For those of us who seek lost silver coins that predate 1964, our quest never grows old and we never get tired of searching. Most of us who metal detect remember finding our first silver coin. The excitement of finding a silver coin always brings joy to the person finding it and makes us strive to find more. My first silver coin was a 1964 Washington Quarter and I found it 12 inches down in a mud puddle. I have never forgotten that day and probably never will. But where are you going to find your first silver coin metal detecting? This article shares 18 of the best places to find silver coins that will increase your odds of finding a silver coin while metal detecting.
Here Are 18 Places to Find Silver Coins.
These 18 places to find silver coins are also good for find old coins in general. If you have access to some of the places hunt them slow and low. If you are using a Minelab Equinox you might want to check out the article at the bottom of this blog post. I created a simple but proven way to to increase your coinage and its SIMPLE!
Lets get started with the 18 places you can hunt to find silver coins.
1. Old House Sites Can Be Great Places to Find Silver Coins.
One of the best places to look for silver coins is any house site that is old. Look for at the house to see how the foundation was built. If you see old rocks used for the foundation, the chances are that house is probably over 100 years old. You can also check the property records online to learn more about the history of the house and who owns it. I have found numerous silver coins at old house sites including this 1810 Drapped Bust Half Dollar which still remains the best silver coin I have ever found.
2. Old Sidewalks Yield Silver Coins.
If you get access to an old house site look for the sidewalk or where the sidewalk used to be. If the the old sidewalk still exists, go slowly over every crack. The chances of finding an old coin (possibly silver) near the sidewalk is pretty good. Lost coins often get wedged in between the cracks and stay lost forever or until you come along with a metal detector.
3. Old Porches are Great Places to Find Silver Coins.
Most older homes had a front or back porch. If come across a house that still has its original porch and you are able to get under it, don’t pass up the opportunity. The chance of silver and old coins falling in between the slats of boards is very high.
When I was a young boy, I watched my grandfather replace his front porch and underneath the porch he kicked up several silver coins that had fallen through the slats for many years. I was too young to appreciate what he had found. Many of the coins has been lost over 100 year ago.
There is one caution with digging under a porch. I highly recommend waiting until fall before crawling under the porch. You could be staring face to face with a snake, cat, raccoon, or worst case, a skunk. Most critters are looking for warmer places to live by the time fall comes around. Your chances decrease of running into an unexpected guest as the temperatures get cooler.
4. Silver Coins Are Found Near Old Wells or Water Sources.
Old wells can be a great spot to search for silver coins. The path to and from the well was well traveled. Families needed water to feed live stock, tend to crops, for cooking, for bathing, and most important of all.. to stay alive. The chances of finding a coin around a well are pretty good and you might luck out and score a silver coin. Sometimes you can come across some of these old wells that haven’t been filled in so be careful around them.
Here is something else to try. If you have a high powered magnet and the well looks unobstructed from any debris, throw a magnet down the well and see what it latches on to. It won’t be silver coins but it could be something really interesting. But make sure you have a really good magnet unlike the one we had in the video below.
Kellyco Metal Detectors has the Brute Magnetics Magnets you need to do the job. (click here or the image below to see their magnets).
5. Old Mailboxes Are Great For Finding Silver Coins.
Old mailbox locations are a great place to look for silver coins. Back in the old days a lot of money was exchanged at the mail box. Try and find the location of where the original mailbox was located. You have a pretty good chance of finding coins dropped by the mail man. A really good chance.
6. Big Trees or Stumps Offer Big Chances to Find Silver Coins.
If there are big trees growing on the permission, then you better metal detect around them because they are excellent opportunities to find old coins and especially silver coins. They are a great place to find buttons too.
Back in the old days many of the women would do their sewing outside under a shade tree. They didn’t have air conditioning and on hot summer days all the sewing would be done under a shade tree. I have found several silver coins and buttons under big trees. You can’t pass up a big tree.
If the permission doesn’t have any old tress growing, try and locate where trees would have been growing. Usually you will run into a tree stump or something that would indicate a tree grew there. Metal detect all around it.
7. The Clothesline are Great For Finding Silver Coins
If you have permission to an old home site try and figure out where the old clothesline would have been. Maybe its still there. If you can find the spot you have a really good chance of finding silver and old coins. Like today, we tend to leave money and coins in our pockets when we wash our clothes. Back in the old days, they did as well but the coins didn’t show up in the dryer. They showed up under the clothesline.
8. If You Find The Outhouse You May Find Silver Coins.
Outhouses are also know as a “privy”. Outhouses are a great place to look for silver coins. Find the path to and from the outhouse and you may find yourself in luck. Many times, an emergency run to the outhouse would require a quick removal of trousers, dresses, overhauls etc. Stripping down these items quickly would cause the dislodging of anything in pockets. Silver coins and other coins can easily be found on the path to and from the outhouse.
Here is another tip. If you have the permission from the land owner, dig out the hole from the outhouse. If the outhouse hasn’t been used in many years, everything under the outhouse is now soil. When the outhouse was in use, people would throw just about anything down the hole. All types of relics including bottles, china, coins etc. have been found at the bottom of an outhouses. A silver coin or two may just show up there as well.
9. Old Driveways Are Magnets For Silver Coins.
Old driveways are another great place to find silver coins. Even today non paved driveways hold a treasure trove of coins lost from vehicles. You can easily find old coins under driveways. But back in the early days before cars, people still had to park their horse and buggies somewhere. If you can figure where that location was you will probably find some really old coins to include silver coins and jewelry. Metal detect the driveway slowly and dig everything.
