Bay area metal detectorists

[JPSAXNC]

During the gold rush a 3 oz. Platinum nugget was found in Los Gatos creek. It probably didn't have any commercial value back then.

[KevinJBrown]

I’m curious how many detectorists we have on board.

[dk1677]

Did some back in the day,( not a fancy detector) found a lot of change on beaches and a nice aluminum trowel I use for gardening. Anyone watch Oak Island?

[Van]

  I have an older White ProScan 800 Classic ID that does a good job.  It reads out whether it is Gold, Silver, Aluminum or Iron and when a coin is detected it will tell what kind. I have found an Indian Head Cent and a bunch of newer early 1900s coins. I plan to go with some friends who have made some great finds soon.  The only Gold I've found was my lost wedding band that came off when mulching flower beds.  Glad I had the detector and did not have to tell my wife until after I found it.

[Back_Roads]

 I too have found gold in the form of my wedding band, and a set of horseshoes to boot in the same location I did get lucky and got out of that marriage alive

[Frank in Fairfield]

When we used to shoot field archery, we used the metal detector to locate arrows that missed the targets..

[ezman604]

Have a couple of detectors. Go out from time to time. Not as serious as I once was. Enjoyable hobby!!! I am an Oak Island watcher too.

[Blowpipe Sam]

We lived in the gold country of north Georgia 25 years ago and my wife became quite enamored with gold panning.  We still own property in North Carolina on a gold bearing creek.  We used metal detectors at first but the placer deposits we were panning for wouldn’t register.  We’ve got quite a collection of classifying screens, pans, sluice boxes, gold separators etc.  I’ve used the metal detectors once or twice since to find water lines and shutoff valves for plumbing.
The memsahib has made me promise to take her to the treasure coast of Florida next winter.  Below Sebastian Inlet there are public beaches where it is legal to prospect for artifacts from the 18th century Spanish treasure fleet that sank just off shore.  Pretty sure we’ll be taking the metal detectors with us.

[ezman604]

I bought some seeded soil to pan. I love panning too. Wish we had gold bearing creeks around here. I'd be out panning too!!!

[Blowpipe Sam]

LOL!  I think there is a fifty pound bag of sand from a mine in NC that I’ve been dragging around for 20 years.  We’ve still got buckets of sand she ran through the sluice box and means to pan the gold out of.  Sometimes she will setup a washtub and pan if the weather is nice.

[buellm2]

I know a guy who has been panning as a hobby for many years.  He lives in California gold country.   All his gold is in a little glass vial, maybe he's got a couple ounces.   It's not much of a money maker but hobbies seldom are.  He does enjoy camping out in pretty spots while panning.  I've thought it would be fun for a short time but the bending over would be too painful.

[ezman604]

"LOL!  I think there is a fifty pound bag of sand from a mine in NC that I’ve been dragging around for 20 years.  We’ve still got buckets of sand she ran through the sluice box and means to pan the gold out of.  Sometimes she will setup a washtub and pan if the weather is nice."

Send me some, I'll gladly pan it. I really enjoy panning. I bought a pan, a tub, snuffer bottles and stuff to pan in my bathtub. LOL

[JPSAXNC]

I have two detectors A Whites TDI-SL and a Fisher F75. Still good detectors. I ran a gold dredge for a number of years in CA. and I saw some great finds friends had made with detectors, working old tailings piles.