A wrap up of 2018 metal detecting season including my top finds

Well, winter has taken hold and the calendar has flipped to a new year, so it's time to reflect upon the year that has passed. Time to take stock of what we've found, what we've learned, and start planning for the coming season.

2018 was a year of firsts on many fronts, has ignited my passion for the sport, crossed a few items off of my bucket list and placed a bunch more on that list. Living on a popular tourist island with many wonderful beaches, I spent much of my time beach hunting as has been my focus in the past. Spending time on the beach yielded my first jewelry find of any value and a variety of Canadian and US coins mostly of the modern variety (bimetallic and clad). As the summer drew to a close I turned much of my attention to inland searches, specifically public spaces such as parks. I had never really spent much time in parks until this year and was surprised to find that there are still very good finds to be had. Inland searching uncovered my oldest coins to date, my first silver coin, and what I believe to be my oldest relic in a beautiful flat (Tombac) button.

As has been my practice since taking up the hobby, I keep a log of my coin finds and other valuables or oddities. The log is dated and identifies the general area that I was searching. I generally write the details down in log book as soon as I return from my hunt, this Christmas break I took it upon myself to create a database of my finds and as the result I am able to provide a few statistics:

  • Total coins found = 189
  • Total face value of coins found = $40.28
  • Oldest coin found = 1871 Prince Edward Island large cent (in land)
  • Silver coin = 1913 Canadian 5 cent piece (.925 silver / .075 copper, in land)
  • First large copper cent = 1901 Canadian one cent (in land)
  • Canadian coins found = 167 + 1 PEI (pre confederation)
  • American coins found = 13
  • Unidentifiable coins = 9
  • Best day by coin count = September 30th - 17 finds (in land)
  • Best day by coin face value = September 9th - $8.35 (at the beach)
  • Total rings found = 4 (2 precious metal / 2 costume (junk)) 
  • 1 watch (Casio digital, beach find)
  • 4 keys
  • 1 small religious figurine, still researching (in land)
  • 1 Tombac Flat Button circa late 1700's (in land)
Let's have a look at some of those better finds.


1913 Silver Canadian 5 Cents


1871 Prince Edward Island Large Cent


Face of Tombac flat button

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