10. Old Swimming Holes Hold Silver Coins and More!
Most of us know where the local swimming hole is but where there others? If you can find out where the older swimming holes were you have a good chance of finding a silver coin or ring. My first silver half dollar was found at an old swimming hole 2 years ago and I’ll never forget that day. A Barber half dollar from 1900!
11. Old Swimming Pool Areas Will Produce Silver Coins.
Swimming pool areas prior to the 1970’s are getting harder to find but if you come across one, your changes of finding a silver coin is almost most guaranteed. I recently got lucky and stumbled into one of these permissions and it has been an amazing. In four visits to this permission, I have found over 50 silver coins since January 2019. If you want to get your appetite going to find silver coins, check out this video linked below.
Check Out The Video Below.
12. Old Churches Could Have Old Silver Coins.
Churches have been around a long time. If you can get permission to metal detect at an old church then you are in for some excitement. Usually, a silver coin or two will turn up along with other older coins. However, make sure you get the permission from the right person and respect the church ground. I would also recommend offering up something that you find to the church for their historical archives. The church will definitely appreciate it and you might get asked to come back.
The old church I have been metal detecting has turned some really old coins including a 1787 King George Copper, several Indian head pennies, and two silver barber quarters. One of them is shown below. If you are lucky enough to land one of these permissions take your time and dig everything. You will more than likely be rewarded with a silver coin.
13. Public Parks Will Have Silver Coins.
Some public parks have been around a long time and so have the people who have metal detected them. Most parks get pounded by metal detector hobbyists. But as technology keeps getting better, metal detectors are able to pull out coins and relics that the older machines missed. I am seeing people digging up coins from parks that just weren’t possible 8 years ago. You are going to have to take your time and dig a lot of trash to find them, but occasionally, you can pull up a silver coin from public parks.
14. Older School Yards and Playgrounds May Hold Silver Coins.
If you come across an old school, seek permission to metal detect the school yard and the playground especially if the school was built prior to 1970’s. The chances are high that someone else has probably metal detected the yard. But like I mentioned above, as technology gets better, you have a chance at finding a missed silver coin or two.
In the past, kids lost their money all the time at school. They still do today. You can usually find their lunch money at the playground or anywhere on the school grounds where they would play or gathered to go home. Just make sure you have permission and don’t metal detect during school hours or during a school function. Otherwise, you may find yourself talking to a police officer.
15. Log Landings Could Land You a Silver Coin or Two.
Many of you won’t be familiar with these locations but logging sites have been around since loggers have been harvesting trees. Log landings by definition are where all the logs are stored and stacked before they are loaded on trucks and hauled away. Loggers cut down the trees and they are brought to the landing. This is also a place where many loggers eat their lunch, make field decisions, gather in the morning, etc. I have found many old coins, including silver, at these locations. It may be difficult to find the older landings but if you run into one, metal detect it slowly. Log landings are also a great place to find logging relics such as tools, saw blades etc.
16. Apple Trees in The Forest May Surprise You With Silver.
If you are out hunting the forest or a clearing and you run across an apple tree, metal detect the area. In the old days, loggers would eat their lunch at the site or landing they were working. Many loggers ate apples and would discard the apple core by throwing it on the ground. Those apples seeds would sometimes germinate and grow into an apple trees. When you come across apple trees in the forest or clearing you have a good chance of finding coins lost by the logger who ate an apple. Some of those coins could possibly be silver.
17. Old Picnic Areas Are Great for Finding Silver Coins.
Back in the old days people would gather and have picnics after church on Sunday’s. If you can find where they used to hold their gatherings get permission and detect these areas. Local businesses and company would often hold their summer picnic or parties at these locations. The chances of finding a silver coin or old coins is pretty high. Many of these areas are hard to find now. They were not documented very well.
18. After a Hurricanes or Major Storms Are Great Opportunities for Finding Silver Coins.
For 100’s of years shipwrecks have happened off our coastlines. Millions of dollars have been lost at sea. Silver and in some cases gold coins often turn up on beaches after a hurricane or major storm. The wind really kicks up the waves and they can really cut deep in the sand exposing layers of the sand that haven’t been seen in many years. This is your chance to find a Spanish Cob or Reale!
Don’t be too surprised when you head to the beach after a storm. More than likely you won’t be the only one out there. You will often see a rush of metal detector hobbyists heading to the beach after a big storm. They also know their chances increase to find rare and valuable coins after a major storm. But don’t worry there is plenty of sand for everyone.
Your Chance For Finding a Silver Coin Has Just Gone Up.
In closing, These 18 areas and locations will increase your odds of finding silver coins. Many of these locations will probably have a lot trash and junk but that’s not unusual. if you know how to use your metal detector, crank up the separation and work slowly through the trash. If there is a silver coin hiding you will hear it. Especially if you have something like an XP Deus or Minelab Equinox. Some of those silver coins are masked from the trash. Others have missed them for this very reason. Silver coins are still out there to be found and I wish you luck and hope you find your silver coin metal detecting. I hope you enjoyed learning about these 18 best places to search.
Are You Using a Minelab Equinox?
If you are using a Minelab Equinox, I have a simple but very effective coin program you can try which will also increase your chances of finding silver coins. Check out this article, “Find More Coins With The Minelab Equinox”
Looking For a New Metal Detector?
If you looking for a new metal detector, I recommend reaching out to Fort Bedford Metal Detectors. They carry a huge selection of metal detectors as well as any accessory you might need. I highly recommend checking them out online or giving them a call at 1-814-215-1732.
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