Submitted By:
Dear White's,
Several years ago, I bought my first metal detector, a Whites Spectrum XLT. Although I managed to find my share of wheat cents, silver coins and a few silver rings, I had never found anything of substantial value until this year. While detecting around a soybean farm I got a solid quarter signal 4 inches down. As I was digging, I was hoping to find my first Barber quarter when it turned out to be large flat button with some sort of design on it. Not being a button collector I tossed it in a can with the other buttons I have come across. One day while bored, I got the button out and cleaned it up. It turned out to be a spread eagle with an olive branch and arrows in its talons and a sunburst design over its head. I placed a picture of it on the Whites forum wondering if anyone knew what it was. I immediately began receiving emails from fellow detectorists telling me that it was a George Washington Inaugurual button and that it was a "find of a lifetime." Well, it wasn't until I did some research on the buttton and got the appraisal at $1,200-1,500 that I realized the significance and value of what I had found. Thanks Whites for making a wonderful and fun machine!
Submitted By: 
Hello,I started metal detecting with a
White's detector when I was 16. Since then I have found numerous
coins, pieces of jewelry, and relics. My favorite sites include
colonial cellar holes and woods. At just one site with my XLT
I found 7 Large cents, a 1729 King George, 1823 Half cent, 8 Indian
head pennies and several colonial and military buttons, buckles
and silverware items. The XLT has proven its ability to find the
old deep items. I have attached a picture of me, my XLT, and my
finds from just one site.
Dear White's,
I just wanted to thank your company for building the best metal detector of all time. The DFX. My metal detecting friend Mike and I came to an early conclusion that no coin in the ground 7-10" is safe anymore  . We have been told by other detectorists that the places we have been are hunted out. Nice try, guys. They don't have a DFX. We reach down and touch 'em in no time at all. The depth is truly amazing. To their amazement and envy we just say DFX DFX DFX- the number one metal detector made. Mike and I go every afternoon after work. The number of old coins that have been too deep for other machines are at our mercy. The silver and tokens and gold rings and wheat cents are plentiful now. This machine is incredible. Here are a few pics of what we've found in these "hunted out places". Thanks again. The only chant we know is DFX DFX DFX. Submitted By: Nelson (NJ)  This badge was found with the
Surf PI. It's an English Pilgrim Badge from the 1600's and is very
rare. It was donated to a museum. |
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When I started detecting in
the spring of 1993, I purchased my first and only detector which I
still use religiously today. It is my White's Eagle Spectrum and little
did I know of the fantastic finds that I was going to make in the
years ahead. My first major find came In March 1998 when I uncovered
my first 1793 Chain Cent. ANACS gave it a net grade of (Very Good)
VG-8. It was appraised with a retail value of $3,700. It later was
selected as "One of the Best Finds of 1998" by the staff of Western
& Eastern Treasures magazine. Almost a year later, I made another
fantastic find. I was searching a cornfield which was believed to
be the location of Fort Halifax, a French & Indian War site dating
from the mid 1700's. Among the coins and relics that were unearthed
from this area was a button that I uncovered in Feb. 1999. It was
a silver plated brass button, about the size of a dime and was one
of the most highly detailed and well preserved buttons I have ever
seen. It had a coiled rattlesnake in the center, surrounded by 13
snake eggs which represent the 13 original colonies and is unlisted
in any button book. It was authenticated as a circa 1790 Early American
Patriotic Button by Russ A. Pritchard and George W. Juno, who were
professional militia appraisers seen on public televisions "Antique
Road Show". The button was sold to a private collector for $600 and
later it was selected as "One of the Best Finds of 1999" by the staff
of Western & Eastern Treasures magazine. Only 6 months later,
while searching the area of an old stone house which served as a tavern
in the early 18th century, I uncovered my second 1793 Chain Cent at
a 6 inch depth in Sept. 1999. This one was the somewhat scarcer AMERI.
variety. I submitted the coin to ANACS for certification and grading
and was grade (About Good) AG Details, but due to some surface corrosion,
it was given a net grade of (Poor) PO-1. It was sold on an online
auction for $800. It later was also selected as "One of the Best Finds
of 2000" by the staff of Western & Eastern Treasures magazine.
