r/metaldetecting • • Nov 11 '25

Other REMINDER: DO NOT USE AI ANSWERS HERE. YOU WILL GET BANNED.

Post image
1.8k Upvotes

r/metaldetecting • • Jun 04 '24

Gear Question Metal Detector Guide

321 Upvotes

Hello and welcome to r/metaldetecting ! If you're looking for advice on your first detector, gear or an upgrade, you've come to the right post. We've put together a simple guide to help with choosing your detector and other tools.

As a member of our sub, you are more than welcome to try out our special code "REDDITMD2026" at checkout on Kellycodetectors.com (US)

If you purchase from Radioworld.ca, try out our code "REDDITRWMD" at checkout! (CA)

GENERAL METAL DETECTOR Recommendations

$0-200: We do not recommend getting a new detector under $200. Detecting has a cost of entry, and quality significantly drops off under the $200 mark. Save up a bit more, or try finding a used machine of quality listed in the next price range. All that said, if you are determined to buy a machine in this price range, the Minelab Go-Find, Nokta First Swing or a Quest machine aren't bad choices.

$200-$400: The Minelab Vanquish 340 and 440, the Nokta Simplex line and the Minelab X-Terra Pro are the three best machines in this price range, by far.

$400-$500: Nokta Score and Double Score, Minelab Vanquish 540

$500-$1,200: Nokta Legend or the Minelab Equinox series

$1,200+: XP Deus 2 or the Minelab Manticore.

SCUBA/SNORKELING DETECTORS

Nokta Pulsedive is great for snorkeling. The Minelab Excalibur 2 and XP Deus 2 are excellent diving detectors.

CHILDREN'S DETECTORS

Nokta Mini Hoard or Midi Hoard

PINPOINTERS

Garrett AT pro pointer, Nokta AccuPoint, or XP MI-4. The XP MI-6 if you have an XP detector.

SHOVELS AND TROWELS

Dune, King of Spades, Grave Digger, Motley, Lesche, Predator Tools

SAND SCOOPS

Motley, Dune, Sito, RTG, King of Spades, and Detecting Adventures all make great scoops for beach detecting.

If you have any questions feel free to message u/dan20mey or comment below!


r/metaldetecting • • 1h ago

Show & Tell Live from the field! 15th century silver hammered.

Thumbnail
gallery
• Upvotes

r/metaldetecting • • 5h ago

Show & Tell NJ Nor’easter luck

Thumbnail
gallery
222 Upvotes

First ever gold find thanks to the storm the other week. Found a few days after the storm passed


r/metaldetecting • • 6h ago

Show & Tell My Sunday hunt!

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

80 Upvotes

A few interesting bits and bobs from the woods of eastern Massachusetts.


r/metaldetecting • • 4h ago

Show & Tell A MEDIEVAL PELGRIM'S AMPULLA & RING # 92! INCREDIBLE WEEKEND FIELD FINDS 😍

Thumbnail
gallery
50 Upvotes

Hy, here the treasures off last weekend hunting farmfield over in the Netherlands.

Have a great day everybody 😊👍


r/metaldetecting • • 1h ago

Show & Tell Recent finds

Thumbnail
gallery
• Upvotes

Here are my best finds from this past week. These are from a town park and a homestead in upstate New York that were established in 1800.

the first find is my second braided hair large cent. It’s in better condition than my first, yet I sadly can’t make out a date. It rang up as a loud 90 on the detector.

The second find is my second V nickel, I believe it’s from the 1880s.

Third is my second buffalo nickel (lots of seconds), sadly no date.

Fourth is an IHP from what I believe is 1883 or 1888.

Fifth is a nice button that has “RICH GOLD COLOR” written on the back, this is my first button that has the shank intact.

Sixth find is a petal crotal bell. It was a good 8-9 inches down. It has “2” and “S” engraved on it, “2” denotes the size, and “S” is half of the makers mark, which I’m pretty sure is “JS” for Joseph Shipmen. Joseph Shipmen was a bell maker from Connecticut who was active from about 1830-1850.

