Here's a little advice about cherry picking that I had to learn the hard way.

When I first got my detector, one of the best things I noticed about it was its accurate target ID. When the signal was good and the VDI said it was a coin, then it was almost always a coin. I quickly learned the sounds of good and bad targets, and within a few months I became an (expert) at plucking coins out of the ground without digging trash. I was proud of my abilities to dig nothing but coins. I even did a little bragging to a few friends about my "cherry picking" ablilities. During this time I dug a few "iffy" signals, but they were all trash. This simply reenforced my belief that I was good at picking only the coins. I had accumulated a bunch of wheats and a few silvers, but I had one heck of a clad collection.

Then a day came when I dug one of those "iffy" signals that actually turned out to be a coin. It was a '29 merc at 6 inches surrounded by iron trash. That was my oldest merc at the time, and it was a sound that I normally would have passed on digging. This one moment completely changed my (expert) status to beginner. I spent the next several months digging all the "iffy" signals, and dug mostly trash. But once in awhile, I would get a keeper.....much older than the '29 merc. I started breaking the 1900 barrier, and got loads more silver coins. I was finding the coins that the other "experts" couldn't find. Not because my detector was better, but because I dug the signals that they weren't willing to.

So, after all that rambling I'll get to my point. If any of you are still searching for that first elusive (insert old coin here), dig every repeatable signal. You will dig loads of junk, and possibly get frustrated at first. But the day you dig that first good coin will pave the way to lots of old finds.

:D I think that is the most useful suggestion you could give a Md'er. Dig everthing and time will give you the answer as to what your are learning by rote which is the best way to learn. At least it feels goood.

You should see some of the places I goto! Attck of the gophers! :P

You're always an expert in my book :D

Yup! In order to get the loot ya gotta dig the trash. Always throw your trash away at home after you have carefully checked it.

Dug 'another pulltab' last week that turned out to be a gold class ring from 1960... Had I left before digging 'another pulltab' I would have left that ring in the ground... DOH!

Cherry picking will get you the cherry and nothing else...

How does one go about cherry picking for rings? :blink:
Just a thought... :D

That is the truth! just one month ago I found a round object when I first found it I thought it was my first half dollar. But then I saw how thin it was and knew it was no half. It was covered by crud on both sides and in the center (also on both sides) was a lump of adobe clay, very hard and would not come off. I knew I had a fender washer. So I threw it in my finds bag to toss later.

Well a few days later came and I started going thru my my trash. This time I had my hi-powered loop with me and I could see words in that crud.

After a good cleaning it turned out to be my first "real" token.

Here is a pic of the same type. It is not worth much but the moral of the story is check everything before tossing.

Hehe ive never had the cherry picking problem :)

I dig everything anyways. And considering ive moved strictly to beach/sand/water hunting.. Its not that big of a deal.

I am too lazy to dig though hard packed earth hehe.

Silverseeker,

By Investigating those Signals that indicate coins deeper than 6" will pay off in increased Silver and Gold Rings etc.

Cherry Picking the obvious and walking over other valuables is not wise. About the only thing I use my Visual Discrimination in eliminating is the STINK'n ZINC Penny. Nonetheless, before I walk, I listen to other characteristics before leaving it in the ground.

:huh: But Greg, the stinkin zinc is almost the same hit as a Seated half dime...

Too bad there aren't as many half dimes as zincs...
1800+ zincs and not a single half dime, yet!

I guess the ring to pulltab odds are better. ;)

I made this original post 5 months ago, and have since found 3 valuable coins that would have been passed over with cherry picking.

This Sutler Token has an estimated value of $600+ and ID'd as zinc penny. Many people pass up the zinc pennies. (I'm sure glad I don't now)

And of course my recent Key Date Indian also ID'd as a zinc penny. It should sell for $500+

Then comes my 5$ gold coin, which ID'd as a pull tab. It also has an estimated value of over $500.

I'd be happy to dig thousands of junk objects before uncovering any one of the above coins. Errr..........well, I actually did dig thousands of junk objects. But trust me when I tell you it's worth it to keep digging the junk.

Just like moma told ya If it's worth having it's worth working for!!! Nuttin comes easy-----------(gas gr*%$ or A&$) nobody rides for free --If you think you can just cut through all the crap and expect to find the goody's you better hang up your tector IMHO --------If you want the goodstuff you best be willing to work for it --------------HH Ride UM

When my father and I took up metal detecting in the early 60s we didn't have to worry about pull tabs and gum wrappers and the like. For one thing pull tabs didn't exist. You still opened a can with a church key, but you did occasionally find a pop bottle top. And most people back then actually used a garbage can. Isn't it amazing. Now that I am middle aged (am I?), I tend to look at things differently. Even if I dig 30 or 40 pull tabs before I am returned with one penny or a nickel, it doesn't matter. I don't appreciate people trashing up the environment, but just being outdoors swinging the stick and finding that one penny or nickel is treasured. I know I won't become wealthy metal detecting, but then again, has anyone ever seen an armored car behind a funeral? If you have, rest assured they still didn't take it with them. Dig it all. You never know what you'll find if you don't.

:D

Same thing happened to me. I would go out in the first three months or so with my Explorer and find nothing but quarters and pennies. I would always wonder why no dimes and nickels and never any gold. I was out with a few guys that used to post here on the old forum in a local park in my town and they were finding merc and barber's and I couldn't find anything. I came back over a spot another guy searched and was digging the "junk" sounds because I was told that's what the dime's sounded like. I was all bent cause I wasn't finding anything just pull tabs and then I seen that golden band in the dirt where I expected that pull tab to be. I found a nice heavy ring with two small diamonds in it. It's true the junk has to be dug to get the nice stuff. That's great advice to noobies.

As an update to my cherry picking thread reply... Last Friday I went the local park for an hour or two. Out in the open area of the park I got a hit that I would have sworn was a pull tab. I've probably seen this VDI number 2000 times. But I dug it anyway. What I found was a 925 silver chain that weighed in at almost 140 grams. A monster! Why it rang out as a pull tab - I don't know. But it is genuine 925 silver. Dig it all, folks!

Happy Hunting,
Gary