I kept on going back to my favorite spot where I found my first 1793
Chain Cent because I knew this field was very old and too big to be
hunted out. My determination and perseverance paid off when I uncovered
my very first gold coin after 9 years of detecting. At a 6 inch depth,I
recovered 2 Indian Head Type $2 1/2 gold quarter eagles in one hole.
ANACS graded the 1912 (About Uncirculated) AU Details (damaged), but
was given a net grade of (Extra Fine) EF-45 and the 1914-D was graded
(About Uncirculated) AU-58. With finds like these, I would like to
thank White's Electronics for making the best metal detectors on the
market.
I wanted to share with you my
latest find. I unearthed a rare (as I am told) George Washington
Inaugural Button from 1789. I located it on a farm in Somerset
County Maryland in March of this year. I was using my XLT with
a custom program. The button was down better than a foot. When
I dug the large plug and flipped it over, the eagle in all its
glory was staring back at me. I can truly say it was a sight
I'll never forget. Again, thank you for making a great machine
that allows hunters like myself to make such great finds.
I was out practicing with my
DFX and getting pretty good results. When I was about
ready to call it quits I got an unusual broken signal
right in the middle of the path. I almost didn't dig it...it
sounded to jumpy to be a coin, and the depth reading was
only 0.5 inches. But pinpointed it, and turned over an
about an inch of soil. When I checked the plug, I got
a the same reading as before, and was sure it was trash.
I pulled the plug in two, and out fell a shiny little
object that I thought was a pull tab. I cleaned the dirt
off of it with a shirt tail, and saw it was a coin that
I did not recognize, with a date of 1796! The condition
was remarkable, and I thought "WOW! I bet this is worth
at least fifty bucks!" and stuck it in my pocket. When
I got home, I looked the coin up on an Internet sight,
and was stunned to discover that I had found a 1796 Draped
Bust Half Dime, and that it was FAR more valuable than
I had anticipated. I have dreamed about finding a rare
coin since I was a kid, but it always seemed like a childish
fantasy. Not any more! I was walking on air for weeks!
By the way, at auction the coin sold for $3300! 
The first day out with my DFX
was exciting! I hunted an old homestead that had been
searched for many years, by dozens of detectorists. The
DFX gave me the edge I needed, and I came away with an
1840 American Militia belt plate that was at least fifteen
inches deep. Thanks for the DFX, it was worth the wait!
On my first day out, I found
12 colonial coins from the 1700's with my new DFX!
I sold a DFX to Donna from Albany,
New York & the boys invited her to a spot that
they had pounded. Within an hour, she pulled an
1840 U.S. sword belt plate at 10" on edge. Interestingly,
it was right next to a large iron object which the
detector cancelled out. It has a rarity of 7, which
puts it in the $400 range. Needless to say, the
boys are in my shop for detector upgrades. Bob Lavoy
I went down to New London with
my wife to visit her parents, who hadn't been feeling
well. Brought my Spectrum XLT along just in case
there'd be an opportunity to give it a whirl. As
it turned out I had about a half hour to prospect.
So rather than spending half of that time finding
a beach or a park, I just started scanning the back
yard. About six inches deep beside an old tree root,
I found a souvenir medal from the "Jamestown Ter-Centennial
Exposition, Norfolk, VA. 1907." After a little research
on the Internet, I learned that President Teddy
Roosevelt was there to open the event, Mark Twain
and Booker T. Washington were there also, along
with the entire North Atlantic Fleet, and foreign
fleets from all over the world – the biggest gathering
of sea power ever! I figure that, because New London
is a Navy town, some young sailor had been to Norfolk
for the Exposition, brought back the medal (nifty
little 3-segmented, obelisk-shaped piece with three
bas-relief ships Godspeed, Discovery, and Susan
Constant, along with the words “Arrival of Captain
Newport at Jamestown, May 1607.” A little bit of
history. Love the XLT. 
