It’s a solid steel, serrated head (both sides) shovel with a 3-foot solid steel handle, and slices through small-medium sized roots with ease. I picked it up off EBay @ 2 years ago.
Made it out to a few different locations today which amounted to about 4 hours of detecting. First loc dialed up a sterling silver ring. Then within 2 feet from that, the 800 hit a target that chirped like any typical Lincoln copper, but when I pulled the plug, this little pup popped out. Given the VDI range, I suspected there was silver involved, but was unsure until confirmed by that big fat “P” above Monticello.
This is the 2nd silver WWII 1944-P war nickel I’ve found in two weeks (see previous update).
The second loc didn’t yield anything noteworthy other than a wheatie here and there, although I did hit an interesting spill of six wheaties together - that batch is still soaking - dates TBD.
The third (and last) loc almost didn’t happen. It was pushing into the afternoon and I almost called it a day, but since the property was less than 1/2 mile away, I decided to stick it out a little longer, and I’m glad I did! First major hit was clearly in the higher quarter range. Upon popping the plug, its edge was was embedded, but clearly visible in the bottom. Even when the coin is caked in dirt/mud, the rims always tell the tale.
A blurry reverse shot… it had less crud caked onto it.
The obverse was a different story…
When I found the quarter, I started thinking how it would be cool to hit a dime for a trifecta, since I had found the WWII nickel earlier. About 1/2 hour later, and after a couple promising wheatie hits, I hit a strong dime signal, dug the plug, and the pin pointer lit up in the bottom. The rim stuck out like a bright light.
I had the trifecta! It was getting time to leave, but there still a small strip of grass between a walkway and the adjoining property’s driveway. I figured it was worth a shot before heading back… it wasn’t long before I hit another strong dime signal… a silver Rosie that was initially stuck to a wheatie… .
Here’s the silver, the ring, and several of the wheaties in a group shot, cleaned up. Still have another batch of wheaties in the soak.
Keep up the hunt!!
A very wet and rainy weekend meant the only chance I could get out would be a somewhat early departure from the office this week to hit a 1932-build permission I’ve had lined up over the last few weeks. Finally made it out today, amidst periodic drizzle that amounted to no more than a minor nuisance. It was a relatively small yard that appeared to have had quite a bit of fill dirt added to the back yard at some point during its 90 years. I decided to focus on the front, and after recovering a few copper and clad pieces, hit a strong dime signal. Dug and plug…
Started on another line, and came back about even to where the dime was found.
After a couple of hours, it was time to head home.
Here’s the group after a bath… the wheaties are basically scorched.
@CharlotteDude ... Two more silver added to the pile....and a bunch of wheaties... To me, those are also clues there is more to be found there. Cheers, RickO
I am looking forward to a future post where a gold coin is found.
Thanks S to the II. It’s all about Mother Earth… “she’s” the one generous enough to keep on giving. I’m just a fortunate fella out enjoying the great outdoors and all the cool finds that come my way.
@ricko said: @CharlotteDude ... Two more silver added to the pile....and a bunch of wheaties... To me, those are also clues there is more to be found there. Cheers, RickO
I agree with you, RickO. I covered the front yard pretty thoroughly, but I’m sure there were other interesting items left “in the field of play”. My intent is to wait a few rain cycles to head back over again.
I made it out for another round yesterday as part of the backside of a road trip to visit family in NC. This was a homesite in the Southeastern part of the state (my old stomping grounds)… a 1925 build with a somewhat smaller front yard, but with plenty of prospects. The back yard of the property was being cleared by the owner, an old family friend; and given that activity coupled with the limited time I had to scan the yard, I decided to focus my efforts on the front. After hitting a couple of completely toasted wheaties, the 800 rang up a strong dime signal.
After hitting a few clad and memorial cents, I started swinging around an area where a large tree stump had been pulled up/removed, when the Nox started chirping on a strong quarter signal.
Once again, the rims don’t deceive…
Especially when the reverse looks like this…
The group after a wash… the wheaties totally look like crispy critters… that sandy, loamy SE NC soil is TOUGH on copper!
Been a minute since I’ve been able to get out in a good spot. While I had been able to make it out a few times in May, they weren’t what I’d consider “virgin” sites. This afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit a potentially unsearched permission property - an old Victorian homesite built in 1904 with @ 3/4 acre yard. While there, I hit what dialed up as a copper cent / mayyyybe a dime? (24-25 on the Nox-800) signal, which I in turn, started to dig. What popped out totally took me by surprise… a 1949 Washington quarter (no action pics, because I was NOT expecting/in mild-shock that it was even a quarter, not to mention confused since the VDI was indicating something much smaller). Once i pulled the quarter, I checked the area again, and the Nox pinged up a nickel/pull-tab signal, but decided to pass on (I don’t usually dig nickels) and kept moving on. After a couple rounds, I finally stumbled upon a much more convincing quarter signal, digging the plug and pulled this guy… this time, with cellphone ready.
Which came out looking like this… if it wasn’t for the limited “silvery” specks and glint, it could’ve been mistaken for just another clad quarter.
