Last Saturday was the WORST day I've had metal detecting in 3 years.

I drove out to an old farmhouse site near Frederick, Maryland that looked amazing on satellite view. The ground was all dug up from a recent construction project, perfect for finding stuff. I spent 6 hours swinging my Minelab Equinox 800 and all I pulled up was rusty nails, pull tabs, and a weird piece of tractor gear. I did get one old coin - a 1943 steel penny that was so corroded you could barely see the date. Meanwhile my buddy posts a photo of a 1798 large cent he found at a park in the same county. I'm happy for him but man, it stung. The soil there was so rocky I broke my trowel on some buried field stone. Next time I'm checking the ground conditions before I waste a whole Saturday. Anybody else have a day where the hype just turned into a total letdown?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_shah1mo ago

Wait, you broke a trowel on a rock? That's wild, I've bent a few cheap ones but never actually snapped one in half. Your buddy finding a 1798 large cent on the same day is just adding insult to injury, I'd be sick to my stomach watching that post pop up. I had a similar day once where I drove two hours to a spot that looked perfect and all I got was a crushed soda can from the 90s, it's like the ground knows when you're trying too hard.

nina1801mo ago

Lmao right? The ground definitely knows when you're getting cocky or trying too hard. I read somewhere that old coins like large cents are often found near tree roots or old fence lines where the soil is less compacted, maybe that's why your buddy hit it. But breaking a trowel is next level bad luck though, I've heard of people using those cheapo ones from harbor freight and snapping the handle clean off. Honestly I'd rather find a 90s soda can than nothing at all, at least it's a story to tell haha. The worst is when you see someone else post a killer find from a spot you scouted and skipped, that's when you know you messed up.