My name is Jim Gosk, I go by the name of Solas on the metal detecting forums. I have been detecting in Scotland for over 25 years. In that time I have made some interesting finds that date back to Roman times.

I have tried most makes and models of metal detectors and about 6 weeks ago I picked up a used Teknetics G², thinking it would do as a backup detector. But after trying it out…WOW!

My finds rate has gone wild. On my first outing with the G², I visited a site that I have spent many hours on with various other makes of detectors. It's one of those fields that's littered with old iron but in the past has produced some nice bits and bobs.

I started digging up turners (Scottish 16th century Hammered copper coins) and musket balls, then an Iron Age belt slider, my first Iron Age find! How had I missed that?

I carried on sweeping the area and within no time at all I was holding a hammered silver coin, a 1575 Elizabeth 1st three pence in lovely condition.

The next day as I headed back to the same field and wondered to myself “Had I just been lucky yesterday? Or was it the G²?”

My first signal was a broken bucket then another few turners, a Victoria penny 1890 in worn condition. Then the G² screamed out and bang! Another silver! A French Silver sol piece of Louis XIV 1677, I could not believe my eyes! Two nice silvers and the Iron Age belt slider from a field I thought I had done to death over the years!

Making my way across the field to my car I got a faint but positive signal. Digging down about 8 inches I pulled out a Medieval Seal Matrix! I had seen pictures of these but never found one. It was in beautiful condition and covered in a lovely rich patina. To say I was excited would have been an understatement.

My next outing was with my detecting friend Gordon. He invited me to a new site that he had just obtained permission to hunt.

When we arrived it was raining and cold but the air was electric with the excitement and anticipation of what we might find. Within no time at all we started to dig older type buttons, buckles, lead and turners. The site was showing signs of age. After a couple of hours and many signals I dug a thin copper coin, thinking it was another turner I cleaned the mud from it to reveal an Elizabeth 1st 1602, Irish halfpenny. After researching this coin I discovered that these were struck to be used as emergency coinage for troops fighting in Ireland and had nothing to do with Scotland.

My next interesting find was a decorated spindle whorl, again in lovely condition one of the best I have found.

Over the next few weeks the G² I went on to find a hammered Henry III cut half penny 1247-72, Edward 1st hammered penny 1300, Scottish James 1st hammered half groat 1604-19 and a child's Victorian gold ring!

Last week I dug up my most exciting coin to date with the G², a hammered silver penny of Alexander II - Alexander III of Scotland. A transitional coin dating to 1249 and unique, being an unrecorded mint in Perth, Scotland! It’s now in the hands of the Scottish national museum services awaiting to see if it will be claimed by the treasure trove system.

I am loving the G²! The response is lighting fast allowing me to pick out the good signals between iron and hot rocks or coke as we call it in Scotland. Every time I go detecting now, it's the G² I reach for.

-Salas