I uncovered a number of wheaties along the way, and just prior to packing up, I decided to revisit that “nickel” signal the Nox had pinged on earlier, very near the first silver Washie. Again, indicating a 12-nickel/pull tab signal on the Nox. This time I decided to dig & pull the plug. When I ran the pin-pointer on the bottom of the plug… it immediately set upon a piece of coiled wire, which I pulled out and trash-bagged. I then ran the pin-pointer around in the hole, and it lit up on the bottom/side of it. I scooped a bit more out, and turned the clump over, revealing the edge & reeding that so often scream “silver”…
Both the first quarter and the dime were only @ 3-4 inches apart, apparently a small “spill” back in the day. It was the coiled wire that was the culprit, “off-setting” the VDI readout, and causing a false (lower) signal for both of them.
Here’s the final tally, minus all the clad and JAMC that didn’t make the photoshoot. We haven’t had much rain at all over the last month-plus, so the ground/soil is very dry and crunchy. Still, the soil here certainly takes a toll on the older copper cents.
An early afternoon drs appointment meant an available couple of hours to revisit a previously hunted property nearby at which I had covered the front yard pretty well. This time, focusing on the back and side yards, I was hitting what seemed to be wheatie after wheatie… a total of 29 in all, plus another 29 copper memorial cents to boot by the time I was finished after just two hours of searching. Fortunately, I did manage to find a couple pieces of silver sprinkled among all that copper.
The total of wheaties & silver… I love finding Mercs, but any Barber is a real treat to find… unfortunately, I kissed this one with the shovel while trying to pry the nearly “hard as concrete”, crusty-dried-n-fried soil out of the hole to bring the target out.
@CharlotteDude... Wow... That is a target rich area... Neat Barber find.. and a load of wheaties...must be some type of old park or sale site.... Cheers, RickO
Out for a real quick hunt Friday after work. Interesting make up of finds on the property. After @ 2 hours of slinging, I uncovered five clad quarters, 4 clad dimes, a silver Rosie, a sterling silver religious pendent, 13 wheaties, and only 5 copper memorial cents. I believe it’s the first time the wheaties doubled the memorials.
The Rosie and plug… man, is the soil dry here in MD! The rosie turned out to be another ‘47-P, like the one I found last Friday.
Back at Friday’s property to finish up the back and side yards. As far as wheaties go, the hits just kept on coming. Like Friday, the number of them again far overtook the total of memorial coppers, pulling in another 15 this morning, compared to just four memorial coppers.
On the silver side, the finds improved from Friday’s hunt. The first dialed up a strong quarter signal… 1964
Later, a quasi-copper cent/dime signal rang up. I suppose it has to do with the hard-dried soil, given the lack of rain. I figured that I was digging up another copper, so this was a pleasant surprise to see embedded in the bottom of plug… 1951.
After only 5 or so minutes, I hit another wheatie, and less than a foot from that, this little jewel started pinging… 1917-S.
Everything after a bath. I can’t make out the dates at all on some of the wheaties in this batch… if it weren’t for being able to make out some of the reverse details on them, they’d just look like burnt up crispy copper critters.
Are any of the wheat cents you have found salvagable? They look beyond reclamation in the photos you have posted.
Perhaps having them soak in olive oil for an extended time would remove accumulated debris from the surfaces of the cents, allowing you to see what lies underneath.
Also, what is the date range for the wheat cents you have found? I see dates from the 1950's, 1940's, plus I see two cents dated 1930.
@SanctionII said:
Are any of the wheat cents you have found salvagable? They look beyond reclamation in the photos you have posted.
Perhaps having them soak in olive oil for an extended time would remove accumulated debris from the surfaces of the cents, allowing you to see what lies underneath.
Also, what is the date range for the wheat cents you have found? I see dates from the 1950's, 1940's, plus I see two cents dated 1930.
The earliest wheats I’ve found go back to 1909, with a few Indian and even large cents sprinkled in. The last large cent I found was last month (May), but you can only faintly make out the “CE” in “CENT” on the reverse of it. The obverse is completely corroded away.
If I can confirm the date is late ‘30’s to ‘58, I just put them in a container for a future trip to the credit union. I usually set earlier dates (or suspected earlier dates) aside for further treatment. Sometimes there’s noticeable improvement, and other times the wheatie is just too far gone.
Made it out to a couple locations this afternoon. We’ve finally had several days of rain, so the ground was much more forgiving than the last few weeks. The first loc didn’t offer up much… mainly a few pieces of clad and memorial copper. The 2nd was smaller, but much more giving as I came across a number of wheaties and two silvers…
The quarter was buried under the root in the hole there… I’m surprised I didn’t skin it when I wedged it out from the opposite side of the root!
All rinsed off… some of the wheaties are sooo crispy…
1942 Washie & a tired old 1920-S Merc. I love finding little Mercs!
Made it out again this morning. No silver coins, but I did uncover a few wheaties and a totally neat sterling silver medallion that’s the size and a bit heavier than a US Half Dollar for what appears to be a old campground or summer camp from 1914. I didn’t take any recovery pics because I was uncertain what it was when I pulled it out until after it had a good bath. I’ve never heard of a Camp Harlee, especially not in the Maryland area. I suppose it has long shuttered its gates many moons ago.
