewelry to be lost.

Exact location

There is no exact location, the ring was lost and if the person knew exactly where they lost it the ring would be already be back on the persons finger. 

Believe me it is a very rare occasion when you detect a ring exactly where the owner said they lost it so get the best estimate of the area and be prepared to extend the search area by a much wider margin.

When rings come off fingers they flip, spin and often roll much further than you can imagine.

Add flowing water or a sloped bank to the mix and you can forget about the "I know exactly where I lost it" line.

Go small 

Lost ring recoveries are very rarely a lesson in heavy excavation, especially if a ring was recently lost. Avoid taking a gun to a knife fight by using extra large search coils and wide bucket scoops. 

The less heavy digging in the area you do the less chance you have of potentially pushing a piece of jewelry out of metal detection range. A small or regular size search coil will help you winkle out a lost object at a trashy site and a regular scoop or spade will help you retrieve it.

The less you disturb the search area the better, especially if the search area is a trashy site as you may move the ring closer to objects that could potentially mask it. 

Soft sand or mud is a nightmare when you are trying to recover a wedding ring and using sloppy search techniques, keep a tight search grid and keep your search coil moving in front of you. 

Search grid

Probably the most important thing in the whole lost ring recovery attempt is the search grid you use to help locate the lost object. I like to use a box shaped search pattern with the probable location in the center of the box, I then search the entire box maintaining a tight search pattern.

After gridding the box from one direction I will cover the same box shaped area from a different direction to the first search grid. If I do not recover the object I am searching for in the box grid, I expend the search as I know if the lost item was there I would have recovered it using a tight search pattern from two different directions.  

Following search attempts 

Not all ring recovery attempts end in success, especially if bad weather has occurred between the item being lost and your first recovery attempt. High or rough water can make a ring return difficult to say the least, potentially moving the ring away from the area or covering the item over in a thick carpet of sand or mud. 

I have recovered rings, chains and watches many weeks after I had initially tried to recover them, they had been covered or moved but remained in the immediate area. 

Metal detecting is often a game of inches and it only takes one or two inches of sand to make a ring close to the edge of metal detection range disappear until that sand is moved away and the ring is back in play.

Nice surprises

Every once in a while you get a really nice unexpected surprise when you search for someones lost jewelry, you find a piece of jewelry not connected to the search attempt. 

This has happened to me on numerous occasions and I have added a few jewelry hot spots thanks to searching for lost wedding bands. 

Recovering a ring for someone, finding an expensive diamond ring and a reward for the original lost ring, what's not to like about owning a metal detector right? 

Reward

Return lost jewelry for the love of feeling good and doing the right thing because that is the real compensation when you return lost jewelry to people having the misfortune to lose it.

I have located and returned close to $100K worth of lost jewelry to people without monetary compensation, which is one heck of a lot of good karma I enjoy to this day. 

There is nothing better than putting a smile on a fellow human beings face who thought they had lost something of sentimental value forever, it is one of the true perks of owning a metal detector.

Ive returned rings to happy owners who broke down in tears and Ive returned rings to people who simply turned around and walked away without even saying thank you. 

I have no shortage of ring return stories and I am sure I will have many more to look back on.

In closing, if you have a metal detector there will always be a chance to help someone out by finding lost belongings, locating property survey markers, utility lines, car keys, cell phones and all sorts of unusual things. For more tips on finding jewelry check out my metal detecting guides at www.garydrayton.com 

  

Thinking of getting into the hobby?

Here are three important factors for beginners to take into consideration before jumping in at the deep end, starting with researching sites, choosing the correct metal detector and using that metal detector correctly in a systematic way. 

Research 

In my opinion, research is the key to having success using a metal detector. From choosing suitable equipment to detect what you are searching for in the areas you search, to finding locations that potentially hold what you are searching for. 

If you do not do your research from the very beginning you will stunt your growth as a treasure hunter, it is important to have the right tools for any job and of course know how and where to use them. 

One of the worst mistakes someone new to the hobby can make is to go somewhere because other people search the site without knowing why. The same applies to using a metal detector because they are popular or the latest must have metal detector, research applies to search sites and treasure hunting equipment.

The what and where will help you to hit the ground running and give you time to learn the next basic foundation of metal detecting which is sweep speed and search coil control.

