Looking for old coins in a yard sale, at a coin dealer’s store, or in the attic can be fun… but treasure hunting for old coins can be truly exciting!
You might find rare U.S. coins, foreign coins, ancient pieces… or, um, common coins worth nothing over face value.
Of course, keeping your eyes peeled for old coins buried in the dirt, at the beach, under water, or in the basement of the vacant house next door may have some legal pitfalls. You should always heed local, state, and federal laws regarding the searching for and keeping of anything you find.
Know the rules where you want to dig and search!
But assuming you know all the laws, rules, and unspoken agreements you should always abide by when doing some treasure hunting, it’s time to go for the search!
One of the best ways to look for old coins and other treasures worthy of searching for is by using a metal detector. Metal detectors are a treasure hunter’s best friend and make swift work of finding the buried loot you’re hoping to lay your eyes on!
I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century.
I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek.
I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