Thanks Bayard… as the medal was produced by Bell & Birkner on 5th Ave in NYC and the ASA Friedman (1901-1987) you found was from NYC also, I can see this as likely having been his, earning it at the ripe old age of @ 13 yrs old. The mystery to me would then be how & when it managed to get to the property I was detecting. I followed up with the owner (having lived in the house since the 1950’s), and he confirmed not knowing of any Friedman’s living nearby, however that’s not to say Mr Friedman had never been there at some point over the decades.
@CharlotteDude said:
Thanks Bayard… as the medal was produced by Bell & Birkner on 5th Ave in NYC and the ASA Friedman (1901-1987) you found was from NYC also, I can see this as likely having been his, earning it at the ripe old age of @ 13 yrs old. The mystery to me would then be how & when it managed to get to the property I was detecting. I followed up with the owner (having lived in the house since the 1950’s), and he confirmed not knowing of any Friedman’s living nearby, however that’s not to say Mr Friedman had never been there at some point over the decades.
Another brief opportunity to revisit an old site I had detected a little over a year ago. I recall finding a few silver pieces & wheaties mixed with the typical clad and memorial copper. This time I focused on the large back yard where the usual clothesline and good old climbing tree used to be. They’re both long gone, but you can still tell where they used to be.
First strong ping was by the large depression where the tree had been. 1943 Washie.
The clothesline had been nearby… one end starting only @ 10-12 feet from where the tree had been. There, I picked up on a variable signal that was bouncing from a quarter to a cent on the gauge. When I pulled the plug, out popped the “ring” half of a skeleton key, and embedded in the plug was this guy… a 1943-D Washie.
I kept moving along, pulling a few wheaties and more clad & memorial cents. Here are the photo-worthy ones after the rinse…
Interestingly… both the quarters and the wheatie are all dated between 1942 -1946, except for maybe the last, bottom-right wheatie. I can’t make out the date on that one.
Took a little trip back home to my roots, visiting family and old high school friends in South Eastern North Carolina over the pre-July 4th weekend and a few days beyond. During that time, I was able to sync up with an old friend who’s also a real estate investor. He recently purchased a property in “down-east” NC that’s in the far reaches of Carteret County, which is quite an isolated area. The house was built in the 1920’s and made up part of a fishing village, with a population of @ 500 that still remains today. I was pretty pumped about searching the property, but upon arrival, learned that “down-east NC” is also home to some of the most aggressive mosquitos I’ve ever experienced! Even with a thorough dousing of OFF - Deep Woods, I could only muster @ 45 mins of solid detecting… so aggressive, they were biting through my gloves. The ground I was able to cover was totally virgin, yielding a number of wheaties, a silver Rosie (1957), a Merc - I love finding these little ladies (1939)… and a very curious piece… a totally beat-up 1941 Netherlands 25 cents coin. I had to look this one up… turns out it’s .640 silver, so I’ll tab it up as a silver find. Interesting that a WWII era Netherlands coin would make it to such a remote location. It appears to have the “P” privy mark denoting Curacao mint origins. Unfortunately, no action shots for this group… I was far too busy swatting skeeters while trying to keep moving… Talk about a hostile operating environment!
Another round in the books today, which took me to a couple new permissions I’d been working on for a few weeks - amid 90% humidity and the threat of rain hanging heavy. The first, a 1943 construction, with the 2nd having been built in 1920, per the respective owners. While I really wanted to start on the older property, the owner wouldn’t be available until mid- morning, so I started the day on the “younger” option. After I made a few rounds and pulled a bunch of memorials & clad, I was convinced it had at some point been re-sodded or re-filled & seeded, based on a layer of gravel @ 4 inches below the surface of nearly the entire yard. Pressing on and after more clad n copper, I wrapped things up and made my way to property #2. This one yielded better results - man, some silver really retains its color over the decades in the ground due to the lack of oxygen - 1934 Washie:
A number of wheaties, mixed clad/memorial cents, and then this one - 1944 Washie:
The group after a wash - the quarters have already darkened due to oxidation:
And a shot of all the clad & memorial cents - it’ll cover the lunch I had on the way back home:
Left work early to get out for a quick return to a site I’ve hunted previously and hit what had been a unicorn for me near an old sidewalk in the form of my first silver half dollar find. While I’ve found the occasional clad half, this is my first silver. I’d thought my “first” would be a 40%-er, or a 64 Kennedy, since so many were made (and were still circulating around well into the 70’s), so this find took me completely by surprise.
A closer look once I got her home…
And the group with a few wheaties and a sterling silver belt buckle I also found there. The older wheats date 1916 & 1920… but they’re all toast!
@ricko said:
Wow.... A WLH find, not a common coin to find in the dirt. Cheers, RickO
I agree… been detecting regularly and year-round since I started in the early Winter of 2021… not one silver half, so this sent me into a little jig on the side of the street when I finally realized what it was.
A quick hunt and photo dump this morning. I was able to hunt two properties this morning… the first property dates back to 1890, while the 2nd dates to the 1910’s. It really was the tale of two different worlds… the older one is located in a small town, whereas the circa 1910’s property was more rural/farm property. The older one yielded much better results, while I came across many pieces of metallic debris and large bottle tops at the farm property with little yield of interest. About the 1890 property — you know you’re on good ground when the copper is yielding 4.5 wheaties to every memorial cent you uncover (18 to 4 total).