Sweep speed & search coil control

These two basics prevent metal detectorists from using bad habits including covering the ground  too quickly and raising the search coil at the end of each sweep.

The classic "Golf swing" you see so many newbies using, easily prevented by sweeping the search coil slow, low and level in front of you.

You will find yourself not moving forward until the end of each sweep, changing a walk into a step forward. 

A search coil kept level and close to the ground will not swing up at the end of each sweep if you keep it level thru-out the sweeping motion.

Sweep speed and search coil control help you to get the maximum target depth from your metal detector and it also insures you detect targets instead of walking over them.

If you use a metal detector with a VDI screen and potential ferrous and conductive target numbers, those readouts will be more accurate sweeping your search coil slowly over targets. 

Remember, it is not the amount of ground you cover its how you cover the ground!

Search patterns 

Talking of covering the ground, how you search an area is very important no matter what metal detector you use and where you use it.

It is always best to use a search pattern or search grid, sometimes a combination of different search patterns work very well in areas known to have productive sites.

Beaches constantly change so you have to adapt to those changes to be successful, what search techniques may have worked before at the very same site may not work now under different site conditions.

I am prepared to use at least three different search patterns when I walk onto a search site and I only decide how I am going to grid a search site after I see what the search area looks like.

There is no one way to search a site all of the time, especially as there could be a potentially more interesting site within the area you may miss using the same old search pattern.

Take baby steps as you join the best hobby in the world, a hobby that can change your fortunes if you take your time to prepare the right way. For more advice on how to become a Bobby Dazzler hunter check out my treasure hunting guides at www.garydrayton.com 

PS Happy wife happy life!

  

Location location location

Just like the real estate business if you want to detect and recover good finds you have to go where the good finds are, especially if you search tourist beaches for jewelry.

Notice I didn't add coins as I consider coins to be nuisance targets when I go searching for platinum, gold and silver at popular tourist beaches. 

These two gold Bobby Dazzlers are Bvlgari and Cartier rings, were recovered several years ago close to high end hotels. They are just a couple of the thousands of gold rings I have recovered from tourist beaches around the world. 

I had and still have the same jewelry hunting philosophy, location, location, location and quality over quantity. 

When metal detectorists flock to packed beaches full of spring breakers I do not let the crowds fool me, I head to my favorite bling bling sites in search of a good score not a clad coin count and a toe ring.

Jewelry hunting is similar to artifact hunting, you have to do your research and get to know your sites like the back of your hand, I never just show up hoping to get lucky I stack the odds in my favor. 

Just like treasure coin or artifact hunting you will get skunked more often than you would if you headed to the main busy beach areas, but when you do recover what you are searching for you can be darn sure it will be something special.

Diversions beach hunters spend way too much time fretting over are target depth, crowd size and beach erosion. These all things that matter very little unless you understand where to find stuff and how to do it.

Starting with target depth which is very overrated, if you hope to find jewelry at the beach news flash all popular beaches are now heavily hunted thanks to popularity of treasure hunting shows.

Jewelry hunting refers to searching for lost jewelry, but anything lost on popular and heavily searched beaches does not have the luxury of sinking beyond metal detection range.

Crowded beaches translate to more coins, bottle caps, pull tabs, but not always more quality jewelry.

Beach erosion multiples the above mentioned targets, but very seldom leads to big finds if you are searching the same sites everyone else is searching with a metal detector. 

If you spend the time to research where you are more likely to recover quality finds over a greater quantity of finds you will see less completion for finds and be more successful over the long run.

I rely on a lack of targets at many of my favorite jewelry hunting sites because it puts people off from returning, especially if they go an hour or two between signals and see very few people in the area. 

I try to add to their pain by always making sure I take every last piece of metal I can detect out of a good jewelry site, just in case a coin or a good sounding crusty bottle cap gives someone hope that the site holds something better.

After all these years I still enjoy the thrill of recovering something special at a site or in an area  that other metal detectorists totally misread and disregard.

Hands up how many beach hunters even think about people reading skills or go to the trouble of tracking down romantic beachside getaway places where couples cough cough! jewelry depositors hang out at the beach away from the crowds. 

Back in the day I would often get a call to search for lost engagement rings, designer watches or gold chains, I would find and return valuable jewelry lost well away from the busier sections of beaches.

With millions of visitors to Florida and the Caribbean there was always plenty of un-returnable jewelry in need of a new home.

