1. A Metal Detector.
Without this, the rest of the list won't matter a whole lot.
2. A Loop Cover for your detector's coil.
It looks like a Frisbee and snaps right onto your coil. This little device (usually costs about $7) saves your expensive coil from all the wear and tear that you give it as you scrape it across the ground.
3. Headphones.
If you are hunting in areas without much background noise, use a set of Walkman-type headphones. If there is a lot of noise around you (traffic,machinery, fast-flowing water), use a larger set of headphones that completely cover your ears.
I personally seldom use the big headphones because they make my head sweat, and they are particularly uncomfortable in hot weather. But deeper coins give a quieter beep, and you want to be sure you don't miss a good find because your headphones were drowned out by extraneous noise.
Headphones that are made for indoor stereo listening are often too fragile to stand up well in the field. Get a pair of headphones especially made for metal detecting. Plan to spend about $25.00.
4. A Hunting Knife.
I've tried several different methods of digging up the coins my detector finds, and for me a hunting knife is the way to go. I cut a "V"shape in the ground around the coin, about the size of a piece of pie, then I carefully lift the plug without tearing it loose from the ground. (The uncut side of the triangle serves as a hinge). I retrieve the coin, carefully replace the dirt plug, stomp it back into place, and move on. If you are doing this right, nobody will be able to tell you dug a hole.
The knife's blade should be thick enough not to bend, but thin enough to dig easily into the ground. And the knife should have a rounded handle-top,so when you push the knife into the ground you don't rub callouses into your palm (I learned the hard way).
5. A Tinytec.
This wonderful gizmo looks like a walkie-talkie. The tip is a tiny metal detector that beeps when it gets within a half-inch or so of metal. It has an automatic interior switch that turns it off when you hold it upside down, then back on when you lower the tip. So you save the battery when you're not using it, without having to keep turning it on and off.
Here's how I use it: When I get a beep from my main detector, I first run the tip of the Tinytec over the ground where I got the beep. If Tiny beeps, I know the coin is right near the surface, and I pop it up with a screwdriver.
If I don't get a beep from Tiny, I dig my "V"-shaped plug, as explained above. I run the tip of the Tinytec over the plug and the edges of the hole, and it shows me exactly where the coin is. If I don't get a beep from Tiny, I know the coin must be deeper so I enlarge the hole and repeat the maneuver.
By my estimation, the Tinytec cuts in half the time required to dig a coin. Which means my actual hunting time is doubled. This tool is like a TV remote control or a cordless phone: You don't realize how much you need it until you actually use it. There are imitations, but the genuine Tinytec is the best miniprobe on the market. Buy it directly from its inventor/manufacturer, Fred Wagner, a great guy at http://tinytec-probes.com/
6. An electrician's screwdriver with a blunted end.
Use it to pop up those shallow coins, and to carefully extract coins from the edges of holes (the Tinytec locates these, and the screwdriver retrieves them). Use a file or grindstone to smoothly round the end of the screwdriver so you are less likely to scratch coins as you probe for them.
7. A nail apron.
Put your good finds in one pocket, junk in the other. When you go by a trash can, empty your junk pocket. When I'm hunting in a schoolyard or park, I like to pick up some pieces of pop cans that have been hit by lawnmowers, and keep them in my junk pocket. These are ugly-looking things, with sharp jagged edges. If anyone ever approaches me to angrily tell me to leave (hasn't happened to me, but has to some of my customers), I can show them the sharp metal pieces and say, "Look what I'm picking up. Would you want your kid to fall on this?" That should confirm your usefulness.
8. Charles Garrett's book on finding coins.
I've seen dozens of book for metal detector hobbyists, and this is the best of the lot. I highly recommend that newbies and experienced hobbyists alike read this book from cover to cover. It is a treasure trove of hints, tips, ideas, and explanations of how and where to find coins. If you get discouraged because you aren't finding much, this book will recharge your batteries.
Put It All Together...
I'm right-handed, so I carry my detector in my right hand. In my left hand is my digging knife, my screwdriver, and my Tinytec (carried upside down so it stays turned off until I need it). When I get a beep, I drop to my knees and run the Tinytec over the ground. I dig with the knife or the screwdriver (depending on how deep the coin is), retrieve the coin and put it in my nail apron, and then I stand up to swing my detector for the next coin.
That's It--Let's Go Detecting!
There are tons of other metal detecting accessories available, and I can get most of them for you if you let me know what you want. Books, water scoops, probes, trowels, videos, etc.
I do want to emphasize that the accessories listed above are the ones I use myself. Everybody has his/her own style, and when you get some experience you will undoubtedly do things differently than I do. But I think my way is a good, solid way to start out on the right foot.
Oh, before I forget--carry extra batteries for your detector! Nothing more maddening that having your batteries go dead in the field and you're miles from a store.
Questions? Comments? Just wanna talk metal detecting? Buzz me anytime!
---Dan Hughes, http://danhughes.net