I found the XLT really easy
to use. Just turn it on and go. While I was down
in Puerto Rico, in my first two weeks, I found $85.15
in change and 4 rings- 3 silver and 1 gold. I've
found much more since then. On my best day ever,
I found 202 coins in 6 hours! Now I have a new favorite
pastime. 
Here's a picture of the sterling
silver compact I recently found with my new DFX.
Secreted away in the compact was a 1909 Barber half
dollar. First Barber Half I've found in nearly 14
years of metal detecting. The DFX has been providing
me with some great finds in the 3 weeks since I
purchased it, including a 1775 Spanish 1 Reale,
an 1802 and an 1826 Large Cent. I have been very
impressed with the performance of the DFX and at
the depth I've been recovering targets. White's
has hit another home run with the DFX. 
My first time out with the DFX,
within 30 seconds I had a VDI 63 hit at 4". Out popped
my first coin of the year, which turned out to be an
Indian Head. A few wheaties and small ring later, I
got a weird signal. Iron and silver. Cut a 6" plug,
flipped it over and got a strong quarter signal. First
Seated of the year. This place has been pounded. Then
I pulled another IH at 8", also surrounded by iron
I decided to take my Quantum
XT to an older area of New York. While detecting a bike
trail, I found many coins and put them in my pocket.
When I got home and began washing them, I realized I
had found an 1877 Indian Head Penny. After checking
my coin book I realized I had also found a key coin
for the collection of Indian Head Pennies I had started
when I was only 6 years old. 
All I can say is that I'm DFX'cited!
One day out and I was SOLD on the new dual frequency
technology. Total haul for the day - 7 Indian Head
pennies, 1 Barber Dime, Several Wheat Pennies, a
1925 Token and my favorite a 1867 2 Cent piece at
about 9 Inches! And It was In EF-Condition! What
I thought was most amazing was the fact that I was
finding coins not only in the same hole with junk,
but UNDERNEATH it! I had a dime signal at 2 1/2".
Normally I probably wouldn't even have dug it, but
at this point I hadn't found anything in this yard
and it was about to rain. I figured NEW money is
better than NO money! But when I dug down 2 1/2"
and pulled out the plug, I found half of a big rusty
nail about 1 1/2" long and a piece of rusty wire
about 4" long. When I rechecked my hole, it still
said Dime, but this time at 4 1/2" deep. Sure enough,
it was a dime at 4 1/2" deep! It was able to pick
the coin out and ignore the junk! But when switched
to all metal mode for pinpointing, it locked onto
the closest target. It didn't take long to tell
that even though it looked like an XLT®, it was
not the same machine! It has a much quicker response
to targets and gives a target I.D. with very little
motion. As you swing the detector you see everything
in the ground, penny, nail, nickel, foil, quarter,
not just one big signal. It could turn some of those
old trashy areas where there were so many tabs and
trash that you just threw up your hands and left,
is now new again! What will it be next? Maybe an
1877 Indian head penny under an old crusty bottlecap?
A 1916-D dime mixed in with a handful of nuts &
bolts and bailing wire where someone was working
under their Model-T? 
I purchased my Spectrum XLT
one month ago and in that time I have found 183
coins. Of these, I found 16 wheaties, a 1895 Indian
Head Penny, a silver ring, some relics, a 1918 Mercury
Dime, a 1952 silver quarter and a 1950 Franklin
half. The truly fascinating thing is that I found
most of these at our local school, that was said
to be "all hunted out". I don't think those guys
were using an XLT! 
I've found various gold and
silver jewelry, coins, and relics. One of my best
finds is the Daughter of the Civil War. I dug this
medal up at 15 inches in Arkansas with my Classic
IDX. 
"As you can see by the pictures,
my Coinmaster 1D still works and I still find coins
with it. My oldest find is an 1881 Indian penny
that I found in my own front yard!" 
I found these relics from two
civil war campsites in Southern Missouri using a
White's Classic ID. This machine is great, now I
have to have an IDX!!! 
I bought my White's Clasic ID
in December of 2000. My first real hunt wasn't until
April 2001. After digging some trash, I was not
having a good feeling. On my way home I stopped
at a friends house and asked if I could try his
yard. He agreed. My first signal was a strong quarter.