Jewelry is where you find it, but nine times out of ten it is not waiting around for you very long where everyone else is metal detecting. 

For more Bobby Dazzler hunting tips check out my beach treasure hunting guides on my website at www.garydrayton.com 

Where the experts find treasure

Every area known for treasure hunting has at least one treasure hunter known for recovering good finds so why not find out where they are hunting right?

Not so fast as I assure you those secret locations are probably right under your nose, yes the very same places you already search with your metal detector.

I am a big fan of site reading skills and research which in my opinion are often the only reasons why some go home with the goods and others fail to recover anything in the very same areas.

For years people used to say I had secret sites I would only search at night to avoid prying eyes. In reality I searched the very same sites everybody else searched, except that I would put in the extra work to make sure I had a successful treasure hunt.

To this day my post treasure hunt time is spent looking back at what worked and what did not go so well during the search, learning so I can evolve and do better if possible.

I always start any treasure hunt off by methodically gridding a search area, sometimes from different directions according to the season, analyzing factors contributing to good finds such as the stratigraphy in dug holes, placement on the beach and the surf conditions before and during the recovery. 

If the find is modern jewelry I want to know why the piece of jewelry ended up where I recovered it, crowd placements even the nearest beach assess came into play.

All of these things I mentioned have to do with research and local knowledge of sites, assuming you would like to be known for finds not blog hits, likes or subscribers.

When I travel I always research the area I am going to be staying, what can I find and where can I find it and I know darn well a certain something has to be present in order for me to have a successful treasure hunt. 

That certain something could be as subtle as the color of sand, firmness under foot or even the organics you see around you depending on what you are searching for. 

What one man can do another man can do is one of my favorite movie lines, when you know where some form of treasure is located it just becomes a matter of duplicating treasure hunting success. 

It is not hard to figure out where local treasures are probably located, you just have to take the time to study what factors have to be present in order to recover it from the site.

Nine times out of ten a local expert recovered a good find at the very same sites you search, but under different circumstances more conductive to recovering treasures. 

Each treasure hunting site is different and what may have worked previously may not now so the way you adapt to changing conditions is an important part of the overall search strategy. 

Treasure is after all where you find it and knowing where it is often found is golden as long as your site reading skills and search techniques are up to scratch.

Luck is very overrated, ask any treasure hunter who is always in the right place at the right time. 

The guys who figured out where, why and what they have have to do be successful in the same areas you search. 

You can be successful too when you get past the idea of just showing up and hoping to get lucky with the treasure hunting crowd, fortune often favors the patient and the persistent along with the bold. 

Treasure hunting guides available at www.garydrayton.com 

 

My second favorite metal detector the Minelab Excalibur

If I am not using a Minelab CTX 3030 you can be sure I have a Minelab Excalibur attached to my arm, in my opinion probably the best waterproof metal detector ever made. Based on the legendary Sovereign series the Excalibur has been very good to me. I have recovered roman coins in English fields using an Excalibur, US civil war relics in the deep South and modern gold jewelry in the Caribbean islands, you name it I have probably recovered it using an Excalibur. As a beach and water hunting enthusiast the Excalibur to this day is still an important part of my beach treasure hunting plans.  One of the main pros of the excalibur is the 200ft waterproof depth rating, making it an obvious choice for scuba divers like myself who like to search beyond the depth rating of the CTX 3030. 