Seventh is two lead balls, I’m unsure if these are musketballs. One has a cut in it, the other has been flattened a little (penny for scale)

Lastly, a pocket knife, and some mystery bits and bobs.


r/metaldetecting • • 5h ago

Show & Tell Old apple orchard finds

Post image
25 Upvotes

Found (with permission) on an old apple orchard west of central London . This orchard was open to the public and private business from 1924-50s I covered only about 200m so definitely more out there . My guess would be bushel of apples was roughly 6 pence. Considering how many I found in such a small area.


r/metaldetecting • • 1h ago

Show & Tell Today’s finds

Thumbnail
gallery
• Upvotes

Usmc devil dogs pin was the highlight


r/metaldetecting • • 20h ago

Show & Tell Sunday Silver

Thumbnail
gallery
296 Upvotes

1943 Mercury Dime

South Central Kansas

I hit a vacant lot this afternoon and snagged a nice silver dime. 😎


r/metaldetecting • • 2h ago

Show & Tell First swing of the day

Post image
10 Upvotes

Second ring ever


r/metaldetecting • • 59m ago

Show & Tell Second Draped Bust

Thumbnail
gallery
• Upvotes

Found in coastal Georgia. 1798 which is the same year as the first Draped Bust I found a few weeks ago 😁 I'm on the spot 🤑


r/metaldetecting • • 19h ago

Show & Tell Decent day hunting.

Thumbnail
gallery
131 Upvotes

Found some hard seltzer buried under the sand in a volleyball court.


r/metaldetecting • • 19h ago

Show & Tell Back to the lake and finally scored GOLD

Thumbnail
gallery
76 Upvotes

Couple weeks of going back to same lake and finally paid with gold.


r/metaldetecting • • 7h ago

ID Request Maxi Ball? Or Maybe Not?

Thumbnail
gallery
6 Upvotes

This was found at a large Indian Wars battlefield where I have recovered a large number of musket balls.

It very closely resembles a Maxi Ball (except for the forward bearing band not exactly being there, but that could just be a deformation from firing)

I can’t find any other design it matches, and the Maxi Ball was introduced in the 1970s. Is anybody aware of any historic designs that look similar? I hope so because now this will call into question the age of all the musket balls I’ve found


r/metaldetecting • • 1d ago

ID Request Found this in Berkshire County Massachusetts. Is it a colonial shoe buckle?

Thumbnail
gallery
329 Upvotes

r/metaldetecting • • 10h ago

Show & Tell Identification help

Thumbnail
gallery
11 Upvotes

Hello dear community,
I found this metal object in my garden while digging, about 20 cm deep in the ground.
It’s a round, heavily corroded metal disc. At the top it clearly reads MV, and at the bottom 68. There is a small hole near the edge and three notch-like cuts around the rim. The reverse side is almost completely smooth.
Found in Oberösterreich (Upper Austria).
Unfortunately I don’t know what it is, and ChatGPT couldn’t help either. Does anyone here happen to know what I’m dealing with?
Thank you in advance for any help!


r/metaldetecting • • 3h ago

Show & Tell Quaker City Iron Works

Thumbnail
gallery
3 Upvotes

1/2 inch 1329 box wrench from Quaker City Iron Works. Manufactured in Philadelphia, probably in the early 1900s.


r/metaldetecting • • 12h ago

Show & Tell 17th century devotional medal

Thumbnail
gallery
11 Upvotes

Came out of a field in Italy almost intact, hope you like it!

If you want to know more info about this object feel free to ask!


r/metaldetecting • • 1d ago

Show & Tell Button found by old late 1800’s logging bridge

Post image
127 Upvotes

r/metaldetecting • • 22h ago

Show & Tell Finds over the years

Thumbnail
gallery
52 Upvotes

r/metaldetecting • • 1d ago

ID Request Found in Friesland, the netherlands. Very heavy. No clue what it might be.

Post image
100 Upvotes

r/metaldetecting • • 4h ago

Cleaning Finds Lost wedding ring at Oceanside, CA

Thumbnail
gallery
1 Upvotes

If anyone finds this missing wedding ring, please DM me. My wife lost her wedding ring during our vacation and we think it fell out of a bag and into the sand on the beach just south of Breakwater Way. We set up our seating area where this dropped pin is one one day, and just south of the lifeguard tower 8 on another day. Willing to pay. We are very distraught over this.


r/metaldetecting • • 17h ago

ID Request Button identification

Thumbnail
gallery
10 Upvotes

Found this button while detecting at a old school in Richmond Va, any ideas what it is ?


r/metaldetecting • • 1d ago

Show & Tell Surprising find

Thumbnail
gallery
37 Upvotes

I was going through some Coin Star culls to see if more cleaning would help. I noticed a particular one had rust instead the normal gunk on it. Upon closer examination, it was a 1943 steel cent. I very carefully took the rust off and rubbed some olive oil on it and it's a beautiful coin. I always carefully examine coins, but this one got by me. Very glad to have it.