6" down I found this large penny, between good and
very good shape. This made my first hunt a real
success. 
While searching a very old park,
that had given up several coins from before 1900,
the XLT showed a 10 cent reading at 2 inches. Nothing
was found at that depth so I kept digging a little
at a time. At around 5 inches my trowel struck a
piece of metal that looked like junk. To my surprise,
that piece of 'junk' was an oval US belt buckle!
I was hunting with my XLT when
I got a strong signal. Over 4 inches into the ground
I found a ring. After getting it cleaned up I realized
it was a class ring with initials engraved in it
and the graduation date of 1972. I called the alumni
director for the high school and was actually able
to reach the original owner. Needless to say, she
was very happy to get the ring back. 
I was out at a local ball diamond
learning to use the XLT and playing with the different
programs. I had been out about 45 minutes (I had
already found some clad coins) when I hit a strong
quarter. When I started to dig I saw silver gleaming
from the hole. I thought I found my first silver
quarter, instead I found my first ring. It was a
sterling silver nugget ring worth about $300, my
wife was excited because I told her she could keep
all jewelry and I would keep all coins. She now
has 7 rings to date. My new hobby has paid for itself
and I'm having fun too. It's also the best exercise
program money can buy. 
Back in 1972 I bought my first
White's detector. Since then I have bought a new
one about every other year. Early in 1995, I purchased
a 5900/DI Pro SL and kept track of my finds in that
year. During that year I found 8,426 coins worth
$577.60 and 14 rings with unknown value. To date
I have found 103,474 coins with a cash value of
4,911.32 and 648 rings. 
I have been a White's customer
since 1990. Since that time I have been very satisfied
with all your products. Your detectors look good and
are built tough. I had only one repair among five different
Whites machines and that was just a toggle switch! How
has Whites made my dreams come true? Ever since the
first time I saw a White's Metal Detector ad in a magazine
when I was a kid my dream was to have a top of the line
detector. I grew up poor and didn't get my dream until
later in life. The enclosed photos are pictures of a
childhood dream come true. Thanks to my old Coinmasters
and my new IDX Pro and all the staff at Whites, you
have made my dreams come true and I can honestly recommend
them to anyone interested in the hobby... Just look
at the results! 
I've got to say I never knew
my XLT would pay off the way it has! We took a mini-vacation
to Port Arkansas, Texas, and I had to bring my White's
detector along. I had just expected to find a few coins,
but wanted to show my wife that this was more than just
a "new toy." My wife's initial reluctance at the purchase
quickly turned to approval when I unearthed a $900 Tag
Heuer dive watch in about 6" of sand, right at the water
line! The watch still works, by the way, but the best
part of the whole experience is she finally admitted
I had made a wise purchase! Of course now she wants
a Ladies dive watch to go along with mine, so I'll be
spending a little more time on the beach! Thanks for
a great product! 
The small button pictured is
a cuff size Georgia Milita button. This style Georgia
seal is very rare and was worn on th euniform of Howel
Cobb. this is one of the most prized Civil War buttons
by collectors and as far as I can determine, mine is
one of seven cuff size know and is the only one in private
hands. Six others are in a museum in Atlanta on Howel
Cobbs uniform. A coat size was dug at Chickamagua Battlefield.
I dug this in June 1999 using my Spectrum XLT. The belt
plate was found on an old homesite. The original owner
of this plantation land was a Confederate Captain. 
My wife and I have been searching
for the elusive chest of gold for 10 years now. We have
always used another brand of detectors. My wife got
me a IDX Pro for X-mas. She said I was going hard of
hearing and needed a detector that would wave at me
when I found something. I bought her a Classic ID. It
is not as technical as my IDX. We are including a photo
of our first months finds on property that we had already
gone over with the other brand. We are sold on White's
detectors. 
I`m 14 years old and my dad
and I have had our Classic IDX for 8 months and from
the start we were finding money in our own yard along
with an old silver pendant. Now we have found a variety
of silver,gold and diamand rings, pendants and other
jewlery. We have found hundreds of dollars in new and
old coins along with this 1808 Spanish Colonial coin
and one troy ounce of .999% fine silver formerly stored
at the U.S. Assay office in San Francisco. We can`t
wait to get another White`s detector!!! 
