One of my favorite metal detecting targets are silver coins! These are generally valuable and sometimes hold historical value that can enrich your finds portfolio and even trade for good money!
One challenge that comes with that is figuring out locations where you can really find them. Otherwise, even if your metal detector is capable you will still struggle.
This article provides 10 places known for yielding silver coins, hopefully you will take advantage of some those locations.
10 Best places to metal detect for silver coins
1. Old or abandoned Houses
Old or abandoned houses are great for finding silver coins. Look at the home to see how old the foundation appears to be! This could be a clear indication of what kinds of coins could be found in there …
For example, if you see old rocks that are used in the foundation, the house is likely over 100 years old. Checking property online records (if available) also gives you a good idea about the history and ownership of the house.
2. Old sidewalks
Check for the sidewalk of any old structure or old house site. Check the place where you believe there used to be a sidewalk.
If the old sidewalk is still in existence, go over it slowly and check every crack. The chances of finding an ancient coin, probably silver, near the sidewalk area is relatively high.
Lost coins get wedged between the cracks of the sidewalks and stay there forever until you find them with a metal detector.
Helpful Tip: Silver coins are generally buried a little bit deep underneath sidewalks. So you will need to set your machine to detect deeper at least 8 inches deep. For example this Metal Detector Model has the ability to detect quite deep (up to 12 inches).
3. Old wells or water sources
Old wells are a great spot for finding silver coins. The path to and fro from the well is used very frequently.
The chances of finding old coins here are great, and if you are lucky, you may just score a silver coin. Sometimes you even come across an old well that has not been filled in, so detect carefully around these spots.
Quick Tip: To find old well for metal detecting, you should have a look at those tips to find & properly use old maps. You will learn a Lot …
4. Old Mailboxes
Not many detectorists think about searching around old mailboxes!
Old mailbox locations are perfect to search for silver coins. In the older days, a lot of money was exchanged in the mailbox, and if you can locate such original mailboxes, there is a good chance of finding coins dropped by the mailman.
5. Big trees
Big old trees such as oak trees or maple trees may have even fallen into a rotting state, but if you can still see them, these are also likely to be places of either old home sites or even picnic groves in the past.
The chances of finding a silver coin here are relatively high!
6. Old school grounds
Old school grounds can yield up some pretty great finds. There is a good chance to find old silver coins here.
Many old school buildings may also yield some discoveries, such as time capsules commonly placed by classes years ago. These can end up being some pretty cool finds including silver coins.
7. Old Churches
Detecting in an old churchyard can be pretty exciting as churches, and the linked burial grounds are usually some of the oldest buildings around in a town/city.
You can scan with your detector under the old trees and gates. Many detectorists have found ancient coins in old churches.
The typical custom of giving alms in churches meant that many people often carried a lot of coins to the church, which also often got dropped. The chances of finding silver coins there are relatively high.
8. Outhouse
Sometimes referred to as a privy, outhouses are an excellent place to search for silver coins. Find the path that leads to and from the outhouse and detect along with it.
Silver coins and other coins are easily found on this path to and from the outhouse.
9. Old driveways
Old driveways make for a great place to find silver coins. Even today, there are many non-paved driveways that hold a treasure trove of coins lost from vehicles.
You can find old coins under driveways. In ancient times, when people didn’t have cars, they used to park their horses and buggies in some locations.
If you find these places, you can probably find some ancient jewelry and silver coins. The trick is to detect slowly and dig up everything along the driveway that gives a signal.
10. Old swimming holes
Old swimming holes and similar areas can yield some silver coins. Crowds have always populated these places, and you can end up finding some nice jewelry pieces or old coins.
However, as these areas are generally not maintained, there is a good chance of finding a lot of trash as well!
Metal Detector recommendation for silver coins
The Minelab Equinox 600 (Check it Here at Amazon) is a great detector to use for finding silver coins.
This machine operates at multiple frequencies. It can detect silver coins even is the latter is in shallow water or buried deep underneath the ground.
