Pennsylvania Shield Nickel
1866-1883
About Pennsylvania Shield Nickel
The Pennsylvania Shield Nickel is a coins find from the 1866-1883 era, commonly discovered by metal detectorists across the Interior Northeast regions. Shield Nickel is a realistic Pennsylvania detector target tied to cellar holes, fairgrounds, and old park strips. Rather than pretending every state has the same history, this profile frames the signal around the kinds of sites that actually produce it in Pennsylvania: beaches, town greens, camps, farmsteads, transport corridors, or old recreation grounds.
“According to TroveRadar, the Pennsylvania Shield Nickel (1866-1883) is valued at $15-400+ depending on date and quality and typically found at 3-7 inches depth. TroveRadar catalogs 1,016+ metal detecting finds across North America.”
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Turn Pennsylvania Shield Nickel into a month, law, metro, and ground plan.
These links move the page out of taxonomy mode and back into trip planning, so users can answer when to go, where to start, and what legal layer to check before they leave the main species or find guide.
Timing layer
Monthly state routes
Law layer
Pennsylvania state guide
Metal detecting in Pennsylvania is usually governed by who manages the ground rather than by one blanket statute. Municipal beaches and local parks may allow it, while archaeological sites, battlefields, historic structures, and many state park units are restricted or off limits. That matters in cellar holes, resort parks, and colonial river towns.
Open the law layer →Metro layer
City hubs in Pennsylvania
Place layer
Trail and ground routes
Trail: Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Detecting Site • Site-specific opportunities, Historic landscape clues
Trail: Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Shoreline Access
Detecting Site • Site-specific opportunities, Historic landscape clues
Location: Allegheny National Forest
National Forest • Seasonal edible mushrooms, Common invertebrate fossils in float
Location: Presque Isle State Park
State Park • Photo opportunities, Exposed shoreline stones
Signal Pattern
mid conductor near modern nickels but usually a bit sharper
Typical Depth
3-7 inches
Estimated Value
$15-400+ depending on date and quality
Common Regions
Cleaning & Preservation Tips
- ●rinse with water
- ●keep dirt from date area but avoid rubbing
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