Everything is drying, but here are a few action shots from this morning…
This was my first silver “spill”… while in the past I’ve found wheaties with a silver quarter or dime, today was a first for finding two silver coins in the same hole… 1941 Washie:
Which was sharing the same location as this… 1947 Rosie… the Rosie was a little deeper:
And then there was little gem along the far side of the house… 1941 Merc:
A group shot of everything will come later after it’s all dried.
A few hours to spare this morning saw me back to finish detecting the 1890 build today… it didn’t disappoint. Another “spill” in the books, constituting a silver Washie with a wheatie stacked neatly on top of its reverse. You can make out the quarter, with its “halo” mark of the wheatie that is lying right beside it @ 2 o’clock in the hole… another 1941 Washie:
Then a few more wheaties, followed by a solid dime signal… 1944 Merc:
And finally another dime signal… 1942 Merc:
Total yield in wheaties came to 12 today vs 5 memorial cents.
Total from the property from over two days: 2 silver Washies, 3 Mercs and 1 silver Rosie, with 30 wheaties. Talk about a “target rich environment”…
Here’s the group from today’s and yesterday’s hunts at the same location. The halo on the 2nd ‘41 Washie tells the story of that wheatie cent spending decades together with it.
I made it out for a few,hours yesterday morning before the oppressive heat set in. Not much by means of finds other than @ $4 in clad and memorial copper, one wheatie, a silver Rosie, and this…
The property was a 1905 build I had detected before, and had yielded several silver pieces and a sterling silver religious medallion with a fully intact silver necklace. I gave the necklace & medallion to the property owner, and she had graciously welcomed me back. I figured this one might be a large cent when I first examined it out of the hole, but had no idea of the type or date range, much less an actual date. When I got it home, it become pretty clear it was the Draped Bust type, but no idea of the date. I “think” I can see a “18” there, but can’t make out any other digits… any ideas?
The group together… along with the 1946 Rosie and 1945 wheatie…
Man I like these posts! Great large cent find. And with the price of 90% silver, you're doing well with your gas money!
Thanks for taking the time to take pics and bring us along with you on the hunt. I know it's alot of extra effort!
@ Elite CNC Routing & Woodworks on Facebook. Check out my work. Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
@guitarwes said:
Man I like these posts! Great large cent find. And with the price of 90% silver, you're doing well with your gas money!
Thanks for taking the time to take pics and bring us along with you on the hunt. I know it's alot of extra effort!
Thanks G — I appreciate the feedback. When I set out on this adventure, I really didn’t know where it would take me… needless to say, I thoroughly enjoy being able to get out in “hunt mode”, meeting new people, as well as preserving & sharing the history I’m fortunate enough to find.
Great post and enjoy reading about your adventures.
I’m thinking the likelihood of finding anything of significance in Southern California is basically zero. I see people metal detecting on the beach but that’s about it. Everything is so new here and the city I live in was a cattle ranch 75 years ago.
Been a couple weeks since I’ve posted. The first week of August had me out of the area on vacation. I did make it out last weekend, and even though the sites appeared promising, they yielded little more than a lot of clad and a few wheaties here and there. Today, I had another chance to redeem myself. I only had one property lined up… a 1920 build about which I had spoke with the owner @ six months ago to detect the site. She wasn’t ready to turn me loose at the time, but she’d recently decided to take it off the rental market to sell, and sent me an email yesterday afternoon. My window of opportunity was small, so I left work a couple hours early to head over. Boy am I glad I did!
My first hit was a wheatie, the second hit - a large nail. The third target was giving off a variable VDI, and it was hard to pinpoint. I almost considered passing on it, but figured I had a decent enough pinpoint to try a dig…
Target #3… turned out to be a 1914 Barber.
The very next target… the first of three Mercs…
And the very next target after that… the 2nd of three Mercs…
After a few pieces of clad, I hit this spill… 1944 WWII nickel along with seven wheaties…
Almost finishing up the front yard, I finally hit a big signal… 1936 Washie.
Moving on into the backyard, I hit more wheaties and my third Merc…
After more clad and a few memorial cents, I moved over to the last remaining section of the backyard…. It wasn’t long before the 800 started chirping at a high VDI… I thought it might be two quarters, but my surprise… 1943 WLH
Just beside the hole the Walker came out of, there was another high number at @ the same depth…
1946 Washie…
You can see how close the two were in the last pic…. This is only my second Walker found since I started this journey 2+ years ago, having found an 1920 Walker just a month ago.
I can easily say that this was my BEST two hours of detecting I’ve had
Here they all are with the wheaties... out of the 21 Lincoln cents I pulled from the property, 18 were wheaties. A total of 8 silvers… what an amazing afternoon.
The remaining clad tally came to 3 Washies and 5 Rosie dimes.
Comments
It’s a solid steel, serrated head (both sides) shovel with a 3-foot solid steel handle, and slices through small-medium sized roots with ease. I picked it up off EBay @ 2 years ago.
Made it out to a few different locations today which amounted to about 4 hours of detecting. First loc dialed up a sterling silver ring. Then within 2 feet from that, the 800 hit a target that chirped like any typical Lincoln copper, but when I pulled the plug, this little pup popped out. Given the VDI range, I suspected there was silver involved, but was unsure until confirmed by that big fat “P” above Monticello.
