Metal Detecting
A Third Age Active Pursuits Feature
by our Interests, Hobbies & Pastimes Editor

Metal Detecting is an increasingly popular hobby that received a huge boost in interest when, in July 2009, an unemployed amateur Metal Detecting enthusiast discovered the UK’s largest ever haul of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver artifacts on a farm in Staffordshire.

Metal Detecting involves the use of a metal detector, a device which uses electromagnetic induction, to detect metal. Metal detectors were originally developed by mining engineers in the latter part of the 19th century to detect ore-bearing rocks. They were further developed in the 1930s in order to detect land mines.

But it was after the Second World War when the surplus of redundant mine detectors were purchased by treasure hunting enthusiasts that the hobby of Metal Detecting for fun and profit really took off.

Today, Metal Detecting is enormously popular, and metal detectors are used by enthusiasts to search for coins and jewellery left behind on beaches (Beachcombing), to search for lost coins after major events attended by a large number of people, and by treasure and relic hunters to locate lost and hidden archaeological artifacts. Amongst the most well-known enthusiasts is former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman.

If you are interested in taking up the fascinating and potentially lucrative hobby of Metal Detecting in your Third Age, we are happy to recommend The Beginner’s Guide To Metal Detecting by Julian Evan-Hart and Dave Stuckey.

This excellent and best-selling book is aimed at both those who are thinking of taking up this fascinating hobby as well as those who have recently started Metal Detecting. The book is well illustrated, in full colour, and the chapter headings give you a clear indication of the content including the different types of Metal Detectors available, the accessories required, where to begin detecting, how to research potential sites, how to gain permission to search, what clues to look out for, search techniques and methods, how to identify, clean, record and display your finds, together with suggestions for further reading.

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