Small gifts
Metal Detecting Stocking Fillers: Small Gifts That Get Used Every Hunt
Quick answer
The best small gifts are the ones used on every hunt and never replaced. A Illuminated 30x and 60x Jewellers Loupe at $8.99 makes a corroded disc into a dated coin, and a coil cover from $7.95 protects the most expensive part of the machine for almost nothing.
Small gifts in this hobby punch well above their price, because the equipment that gets used constantly happens to be cheap. A detectorist will read a date on a coin, protect a coil, swap a battery, store a find and clip a pinpointer to a belt on every single outing, and every one of those is a purchase under thirty dollars that most people never get round to making.
Everything on this page is small enough to go in a stocking and cheap enough to combine. Three or four of them together make a better gift than one mid-priced item, because they cover several different jobs rather than upgrading one. If you want to spend a little more on a single thing, the under $50 page has the knee pads and diggers that anchor most gift lists, and the gifts for kids page takes the same small-gift approach for a child.
Top pick
Illuminated 30x and 60x Jewellers Loupe
JARLINK publishes a 30x primary lens and a 60x supplementary lens with LED illumination that switches side with the lens in use, folding into a pocket, and mint marks and hallmarks are simply not readable without it.
Price was accurate when this page was compiled and changes often.
On this page
Under $15: the small things used on every hunt
This is the band where a few dollars buys something genuinely useful. All three of these solve a problem that turns up every time somebody goes out, and none of them is the sort of thing people buy for themselves.
Illuminated 30x and 60x Jewellers Loupe
$8.99JARLINK publishes a 30x by 22 mm primary lens and a 60x by 12 mm supplementary lens, LED illumination that switches side depending on the lens in use, aluminium and plastic construction and a fabric storage bag, at $8.99. Dates, mint marks and hallmarks need magnification.
Best for: turning a green disc into an identified coin
Check price on Amazon
Cardboard Coin Flips, 300 in 6 sizes
$9.50Boen publishes 300 two-by-two holders across six sizes at 50 each, covering penny through large dollar, with OPP film and space to write the size, age and type on the card, at $9.50. A cleaned coin rubbing against others in a tin loses whatever value it had.
Best for: anybody who keeps coins in a jar or a tin
Check price on Amazon
Pinpointer Belt Holster
$13.99A pinpointer loose in a pouch is a pinpointer left in a field, and it is the most commonly lost item in this hobby. This holster publishes heavy-duty stitched black nylon, a fit for most round or square pinpointers, and a snap and hook-and-loop back so it goes on without removing the belt, at $13.99.
Best for: anybody who owns a pinpointer and no holster
Check price on AmazonBetween $15 and $30: the small upgrades
The top of the stocking budget buys things that would otherwise sit on a wish list indefinitely. Each of these replaces something the recipient is currently making do without.
LHKNL Rechargeable LED Headlamp
$19.99LHKNL publishes a 1500 mAh rechargeable battery rated 4 to 10 hours, a head rotating 60 degrees, IPX4 water resistance, eight modes and a motion sensor to switch it with dirty hands, supplied as two headlamps, at $19.99. Backfilling in fading light needs both hands.
Best for: evening hunts and filling the last hole
Check price on Amazon
Mesh Bottom Beach Finds Pouch with pinpointer holster
$21.95A mesh bottom lets water and sand sift through rather than collecting, with a 10 inch deep zippered treasure bag, an interior zip pocket to separate finds from trash, two large zip pockets and a belt to 43 inches, at $21.95.
Best for: beach hunting and wading
Check price on Amazon
Rechargeable AA NiMH Batteries, 8 pack
$10.49Amazon Basics publishes 2,000 mAh NiMH cells rechargeable up to 1,000 times, holding 80 percent capacity for two years, shipping pre-charged, in an eight pack at $10.49. Tired batteries change how a detector behaves well before they stop it working, which confuses people for weeks.
Best for: any AA-powered machine
Check price on AmazonWhich small gifts have to match their machine?
Coil covers and control box covers, and they are worth the check because they are among the best value items here. A cover costs a fraction of the part it protects: the Equinox Control Box Cover at $7.95 protects the screen that scratches long before anything else on the machine fails, and the Minelab EQX 11 Coil Cover at $24.45 is the skid plate standing between an expensive coil and a rock.
Every one of them is model-specific. The Simplex Control Box Cover at $9.95 fits the Nokta Simplex, the Manticore Control Box Cover at $25.00 fits the Minelab Manticore, the XP Deus II Control Box Cover at $23.00 fits the XP Deus II remote, and the Garrett 8.5 by 11 DD Coil Cover at $17.93 fits the stock 8.5 by 11 coil on the Garrett AT series. Get the model name before buying any of them, and the Equinox coil compatibility chart will confirm which Minelab coil is which. The Pinpointer Tip Protectors and Lanyard at $13.99 are the same idea for a pinpointer, publishing three 1.5 inch tip protectors plus a lanyard that extends from 8.5 to 51 inches, and Detector Warehouse lists them as fitting the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT and Pro-Pointer II. If you are unsure of the machine, buy from the sections above instead, or see the main gift page.
What else fits in a stocking?
Everything here is under thirty dollars in the catalog, sorted by price, with the fitment warning in the final column.
