Research is the single most significant aspect to being a successful treasure finder. Without research the metal detector hobbyist will have to depend on chance and luck and can never become a guru or specialist in this field. Research must become a priority! In section one we will deal with research tools that are "things" and in Part II we will deal with "people".
The things of research can be found in our local libraries or even easier on the world wide web. The first tool that is abundant in both libraries and on the web is historical maps. If you want to find some good areas to hunt, maps need to become your best friend. Finding a local source for these maps is important. I have personally used the city clerk's office. This is a great resource for local maps and as a geography teacher of high school 9th graders, I got more leads indirectly, by doing a three day project with 16 of my top students. These bright young minds examined hundreds of maps attempting to find city owned sites that would make potential recreational/park sites. Their research found me several dozen metal detecting sites (more than I have ever found in weeks of personal research) and they were honored by the city fathers in having three of their researched sites become city parks and ball fields. Below is a list of some of my favorite internet map sources. Thi s type of research will greatly enhance your success with metal detectors and is fun too.
1895 U.S. Atlas
Military Battles and Campaigns Maps
Historic Topo's
Historic Atlas of the 20th Century
Hargrett Library
United States Digital Map Library
Historic Cities and Towns Maps
Historic Maps of Florida (or any other state name)
The internet alone can produce many possible detecting sites regardless of where you live, but do not depend- just on the web. Local historical societies offer a wealth of information too and attending a few meetings can open up doors to maps not found anywhere else.
Photographs of historical significance are also a great source for finding metal detecting sites. Many books on the history of your community will have photos of where people congregated 50 to 100 years (or more) ago. Some of the very best metal detecting finds that I own came from pictures showing carnivals, sports activities, holiday celebrations, religious gatherings, community dances, and parade routes to name a few. The internet again is a good source with many good photo databases. Here are few of my favorites:
American Memory
Historical Photos Archive
CivilWarPhotos.net
Aerial Photographs are a very useful tool for metal detecting research. As a geography teacher in the 70's and early 80's I collected hundreds of aerial photos of cities like New Orleans, Chicago, NYC, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco. I learned the various patterns of city growth and development and have applied this info in finding sites and dating them for locating specific targeted coins. If I wanted to find a 1909 SVD Penny or a 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter, I would use both the regular photos and aerial shots to find building and traffic patterns for 1909 or 1916. It does work! A site that I researched using both types of photos, produced five 1916 coins that had to be lost that year or soon after, as all were in extra-fine to almost uncirculated condition.
A third and powerful source for finding metal detecting sites is historic books. As I mentioned in the last paragraph historic books have marvelous photos for finding metal detecting sites. They also provide records of events and show the pattern(s) by which the community developed. Knowing the pattern(s) of development is a key in dating sites for older relic and coin finds. Each city in the world developed by a myriad of factors and understanding the growth and development of a city provides a wealth of information to the detectorist that will influence the quality as well as the volume of finds. Here are four key theories that have helped me immensely and are easy to learn too: Concentric Ring Theory, Sector Theory, Polycentric Theory and Multiple Nuclei Theory. These growth theories have been around since 1925 when the Van Thuen Model was introduced. All of these models of urban growth utilize aerial photography as well. I include books and journals into a metal detect or research category called the "Home Town Advantage". When you are armed with well documented histories, you will a have powerful advantage over most other hobbyist who will not take the time to research. You will also not have to travel great distances to find good or new sites. Researching your own town or city will provide more sites than you can imagine. I have lived in the city of Tarpon Springs for 40 years and started metal detecting there on Christmas Day of 1969. Thirty nines years later, I still have not hunted all of my researched sites in this city of only 30,000. Yet, I have found over 150,000 coins with 85% coming from the Sponge Capital of World, Tarpon Springs FL. The best place to find these historical documents is a local court house, a city clerk's office, library or historical society.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, research is the single most important aspect of successful metal detecting. Chance and luck will not consistently be with you. Make research your number one priority and depend on POP too! We will talk about "it", not him, in part two of metal detecting research. Here's to "diggin it!" Larry
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