A lot of my permissions are discovered just by driving around. I will pick my son up from daycare and we will set off on our epic adventures. I call them adventures, but really we just drive around on unfamiliar roads looking for places that could produce historical relics. It might sounds silly, but we have a lot of fun. This is actually how I got permission for the 1765 mill property. (Pictured to the Right.)

My other permissions are found on the internet. If I have a township that I am focusing on, I will Google “TOWN” history. I read up on what Wikipedia has to say, then I will typically scroll through the image results until I find a place that meets my fancy. I have discovered so many historical references in my area that I would have never known before I started metal detecting.

Sometimes, I’ll even try an eBay search for old postcards that might give clues to old properties. I’ve found some really cool postcards on eBay. For instance, I found this 1920s postcard of the church where I was married.

Once I set my sights on a property, I determine who the property owner is. If no one is living at the property or nearby the property, I call the county for information on who I should contact about permission to detect. Then, I will type up a respectful letter and drop it in the mailbox.

After that, I start searching old maps. My preferred resource for historical maps is Historical Aerials.

I love historical aerials. The site gives me the ability to compare satellite images with old topography maps, new topography maps with old topography maps, aerial images with satellite images. The bottom line is that I can compare maps, which is a feature that I value more than anything else.

The only downside is that the topography maps usually only date to the early nineteen hundreds and I try to find places to detect that are older than that. The good news, however, is that if house was standing in the nineteen hundreds than it was likely standing before that as well.

If you have read my posts from the beginning, you likely remember my post about the old road that once went behind my house. I would have never known the road existed had I not used historical aerials. The houses and the road have long been reclaimed by the woods and wild blackberries.

I know that a lot of my followers stick to public parks and playgrounds, but there is so much more out there than $2.34 in clad and a ball of discarded tin foil from a ham sandwich. The internet is such a valuable tool! Think of how detectorists had to find properties before the internet–what a nightmare that must have been!

My point is that there are so many tools at your disposal. I can give you the links and the letters. I can even tell you where to search that you are most likely to find coins. No more excuses. I encourage every one of you that has never detected outside a playground to track down their dream location, personalize the letter I provided in my previous post, and slap a stamp on that sucker.

Happy HUNTING!

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