This was dug using a White's
Classic II detector at a former Confederate campsite
in southeastern NC. It is a rare and unique design that
closely matches Plate 065 in Steve E. Mullinax's book:
Confederate Belt Buckles and Plates. It appears to be
custom made and imported from England through the blockade.
I went on a trip to Miami FL
to visit a friend. He had bought a DFX and told me to
detect while he went to a shop. I was walking for about
50 seconds in my friend's yard with the DFX set on the
coin program, when I got a faint signal. I decided to
check the depth, the depth read 8 Inches on the screen,
I dug the 8 Inches and I found this 1857C GOLD 5 Dollar
coin in XF condition by a tree in my friends yard! Since
then I'm thinking of buying one myself. 
I've found more jewelry and
coins within the last 60 days since getting my Beach
Hunter ID than I have in the past three years with my
pulse machine. The difference is the BHID makes you
more productive by not having to dig all the iron/steel
targets. It's now a pleasure to work the wet sand to
mid chest deep water on our area beaches. Before the
BHID, I took the lazy way, mostly worked the dry sand
beaches. 
The first day that I used the
new White's DFX, I was sold. Dug some nice Civil War
relics in an area that I thought I had cleaned out on
many previous trips. Can't wait to see what I find once
I get familiar with all the new features. 
After a call about a lost watch,
Don Davis, David Mathis, Danny Hopkins, Carl Patty and
Tom Copeland set out for a 50 acre field. The watch
was a Rolex Presidential Model made of 18-carat gold.
After 1.5 hours the watch was found in good condition
and returned to the owner. On appraisal they learned
that the watch was valued at $18,500! 
Planning my July 2002 metal
detecting trip included stopping at a few places along
the Columbia River, some sand dunes, Lake Chelan and
areas that I knew had nuggets of various sizes. On July
2 using White's new GMT Goldmaster (my weapon of choice
because of it's hot rock cancellation abilites and follow
the black sand numerical logging) I retrieved several
nice nuggets in a crack on bedrock that someone had
removed the overburdone from years ago. That was 3/4
oz. day. Next day a few stone throws away from there
2 large nuggets = 1/4 oz day. Day 2 after digging most
of the day in last location with no results. Moved another
couple of stone throws in a different direction. Saw
some bed rock that looked real good. Moved one large
rock that resembled a big M & M candy. I heard some
nice responses from the detector, using the Sierra Dig-It
in the decomposed bedrock. Up emerged a big beautiful
gold nugget over 4 nickels thick. I call it the 12-12
nugget because it's weight is 12 DWT 12 GRS. Total in
gold nuggets was 1 1/2 oz., .5 grains. P.S. Some nuggets
were found using the Bullseye pin pointer where a larger
coil would not fit between rocks or deep bed rock cracks.
I'm now trying the Goldmaster Shooter DD in tight palces.
For the past 16 years my wife
and I have been prospecting for gold with metal detectors
on a regular basis. This is not just for recreation,
rather part of our business. We have chosen White's
Gold Master series for the past ten years as our primary
gold locator. Over the last few weeks we worked several
areas with different geography and soil conditions.
After approximately thirty hours between the two of
us we unearthed 61 gold nuggets and one small piece
of gold on quartz matrix. My wife found 22 with the
GM3 and I, 39 with the new GMT. The largest is 9.9 pennyweight,
just shy of 1/2 ounce. These were my first outings with
the GMT gold machine and was pleased that with all of
the new features that it was very easy to learn. The
auto tracking was faster than I expected and the hot
rock toggle prevented me from digging many targets.
The visual iron probability graph was a great help in
deciding whether or not to dig a questionable target.
And the over all balance is not fatiguing when putting
long hours. My wife will also be using a GMT shortly
now that it has proven itself in the field. 
Just wanted to update you on
my new GMT. WHAT A MACHINE! I'm finding gold everywhere
and it was topped off last night with a beautiful 257
grain (over half an oz.) specimen. I found this beaty
down about 12" with the DD coil. It sounded like a beer
can, but the ferrous graph indicated a strong possbility
of gold, I guess so! 