The cons of using an Excalibur have to do with stock metal detector shafts designed for wading or diving, recovery speed and search coil selection, two of these cons can easily be dealt with. There are many after market straight shafts the Excalibur can be mounted on and a very slow sweep speed will help with detecting targets following any initial detected target. Unfortunately your only option is to use inline connectors to use different size search coils or have a second Excalibur with a different size search coil, I have never been a fan of modifying a hardwired search coil cable. I have found many pounds of gold jewelry using Excalibur's and I have reinvested some of that gold to make sure I have two Excalibur's, with hardwired 10 inch and 8 inch search coils. My 2004 Excalibur still purrs like a kitten in the water when I search for Bobby Dazzlers in Davy Jones locker and it has paid for itself many times over in gold and precious stones. The other Excalibur with the 8 inch search coil is so good in trashy sites and totally counters any target recovery issues associated with using the older BBS technology, the search coil is actually 7 1/4 inches and I see no real loss of target depth using the smaller coil as I can run the sensitivity hotter. At a tourist type beach you are often searching for recently lost jewelry the reason why these type of beaches are heavily hunted, target separation always rules the water hunting day in heavily searched areas. On the beach an Excalibur with an 8 inch search coil is a gold magnet, especially to an experienced Excalibur user who knows how to hunt by ear and knows exactly what gold sounds like. Whats the target numbers, yea right! good luck seeing numbers on a metal detector VDI screen in murky water or a driving rain storm, spend a few years using an Excalibur and you do not need target ID numbers to help you figure out if you should probably dig a target or not. I can identify a penny, dime, quarter, pull tab or bottle cap in two passes of a Excalibur search coil, I hear the unmistakable tone of gold on the first pass. Many beach and water hunters are now infatuated with potential ferrous and conductive target numbers, they are ok for a second opinion but your first opinion of a target should always be what you hear.  If I didn't own a CTX 3030 I would use the Excalibur full time, which is a testament to both of my favorite metal detectors that are passing the test of time. The Excalibur is a formidable beach and water hunting unit, taking only a few minor additions to make it even better, starting with a decent straight shaft and larger easier to turn control knobs.  For more information about my favorite water hunting metal detector check out my Excalibur Pro user guide on my website at www.garydrayton.com 

 

              

My favorite metal detector the Minelab CTX 3030

When you have a perfect metal detecting opportunity you always go to your favorite equipment and the Minelab CTX 3030 has been my "Go to" metal detector since its release back in 2012. 

I had the good fortune to be involved in the beach and water hunting testing of the metal detector back in the day, but it took me a while to warm up to the unit as I was a toggles and knobs kind of guy when it came to metal detectors.

During and after testing I quickly learned to customize the CTX 3030 settings to suit my metal detecting needs, a case of learning what bells and whistles helped me to detect what I search for in the areas I search.

Versatility and adaptability are things treasure hunters and metal detecting equipment need to be, it is even more important if you specialize in searching for various treasures in different locations.

I have used many different Minelab metal detectors over the years, but the CTX 3030 has a little of every one of my old favorites in it helping me avoid looking back at my previous favorite metal detectors with rose tinted glasses.

The CTX 3030 has a little of the things I liked about the Sovereign, Excalibur, Explorer and Etrac series all rolled into one metal detector.

I would say the only drawback to the CTX 3030 is the price, but it is worth every darn penny if it is within your budget, a Minelab Equinox would be my second choice after the CTX 3030.

Lighter, less bells and whistles but with a little faster recovery speed in iron infested areas. 

Your favorite metal detector should always be the one you feel comfortable using and just as importantly the one you do not hesitate to take with you when faced with a perfect metal detecting opportunity. 

I have found some pretty amazing things with my CTX 3030, some you will see on upcoming treasure hunting shows, others I will post at a future date to avoid being followed to the productive sites. 

Over the years I put certain customizable aspects of the CTX 3030 to good use to deal with special circumstances, from searching eroded tourist beaches for modern jewelry to searching for artifacts on old sites. 

Back in 2012 I recovered 50 pieces of gold jewelry over a seven day period searching a couple of hours before dawn each day to avoid being seen in the hours of daylight and protect the site.

I relied on audio tones and target ID numbers to hone in on just potential gold targets, ignoring clad coins and other obvious non high value targets, not something I would normally do at every beach site.

On another perfect metal detecting opportunity I spotted on a beach webcam I drove 3 hours to detect 12 pieces of gold jewelry, I regret not staying longer that afternoon as I could have recovered more gold. 

Site reading skills always pay off when you are armed with the "Dirty thirty" to take advantage of them. 

Another thing I like about the CTX 3030 is the range of search coils designed for the metal detector between the Minelab and the Coiltek options, making it easy to go deep, winkle out treasure between the trash or detect in hard to navigate areas. 

All in all the CTX 3030 has aged well since its release, perhaps not the lightest and easiest to travel with metal detector out there but I prefer to recover more in less time!

If you would like to know how more about this incredible metal detector check out my Minelab CTX 3030 guides on my website at www.garydrayton.com

 

What and where

The first thing I always ask people with metal detector questions is what are you hoping to detect and where do you intend to search. 

The what and where are very important especially for people choosing a metal detector as not all metal detectors are suitable for certain areas and detecting certain metal objects.

