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First Silver of the year and FIRST LARGE CENT EVER! *updated photos*
kevinstang
Posts: 1,517 ✭✭✭
Looks like spring is here in northern NY despite the couple of inches of snow that dropped Saturday by surprise! Thought I would see if the ground was soft enough to dig and took a trip by the local campground I worked over pretty good last September (found silver, an indian head penny and lots of old wheats then), wasn't really expecting to find much but ground was real soft and first item dug was a clad quarter - a good start. As I said wasn't sure I would find much as I hit the area pretty hard before and didn't figure there would be much left-was I wrong. A couple of pull tabs and a few lincolns later as I was working my way towards the waters edge (there was still ice floating by) the detector showed a strong quarter signal (unfornuately alot of the old pull tabs folded over read like this too- so I wasn't expecting much again) after digging I lost the signal - then I looked by my knee- a large cent had popped out and the date was even clear to my eye before even picking it up- 1851! First large cent for me and my new oldest American coin! Needless to say I dug alot of those iffy quarter signals afterwards and ended up with a pocket full of old pull tabs 
. To end the night off on a good note I wanted a coin dug, not a pull tab, so I worked the bank some more and (I had the feeling silver was in the air after digging the large cent) finally saw a flash of silver in the ground- a 57-D Rosie, passed the detector over the hole before closing it up and it still had a strong signal- turned out to be another Rosie- this one wasn't silver - just a 1967.
When I got home and got to rinsing the coins off, two of the lincolns ended up being wheats- and one was a Denver mint coin in the teens- I could make out the 191 and was that a 4?, had my hopes up, but it turned out to be a 1916-D with a little rub of a q-tip dipped in vinegar. Oh well, alot better start to the season than I had hoped for (can't really say to the new metal detecting year as I got out once or twice in Jan before the frost set in and found a few coins). Here is a shot of the whole lot (with a set of old Ford car keys thrown in as well-looks like someone walked home in the past- there 60's ish):
On an end note, almost didn't make it out tonight as when I went to install my battery packs in the old garrett one of the plastic ends was dangling off and snapped off when I touched it, it was the end with the spring on it, not the contact. I was able to tape it back on and hold the battery in place, noticed the end on the other one was bending as well. They were fine when I pulled them in Jan that I can remember, but the detector is going on 11 years old now, looks like I will have to place a call to Garrett or do some shopping on the bay.
Updated photos of large cent after spending a day in a potato and several more in olive oil (still a little wet in photos- will be going back in olive oil):
. To end the night off on a good note I wanted a coin dug, not a pull tab, so I worked the bank some more and (I had the feeling silver was in the air after digging the large cent) finally saw a flash of silver in the ground- a 57-D Rosie, passed the detector over the hole before closing it up and it still had a strong signal- turned out to be another Rosie- this one wasn't silver - just a 1967. When I got home and got to rinsing the coins off, two of the lincolns ended up being wheats- and one was a Denver mint coin in the teens- I could make out the 191 and was that a 4?, had my hopes up, but it turned out to be a 1916-D with a little rub of a q-tip dipped in vinegar. Oh well, alot better start to the season than I had hoped for (can't really say to the new metal detecting year as I got out once or twice in Jan before the frost set in and found a few coins). Here is a shot of the whole lot (with a set of old Ford car keys thrown in as well-looks like someone walked home in the past- there 60's ish):
On an end note, almost didn't make it out tonight as when I went to install my battery packs in the old garrett one of the plastic ends was dangling off and snapped off when I touched it, it was the end with the spring on it, not the contact. I was able to tape it back on and hold the battery in place, noticed the end on the other one was bending as well. They were fine when I pulled them in Jan that I can remember, but the detector is going on 11 years old now, looks like I will have to place a call to Garrett or do some shopping on the bay.
Updated photos of large cent after spending a day in a potato and several more in olive oil (still a little wet in photos- will be going back in olive oil):
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Comments
Mary
The grounds not frozen up your way?
It sure is here.
<< <i>The grounds not frozen up your way? >>
I was hunting along the water front, exposed to direct sunlight and we had a good warm rain the other night/morning- I was surprised not to find any ice at all in the ground. Ice floating along the water's edge was a different story, the water is up about 2-3 feet higher than it was last fall when I hunted the spot. I was right near the edge and once or twice large sheets of ice came scraping by and startled me a little .... and then there were the wild turkeys that made me jump near where I parked my car when they took to the air. I imagine back in the more wooded areas with less sunlight there is probably still some frost, then again the low tonight is going to be around 15 degrees, last night it was baumy 55 when I quit detecting just after 7 or so.
I'm very envious of your Large Cent!
I hope to put one in my treasure pouch this year.
Great find and congrats on the cent and the silver Rosie.
WTG!