What could this group drop??

Abandoned Areas:
In the west there is a huge network of abandoned highways. My favorite in Utah is highway 6, where I've unearthed many coins and tax tokens from the 1930's on up. My other favorite in the west are abandoned mining sites. From small towns to early exploratory digs there are thousands to explore.

Winter Sledding Spots:
This one most think of, but keep it high on your list because it's a renewable resource. Most targets are at the top and the bottom of the hill.

Ski Lifts:
Another western states specialty. Just be aware of the regulations for detecting on Forest Service Lands, which is where most ski resorts reside. These areas are gold and silver ring factories...and in the last 5 years smart phones are popping up like weeds out there. With the huge variety of people that use the lifts you never know what you may find! 

Old Railroad Rail Lines:
Look to resources like GenDisasters for an incredible wealth of information on historic train wrecks, bank robberies, lost stage coaches, downed airplanes, all the way back into the early 1800's. The country is crisscrossed with old and abandoned railroad railroad line. Many abandoned rail beds have been converted to "Rails-to-Trail" hiking, horseback riding, and bicycling trails and are easy to find. Others are overgrown but can be spotted by their constant-grade profile. Old maps in your state library will show the location of many old railroad lines. Once located, and permission to prospect is granted, begin your search in the areas around the old station buildings. These are the most productive area as coins were handled there. But under no circumstance should you approach active railroad lines because of the obvious danger from trains and the sensitivity of railroad police to intruders.

Rivers and Waterways:
Many towns, villages and cities throughout North America boast significant historical value. Do not overlook the shoreline along rivers and waterways adjacent to those communities. Since water routes were the major means of travel over past centuries, there is much to find along the banks. I have found everything from old money to firearms, native trinkets, metal money boxes (sometimes with contents intact), fobs, watches and even nagivational instruments. Don't forget to search out into the water a ways. This is where it is important to own a waterproof detector. The past is waiting to be discovered right in your own community.

City Drains:
Most cities have storm drains that eventually dump into rivers or streams. Where the concrete ends and the dirt or gravel begins can be a productive sit.

Outdoor Movies:
It is becoming very popular in local communities to have free outdoor movies at parks or schools. Find out when the movies play, then go enjoy them, and then the day after hit it with the detector.

Airport Public Viewing Areas:
I have found all kinds of coins at these locations. People sit on the grass and kids are playing as they wait for the planes to land or take off, it's very similar to areas where people watch fireworks.

Please add your favorites here, I promise not to claim jump you...

This target ID table is for a Minelab X-Terra 705 in coin and treasure mode with the stock 9-inch elliptical coil running at 7.5 kHz. ID's for the items I haven't found are from other diggers or the Minelab website.  The most important thing to remember about accurately identifying targets when you're looking for coins and jewelry is the stability of the signal. If the numbers are jumpy or different when you change the direction of your swing, chances are it's trash. Unstable signals are usually caused by irregular surfaces like foil or a bent pull tab. Another clue is the size of the target response, is it small and concise or spread out? Use the pinpointing mode to nail this down.

Efficiently identifying trash and being confident in your ID only comes from lots of practice and digging lots of trash. I like to call exactly what I expect to find to myself before I dig it. When I'm wrong I put the item back under the plug and determine if there was something I missed.  This type of high volume digging works best in a park setting where you know you will come across a lot of trash. When you head out to an old mining town or abandoned rail stop you'll want to go back to digging every thing until you can figure out if there specific types of trash you want to avoid (tin can lids). But all that park practice will payoff by letting you dial into those valuable targets much more quickly.

X-Terra 705 Target ID's for US coins and Jewelry
Target	ID #	Target	ID #
Silver $1	46
Large Cent	44
Barber Half	44	Zinc Cent	28 - 32
Walking Half	44	Indian Head 1 C	24 - 32
Franklin Half	44	Gold 22 K	28
Clad Half Dollar	44	Bottle Cap	22 - 28
Presidential $1	44	Gold 18 K	24 - 26
Sacagawea $1	44	$5 Gold Coin	26
Clad Quarter	42	Silver III Cent	24
Silver Quarter	40,42	$2.50 Gold	24
Two Cent	42	Flying Eagle Cent	20, 22
Seated Quarter	40, 42	10 K Class Ring	14, 16
Rosey Dime	38, 40	Pull Tab	12 -18
Clad Dime	38	40% Silv Nickle	12 - 16
$20 Gold	38	Titanium Ring	10 - 14
Mercury Dime	36,38	Clad Nickle	12
Seated Dime	36, 38	Shield Nickle	12
Barber Dime	36, 38	Buffalo Nickle	12
Wheat Cent	34, 36, 38	14 K Lrg Ring	12
Sterling Ring	34, 36	V Nickle	10 - 12
Sterling Pendant	34, 36, 38	14 K tiny Ring	10
$10 Gold	34	Stainless Ring	6 - 8