This is the 2nd silver WWII 1944-P war nickel I’ve found in two weeks (see previous update).
The second loc didn’t yield anything noteworthy other than a wheatie here and there, although I did hit an interesting spill of six wheaties together - that batch is still soaking - dates TBD.
The third (and last) loc almost didn’t happen. It was pushing into the afternoon and I almost called it a day, but since the property was less than 1/2 mile away, I decided to stick it out a little longer, and I’m glad I did! First major hit was clearly in the higher quarter range. Upon popping the plug, its edge was was embedded, but clearly visible in the bottom. Even when the coin is caked in dirt/mud, the rims always tell the tale.
A blurry reverse shot… it had less crud caked onto it.
The obverse was a different story…
When I found the quarter, I started thinking how it would be cool to hit a dime for a trifecta, since I had found the WWII nickel earlier. About 1/2 hour later, and after a couple promising wheatie hits, I hit a strong dime signal, dug the plug, and the pin pointer lit up in the bottom. The rim stuck out like a bright light.
I had the trifecta! It was getting time to leave, but there still a small strip of grass between a walkway and the adjoining property’s driveway. I figured it was worth a shot before heading back… it wasn’t long before I hit another strong dime signal… a silver Rosie that was initially stuck to a wheatie…
.
Here’s the silver, the ring, and several of the wheaties in a group shot, cleaned up. Still have another batch of wheaties in the soak.
Keep up the hunt!!
@CharlotteDude... Really nice finds... A bunch of silver and a triple bunch of wheaties. Good day!! Cheers, RickO
A very wet and rainy weekend meant the only chance I could get out would be a somewhat early departure from the office this week to hit a 1932-build permission I’ve had lined up over the last few weeks. Finally made it out today, amidst periodic drizzle that amounted to no more than a minor nuisance. It was a relatively small yard that appeared to have had quite a bit of fill dirt added to the back yard at some point during its 90 years. I decided to focus on the front, and after recovering a few copper and clad pieces, hit a strong dime signal. Dug and plug…
Started on another line, and came back about even to where the dime was found.
After a couple of hours, it was time to head home.
Here’s the group after a bath… the wheaties are basically scorched.
Keep up the hunt!
@CharlotteDude ... Two more silver added to the pile....and a bunch of wheaties... To me, those are also clues there is more to be found there. Cheers, RickO
This thread keeps on giving.
I am looking forward to a future post where a gold coin is found.
Thanks S to the II. It’s all about Mother Earth… “she’s” the one generous enough to keep on giving. I’m just a fortunate fella out enjoying the great outdoors and all the cool finds that come my way.
I agree with you, RickO. I covered the front yard pretty thoroughly, but I’m sure there were other interesting items left “in the field of play”. My intent is to wait a few rain cycles to head back over again.
I made it out for another round yesterday as part of the backside of a road trip to visit family in NC. This was a homesite in the Southeastern part of the state (my old stomping grounds)… a 1925 build with a somewhat smaller front yard, but with plenty of prospects. The back yard of the property was being cleared by the owner, an old family friend; and given that activity coupled with the limited time I had to scan the yard, I decided to focus my efforts on the front. After hitting a couple of completely toasted wheaties, the 800 rang up a strong dime signal.
After hitting a few clad and memorial cents, I started swinging around an area where a large tree stump had been pulled up/removed, when the Nox started chirping on a strong quarter signal.
Once again, the rims don’t deceive…
Especially when the reverse looks like this…
The group after a wash… the wheaties totally look like crispy critters… that sandy, loamy SE NC soil is TOUGH on copper!
Keep up the hunt!
@CharlotteDude... Just keep pulling that silver.... PM market is heating up. Cheers, RickO
Been a minute since I’ve been able to get out in a good spot. While I had been able to make it out a few times in May, they weren’t what I’d consider “virgin” sites. This afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit a potentially unsearched permission property - an old Victorian homesite built in 1904 with @ 3/4 acre yard. While there, I hit what dialed up as a copper cent / mayyyybe a dime? (24-25 on the Nox-800) signal, which I in turn, started to dig. What popped out totally took me by surprise… a 1949 Washington quarter (no action pics, because I was NOT expecting/in mild-shock that it was even a quarter, not to mention confused since the VDI was indicating something much smaller). Once i pulled the quarter, I checked the area again, and the Nox pinged up a nickel/pull-tab signal, but decided to pass on (I don’t usually dig nickels) and kept moving on. After a couple rounds, I finally stumbled upon a much more convincing quarter signal, digging the plug and pulled this guy… this time, with cellphone ready.
Which came out looking like this… if it wasn’t for the limited “silvery” specks and glint, it could’ve been mistaken for just another clad quarter.
