10 Best Places to Find Nickel Metal Detecting

Ever lost a nickel coin at the beach? Ever wondered where else these elusive metal treasures hide? Dive in, and let’s uncover these nickel hotspots together!

When metal detecting becomes a hobby, you will get a lot of questions about different metals including Nickel.

Once you’ve identified your metal detector is capable of detecting nickel, the next question arises about the top locations to find nickel treasures.

According to my experience, here’re the best places to find nickel metal detecting,

1. Beaches
2. Abandoned or historic buildings 
3. Mining areas or tailings
4. Metal recycling facilities 
5. Construction sites
6. Automobile scrap yards or junkyards 
7. Electronic scrap yards
8. Old wastewater treatment plants 
9. Jewelry making places
10. Old chemistry labs

I’ll be discussing each and every place above briefly to give you a rough idea of how and where to find nickel at these places.

Furthermore, I’ll answer some frequently asked questions as well.

Let’s jump in!

Best Places To Find Nickel

Here’s a small description of each place where nickel could be possibly found based on my own experience.

1. Beaches

Beaches are one of the best places to detect nickel. Jewelry or coins that are made out of nickel can be commonly found here. 

The five-cent American coin is one example. Since people visit this place a lot, they probably will lose coins and jewelry for sure.

2. Abandoned or Historic Buildings 

Nickel-based alloys were used back in history to construct buildings. 

Therefore these abandoned places might have antique metal fixtures and other fittings that contain nickel.

3. Mining Areas Or Tailings

Nickel is also common around the areas with mines. 

These places are popular for nickel extraction. So they will contain the metal around the mine sites and the tailings. 

4. Metal Recycling Facilities 

Scrap yards and recycling facilities also have a large amount of nickel. 

There may be a lot of dumped artifacts and other valuable nickel-based items that can be found if you are able to detect these areas.

5. Construction Sites

This can be a good place to detect nickel. Inquire from the constructors as well as the workers on the site to confirm that they are using metal-based items for the project. 

This way it will be easy for you to find the fragments of nickel or leftover objects.

6. Automobile Scrapyards Or Junkyards 

Metal yards that deal with old vehicle parts will also have precious artifacts or valuable vehicle parts made out of nickel. 

Nickel spark plugs, brake drums, and exhausts are some of the best examples of parts that contain nickel.

7. Electronic Scrapyards

Electric items such as laptops, mobile phones, and radios contain nickel-based alloys. Some of them are historically very valuable and rare. 

So these places will be a great resource to find nickel.

8. Old Wastewater Treatment Plants 

These plants have a lot of nickel-based fittings and equipment. An old treatment plant will have a lot of things left behind due to the shutdown. 

If you get permission, this is a great place for a nickel hunt.

9. Jewelry Making Places

Many of the jewelry pieces contain nickel. Some are high-end and so much valuable. Try to step into an old place that is no longer active as a jewelry-making place. 

Most probably you’ll find something extremely precious.

10. Old Chemistry Labs

Nickel is commonly used in chemical activities and some of the old laboratory-based equipment contain nickel. 

So an industrial chemical lab that deals with biochemistry will certainly have nickel-based items. 

Some of them might be rare and could not be found elsewhere.

Best Places In The USA To Detect Nickel

I have done nickel detection in several places including Pennsylvania, my hometown. 

I have found some amazing nickel-based items and even was able to sell them for a good price. 

I’ll share the areas which have the most potential for finding nickel.

1. Pennsylvania 

This is my hometown and is the place known to be home to several nickel mines. It has high-quality nickel ore and is famous for it. 

I have found amazing ores that have good-quality nickel. And I was even lucky enough to detect some valuable artifacts around the area. 

So if you’re looking for nickel in Pennsylvania, welcome! 

2. Michigan

The upper part of Michigan is known for mining nickel. This place also has high-quality nickel ores. 

But it needs permission to detect any kind of metal. 

So the authorities should permit it before starting any detection.

3. Oregon

Southwestern Oregon is known to be having a lot of nickel deposits. The Coos Bay area is the most concentrated part. 

Some of these places are no longer active and the mining areas are shut down. 

But hobbyists and detectors can search for metals including nickel in this area. But any activity should be informed before starting.

4. Colorado

The Rocky Mountains area in Colorado is also famous for nickel deposits. 

There is no need to ask for permission to detect metals. 

But I recommend informing the authorities before detecting.

5. New England States (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island)

These states are famous for their long colonial history. 

Old buildings, battlefields, and historical sites can offer so many spaces to find many artifacts of nickel.

6. Mid-Atlantic States (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey)

This region has a huge history relating to the American Revolution and civil war. 

Old homesteads, battlefields, and historical landmarks may let you find several nickel-based items.

7. Southern States (Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina)

The southern states have a deeper background related to the early American settlement and the civil war. 

Battlefields, plantations, and old towns will be able to provide opportunities for hunting artifacts. 

8. Midwest States (Ohio, Illinois, Indiana)

This area has a history with Native Americans, European settlements, and industrialization. 