In other words what metal detector will work for people in one area may not work so good when used in a completely different area, the reason why research is the key to using the correct metal detector or tool for the job.

I metal detect for a living so it is important for me to use the right tool for the job, before traveling I make sure I know what I am likely to detect in my intended search areas, along with what recovery tool I need to recover targets in the search area.

Knowing what and where helps you to avoid the frustration of using the wrong type of metal detecting equipment, especially in prime metal detecting situations when you have a perfect opportunity to recover something really good.

Target separation and target depth are two important and often overlooked factors connected to the what and where question. 

Some metal detectors are good at being able to detect coins, jewelry or artifacts in trashy areas, other metal detectors stink in trashy areas where target separation is the name of the game.

Pulse induction metal detectors rule over VLF metal detectors when raw target depth is the most important part of the what and where question, especially if it is a dig it all type of situation in less trashy areas.

With so many variables connected to metal detecting it is wise to consider what and where before jumping in with two feet in this age of influencers promoting the latest and greatest metal detector or search coil.

Imitation can still be the sincerest form of flattery if you have a seasoned veteran treasure hunter in your area, you can be darn sure the metal detecting equipment they use works very well in that area.

Researching the same metal detecting equipment will give you the answers to why they are using it, no doubt it will be because it detects the same thing you want to find in the area. 

So the next time you ask for advice from someone you assume knows what they are talking about, make sure you get a what and a where in the response. 

www.garydrayton.com 

Small talk

Less really is more when it comes to beach treasure hunting, from using less metal detector discrimination and sensitivity to using average size search coils and covering small areas. I have always gone out of my way to detect and recover small size pieces of metal no matter where I search using my metal detector. Some of the most highly desirable pieces of jewelry you can find at the beach are small bands with prongs holding diamonds or other precious gemstones. Diamond engagement bands are often all diamond and very little platinum or gold band, they are all about the diamonds. 

You are in effect searching for a small platinum or gold band which can easily be missed for a wide variety of reasons, including iron or target masking. This 3 carat diamond Bobby Dazzler was recovered "parachuted" meaning the diamond was on top with the band on edge. Sweep speed, search coil control and a lack of discrimination meant this top pocket find came home with me. I remember digging half a dozen pennies in the same area before pulling the diamond ring out of the sand, no doubt the pennies masked the presence of the Bobby Dazzler. If I had relied on FE & CO numbers and based my digging decisions on numbers like so many newbies do, I could have easily decided the area was full of pennies and walked past the diamond ring.  Average to small size search coils help to cut down on iron and non ferrous objects potentially masking a valuable object. Target separation is the ability to separate and locate what you are searching for, something not possible using large sized search coils that increase the chances of you reading multiple targets under the search coil.

If you struggle to find small gold it probably has more to do with your sweep speed, search coil size or discrimination setting than anything else but there is only one way to find out and that is by testing sample targets in the areas you search. Take a small gold band, ear ring, thin chain or bracelet to the beach and see what you have to do to detect them, but make sure you place each jewelry item in plastic baggies because you will struggle to detect each piece at first. Experiment with your discrimination setting, sweep speed and metal detector sensitivity, try different size search coils if you have them. You will be surprised at just what it takes to detect small gold on a regular basis and more importantly what the signal responses are from small gold. I have no doubt you will look at things very differently after testing small gold samples at the beach. For more tips on finding what you are searching for check out my beach treasure hunting related guides at www.garydrayton.com 

Metal detector choices

Like any other task in hand if you want to have success at metal detecting choosing the right tool for the job is important. 

There are many different brands and types of metal detectors you can choose from but from a beginners prospective the choice can be confusing.  

In my opinion it all comes down to what is the best metal detector to use at the sites you intend to search. 

Some metal detector advertising can be misleading, for example waterproof does not always mean a metal detector will work at a saltwater beach and handle salt.

I guess they work if you dumb down the metal detector to cancel out the effects of the salt on the lower beach.

Waterproof should read water resistant for a certain time on some "Waterproof" metal detectors, I have iPhone and camera cases more waterproof than some metal detectors advertised as waterproof so always read the reviews. 

All terrain does not mean jack if the metal detector weighs a ton and you can hardly carry it never mind hold it level while sweeping the search coil over rough terrain. 

The best metal detector for you is quite often not the metal detector everyone else is using, especially if you intend to search for one thing at a particular site. 

