How Much Money Can You Make With a Metal Detector?

If you’re eyeing private property, you should ask the owner before you start digging for treasure. State property may require a special permit for metal detecting, and some states prohibit digging on state property. Be sure to cover up any holes you dig. It’s illegal to use a metal detector on federal land.

Beaches are a favorite spot for treasure seekers, in part because that’s where people tend to lose coins and jewelry. But sometimes the sea releases bigger treasures, particularly after storms. In 2020, detectorists in Indian River County, Florida, found a trove of Spanish coins from a 1715 shipwreck.

Civil War buffs can find relics throughout most of the South, ranging from bullets and cannonballs to buttons, buckles and ID tags, the precursor of the GI dog tags still in use by the military today. Although most major battlefields are on protected property, many minor battlefields are not — and there were plenty of places where the 3 million Union and Confederate soldiers camped.

If you’re interested in history, you can find something with a metal detector where people have lived previously. People have been losing things throughout time. “Don’t get discouraged, because there’s still a lot of stuff that’s buried that people haven’t found,” McCullough says. “People have been doing this detecting since the ’60s. They’ve pulled a lot out, but there’s still a lot left.”

John Waggoner covers all things financial for AARP, from budgeting and taxes to retirement planning and Social Security. Previously he was a reporter for Kiplinger's Personal Finance and  USA Today.

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