Today I returned by myself to the school site where I dug up a 1927 Mercury dime yesterday. I found more silver coins and more wheat cents in one day than I ever have before. I dug 6 silver dimes and 17 wheat cents.
Two of the dimes were Mercury dimes: 1939 and 1942. The others were a pair of 1946, 1946-D, and 1964-D. The oldest of the wheat cents were 1917 and 1926.
The 1939 dime was completely covered by a bottle cap. I got a good silver dime signal and dug my hole. When I popped the plug, I could see a rusty old bottle cap in the hole. When I picked up the bottle cap to throw it away, I could see the obverse of a Mercury dime laying directly underneath.
A few years ago I had a signal, and found a bottle cap in the whole. Stuck the pinpointer in and got another signal, but it turned out to be a SLQ. You never know what else could be in the hole.
PCGS69 is correct about always checking the hole after a find. I don't know how many times there has been one coin on top of another or close by in the case of pocket spills. And I have also found quarters stuck in the inside of plastic twist off caps. I guess they just stuck them in there and threw them away.
The girlfriend and I went to the school site together today. We focused on the small area where I dug up a few wheat cents yesterday. After gridding the area, we found another four wheat cents, the oldest being 1928, and decided to head back to the car.
On the way back to the car, I got an iffy signal and dug up a 1948-S dime. Six feet away I quickly dug up a 1941 Mercury dime. A short distance from that I also dug up a 1944 Mercury dime. Today was a good day.
<< <i>your machine is a silver sniffer. How much is left in your school site? >>
I haven't been systematically gridding the school site. Instead, I wander around looking for concentrations of deep wheat cents and then do some slow combing. I'd say that I've roamed over about 60% of the site.
We went to the school site today for a brief hunt. I dug a lot of clad and then finally found a deep 1940 Mercury dime. That's U.S. silver coin number 20 for the year.
<< <i>That's a really good amount of silver by mid april. Doing good on the wheats too. The ratio is superb too. >>
Unfortunately, I doubt that my finds will continue at this pace unless I find some new properties to hunt. The site that I refer to as the new place is no longer producing anything old after initially giving up 6 silvers. The school site has given me 12 silvers, and my hopes are not high for too many more.
I was driving by an old baseball diamond near my house the other day and saw a guy metal detecting. I've seen half a dozen guys metal detecting in my area; but, this guy was new. I've never found anything old in this baseball diamond because of heavy interference from overhead electric power lines. I doubt this guy did any better; but, I was in a hurry and didn't stop to talk with him. He's the first guy I've seen metal detecting this year.
I went to the school site yesterday, hoping to find some deep silver after a recent rain. Instead, I dug up 8 deep wheat cents. I think the oldest one is a 1927.
I went to a completely new site today, where two baseball diamonds used to exist a few generations ago. In a short hunt, I managed to find three deep wheat cents including a 1927 and 1931. This property was filled with shallow quarters. I dug 21 quarters without even hardly trying. I don't think this site has great silver potential, but may try it again someday.
The first wheat cent I dug must have been in the infield. I had trouble digging a plug and could see a layer of infield gravel in the bottom of my hole.
I went to the school site for a brief hunt on Friday. I only found three deep wheat cents. The girlfriend and I went back today. She was tired and kept complaining; so, we came home early with no old finds. Rather than break up with her, I'll just come back tomorrow by myself.
I went to a totally new site today, where a football field was located a few generations ago. The site had a lot of fill dirt, and I hadn't found anything old after rambling through most of the property. I decided to leave and was within 50 feet of my car when I got a good signal and dug up a 1940 Mercury dime. I carefully combed the surrounding area without finding anything else good and decided to leave again. On the way to my car for the second time, I found a 1946 dime and moments thereafter a 1942-S Mercury dime. I also found two wheat cents and a 1940 nickel.
All of these coins were only four to five inches deep. I might come back someday with my sniper coil. I ran the Etrac in high manual sensitivity; however, the recommended sensitivity at this site was somewhere in the 7 to 12 range.
nice concentration of silver. Worth it to go back after a heavy rain, and also hit it from a different angle. Seems like there should be some more goodies there.
Last night I told my girlfriend that I was starting to get a little bored with metal detecting because the only silver coins I've been finding have been dimes. I told her that I'd like to find a silver quarter or half dollar instead. If you have followed this thread, you'll know that I've only ever found one silver Washington quarter and one 40% Kennedy half dollar since I started metal detecting in July 2013.