The cheapest genuinely useful item here is a control box cover at $7.95, and nothing in this table exceeds $26.99.
| Gift | Price | What it does | Machine specific? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equinox control box cover | $7.95 | Protects the screen that scratches first | Yes, Equinox |
| Illuminated 30x and 60x loupe | $8.99 | Reads dates, mint marks and hallmarks | No |
| Conserv safe coin solvent | $8.99 | Lifts dirt while leaving surface toning intact | No |
| Cardboard coin flips, 300 | $9.50 | Stops coins rubbing together in a tin | No |
| Simplex control box cover | $9.95 | Cheap insurance on a machine taken into sand | Yes, Nokta Simplex |
| Mini waterproof first aid kit | $9.99 | Over 150 supplies in a 6.4 in waterproof case | No |
| Rechargeable AA cells, 8 | $10.49 | 2,000 mAh, rechargeable up to 1,000 times | No, but check it takes AA |
| Digital pocket scale, 200 g | $11.99 | Weighs to 0.01 g in six unit modes | No |
| Spare AA battery holder | $12.99 | A second loaded holder is a two second change | Yes, Garrett |
| BCW quarter coin tubes, 10 | $13.22 | Holds 40 quarters per tube, airtight screw caps | No |
| Jewellery polishing cloth | $13.95 | For gold and silver jewellery, never for coins | No |
| Pinpointer tip protectors and lanyard | $13.99 | Three tip protectors plus a lanyard to 51 in | Yes, Garrett Pro-Pointer |
| Garrett 8.5 by 11 coil cover | $17.93 | Skid plate for the stock AT series coil | Yes, Garrett AT series |
| 500 lb neodymium fishing magnet | $19.99 | Covers water a detector cannot, with rope and gloves | No |
| Root Slayer garden trowel | $21.45 | Ripsaw serrations and an inverted V tip | No |
| Minelab EQX 11 coil cover | $24.45 | The only thing between the coil and a rock | Yes, Equinox EQX 11 |
| SE stackable classifier | $24.99 | Stainless 1/8 in mesh for panning | No |
| NoCry gel knee pads | $26.99 | Gel cushion and heavy-duty cap for kneeling | No |
Prices are catalog prices at the time of writing and change constantly. Published details come from each maker listing, and fitment is as those makers state it. Nothing in this table has been used by us.
Which small gifts should you avoid?
Anything abrasive for cleaning. This is the one place a cheap gift can actively destroy something valuable, because a corroded coin scrubbed with an abrasive or dipped in acid loses its value permanently and there is no way back. The Conserv Safe Coin Solvent at $8.99 is the safe version, a conservation-grade rinse that lifts dirt and grease while leaving surface toning intact. The Jewellery Polishing Cloth at $13.95 is genuinely useful but only for gold and silver jewellery, which is the one category of find where polishing is usually safe, and it should never go near a collectable coin. Our guide to cleaning finds explains the distinction properly.
The other thing to skip is cheap generic headphones. Ordinary Bluetooth sets introduce a delay that arrives after the signal has passed, making pinpointing by ear impossible, and detector-specific low-latency sets start well above stocking money. A wired pair is a reasonable small gift, but it is worth knowing that most headphone purchases in this hobby need the machine name first.
How we chose
We have not used any of these items and nothing on this page is based on our own use. Sizes, counts, materials and fitments are quoted from each manufacturer's published listing. The selection is limited to things that get used on a normal hunt rather than novelties, and each one was checked to confirm it is small and cheap enough to work as a stocking gift rather than a main present.
Sources
- JARLINK illuminated 30x and 60x loupe product listing
- Boen cardboard coin flips product listing
- Minelab EQX 11 coil cover and Equinox control box cover listings
- Detector Warehouse pinpointer tip protectors and lanyard listing
- Conserv Safe Coin Solvent product listing
- Amazon Basics rechargeable AA NiMH product listing
Frequently asked questions
What is the best small metal detecting gift?
An illuminated jewellers loupe. The Illuminated 30x and 60x Jewellers Loupe at $8.99 publishes 30x and 60x lenses with LED light and folds into a pocket, and it is used on almost every interesting find, because a date or a mint mark is not readable with the naked eye on something that has been in the ground for a century.
Are coil covers a good gift?
Excellent value, provided you know the machine. A cover costs a small fraction of the coil it protects and is the only thing between that coil and a rock, but every one is model-specific: the Minelab EQX 11 Coil Cover fits the Equinox EQX 11 coil and the Garrett 8.5 by 11 DD Coil Cover fits the stock Garrett AT series coil. Get the model name first.
Can I combine several small gifts into one present?
That is usually the best approach at this budget. A loupe, coin flips and a pinpointer lanyard together cost very little and cover identification, storage and not losing an expensive tool. Three small items that each solve a different problem generally beat one mid-priced upgrade to something they already own.
Is coin cleaning solution a safe gift?
Conservation-grade solvent is, and abrasives and acid dips are not. Conserv Safe Coin Solvent at $8.99 lifts surface dirt and grease while leaving toning intact, which is what conservation means. Household metal polishes and dips permanently destroy the surface of a collectable coin, so they are worth actively avoiding as a gift.
What small gift works if I do not know anything about their kit?
A loupe, coin flips, a first aid kit or rechargeable AA cells, because none of them depend on which detector they own. Avoid coil covers, battery holders and headphones without the model name, since all three are machine-specific and are the most common reason a small gift in this hobby ends up going back.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published specifications, manuals and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Target ID numbers, depth figures and settings vary with soil chemistry, moisture, target size, depth, orientation and firmware version, so treat every figure here as a starting point and verify it against your own machine's manual and your own ground. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.