Indeed, the Nox 600 is waterproof and can search up to 10 feet of water!
The detector has a special field mode designed for relic hunting, and within this, the park mode is best suited for coin hunting …
It provides 3 tones with low for ferrous metals, medium for non-ferrous metals and gold, and high for highly conductive targets like silver and copper.
Finding silver coins could take quite some time, but this should not be a big of a deal for this model as it is a true lightweight, so you can keep carrying it around for long hours!
Countries known by silver coins
Australia
One of the best countries for finding silver coins outside the US is Australia. The country has many old mines and mineral exploration areas, historical sites, ghost towns, sports and ancient camping grounds, and beaches that can yield silver coins …
However, in most states, you need to have a Fossicking License or a Miner’s Right permit to metal detect.
Many dedicated clubs around the country even invite outsiders to join them for a hunt to search old coins and other treasures.
Japan
Japan has legalized recreational metal detecting. You can carry out metal detecting in Yamanashi, Michinoku, and Hokkaido.
In Hokkaido, there are many places where silver and gold coins have been found in the Peichian River, Usotan River, Rekifune River, and the Yubari River.
Keep in mind that Japan is a county known by rare coins!
Indonesia
You can detect for silver coins in Indonesia only after getting the required grants from the Indonesian Department of Tourism or the local village chiefs, depending on the area where you want to detect. Hunting for silver coins can be carried out in several regions in Indonesia, and many international tourists are actively pursuing metal detecting in the country.
You can consider searching in the areas of Sumatra and West Java. You can also try your luck in the Papua region.
United Kingdom
In the UK, you can only do metal detecting if you take permission from the riparian owner. However, keep in mind that any type of activity that causes any kind of water body pollution can result in prosecution by the Environmental Agency of the UK.
Nevertheless, there are many locations in the UK where silver coins have been found.
How to make sure that a coin is made from silver?
Here’s how to check if the coin you have found is an authentic silver coin or not.
- Check the sides of the coin. If the side looks like a penny, it is not made from silver. In a silver coin, even the sides should be shiny silver.
- Listen to the sound the coin makes. Tap your coin on a piece of metal. A silver coin will make a low clink sound, while a copper coin will make a louder clink sound.
- Check the date on the coin. The production of silver coins came to an end around 1964-1965. Any coins over this date are unlikely to be of real silver.
Is searching silver coins worth it? Are they valuable?
Silver coins can be worth quite a bit. However, not all silver coins are valuable. For example, if you find an old silver dollar, it is unlikely to even cover the cost of dinner for two people.
But, century-old silver coins can fetch hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Most of the silver coins you find, though, are usually common and worth only the value of silver on the day you found them.
But, at the same time, a lot of these silver coins are highly desired by bullion investors and collectors. So it is always better to have the value of any silver coin you find checked out properly.
If you want to know the actual worth of the silver coins you find, these are usually worth their bullion value plus a numismatic value, which is an amount determined by the collectability factor of that particular coin independent of its value and metal.
Preserving silver coins – Tips
Some tips to preserve silver coins include:
- Store your silver coins in plastic as silver reacts to materials like paper, aluminum foil, etc. Plastic is known to be the best way to keep silver coins stored in an airtight condition.
- Sleeves or coin albums are great ways to store silver coins.
- If your silver coins are old and collectibles, avoid any contamination by natural oils produced from human hands. This oil can tarnish silver coins. Wash your hands properly before picking up your valuable silver coins, or better still, wear gloves and pick them up.
- Keep them in a cool and dry place. You can consider putting moisture-absorbing silica packets or run a dehumidifier in the room you are keeping the coins in.
Final Thoughts …
If you can target all places that I’ve included in this article, then that would be a great thing, as you will definitely come across a ton of great find if you persist enough …
However, you don’t really have to overwhelm yourself. Just pick one or two places that have resonated with you the most and focus on them for a while until you start getting results. Of course you can pivot if the places you’ve picked initially are not good enough, but don’t do that unless you spend several days or even weeks.
Hope that was helpful!