Is Metal detecting becoming devalued by instant consumerism?

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Filed under: Articles, General — Norfolk Wolf

Let me explain what I mean by this by telling you how it has always been for me and a lot of other people and then putting forward the argument for “new way”.
I heard a famous comic asked in an interview recently, “What is needed to become a great comedian?” His reply? “I want to be a good comedian, I think about it from the moment I get up, right through the day and until I go to bed. I’m always fired up with enthusiasm and looking for ways to be better; using my many mistakes to improve and although it can be difficult at times, I love what I do and wouldn’t change it for anything”.
This is the closest anyone has come to describe the way I feel about detecting; it really is a case of the more you put into it, the more you will get out it.
To begin with metal detecting is difficult, okay you might stumble on a “lucky” find here and there, but you can never get that “lucky streak” to run consistentently; month in, month out.
The reason for this is down to ignorance. Lack of experience might be a more delicate way to put it, but it stills boil down to the same thing no matter how you word it.
Ignorance in not understanding the capabilities of your detector and how it works.
Ignorance in not understanding the different ground conditions.
Ignorance in not knowing how to approach the landowners for permission.
Ignorance in not being able to read the fields and understanding where certain sites have a higher percentage of being located; when that permission has been granted.
Ignorance in not knowing when a site is played out and it’s time to move on.
Ignorance in not quickly recognising barren areas, (well, there just might be something, No there ain’t, move). Detecting time is precious, don’t waste it.
As you can see from the above, a large proportion of your detecting time is going to be wasted when you first start and unless you get that lot above sorted, it always will be.
So you will need to serve an apprentiship so to speak and gain experience through learning from your mistakes. I’ve given talks around the country, written a book and produced a DVD; they will all help you on your way, but they can’t and never will make you a “good” detectorist. That is down to you and how much you want it.
Let’s say that you have eventually passed your apprentiship and you’ve just got permission from the farmer for quite a large number of acres. You’ve checked up on the archaeological sites on the web and there is nothing showing and there are no churches or villages in the near vicinity to give you any clues. Get in the car with your map and take a look at the lie of the land. Some places will scream out “Roman” to you, other higher ground might have the makings of “Celtic”. (Saxon sites are nigh on impossible using this method). Wheat crops still growing? Get out there on a late summers afternoon, looking at all the south facing slopes, it is the best time to see crop marks. Field walking for flints after rain and the sun is low in the sky will make those flints glint like a mirror. We haven’t picked up a detector yet, but this will save so much precious detecting time in the future. You’ve picked a promising looking field and it has been ploughed and rolled about 3 weeks ago so the earth has had time to settle and compact more, you can tell this by the amount of stones that are showing. The detector is put on very low settings and you are covering the ground fairly rapidly in a criss-cross pattern; listening for any areas of ferrous, indicating habitation; whilst all the time your eyes are glued to the surface looking for pottery. This is another must, being able to identify pottery whether it is Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, early or late Mediaeval. So you’ve found a good area on the field through the amount of iron signals and a scattering of pottery and also realised the extent of the ground mineralisation which will indicate whether a high or lower frequency detector and what size of coil should be employed. That’s it I’ll leave you to put your own ending to the tale, but it’s meant to convey to you in a small way the amount of knowledge required before even attempting to use a detector to pick up the good stuff. Experience when using the detector will enable you to work slow, but work fast as you won’t be digging ANY (and I mean ANY) unnecessary signals.
So that is just a small sample of what is required for a single “new” field, let’s take a look at the other side of the coin.
Today you can have organized week-end detecting. No searching for land and getting knock-backs from the farmers, no research needed either. It’s all done for you and handed to you on a plate, all you have to do is turn up and hand over your money to the organiser. Easy, Peasy, Lemon Squeezie!! Ideal for those people that are busy all week or for those that have demanding family responsibilities. What could be better? A friend of mine organizers such events and boy does his merry band find some gear over the week-ends. They praise their own detecting prowess when he gets them on a productive field and then berate him for being at fault when the pickings aren’t as good; never mind the ever present site of unfilled holes left like bomb craters stretching across the field! I do think the organisers of these events actually provide a brilliant and much needed service and are very much under-appreciated by a lot of the people that attend. Some people actually think that because they have paid the money it gives them the divine right to find a handful of Roman or at least a couple of hammered coins each and every trip! I feel sure that for a certain section it isn’t the enjoyment of having a detector in their hands but more of an ego boost to show others how clever they have been in what they have found. These are generally the first ones to complain when a site is less productive and detecting knowledge is required rather than “shooting fish in a barrel” type of sites. (Generally results in a show of moaning and whinging, as a salve to the wounded ego).
Now think back to the loner that has gone out and done the whole shebang from beginning to end and how much more satisfaction he will be feeling, when he digs up those finds that are the result of all his own endeavours?
Finally I would like to make a point that could be controversial. If this is the way that detecting is heading for the future, what chance for the new loners that are to come?
Farmers will (and have) definitely show a preference to a band of guys detecting one day a week if they are going to hand over a tax-free wad of notes each time. What chance does the loner have to compete with this? Already I have heard of some being denied the right to detect, as the farmer obviously favours the wad payers; even though the poor guy has been going to the same farm for a number of years. There is only so much land available, is it going to be for those with the money? Are the days of the individual detectorist numbered? Perhaps not in the foreseeable future, but who can tell? John.

Footnote.
I’ve re-read the above and it don’t half make me out to be one of the “Grumpy old men” brigade. It got me thinking as to what right I have to tell people how to detect. After all, if someone wants to have a couple of hours or so relaxing with a detector at the end of a long weeks work, what’s so wrong with that? Nothing whatsoever, detecting is about enjoyment and you don’t have to be a “Know it all” to achieve it.
It was directed more towards the growing mass of “Microwave detectorists”; those that want everything served up super-fast and handed to them on a plate with the minimum amount of work, fuss, or thought involved as possible. John