I uncovered a number of wheaties along the way, and just prior to packing up, I decided to revisit that “nickel” signal the Nox had pinged on earlier, very near the first silver Washie. Again, indicating a 12-nickel/pull tab signal on the Nox. This time I decided to dig & pull the plug. When I ran the pin-pointer on the bottom of the plug… it immediately set upon a piece of coiled wire, which I pulled out and trash-bagged. I then ran the pin-pointer around in the hole, and it lit up on the bottom/side of it. I scooped a bit more out, and turned the clump over, revealing the edge & reeding that so often scream “silver”…
Both the first quarter and the dime were only @ 3-4 inches apart, apparently a small “spill” back in the day. It was the coiled wire that was the culprit, “off-setting” the VDI readout, and causing a false (lower) signal for both of them.
Here’s the final tally, minus all the clad and JAMC that didn’t make the photoshoot. We haven’t had much rain at all over the last month-plus, so the ground/soil is very dry and crunchy. Still, the soil here certainly takes a toll on the older copper cents.
Keep up the hunt!
@CharlotteDude... Nice hunt.. Three silvers and seven wheaties... Cheers, RickO
You’re definitely on a roll
Lafayette Grading Set
An early afternoon drs appointment meant an available couple of hours to revisit a previously hunted property nearby at which I had covered the front yard pretty well. This time, focusing on the back and side yards, I was hitting what seemed to be wheatie after wheatie… a total of 29 in all, plus another 29 copper memorial cents to boot by the time I was finished after just two hours of searching. Fortunately, I did manage to find a couple pieces of silver sprinkled among all that copper.
The total of wheaties & silver… I love finding Mercs, but any Barber is a real treat to find… unfortunately, I kissed this one with the shovel while trying to pry the nearly “hard as concrete”, crusty-dried-n-fried soil out of the hole to bring the target out.
@CharlotteDude... Wow... That is a target rich area... Neat Barber find.. and a load of wheaties...must be some type of old park or sale site.... Cheers, RickO
Out for a real quick hunt Friday after work. Interesting make up of finds on the property. After @ 2 hours of slinging, I uncovered five clad quarters, 4 clad dimes, a silver Rosie, a sterling silver religious pendent, 13 wheaties, and only 5 copper memorial cents. I believe it’s the first time the wheaties doubled the memorials.
The Rosie and plug… man, is the soil dry here in MD! The rosie turned out to be another ‘47-P, like the one I found last Friday.
The good stuff cleaned up.
Keep up the hunt!
@CharlotteDude... Nice haul... two silvers and a pile of wheat cents. Got to be more at that site. Cheers, RickO
Back at Friday’s property to finish up the back and side yards. As far as wheaties go, the hits just kept on coming. Like Friday, the number of them again far overtook the total of memorial coppers, pulling in another 15 this morning, compared to just four memorial coppers.
On the silver side, the finds improved from Friday’s hunt. The first dialed up a strong quarter signal… 1964
Later, a quasi-copper cent/dime signal rang up. I suppose it has to do with the hard-dried soil, given the lack of rain. I figured that I was digging up another copper, so this was a pleasant surprise to see embedded in the bottom of plug… 1951.
After only 5 or so minutes, I hit another wheatie, and less than a foot from that, this little jewel started pinging… 1917-S.
Everything after a bath. I can’t make out the dates at all on some of the wheaties in this batch… if it weren’t for being able to make out some of the reverse details on them, they’d just look like burnt up crispy copper critters.
Keep up the hunt!!
That has been a super productive site for you... nice silver and a wealth of wheaties.... Cheers, RickO
Are any of the wheat cents you have found salvagable? They look beyond reclamation in the photos you have posted.
Perhaps having them soak in olive oil for an extended time would remove accumulated debris from the surfaces of the cents, allowing you to see what lies underneath.
Also, what is the date range for the wheat cents you have found? I see dates from the 1950's, 1940's, plus I see two cents dated 1930.
The earliest wheats I’ve found go back to 1909, with a few Indian and even large cents sprinkled in. The last large cent I found was last month (May), but you can only faintly make out the “CE” in “CENT” on the reverse of it. The obverse is completely corroded away.
If I can confirm the date is late ‘30’s to ‘58, I just put them in a container for a future trip to the credit union. I usually set earlier dates (or suspected earlier dates) aside for further treatment. Sometimes there’s noticeable improvement, and other times the wheatie is just too far gone.
Made it out to a couple locations this afternoon. We’ve finally had several days of rain, so the ground was much more forgiving than the last few weeks. The first loc didn’t offer up much… mainly a few pieces of clad and memorial copper. The 2nd was smaller, but much more giving as I came across a number of wheaties and two silvers…
The quarter was buried under the root in the hole there… I’m surprised I didn’t skin it when I wedged it out from the opposite side of the root!
All rinsed off… some of the wheaties are sooo crispy…
1942 Washie & a tired old 1920-S Merc. I love finding little Mercs!
Keep up the hunt!
Made it out again this morning. No silver coins, but I did uncover a few wheaties and a totally neat sterling silver medallion that’s the size and a bit heavier than a US Half Dollar for what appears to be a old campground or summer camp from 1914. I didn’t take any recovery pics because I was uncertain what it was when I pulled it out until after it had a good bath. I’ve never heard of a Camp Harlee, especially not in the Maryland area. I suppose it has long shuttered its gates many moons ago.
https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/abs/10.1148/radiology.167.2.585-b?journalCode=radiology
Thanks Bayard… as the medal was produced by Bell & Birkner on 5th Ave in NYC and the ASA Friedman (1901-1987) you found was from NYC also, I can see this as likely having been his, earning it at the ripe old age of @ 13 yrs old. The mystery to me would then be how & when it managed to get to the property I was detecting. I followed up with the owner (having lived in the house since the 1950’s), and he confirmed not knowing of any Friedman’s living nearby, however that’s not to say Mr Friedman had never been there at some point over the decades.
