Finding the Spot
Get there, mark it, and get back out.
Handheld GPS
Phones lose signal in the woods. A dedicated GPS marks the spot and leads you back.
GPS units
Binoculars
Spot cellar-hole lilacs, wall lines and gravel bars from across a field or river.
Binoculars
Headlamp
Short winter days end fast in the woods.
Headlamps
Phone Power Bank
Keeps the map and GPS running all day.
Power banks
Waterproof Notebook
Write down what you found and exactly where.
Notebooks
Metal Detecting
For permitted searches on private land — never in a cemetery.
Beginner Detector
Easy to learn, good on coins and relics around old house sites.
Detectors
Gold Detector
Tuned for small gold nuggets in stream gravel and bedrock cracks.
Gold detectors
Waterproof Detector
Can go right into shallow streams.
Waterproof
Pinpointer
Finds the exact spot in the hole so you dig less.
Pinpointers
Detector Headphones
Hear faint signals you would miss through the speaker.
Headphones
Digger & Finds Pouch
A sturdy hand digger and a pouch to keep finds and trash apart.
Diggers
Pouches
Coin & Relic Guides
Identify buttons, coins, buckles and tokens.
Guides
Digging & Probing
Always with the landowner’s permission. Fill your holes.
Soil Probe
Feel for buried foundation stones, privy walls and sunken markers without digging.
Probes
T-Handle Steel Probe
The bottle digger’s favorite for finding old privies and dumps.
Steel probes
Shovels
A full round-point shovel for real holes, a folding one for the pack.
Round point
Folding
Hori-Hori Knife
Digs, cuts roots and measures depth in one tool.
Hori-hori
Sifting Screen
Sift dirt from a dump or privy so nothing small gets missed.
Screens
Folding Saw
Roots and brush grow over every old site.
Saws
Work Gloves & Knee Pads
Old dumps hide broken glass and rusty metal.
Gloves
Knee pads
Gold Panning
Gold in a streambed belongs to the landowner — ask first.
Gold Pan Kit
A pan, screens and a snuffer bottle — everything to start.
Kits
Classifier Screens
Sift out the big rocks so the pan works faster.
Screens
Sluice Box
Works far more gravel than a pan alone.
Sluices
Snuffer Bottle & Vials
Suck up the flakes and keep them safe.
Snuffers
Vials
Tweezers & Magnifier
For picking out the tiniest flakes.
Tweezers
Black Sand Magnet
Pulls out the magnetic black sand so the gold shows.
Magnets
Crevice Tools
Gold hides in bedrock cracks. These dig it out.
Crevice tools
5-Gallon Buckets
For hauling and classifying gravel.
Buckets
Hip Waders
Stay dry in cold Maine streams.
Waders
Practice Paydirt
Learn to pan at home before you hit the stream.
Paydirt
Gems & Crystals
Old quarries are private land with deep water and loose rock. Never go alone.
Rock Hammer
The rockhound’s main tool for splitting dump rock.
Hammers
Chisels
For working crystals out of a pocket.
Chisels
Safety Glasses
Rock chips fly. Wear them every time.
Glasses
Jeweler’s Loupe
See whether that crystal is tourmaline, beryl or garnet.
Loupes
UV Flashlight
Some minerals glow under ultraviolet light.
UV lights
Mineral ID Kit
Streak plate and hardness picks to identify finds.
ID kits
Specimen Bags & Boxes
Wrap crystals so they don’t chip in the pack.
Bags
Boxes
Rock Tumbler
Polish your finds at home.
Tumblers
Bottles & Relics
Privy pits and old dumps near cellar holes are where the bottles are.
Bottle ID Guides
Date and value old bottles.
Guides
Bottle Brushes
Clean the inside without breaking the glass.
Brushes
Stoneware & Pottery Guides
Identify crocks, jugs and dishes.
Guides
Display Shelves & Cases
Show off what you found.
Shelves
Cases
Safety & Comfort
Old farm sites are brushy, buggy and tick country.
Tick Gaiters
Keep ticks off your legs.
Gaiters
Permethrin Spray
Treat your clothes once; it repels ticks for weeks.
Permethrin
Bug Head Net
Black flies and mosquitoes, spring through summer.
Head nets
First Aid Kit
Cuts from glass and rusty metal happen.
Kits
Blaze Orange
Wear it in the woods during hunting season.
Vests
Hats
Waterproof Boots
Stream banks and wet woods.
Boots
Water Filter Bottle
Drink safely from the stream you’re working.
Bottles
Books & Guides
Learn to read the land.
Gold Panning Guides
Where gold settles and how to recover it.
Panning books
The Gravestone Guardian’s Manual
Found a burial ground? How to document it and care for the stones safely.
See the book
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