Gifts for Relic Hunters: Serrated Shovels, Small Coils and Finds Care

Because the obstruction is roots, and a smooth edge will not cut them. On a demolished house site or a woodland edge, a plain garden spade bounces off root mat and tears the turf instead of slicing it. Serration is the entire difference between a detecting shovel and a garden one: Lesche publishes a serrated, pre-sharpened blade on the Lesche Sampson Pro-Series T-Handle Shovel, 31 inch and a double serrated blade on the Lesche T-Handle Shovel, 36 inch double serrated, both built around a T-handle you can put your weight behind.

Length follows the person, not the site. Lesche publishes 31 inches overall on the Sampson and 36 inches on the longer T-handle, and taller diggers generally find the longer one saves their back across a full day. The Lesche Mini Sampson T-Handle Shovel, 18 inch at $84.00 is the 18 inch version that straps to a pack for walking in, and the Root Slayer Nomad Garden Spade at $46.69 is a short serrated spade that is useful on permissions where a full-length shovel would draw attention. Our shovel roundup compares the range properly.

A small coil, and it is risky because coils are cut for one machine and one connector. The mechanism is masking: a large coil generates a wide detection field, so when a nail and a button sit inside that field together the machine averages them and reports iron. A smaller coil sees a smaller patch of ground and resolves the two separately. That is why people who hunt worked sites carry two coils, and why a small coil is the upgrade that most improves results on ground somebody has already been over.

The options are machine-specific without exception. The Minelab EQX 06 Coil (6 inch) at $225.00 is the 6 inch Double-D that Minelab lists for the Equinox series and the X-Terra Pro. The Nokta LG15 Coil (6 inch) at $127.99 does the same job on Nokta The Legend. The Garrett 5 by 8 DD PROformance Coil at $164.95 and the Mars Sniper 10 by 6 DD Coil at $112.50 are cut for the Garrett AT series. The Coiltek 10 by 5 NOX Search Coil at $308.00 is the compromise for Equinox owners, keeping a long sweep footprint while staying narrow enough to work between iron. Get the exact model name before buying any of them, and check the coil size against depth chart for what the trade actually costs in coverage.

Grouped by job, with the published detail that makes each one right for old ground.

This is the gift category experienced relic hunters most appreciate and gift buyers least expect, because the damage happens after the dig. A corroded coin scrubbed with an abrasive or dipped in acid loses whatever value it had, permanently, and a great many good finds have been ruined in the first hour of enthusiasm. The Conserv Safe Coin Solvent at $8.99 is a conservation-grade rinse that lifts surface dirt and grease while leaving the surface toning intact, which is the opposite of what a household cleaner does.

Beyond that, storage and identification. The Illuminated 30x and 60x Jewellers Loupe at $8.99 has 30x and 60x illuminated lenses, and mint marks, hallmarks and dates are simply not readable without magnification. The Cardboard Coin Flips, 300 in 6 sizes at $9.50 stops finds rubbing against each other in a tin, which is its own slow form of damage, and the Coin Microscope with Weighing Scale at $49.99 puts the whole job on a screen for somebody working through a season of finds. Our guide to cleaning finds is worth passing on with any of these.