SAND AND SURF: Tips from a European Detectorist

John Howland, an author and self-described “committed” treasure hunter since 1978, lives near the north shore of Poole Harbor, Dorset. He frequently hunts local tourist beaches, including Bournemouth. John was happy to share some of his beachcombing tips that he has refined over the past three decades.

“Currently, I am using a Sea Hunter Mark II pulse induction machine, specifically for beachcombing below the low tide lines of the beaches close to my home on England’s south-west coast,” John related. “It is capable of recovering coins and rings from over 12 inches deep in seawater-soaked sand without any problem. As I dig every signal, my find rate is more than most others. I would recommend to anyone contemplating buying such a detector to also buy a small shovel or spade, for you will be digging deep targets well beyond what is practical with a scoop or trowel.”

In addition to this advice, John volunteered to submit an article on successful beach hunting. In it, he discusses the particular methods he employs with two different types of metal detector technology.

John Howland of England with his arsenal of beach hunting tools. (Above) John found this Bulgari 18-carat ring set with 24 diamonds (value $3,650) on the beach with his Garrett Sea Hunter.

The fortune in coinage that lies hidden beneath the sands of the world’s beaches just waiting discovery by anyone sufficiently savvy in the art of metal detecting is mind-numbingly colossal.

In the UK alone, official Government figures confirm that between 1983 and 1993 (when the last survey was done)

1,161.6 million £1-coins were minted. During that decade, 191 million of them went AWOL, classified as “wastage,” meaning they went out of circulation for any one of a number of reasons. In its report titled Economic Trends No. 495 January 1995, the UK Government’s Central Statistical Office, attributed the “wastage” thus,

“Garrett’s Keys to the Vault: The Sea Hunter II and the ACE 250”by John Howland

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