The majority of metal detecting enthusiasts are too often influenced by the herd mentality, everyone else is using it so it must be good right?

When I meet people metal detecting I usually start the conversation with do they like their metal detector.

Its ok I am getting used to it or I bought it because it is the most popular metal detector are usually the two most common answers. 

The surprising thing to me is just how many people with a little experience I meet give me those same answers.

If you intend to search beaches the answer is simple when it comes to what metal detector you need to have success on the beach, you need a waterproof metal detector with a reputation for cancelling out the effects of salt.

The price tag is not that important, I own a metal detector worth several thousand dollars but it will struggle at a salt water beach where a $200 metal detector runs smoothly. 

Different horses for different courses, I have another "Waterproof" metal detector I would not dream of submerging in the water but it purrs like a kitten at saltwater beaches.

Unfortunately choosing the correct metal detector for the sites you search is often only solved after trial and error, but it does not have to be that way if you avoid the influencers and do your own research.

What may work perfectly well for one metal detecting application or site, may not work out so well searching for different things at other sites.

Your choice of metal detector should always be about the sites you intend to search and of course the metal objects you are likely to detect and recover at those sites.

I travel to metal detect for a living so I tend to use metal detectors that work well in a wide variety of sites searching for a wide variety of targets, but the back up metal detector I travel with is always more site specific and it often becomes the main metal detector. 

Understanding the site to potential targets equation is often overlooked by beginners lured by the feel good look what this person found using this metal detector ads. 

Research is always the key to finding the right metal detector for you.

I know a book that will save you a lot of bucks!  available at www.garydrayton.com

I love ironing

If like me you enjoy searching for old coins or artifacts at the beach, old iron artifacts are always a welcome sight. 

It helps if you know how to identify and date old iron artifacts, especially iron nails found at the beach as that information can be useful searching for other materials you hope to recover in the same area.

These hand forged iron ship nails (Spikes) are from an early 1600s Spanish shipwreck in Florida, just a few of the dozens I have recovered at this site.

They were recovered several years ago on a low tide using no metal detector discrimination.

It is the kind of area you need to remove as much iron as possible because just a single iron ship spike is capable of masking a good target like a treasure coin. 

I actually go out of my way to try detect iron at beaches known for old shipwrecks, find the iron and silver or gold is often not far away. 
The morning I recovered the iron ship spikes I found a very old copper ring and a Spanish silver treasure coin.
The following low tide I recovered more iron ship spikes, a buckle and a second silver treasure coin.
Now imagine if I used discrimination or iron mask at this beach, I would have left the iron ship spikes in the sand, along with the other cool finds the iron spikes were helping to mask.
Although I often talk about the advantages of using discrimination at tourist beaches, the opposite is my preferred search method when searching for old coins and artifacts.
I hunt in all metal with an audible threshold and if I hear as much as a crab fart I stop and start digging.
Iron is always a happy sight in my scoop or in the bottom of a dug hole at old sites because it is so much more than a ship spike to me, it is a trail to follow in the sand. 

The more iron artifacts savvy you become the more you will understand the importance of iron when searching for non ferrous (Iron) artifacts like coins, jewelry and precious gems.

For example a ship wrecked close to shore is often discovered when large iron objects like cannons or anchors are detected by a magnetometer.

Salvage crew search for iron anomalies which in turn lead them to treasures made of precious metals. 

A beach hunter can do the same thing on beaches with known shipwrecks offshore, imagine how many iron spikes were in wood washed onto a beach after a ship was torn apart. 

An old galleon would have had thousands of iron fasteners holding it together, find the important clues like old iron spikes and potentially clean up treasure hunting.

If you know how to identify and date iron artifacts they become valuable clues to a metal detectorist who understands the way iron can mask what they are searching for.

I use iron infested areas to my advantage knowing other beach hunters are likely going to move on to less chattery areas in search of treasure coins or jewelry. 

The old saying still rings true, you have to go thru the trash to find the treasure. 

www.garydrayton.com

Weekend beach hunting tips

When people ask me when is the best time to go metal detecting over the weekend I agree with Bono the lead singer from U2 it is Sunday bloody Sunday, preferable in the afternoon or evening.

So many weekend warriors get off to a frustrating weekend of beach hunting by hitting the sand too early and missing opportunities crowded summer beaches bring.

