As a metal detector hobbyist of 40 years, I have completed nearly every US coin set beginning with the Barber coins of the late 1800's. I am convinced that it is possible right now, in 2009, to start and find nearly all coins in several sets with a detector.
The easiest set to complete is the state quarters. Spanning only about 10 years, these can be found in school yards, public parks and beaches in abundance. I have had no difficulty in completing several sets. The clad Washington's are also very easy to complete. The set is mainly high mintage coins covering less than 40 years of easy finds with very little numismatic value to the collection.
Another set is the Silver Roosevelt Dimes from 1946-1964. The 1949 S is the only coin of this set that has been elusive in my 40 years detecting in Florida's sandy soil. I have only dug two of them but one was found last year, completing my second set. High silver value makes this 19 year set a nice addition to your coin collection.
The Jefferson Nickel set starting in 1938 is still a possible set too. A few coins like the 38-39 D & S and the 50 D are not easy finds. In nearly 50 years of collecting coins, I never found the 50 D in circulation and my only detector find was September 1978. Nickels do not fare well in the soil except for the 1942-1945 partial silver coins. Overall detector find nickels are not attractive, but this is a fun set to complete. I also have this set in BU and Proof with every coin a result of bartering and trading metal detector finds, but that is another story.
The Silver Washington Quarters 1932-1964 set is also feasible, as the only real tough coins in the set are the 1932 S & D. I have found all of this set except for the 1932 and 1936 D's. Living and hunting in the east may impact my chances of getting these elusive D's, but I still believe I will find them.
The book #2 of Lincoln cents from 1940-1958 has been one of my easiest and I have completed 8 and could nearly fill several more from the 10,000 Wheat finds I have in storage. Most of the steel-zinc 1943 coins are pretty ugly as the soil is tough on these gray pennies. However, newbie's should be able to complete this set in a relatively short period of time.
There are many sets of US coins that are more difficult or elusive to the hobbyist than those discussed in this article. It is important to note that the title of this article does not address the treasure hunter, but very specifically, the treasure finder. So many metal detector users are merely hunters without a real plan for what they are going to achieve in this most wonderful, lucrative and rewarding hobby. Only 25% of the more than 100 million coins lost since 1900 have been found. Become a "finder" and with good research and a little grit you can complete many sets too.
The easiest set to complete is the state quarters. Spanning only about 10 years, these can be found in school yards, public parks and beaches in abundance. I have had no difficulty in completing several sets. The clad Washington's are also very easy to complete. The set is mainly high mintage coins covering less than 40 years of easy finds with very little numismatic value to the collection.
Another set is the Silver Roosevelt Dimes from 1946-1964. The 1949 S is the only coin of this set that has been elusive in my 40 years detecting in Florida's sandy soil. I have only dug two of them but one was found last year, completing my second set. High silver value makes this 19 year set a nice addition to your coin collection.
The Jefferson Nickel set starting in 1938 is still a possible set too. A few coins like the 38-39 D & S and the 50 D are not easy finds. In nearly 50 years of collecting coins, I never found the 50 D in circulation and my only detector find was September 1978. Nickels do not fare well in the soil except for the 1942-1945 partial silver coins. Overall detector find nickels are not attractive, but this is a fun set to complete. I also have this set in BU and Proof with every coin a result of bartering and trading metal detector finds, but that is another story.
The Silver Washington Quarters 1932-1964 set is also feasible, as the only real tough coins in the set are the 1932 S & D. I have found all of this set except for the 1932 and 1936 D's. Living and hunting in the east may impact my chances of getting these elusive D's, but I still believe I will find them.
The book #2 of Lincoln cents from 1940-1958 has been one of my easiest and I have completed 8 and could nearly fill several more from the 10,000 Wheat finds I have in storage. Most of the steel-zinc 1943 coins are pretty ugly as the soil is tough on these gray pennies. However, newbie's should be able to complete this set in a relatively short period of time.
There are many sets of US coins that are more difficult or elusive to the hobbyist than those discussed in this article. It is important to note that the title of this article does not address the treasure hunter, but very specifically, the treasure finder. So many metal detector users are merely hunters without a real plan for what they are going to achieve in this most wonderful, lucrative and rewarding hobby. Only 25% of the more than 100 million coins lost since 1900 have been found. Become a "finder" and with good research and a little grit you can complete many sets too.
