Treasure Hunting with kiddies

Chuckles · Treasure Hunting with kiddies

Got the kids some low end Metal Detectors for Christmas, and they absolutely love it. All we have found so far is trash and a couple of pennies, but the kids are more about the hunt than the find. They want to keep every nail and jagged piece of tin can that they dig up as if each piece were a treasure in itself. The new hobbie gives us lots of time together, and the attention span of my 7 and five year old is suprisingly longer doing this than any other activity. Great fun.....

I am located in Iredell County, and have reviewed many of the postings in nthe forum regarding places to hunt, etc. I will likely be purchasing a detector for myself here in the near future, and have settled on the Tesoro Tejon based upon what I have read regarding reviews and my budget. If anyone has anything negative to say about the Tesero products or the Tejon model, please let me know sooner rather than later.

Am planning on doing some research at the library regarding older maps of the area, and wonder if the county planning department might have historical maps as well. Any info that could be provided to assist me in researching potentially viable locations to hunt would be appreciated. Very interesting stuff here, and I can't wait to post pictures of our future finds that are noteworthy.

jgowans

Welcome. This hobby can be addictive.
I have been meaning to post all of the map links I have collected over the years.
Here is one to get you started if you haven't seen it already.
http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/histori...s_states/northcarolina/index.html
There is a link on top of the page for older topo maps as well.
John G

nc-joe

Welcome to the forum, can wait to see some of your posts!

As far a the Tejon, it's a good detector, but depending on what you want to find and where you will be looking for it, it may not be the best that suits your needs.

For example, if you find your self searching parks for pocket change, the ability of a digital discrimination and tone ID will be very useful. If you are out in the woods in no mans land searching for relics, there really is no need for digital ID or selective discrimination.

It's best to find the machine that will find what you are looking for at a comfort and price level you can afford. Write back what you are going to be looking for, where (inland, beach etc) and price range and we can give some honest suggestions, with no pressure to buy. (we don't sell detectors)

Very cool your kids are getting into the hobby! They don't know it yet, but they will actually learn alot about history, coins, math and geology! Shhhhh!!

EBCIII

Welcome to the site. I think it is great that you got the kics involved. I am sure that is a blast watching them go at it.

I tend to agree with Joe. Depending on what you are hunting and where the Tejon may or may not be what you want. It is a great unit and very deep. It will also have you digging a "bunch".

A beep dig machine in a town park or a school ground may not be the best choice for ya. Good luck to you, Beale.

Chuckles

I am too new to this whole thing to know what I will be primarily looking for, but do plan on searching primarily in my local vicinity. Coins and relics are the most likely targets of our searches, and I believe the that the ability of a detector to discriminate between trash and treasure will be very important to keep the kids interested over time. There are only so many nails and pull tabs that we will be able to dig up before the kids start getting bored.

In Iredell County, the soil is of heavy clay material. I have already pulled a couple of "local" history books that give really good background information on the development of the county from the original settlers forward, including failry detailed descriptions of the locations of early schools, churches, government buildings and the like. With a little effort, I should be able to determine the availability of some of these areas for "hunting". Fascinating stuff....
Anyway, I am not afraid to do some digging, but would like a detector that can help me avoid at least some of the trash. Would like to keep the price tag around $600, and being a beginner, would want something that is fairly easy to operate.

nc-joe

I'll send you a PM, some things are best said off line.

freightdawg747

I bought a cheap underwater detector that my 8 year old now owns and he is all excited to go to the beach with it. I don't imagine it will last long (I got it for next to nothing) but if it keeps his interest I'll buy him a good one.

cadit

Glad to see you having a good time with the kids. This is a great hobby for the whole family. Anyone that has an adventurous heart and an inquisitive mind will stick with this hobby, because you never know what you are going to find, and the history behind it or where it can take you.

Good Hunting
Henry