With our weather I think that you might have trouble digging those holes here and the grass would definitely be brown in no time
Lafayette Grading Set
Camp Harlee was located in Tyler Hill, PA.
Another brief opportunity to revisit an old site I had detected a little over a year ago. I recall finding a few silver pieces & wheaties mixed with the typical clad and memorial copper. This time I focused on the large back yard where the usual clothesline and good old climbing tree used to be. They’re both long gone, but you can still tell where they used to be.
First strong ping was by the large depression where the tree had been. 1943 Washie.
The clothesline had been nearby… one end starting only @ 10-12 feet from where the tree had been. There, I picked up on a variable signal that was bouncing from a quarter to a cent on the gauge. When I pulled the plug, out popped the “ring” half of a skeleton key, and embedded in the plug was this guy… a 1943-D Washie.
I kept moving along, pulling a few wheaties and more clad & memorial cents. Here are the photo-worthy ones after the rinse…
Interestingly… both the quarters and the wheatie are all dated between 1942 -1946, except for maybe the last, bottom-right wheatie. I can’t make out the date on that one.
Keep up the hunt!
@CharlotteDude.... Some nice finds and great pictures. That 1942 quarter represents a special year (to me
). Cheers, RickO
Took a little trip back home to my roots, visiting family and old high school friends in South Eastern North Carolina over the pre-July 4th weekend and a few days beyond. During that time, I was able to sync up with an old friend who’s also a real estate investor. He recently purchased a property in “down-east” NC that’s in the far reaches of Carteret County, which is quite an isolated area. The house was built in the 1920’s and made up part of a fishing village, with a population of @ 500 that still remains today. I was pretty pumped about searching the property, but upon arrival, learned that “down-east NC” is also home to some of the most aggressive mosquitos I’ve ever experienced! Even with a thorough dousing of OFF - Deep Woods, I could only muster @ 45 mins of solid detecting… so aggressive, they were biting through my gloves. The ground I was able to cover was totally virgin, yielding a number of wheaties, a silver Rosie (1957), a Merc - I love finding these little ladies (1939)… and a very curious piece… a totally beat-up 1941 Netherlands 25 cents coin. I had to look this one up… turns out it’s .640 silver, so I’ll tab it up as a silver find. Interesting that a WWII era Netherlands coin would make it to such a remote location. It appears to have the “P” privy mark denoting Curacao mint origins. Unfortunately, no action shots for this group… I was far too busy swatting skeeters while trying to keep moving… Talk about a hostile operating environment!
Sounds like your next visit should be in late Fall. Congrats on the finds.
Definitely worth a revisit, but more within the “dead of winter” timeframe…
I'm in East Tennessee in the Winter. Let me know if you have time for a meet.
Good luck with the hunt.
Jim
Interesting finds... That property certainly has more potential. Cheers, RickO
Another round in the books today, which took me to a couple new permissions I’d been working on for a few weeks - amid 90% humidity and the threat of rain hanging heavy. The first, a 1943 construction, with the 2nd having been built in 1920, per the respective owners. While I really wanted to start on the older property, the owner wouldn’t be available until mid- morning, so I started the day on the “younger” option. After I made a few rounds and pulled a bunch of memorials & clad, I was convinced it had at some point been re-sodded or re-filled & seeded, based on a layer of gravel @ 4 inches below the surface of nearly the entire yard. Pressing on and after more clad n copper, I wrapped things up and made my way to property #2. This one yielded better results - man, some silver really retains its color over the decades in the ground due to the lack of oxygen - 1934 Washie:
A number of wheaties, mixed clad/memorial cents, and then this one - 1944 Washie:
The group after a wash - the quarters have already darkened due to oxidation:
And a shot of all the clad & memorial cents - it’ll cover the lunch I had on the way back home:
Keep up the hunt!
Nice haul and converted to lunch.... That is a good days hunt.... Cheers, RickO
Left work early to get out for a quick return to a site I’ve hunted previously and hit what had been a unicorn for me near an old sidewalk in the form of my first silver half dollar find. While I’ve found the occasional clad half, this is my first silver. I’d thought my “first” would be a 40%-er, or a 64 Kennedy, since so many were made (and were still circulating around well into the 70’s), so this find took me completely by surprise.
A closer look once I got her home…
And the group with a few wheaties and a sterling silver belt buckle I also found there. The older wheats date 1916 & 1920… but they’re all toast!
Wow.... A WLH find, not a common coin to find in the dirt. Cheers, RickO
I agree… been detecting regularly and year-round since I started in the early Winter of 2021… not one silver half, so this sent me into a little jig on the side of the street when I finally realized what it was.
The first Walker I found was also minted in the 20s, a 27-S. i have never found another one from the 20s.
Congratulations.
