There’s something weirdly satisfying about watching someone wave a metal detector around and actually find something other than an old soda tab.
Some folks dig up rusty nails. Others? Ancient coins, war relics, and straight-up treasure. These interesting discoveries were shared by hobbyists, historians, and very lucky people who just happened to be in the right patch of dirt.
1. “Husband found a 17.9 oz solid gold chain today!”

2. “Update on the gold wedding ring I’ve found in my yard”
“About 20 days ago, I bought my first metal detector and decided to try it out in my backyard. After some time, I got a strong signal and dug up a gold ring. It was quite deep underground—about 10 or 12 inches (20–25 cm), I’d guess.
At first, I wasn’t even sure if it was real gold, so I went to a jeweler to have it checked out. It turned out to be real gold, and it had the letters ‘KM’ engraved on it. I initially thought those were the initials of the person who made the ring, but I was wrong, as the jeweler explained. I figured the ring had probably been lost a long time ago, given how deeply it was buried.
My theory was that my landlord’s wife might have lost it when they used to live here about 13 years ago. I tried to contact my landlord several times, but they didn’t answer right away because they were on vacation. After 20 long days of waiting, they finally called me back today, and I invited them over.
We had some coffee, and I told them about my new hobby—metal detecting. I asked if they had lost any jewelry in the yard when they lived here. My landlord’s wife immediately said yes—she had lost her gold wedding ring when she was pregnant with their first child 18 years ago and they were in the process of moving into a bigger home.
18 freaking years, man.
I handed her the ring, and she could not believe her eyes. She was incredibly thankful and happy—she never thought she would see it again. And as it turns out, ‘KM’ are her own initials. Seeing their surprised faces and how happy the ring made them absolutely made my day. It was awesome!
TL;DR: Dug up a wedding ring and was able to return it to the owner. Happy ending for everyone.”
3. “Someone pinch me. I found a sword!!”
4. “Stepdad’s second metal detecting trip ever. No words.”
“So, my parents moved to the UK about four months ago, and my stepdad picked up metal detecting as a hobby.
Today was only the second time (aside from testing it around the house) that he went out to search. Until now, his best find had been a coin from 1904—then this came out of the ground. Just 50 feet away, a gold crow head was found, so the site is now believed to be a burial ground and has been closed off. I don’t have a lot of information yet, but they believe it might be a Saxon gauntlet ring due to its size.
Truly a once-in-a-lifetime find!”
5. “After Hundreds of Years Beneath the Earth, the Ring Returns to the Light”
“found near a 17th-century coastal town with medieval roots”
6. “Is it a ring?”
“I found this in a park that used to be a field. It’s been used by Scouts and a dog club for the past 60 years. Is this a finger ring? It seems a bit small and only just fits on my little finger.
There appear to be letters on both the inside and outside, with some traces of gilding here and there. I can’t make out what it says or even what language it’s in.
Does anyone know if this is a finger ring, or can anyone identify the language?
Thanks!”
7.
8. “WWII Soldier’s Gold Wedding Ring found on former Battlefield”
“Inscription: “Erika, 16.9.1939”
The ring was discovered on a battlefield on the Eastern Front. It was likely lost in mid to late April 1945, coinciding with the time the frontline reached the area where it was found—assuming, of course, that it was lost during combat.”
9. “This happened this morning!”
“Found my first gold ring at the local park!!
It’s a 1985 10k class ring from my local high school, weighing in at 3.68 grams. I found it near a picnic table in a part of the park where I rarely see anyone. It was about 4 inches down and honestly gave off kind of a trashy signal. I try not to cherry-pick too much because of situations like this!
I’ve only been detecting for a few weeks, so I feel extremely lucky to have gold under my belt already. Persistence really does pay off.
Bonus points if anyone can help ID the stone and estimate the potential value!
Settings for those curious:
Minelab X-Terra Pro
Mode: Park 2
Frequency: 15 kHz
All Metal: On
Sensitivity: 18
Threshold: 0
Recovery Speed: 3
Sorry for the long post—just had to share my excitement! Thanks, everyone, and keep swinging!”
10. “My Mom found this sword today, any ideas? Kentucky (Green Co)”
“Brass handle, also found some mid-1800s coins.”
11. “SS Chest found in Mojave Desert”
“My friend and I were searching around his property with my metal detector when we came across this. It took a while to dig it out, but there was nothing inside the chest—just dirt, packed to the brim. Buried in the dirt were a few plastic flowers.
At first, we thought it might be a coffin, but it was too small and unmarked. I think it could have belonged to a previous landowner, but I don’t understand the “SS” markings—or why it was filled entirely with dirt. Why would someone bury a chest full of dirt?”
12. “Found: now craving Big Mac and fries.”
“Western US, city park. Nokta Legend.
Stainless. Tiny size, and not my fav. Fast food place . But I’ll take it. A ring is a ring! Did not know these even existed.”
13. “Once in a lifetime”
“So I was out on Sunday as normal on a new permission that unfortunately had been very quiet (for me anyway). My mate had a few nice finds but me… nothing…. So this was the 3rd visit, and we decided to try a new field—you know, zigzag about a bit and see if you can hit a busy area. So it was shotgun end after shotgun end until I got a solid 62 on the Simplex+. Dug it, missed it, side wall flick out and BOOM!! Henry VIII gold hammered angel. I love this hobby!!”
14. “Wild West (California), Los Angeles Sheriff Deputy Badge from the 1910’s!”
“Found it out in the middle of the mountains about 45 minutes away from Los Angeles, Found Bullet casings from the 1870s to 1920s here too!”
15. “I’ve just found this ring (italy). Does anyone know what it could be and the gem in it?”
16. “Found in an Albanian river”
“Very old, what period could it be?”
17. “First hunt found an evil looking ring”
18. “Someone was very disappointed 30 years ago.”
19. “Found a knife along the coast Anchorage, Alaska”
“We were also able to remove most of the rust”
20. “Beach find in Belgium: does anyone know what this is?”
21. “Found in northern France by a friend, any ideas what type of gun this was?”
22. “I’m on a roll.”
23. “What is this?”
24. “You won’t find one of these in a colonial farm field.”
“I found this a couple of years ago. I thought you might get a kick out of it. 7.10g of 14K. Rang up a solid 11 on the Equinox 800.”
25. “Everyone can quit metal detecting, I found the $500 pull tab. I won”
“I’m assuming this was for some sort of promotion back in the day?”
26. “Oh My God What Did I Just Find?!!!”
“I’m shaking at this find, it says 1883!!! That’s 140 years old! What is it? Is it a military-related item?”
u/vincx1000 Replied: Woman’s relief corp badge. Nice find
27. “Found on beach in Florida”
“I found this on a beach in Florida, I am not sure what it is or how old it is. It is either copper or brass according to my detector, not sure if it is old or relatively new, although it looks handmade, also looks like two pieces sandwiched together. Any information would be appreciated. I have cleaned it some but tried not to use anything abrasive.”
28. “My buddy threw his detector down and started this wild and crazy dance. I tried to ask him what he found, but he couldn’t speak. He had to point to it.”
29. “My dads recent find, on its way to museum tight now”
“We didn’t know what it was, so we asked our friend who works at a museum. He said it was a fragment of equipment from Napoleon’s troops and told us to donate it to the museum—so we did!”