I have been metal detecting since the early 1990s. There is nothing more enjoyable than finding a silver coin buried deep below the surface. Last year, I found more than 60 silver coins metal detecting at numerous locations but where do silver coins usually turn up?
As a general rule silver coins can be found at old house sites, along sidewalks, around tree stumps, under porches, playgrounds, school yards etc. These locations are all great places to search for silver coins with a metal detector.
In my experience, I have had a lot of good luck finding silver coins around tree stumps and old house sites. Recently, I was given permission to search an old church that was built around the turn of the century. It was loaded with coins and many of them were silver (top 2 photos above).
My best experience came when I was given permission to metal detect at an old swimming pool that is no longer being used and was shut down in the late 1970’s. No one had ever metal detected there before and the pool had been vacant for many years. Although, there was a lot of trash in the ground, there were a lot of silver coins as well. Digging the trash was well worth it. The bottom photo from above is the result of metal detecting one time at the area surrounding the swimming pool.
Along with the places I just mentioned, there are other locations listed below that are excellent places to search for silver coins. If you get permission to dig at some of these locations don’t pass them up. You have a really good chance of finding a silver coin or many silver coins at one of these 20 locations:
20 Best Places to Find Silver Coins Metal Detecting
- Old House Sites
- Old Sidewalks
- Under Old Porches/Patios
- In or Around Old Wells
- Old Mailbox Locations
- Around Big Tree Stumps
- Under Clotheslines
- Around Old Outhouses
- Driveways
- Swimming Holes
- Public/Private Swimming Pool Locations
- Old Churches
- Public Parks
- School Yards
- Playgrounds
- Old Logging Trails
- Picnic Areas
- Drive-in Theaters
- Old Ball Fields
- Old Fair Grounds
How to Search These Locations For Silver Coins
The table below describes where you should be searching when you are at one of these locations.
| Location | Where to Search |
| Old House Sites | Try and find the house foundation and search all around the cellar holes or buildings that may still be standing. Search along walk ways leading to and from the buildings. |
| Old Sidewalks | Search along the edges of the sidewalk and in-between the cracks of the sidewalk. Many silver coins are standing on edge and are hard to find with a metal detector. |
| Under Old Porches/Patios | Search under the porch and/or around the edges of the patio. Some old patios where made of old stones. Make sure you search in-between every stone. |
| In or Around Old Wells | Wells are one of my favorite places to find silver coins. Search all around the well and even in the well but be careful and take a friend with. Also, search along the path leading to and from the well. There were many folks traveling to and from those old wells. |
| Old Mailbox Locations | If you know where the old mailbox was located you stand a pretty good chance of finding a silver coin or two. Search all around the location and the path leading to and from the mailbox. The postman often exchanged money at the mailbox. |
| Around Big Tree Stumps | If you find an old (big) tree stump you should search all round it. Back in the old days, the women would do their sewing under a shade tree in the summer months to stay cool. A lot items fell out of those pockets back then including buttons but you can find a lot of coins including SILVER coins! |
| Under Clotheslines | Find the old clothesline and search under it and all around the area. Especially the path to and from the closest entryway into the house. If you are like me you probably leave your change in your pockets. Well your elders did too! |
| Around Old Outhouses | Outhouses are becoming an item of the past but if you can find where one once stood search all around the area. If you can dig out the old privy you just might find a lot of items including bottles and silver coins that might have been dropped down the hole. |
| Driveways | Driveways are another excellent area to search. With so many people getting in and out of cars all the time, the odds are good that a silver coins is laying around there somewhere. This is especially true if its still a dirt driveway today. If has been paved over search along the edge of the pavement and any area near it where someone could have sat on the side of a bank or the edge of a wall. |
| Swimming Holes | Swimming holes are an excellent place to search for silver coins. Do some research and/or ask the older generation where all the swimming holes were. If it hasn’t been searched before you could be in for an amazing day. You may need some snorkeling gear! |
| Public/Private Swimming Pool Locations | Do your research and/or ask around and find where the local public or private swimming pool areas were. Many of them had penny candy stores close by. I pulled over 60 silvers coins from one of these locations. Search all the open areas and along the path leading to and from the pool and the candy store. You will find silver coins there for sure. |
| Old Churches | Get permission first to metal detect the church grounds but stay away from the cemetery. Search around the areas where people would gather after church or for special events. The odds are very good (if the church is older) that several silver coins will turn up. Offer something up to give to the church in return for letting you metal detect at there. |
| Public Parks | If the park has been around for years search all around the park and search slow. You will dig your fair share of trash but every once in awhile you will be rewarded with a silver coin. |
| School Yards | School yards have received countless coins (many of them silver) over the years with children losing their lunch money etc. If the school has been around for a long time, search all of the playground areas including the sidewalks and where the kids would line up for recess. If the school hasn’t been searched by someone else, you are in for a great day my friend! |
| Playgrounds | As with school yards public playgrounds can yield a silver coin or two. Search all around the swings, sliding boards etc. There could be many silver coins waiting to be found but expect others to searching the playground as well. Playgrounds are one of the hardest places to search. Expect to dig up a lot trash. |
| Old Logging Trails | These places are not everywhere but if you happen to know where some of these trails are located, search up and down the trails. Look for apple trees that seem out of place and search all around them as well. Loggers would eat their lunch and throw their apple cores down on the ground. How do you think the apple tree got there? They also could have dropped some coins on the ground too except the coins didn’t grow into apple trees! |
| Picnic Areas | Picnic areas are another great place to search but unfortunately everyone knows that. Expect competition at these areas. You will more than likely find others searching for coins too. Plus, expect to dig a lot of pull tabs and bottle tops. |
| Drive-in Theaters | If you can find where an old drive-in once stood you could be in for one heck of a day. Chances of finding silver coins at one of these locations is extremely high but search slow and expect to find a lot of trash too. |
| Old Ball Fields | Old ball fields were places where a lot of people would gather to cheer on their local teams. Search along the fence lines, under bleachers, and obviously in and around the concession stand. Don’t forget the parking areas as well. |
| Old Fair Grounds | Old fair grounds can hold a lot of coins and if the fair grounds have been around a long time the chances of finding silver coins is high. Search around the areas where people would gather for special events, parking areas, and the concession stand. Its hard to hold that funnel cake without dropping your money. |
How Deep Are Silver Coins Buried in The Ground?
On average most silver coins will usually be found between 2 and 8 inches below the ground. Most metal detectors will not detect a silver coin past 12 inches. However, most detectors are very capable of finding silver coins buried as deep as 10 inches underground.
Which Metal Detector is The Best at Finding Coins?
The Minelab Equinox 800 is the best machine on the market for finding coins and specifically silver coins. Because of its multi-frequency technology and 50 tones, fast recovery speeds, and excellent target separation, the Equinox is the best machine out there. Plus, the Equinox is 100% waterproof and easy to use.
Where Can You Purchase The Equinox?
I recommend Kellyco Metal Detectors. I also recommend Fort Bedford Metal Detectors. You can’t go wrong with either of these companies.
Hopefully the information in this article will help and reward you with many silver coins. Once you find one silver coin, you will want to find more. Now you have 20 excellent places to search. If you want some other ideas check out the video below and good luck searching for those silver coins.