Different sites including old homesteads, farms, and historical landmarks will be worth a chance to perform detection.

9. Southwest States (Arizona, New Mexico)

This state also owns a rich Native American heritage and a Spanish and American history. 

Pueblo sites, trading posts, mining towns, and ghost towns can offer a potential area for detecting old nickel artifacts. 

Now I know my international audience and people who are living outside of the US are worrying about the places they can go for nickel treasure hunting!

Don’t worry folks! The next section is for you. Now I’m going to share the best countries to detect nickel treasures. 

I’ve personally been to some of them and other details were gathered from my metal detectorist friend who lives in those countries. 

Best Places In The World To Detect Nickel 

Finding nickel artifacts in different countries will depend on the culture, history, and geography of each country. 

These are some best countries that will provide good opportunities to detect nickel artifacts. 

1. United Kingdom 

This country has a rich history that dates back to Roman times, old settlements, historically valuable sites, and battlefields. 

Old nickel coins and relics made from nickel were recorded to be found here.

2. Italy

Italy also has a precious history with the oldest artifacts that belonged to the Roman Empire. 

There are many ancient buildings and ruins that can be used as detecting grounds to find many valuable nickel-made artifacts.

3. Germany

Germany has a lot of historical places including archeological sites, old castles, fortresses, and battlegrounds. 

These settings can give any hobbyist an opportunity to find precious nickel artifacts.

4. Russia

Russia has a very deep cultural history. There are many ancient and medieval settlements as well as battlefields. 

Many areas in Russia also tend to be polluted because of its rich industrial past. 

So the country itself has a possibility of giving chances to find nickel objects.

5. Turkey 

The history in Turkey surrounds ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, Ottoman Empire, and many others. 

So there are many ancient buildings and historical sites. They all hold the potential of finding artifacts that are made out of nickel. 

6. Egypt

Egypt has a rich history that is still in exploration today. There are famous burial places that are stored with precious items made from different metals including nickel. 

Metal detection is completely permitted at this place as there are still treasures buried underneath that could be found. 

This will be a great opportunity for any metal detector.

7. Mexico

The colonial era which includes ancient civilization has a very diverse culture. There are many colonial settlements and sites that are archaeological here. 

These places can offer good opportunities to detect nickel-made artifacts that date back to the pre-Columbian era. 

8. Greece

Greece has a very big historical background that dates way back. 

Many sites such as Greek temples and ruins that are ancient can be good places to find nickel-based items.

9. Spain

Spain owns a fascinating history that dates back to the Roman Empire and beyond. 

Old settlements, archaeological areas, forts, and cathedrals here can be detected with permission to find interesting artifacts.

10. India

India has a history that spans over five thousand years. It is so rich in culture. 

The country is filled with ancient places like palaces, temples, and ruins that are permitted for free detection.

11. Peru

The Mongol empire belongs to this country that owns a rich cultural heritage with many relics and artifacts. 

The country has old settlements, monasteries, and many archaeological sites that could yield nickel-based artifacts. 

12. China

China has a very diverse history with human settlement evidence. The country is also surrounded by many ruins and old places that could possibly contain nickel artifacts.

If your intention of traveling to any of these countries is metal detecting, make sure to do a thorough inspection of the laws and regulations of each country. 

And also look if any necessary permits are required to perform metal detecting.

How Deep Can A Metal Detector Detect Nickel?

The depth that a metal detector is able to detect nickel always depends on many factors. 

Some of the basic metal detectors are only able to detect nickel objects at shallow depths of a few inches. 

Advanced models will be able to detect deeper levels.

In general, entry-level metal detectors can detect nickel objects up to 6 inches deep. Moderate detectors can detect objects up to 12 inches deep. 

The high-end professional detectors are able to detect deeper levels with reliable detection up to 16 inches or more. 

There are other factors such as soil mineralization, the size of the object, the sensitivity of the metal detector, and environmental conditions that affect a good detection process. 

If you’re interested in the detection depths, read How Deep Can a Metal Detector Detect?

Congrats folks! Now you know all the best places to find nickel metal detecting in general, inside the US and all around the world.

Indonesia, the Philippines, and Russia are among the world’s top nickel-producing countries

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So, let’s answer frequently asked questions.

FAQs

Did I cover all you wanted to know about: Best Places to Find Nickel Metal Detecting

In this article, I’ve deeply discussed the best places to find nickel metal detecting. Now you can seek the nearby metal detecting place and visit there for treasure hunting.

The best places to find nickel metal detecting are beaches, abandoned or historic buildings, mining areas, metal recycling facilities, construction sites, automobile scrapyards, electronic scrapyards, old wastewater treatment plants, jewelry-making locations, and old chemistry labs. Always check local regulations before metal detecting.

Furthermore, I’ve answered some frequently asked questions as well.

Hope you’ve learned a good knowledge about top nickel detecting locations. So, it’s time to take your metal detector and go treasure hunting like a hero!