We’ve all read the Metal Detecting How-To’s about relic hunting at civil war sites, or the articles about How to find your first silver coin. Those type of articles are very helpful and definitely make us better detectorists but I recently noticed a weird phenomenon. Hardly anyone bothers to write about how or where to find modern coins. Most of you reading this right now are sitting there thinking “Why would anyone bother to write an article about common coins? I mean, what’s the point?” I would venture to say that most veteran detectorists do not set out on a hunt looking for clad coins specifically, but there are some casual detectorists that enjoy finding coins, any coin.

Personally I would rather find a dime or a quarter than to dig another pop tab or piece of aluminum can. Hey, it’s money, and it all spends at the end of the day. For some reason, to me, there is a weird satisfaction in knowing that my target was actually a coin and not just another piece of trash. After several years in the hobby I’ve noticed that certain areas produce more coins than others and here I’ll share with you some of the best places to go coin hunting.

Parks & Playgrounds

– Most of the coins I find at parks are found around sidewalks or in fields where people run and play.  Open fields and under trees are both fairly productive areas for finding coins in parks. On playgrounds, usually the area immediately around the swings is also a good place to use your Metal Detector to find a few coins.

Fairgrounds or Carnivals

– Any area where games or food booths are set up. Coins can be dropped easily while people are reaching into their pockets or purses, especially when they’re caught up in the lights and sounds of the fair.

Swimming Areas

-Beaches, Lakes, Creeks, Rivers – Coins and other items are lost regularly around swimming areas. Most people don’t have pockets on their swimsuits, and even if they do coins are still dropped regularly. Figure out where most people sit in the shade or sunbathe, and concentrate your search for coins in those areas.

Picnic Areas

– Picnic areas or areas with large trees that create a lot of shade. People like to sit under shade trees and in flat areas. Coins can easily fall out of pockets when people are sitting on the ground, so detect in areas where people sit to read a book or have a picnic.

Grass or Gravel Parking Areas

– Grass and even gravel parking lots can be a great place to search for lost coins. When people pull their keys out of their pockets coins and other items can be dropped in the grass or gravel. A coin falling on the grass won’t make any noise and more often than not the depositor doesn’t realize that he’s dropped anything. Don’t neglect gravel parking lots either, coins are lost there as well and they usually don’t sink very far either.

Old School Sites or Churches

– Places where a lot of people gathered over long periods of time are good spots to detect. Churches and old schools are usually gathering places for special events and can be great spots to find coins.

Under the Bleachers

– If it’s possible to detect under the bleachers at your local ball field, try using a 4 or 5 inch ‘sniper’ coil that will allow you to get closer to the metal bleachers with less interference. Smaller coils also separate coins from trash targets more efficiently. Coins can fall out of pockets when seated on bleachers, so be sure to check under the bleachers.

Old Campgrounds

– Camping areas are an often overlooked place for finding coins, and can be a honey hole for you. Old camp grounds usually hold old coins, so you may even find a few silver coins there too!

Final Thoughts

Obviously there are other places to find coins. For that matter, coins can be found just about anywhere that people frequent, but this list should get you started on becoming a millionaire…one coin at a time.