If you only have the weekend to scratch your metal detecting itch patience is a virtue for a beach treasure hunter, especially for beach hunters trying to take advantage of crowded summer beaches.

Saturday mornings at popular beaches can look like a metal detecting convention with more people metal detecting at the crack of dawn than people walking the beach or watching the sunrise.

I once saw eighteen people swinging metal detectors at one popular South Florida beach on a Saturday morning at sunrise, at least six of those still had headlamps on inside the water.

Thankfully I was not there to metal detect, just checking a couple of nearby hot spots out for a planned late weekend search. 

If you hope to find Bobby Dazzlers at any crowded beach on the weekend you have to wait until the end of the weekend to improve your chances of finding jewelry or coins. 

Waiting until late Sunday afternoon or evening you are searching after nearly two full crowded days at the beach, instead of searching and leaving the beach before the busy weekend got started.

Other advantages to having a late Sunday beach hunting strategy include avoiding searching behind people metal detecting in front of you and answering a ton of questions from inquisitive beach goers every Saturday morning. 

But the main advantage to a late Sunday search strategy is actually detecting and recovering what you are searching for instead of hanging out with a bunch of Saturday morning metal detecting enthusiasts asking if you had any luck?

The answer to that question if you are a Saturday morning beach hunter is probably no! 

Taking advantage of crowded summer beaches is all about putting yourself in the right place at the right time, you pick the place but you have to use your noggin when it comes to timing.

If you are a weekend warrior and you go to the same beach every Saturday morning you know exactly what I am talking about, believe me it is pure torture knowing the beaches are crowded over the weekend and you are not there but changing your routine will pay off.

There are many many Sunday afternoon and evening Bobby Dazzlers on display on my website finds page and quite a few Friday afternoon and Friday evening Bobby Dazzlers but that will be a future blog post. 

Timing your weekend beach hunts will always help improve your chances of finding what you are searching for over the weekend, especially at heavily hunted beaches.

Over a three day holiday weekend, try pushing your search time to the Monday if possible and the later on the Monday the better.  

Remember the three Ps of beach treasure hunting, patience, persistence and perseverance.

Patient beach treasure hunters add Bobby Dazzlers to jewelry boxes on Sundays and Mondays.

  available at www.garydrayton.com 

Subtle signals

Many people even with a fair amount of metal detecting time under their belt do not understand how to interpret signals and walk over potentially valuable targets. 

The easiest signals to identify are the ones you do not actually hear, I am talking about signals within your metal detector threshold or back ground noise.

You do not always have to hear a beep from your metal detector to alert you to a target.
A slight raising or lowering of the threshold could be a deep target on the edge of detection range, it could also be a deep ferrous target being rejected.

Either way, threshold anomalies are normally a deep target that warrants further investigation, especially if you are searching for old coins and artifacts. 

A short break or null in the metal detector threshold is likely a rejected iron or junk target, if you are using even a minimum amount of discrimination. 

Time spent using your metal detector will help you to tell the difference between a threshold nulling or blanking over a ferrous object and a threshold that has been interrupted or changed by a deep non ferrous target.

On beaches known for old shipwreck artifacts, I rely on my my metal detector threshold more than anything else.

I do the same searching away from shore inside the water at tourist beaches, I have recovered many large pieces of platinum and gold jewelry after stopping to investigate a slight raise or lowering in my metal detector threshold.  
I am quite sure many beach and shallow water hunters only stop to dig two way repeatable signals, even in areas where targets are few and far between. 
It goes without saying, if you are running with a silent threshold, you are certainly not going to hear deep targets on the edge of normal metal detection range. 
If you search using an all metal mode, the easiest signals to identify are double blips from hairpins or thin elongated sparkler type wires, quite different to solid two way repeatable signals from jewelry, coins, etc.

The hardest signals to identify often turn out to be the best finds, they tend to be deep targets found by listening to slight changes in the threshold.    
This iron canister shot from the US civil war was found at an inland site, only a slight lowering of my metal detector threshold alerted me to the very deep target. 

With practice you can identify many types of target by the metal detector threshold response, including the potential size of a target. 

The more you rely on your ears instead of numbers on a metal detector screen the more likely you are to find what you are searching for using a metal detector, assuming you understand there are many different types of signals apart from beep beeps.

www.garydrayton.com