PSA: I spent $150 on a metal detector for my first dig and it was a complete waste

So I got really into local history after reading about a possible colonial site near my town. I figured I'd try my hand at surface survey before the fall. In my excitement, I bought a cheap metal detector online for about $150, thinking any tool was better than none. I took it out to a field near the old mill site last weekend. It beeped constantly, but every single time I dug, it was just a nail, a pull tab, or a piece of farm equipment scrap. I didn't find a single thing of actual archaeological value, and I probably disturbed a bunch of modern junk layers. I should have just saved that money for a proper field school fee or even a good pair of boots. Has anyone else had a similar experience with gear that seemed like a good idea but just messed up your site?

3 comments

3 Comments

colethomas23d ago

Oh man, that hits close to home. I once dug for like an hour because my cheap detector wouldn't stop screaming, only to pull up a completely mangled soda can from the 90s. Felt like the ground was laughing at me.

jennifer_jones1723d ago

Yeah I used to think those things were basically magic wands for finding cool stuff. After digging up my tenth piece of rusty fence, I realized they're just really loud trash alarms.

zara_sanchez23d ago

Ugh, I read somewhere that like 90% of what those things beep at is just junk metal. It makes sense when you think about how much random stuff gets buried over the years. Kinda kills the treasure hunting dream, right?