A quick hunt and photo dump this morning. I was able to hunt two properties this morning… the first property dates back to 1890, while the 2nd dates to the 1910’s. It really was the tale of two different worlds… the older one is located in a small town, whereas the circa 1910’s property was more rural/farm property. The older one yielded much better results, while I came across many pieces of metallic debris and large bottle tops at the farm property with little yield of interest. About the 1890 property — you know you’re on good ground when the copper is yielding 4.5 wheaties to every memorial cent you uncover (18 to 4 total).
Everything is drying, but here are a few action shots from this morning…
This was my first silver “spill”… while in the past I’ve found wheaties with a silver quarter or dime, today was a first for finding two silver coins in the same hole… 1941 Washie:
Which was sharing the same location as this… 1947 Rosie… the Rosie was a little deeper:
And then there was little gem along the far side of the house… 1941 Merc:
A group shot of everything will come later after it’s all dried.
Keep up the hunt!!
Nice day for silver... especially if a short hunt. Look forward to seeing them with dirt removed. Cheers, RickO
A few hours to spare this morning saw me back to finish detecting the 1890 build today… it didn’t disappoint. Another “spill” in the books, constituting a silver Washie with a wheatie stacked neatly on top of its reverse. You can make out the quarter, with its “halo” mark of the wheatie that is lying right beside it @ 2 o’clock in the hole… another 1941 Washie:
Then a few more wheaties, followed by a solid dime signal… 1944 Merc:
And finally another dime signal… 1942 Merc:
Total yield in wheaties came to 12 today vs 5 memorial cents.
Total from the property from over two days: 2 silver Washies, 3 Mercs and 1 silver Rosie, with 30 wheaties. Talk about a “target rich environment”…
Keep up the hunt!!
Here’s the group from today’s and yesterday’s hunts at the same location. The halo on the 2nd ‘41 Washie tells the story of that wheatie cent spending decades together with it.
@CharlotteDude... Definitely a target rich property. More to be found there. Cheers, RickO
I made it out for a few,hours yesterday morning before the oppressive heat set in. Not much by means of finds other than @ $4 in clad and memorial copper, one wheatie, a silver Rosie, and this…
The property was a 1905 build I had detected before, and had yielded several silver pieces and a sterling silver religious medallion with a fully intact silver necklace. I gave the necklace & medallion to the property owner, and she had graciously welcomed me back. I figured this one might be a large cent when I first examined it out of the hole, but had no idea of the type or date range, much less an actual date. When I got it home, it become pretty clear it was the Draped Bust type, but no idea of the date. I “think” I can see a “18” there, but can’t make out any other digits… any ideas?
The group together… along with the 1946 Rosie and 1945 wheatie…
Keep up the hunt!
Man I like these posts! Great large cent find. And with the price of 90% silver, you're doing well with your gas money!
Thanks for taking the time to take pics and bring us along with you on the hunt. I know it's alot of extra effort!
Too many positive BST transactions with too many members to list.
Thanks G — I appreciate the feedback. When I set out on this adventure, I really didn’t know where it would take me… needless to say, I thoroughly enjoy being able to get out in “hunt mode”, meeting new people, as well as preserving & sharing the history I’m fortunate enough to find.
Keep up the hunt!
Great post and enjoy reading about your adventures.
I’m thinking the likelihood of finding anything of significance in Southern California is basically zero. I see people metal detecting on the beach but that’s about it. Everything is so new here and the city I live in was a cattle ranch 75 years ago.
Edit: Spelling correction
Been a couple weeks since I’ve posted. The first week of August had me out of the area on vacation. I did make it out last weekend, and even though the sites appeared promising, they yielded little more than a lot of clad and a few wheaties here and there. Today, I had another chance to redeem myself. I only had one property lined up… a 1920 build about which I had spoke with the owner @ six months ago to detect the site. She wasn’t ready to turn me loose at the time, but she’d recently decided to take it off the rental market to sell, and sent me an email yesterday afternoon. My window of opportunity was small, so I left work a couple hours early to head over. Boy am I glad I did!
My first hit was a wheatie, the second hit - a large nail. The third target was giving off a variable VDI, and it was hard to pinpoint. I almost considered passing on it, but figured I had a decent enough pinpoint to try a dig…
Target #3… turned out to be a 1914 Barber.
The very next target… the first of three Mercs…
And the very next target after that… the 2nd of three Mercs…
After a few pieces of clad, I hit this spill… 1944 WWII nickel along with seven wheaties…
Almost finishing up the front yard, I finally hit a big signal… 1936 Washie.
Moving on into the backyard, I hit more wheaties and my third Merc…
After more clad and a few memorial cents, I moved over to the last remaining section of the backyard…. It wasn’t long before the 800 started chirping at a high VDI… I thought it might be two quarters, but my surprise… 1943 WLH
Just beside the hole the Walker came out of, there was another high number at @ the same depth…
1946 Washie…
You can see how close the two were in the last pic…. This is only my second Walker found since I started this journey 2+ years ago, having found an 1920 Walker just a month ago.
I can easily say that this was my BEST two hours of detecting I’ve had
Here they all are with the wheaties... out of the 21 Lincoln cents I pulled from the property, 18 were wheaties. A total of 8 silvers… what an amazing afternoon.
The remaining clad tally came to 3 Washies and 5 Rosie dimes.
Keep up the hunt!!