It's amazing how many people will see someone with a metal detector, looks at their finds and then go out and purchase one, only to be disappointed when they don't pull riches from the ground. Listen folks, it's not as easy as it is made out to be. I know, the newer detectors are amazing, and if a target is there, it will more than likely signal for you. But the fact is this, if the target isn't where you are searching, you aren't going to find squat! RESEARCH is as valuable a tool as any metal detector made. Local libraries, maps, stories from local townspeople, etc are perfect leads. One of the best leads I ever got was from an old man that came up to me one day while I was in a local park. Now this park has been active since 1771, for sure, and odds are even earlier, because of an artesian well in at the site. I was wandering around searching and not really finding anything, when he ambled up to me and asked what I was doing. I explained what I was doing, and he suggested that I search over ina n area that was just a plain spot near an old pecan tree. His reasoning was that when he was a child in the 20's, there used to be a band that would come out on Sundays and play for crowds that gathered there. Well, taking his advice, I walked over there and started a 5 year search that yeilded coins from 1755 up to present day. What a great hobby this turned out to be! Listen people..learn your detector, use it! Trust me, you will find things, if you put the time in to understand your detector. Bury targets in your yard, make yourself a test pit to see how your detector reacts to buried targets, bury trash near your targets, most detectors will respond differently when trash is near a good target. Take the time to recognize that sound. They say it takes a year to really "learn" your detector, I agree. Yes, you can buy a detector and find goodies right out of the box, but for the deeper targets and nickels and small coins and jewelry, you better learn that machine! It'll never find a thing sitting in the closet, it sure will help your health too, after all, eating is tough to do while swinging a coil over the soil. One other thing needs to be mentioned...IF YOU FIND TRASH, PICK IT UP. IF YOU DIG A HOLE, COVER IT UP! Happy Hunting! I have included a link to my metal detector coin finds...please take a look, The stuff is out there go get it! http://public.fotki.com/millenniumdawg/metal_detector_finds/