Pennsylvania has a rich history and is a fantastic place for finding some buried coins and treasure using your metal detector. There are an abundance of old towns and settlements which present some of the best places you can find coins, relics, and some hidden treasure.
In addition to the many old town sites scattered throughout Pennsylvania, there are also lots of parks where you can search for more modern coins and jewelry.
If you are new to metal detection in Pennsylvania it is important you familiarize yourself with the laws to ensure you don’t get into any trouble. The laws in Pennsylvania just like in most of the states restrict metal detecting for antiquities and historic items on state owned lands. Legally you cannot collect relics and other historical artifacts that you find on public lands and you must have permission to metal detect state parks.
If you want to hunt for historic items with a metal detector in Pennsylvania, it is almost always best to look for places on private lands. Get permission from the landowner prior to detecting. This way you can enjoy your day metal detecting without worrying about getting in trouble.
If you are serious about finding some real treasure and old coins here are a number of places you should use your metal detector. These should give you a general ideas of the types of locations that are most productive for metal detecting.
Busy Public Places
Public areas with high traffic such as playgrounds, school grounds, old drive-in theaters, and other such gathering locations are perfect places for finding lost coins and other valuables in Pennsylvania. Most of the stuff you will find here is modern, although sometimes an old silver coin will turn up at these places. Ask “old timers” if they remember any places that they went when they were kids.
It is important for you to check with the management before metal detecting any public arena. Some places restrict access to metal detectors and you will not want to get in trouble. Each place has it’s own rules depending on the owner.
Other public spaces that yield a lot of coins and other valuables for metal detector uses include public walkways. You can do very well searching around parking meters in the downtown areas. Before venturing into such places ensure that you come at the right time so that you don’t distract other users. Very early morning is generally a good time.
Metal Detecting in Ghost Towns and Abandoned Places
Pennsylvania has a number of ghost towns which are rich places where you can discover some real treasure. The key to metal detecting in abandoned places and ghost towns is to do your research and find out what are some of the less explored places. The well-known ghost towns have mostly been hit pretty hard by other detectorists.
Visit local libraries, read about the local history, search online and join forums to find information about some of the towns in Pennsylvania that are now long gone.
One good thing is that a number of ghost towns are on private property. You will have to get their permission of the owner before starting your metal detecting, but the nice thing is that you don’t need to worry about breaking any antiquities laws.
Also consider searching abandoned railroads and railroad stations, as they are some of the places you can find valuable relics and buried treasure. Workers camped alongside the tracks while they were being constructed, and they left behind a lot of interesting things at those old mining camps. There is generally no evidence as to where they were, so you will have to do some searching and exploring to find them.
Buried Treasures
There are many stories about buried treasures in Pennsylvania. Just like the case with many other states, most of the treasures are hidden in caves, old mines, ghost towns and sometimes on private property. Most of the buried treasures yet to be found were buried by the outlaws in the early days of settlement in the state. Depending on where you are in the state you can get information on the hidden treasure by doing some research online and reading about the local history.
Another type of lost treasure in Pennsylvania are caches that were hidden by the early settlers of the state. Back in the day when banks were unreliable, people would often bury their possessions to hide them from thieves. Sometimes, no one knew the location of their cache when they died, and it still remains hidden today. Some spectacular caches of gold and silver coins have been found and people are still finding more even today.
Also Read: Rockhounding in Pennsylvania – Quartz Crystals & Abundant Fossils!
Pennsylvania State Parks
Parks are popular recreational areas. The more crowded these places are, the better the opportunity for metal detectorists to find something valuables. Quite a number of people who come to state parks misplace their belongings such as coins, earrings, rings and other forms of valuable jewelry. Metal detecting such places gives you the opportunity to find some of these lost items that may be hidden in grass or by the top soils.
Before you venture into state parks it is important that you make sure that you are allowed to detect there. Most state parks in Pennsylvania allow metal detecting as long as it doesn’t conflict with the activities of other visitors.
Contact the specific state park that you want to detect and talk with the manager to see if detecting is allowed.
Rivers & Creeks
In the early days before the railroads were built or motor vehicles were available the early settlers in the Pennsylvania region and the nearby territories used the rivers as the main form of transport.
People camped and fished along the rivers. If you can find an early campsite then you are likely to uncover some very interesting relics.
Next: Prospecting for Gold in Pennsylvania