I can't believe how easy it is
to ground balance now with the GMT's Fast AutoTrac.
I'm finding gold in places that were impossible to hunt
before. The GMT's Iron I.D. "grunt" signals iron instantly.
The bottom line is that I'm finding a lot more gold,
big and small, and having a lot more fun doing it. 
Working the area where I found
this 3 oz. piece of gold in quartz was quite the challenge.
This site is not only highly mineralized but was also
used as a dump in the early 1900's. With the Iron I.D.
on, and the V-Sat set at maximum capacity, I was able
to distinguish this piece of gold even though it was
inches away from a fragment of iron. 
Cold Foot Alaska, 80 miles above
the Arctic Circle. The decaying remains of this
rough and tumble, turn of the century gold mining
town is now but a few crumbling log cabins, grown
over with trees and field grass. All but lost in
the passage of time. The 17 hour drive from Anchorage
had put me here on a hot, mosquito infested, summer
day. Detected with my Whites XLT among the tons
of rusting cans, cable, and discarded junk, I found
this beautiful antique silver peacock brooch estimated
to be approximately 100 years old. Pictured with
the brooch is the remains of the fallen cabin that
I was detecting around when I made the find, one
of the last partially standing structures in the
old town of Cold Foot. Had the brooch belonged to
one of the "fallen angels" that followed the mining
towns, perhaps dropped in the snow one long cold
winter night? We'll never know. But I love to hold
it and wonder of the way things were back then,
a tough people in a tough land, long ago. 
To all those folks who think
everything has been found, I would like to show them
all the relics and coins found with my XLT. I especially
like the Relic Mode on the XLT. While hunting in an
old trash pile I recovered this unique dog tag dated
1888 #88
As a roofing contractor, Mike
Sheehan had never operated a metal detector in his
life. Then, after a fall from a roof, he needed
a hobby to pass the time. That's when he bought
the Spectrum XLT. He was able to get permission
to search the grounds of a 130 year old school house.
First, he dug a 1852 2 1/2 dollar gold coin. With
a faint signal from the XLT, he almost passed over
the next, but decided to dig. This time Mike recovered
a $1 1856 gold coin. He noticed that someone had
drilled a small hole at the top of this coin, as
if it had once been attached to a piece of jewelry.
Today, Mike has attached his $1 gold piece to his
necklace and wears it as a gold luck charm. 
On his first day out with his
new Goldmaster 4, Richard hit a strong signal within
an hour. After digging about 6 inches he found this
extraordinarily heavy rock. It wasn't like any other,
so he dropped it off at a local rock shop. This
"rock" was an iron-nickel meteorite- weighing in
at 8 1/2 ounces! 
My brother and I found these
nuggets in a creekbed in California with our Goldmaster
. The largest nugget is 3/4 of an ounce of fine
California Gold. 
I found this nugget with my
Goldmaster in Nevada. The nugget weighed in at 27
1/2 ounces with very little quartz!!! 
My GM3 always read true to me.
The largest nugget there is almost a full ounce!
I will never use any other nugget machine because
the GM has proved to be of top quality and a proven
GOLD HUNTING MACHINE! 
All three of us immediately began a careful widening
of the hole, yelling out, "There's another one," time
and time again. What a blast. A total of 22 perfect
dropped .58 cal. 3 ringers in one hole. Many of them
had a black stain from the gunpowder, which had been
in the paper cartridges that had dissolved many years
ago. Some soldier apparently emptied his cartridge
box at this spot, possibly after his ammunition got
wet. The bullets stopped appearing when we reached
a depth of 22 inches.
We knew midway through the first day that we would
plan another trip to this spot, which we had 'accidentally'
stumbled upon. But after hunting it for two very cold
days this past November, and finding over 200 civil
war relics, we found it difficult to leave. One thing
we are all sure of, it can't always be cold in Missouri.
And we will certainly return for another go at this
spot. Meanwhile, we are doing research to learn more
about all of those long-ago soldiers who called this
place home.