Warning: My cheap metal detector almost cost me a big find

I was using a basic detector at a public dig site in Suffolk last month, just getting a ton of false signals from old nails. I was about to call it a day when a guy with a proper machine scanned the same patch and got a solid hit. We dug down maybe 18 inches and found a complete Roman coin, a silver denarius from around 200 AD. My junk detector would have totally missed it because it couldn't filter out the iron. Learned that gear really matters if you're serious. Anyone else have a story where better equipment made all the difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

rose_craig971mo ago

Wait, wasn't a denarius usually bronze? I thought silver ones were way less common.

the_pat1mo ago

Oh wow, I totally thought the same thing for the longest time. Then I saw a breakdown of coin finds from a bunch of Roman sites, and the regular denarius was almost always silver. The bronze ones were a different, earlier coin called the "aes" or later small change. Really changed my view.

the_jamie25d ago

Wait, you're telling me a denarius was mostly silver? Dude, that's insane. @the_pat just blew my mind with that breakdown too. I always figured those things were bronze junk.

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