I went to the school today and dug three silver quarters. I roamed the property and got a deep signal that I thought could be anything from a wheat cent to a silver quarter. It was a 1941 quarter. I slowly combed the surrounding area and got a clear deep quarter signal nearby. It was a 1944 quarter. A couple of hours later, the battery in my pinpointer died. I went back to the car, put a newly charged battery in the pinpointer, and then walked to another area of the property to resume detecting. This particular area has produced some surprisingly deep clad coins; so, I didn't get my hopes up too much when I got a deep quarter signal. I was pleased to see that it was a 1947-S quarter. I also found 11 wheat cents today. I think the oldest is a 1918.
Wow! I don't know if I ever had a three silver quarter hunt. Will have to look back. Remember finding two a couple of times. Plenty of multiple dime and WTN days with more than 3, but finding quarters is hard.
I have more silver coins this year than quarters, any quarter. Can barely even find clad quarters in these parts.
Hopefully this got some of the excitement back for you!
The girlfriend and I went to the school site today. Almost immediately she started whining that she wanted to go home. I told her that I at least wanted to walk out to where I found two of my silver quarters on Friday, and then I'd turn around and make my way toward the car for us to go home. I got all the way out there without finding anything good and turned around. I then got a good signal right near where my girlfriend was sitting on the grass. It was a 1952-D dime. She said "Good, now we can go home." I told her that wasn't our deal, that I was going to keep making my way toward the car. About a third of the way to the car, I got a good deep signal and dug up a 1942 Mercury dime. I've never found just two silver coins on the same day before. I usually find only one or at least three. I think her whining and desire to leave early might have caused me to leave at least one more in the ground today, lol. I also dug up a wheat cent that looks like 1923, although I'm going to examine it with a strong glass to make sure it's not a 1922.
does your gf have any interest in getting a detector for herself? You're still doing quite well on the silver.
I got out to a new corn field today, and in the middle of the field I was excited to see silver come out! Could it be seated, barber? Nope, it was a silver Roosevelt. Guess it's better than a clad dime. Also got a toasted Flying Eagle and a beat up copper. Hoping to be able to ID it.
<< <i>does your gf have any interest in getting a detector for herself? >>
She will often swing my machine while I'm digging a hole. Sometimes she is reluctant to give it back, which mildly annoys me because she doesn't have enough skill to find deep targets. She lost all interest in getting her own machine once I told her that she couldn't hunt right beside me due to the machines interfering with each other.
I went to the school site today and unbelievably found an Indian cent. I won't be able to confidently read the date without soaking it in olive oil; but, my best guess at present is 1881 or 1891. The school site only dates to the 1950s; so, this was a very unexpected find.
This coin is in really bad shape; but, I believe the date is 1891.
The girlfriend and I went to the school site earlier today. I wanted to go because we had a strong rain last night. My girlfriend wanted to use the detector herself. She normally isn't able to find deep signals; but, today I told her to slow her swing way down. She started out by "finding" several iron falsing signals. I explained to her that she wanted a deep signal that repeated no matter how many times she swung over it. Within a matter of minutes she had a deep silver dime signal. I pinpointed it for her and then dug up a 1951 dime. She kept swinging and wanted to explore an area that I thought had little promise. I told her that she'd be better off looking elsewhere; but, almost immediately she was on another deep silver dime signal. I pinpointed it and dug up a 1956-D dime. Her arm got tired; so, I started using the detector for a few minutes. While I was digging a signal, she took the machine again and quickly had another deep dime signal. This one was a little deeper than the first two; so, I told her that it might be a Mercury dime. I pinpointed for her again and dug up a 1945 Mercury dime. I barely got to use my own detector today. The only old coin I found on my own was a wheat cent.
I went to the school site today. I dug up a 1936 Mercury dime, and then a short distance away I dug a 1920 Buffalo nickel. A while later I dug up a 1957-D dime.
I dug a 1917 Buffalo nickel at the school site today. I also dug a religious medallion marked "sterling" but, I am suspicious about it. It has a mirror finish on the reverse and something is peeling off it.
I had a piece like that before too, plated with something super shiny, maybe rhodium? See if you can find a spot with the coating removed, and test it. Also, posting a pic might help too
The girlfriend and I went to the school site today. I let her use the machine. Within five or ten minutes a huge rainstorm forced us to get in the car and drive home. I love hunting after a rain storm; so, we returned to the school a few hours later after the rain had stopped. Again, within five or ten minutes of hunting the rain restarted and we jumped in the car. This time, instead of driving home we decided to sit in the car for a little while with the hope that the rain would stop. The rain stopped within a short time, and I let the girlfriend use the machine. She used the machine until she got tired and tired of dealing with little bugs trying to fly into our mouths. She handed the machine off to me, and within about three minutes I got a good deep signal. It was a 1946 quarter that looks like it was dropped in about 1946. This is my 50th U.S. silver coin since I started detecting in July 2013. It's also my 34th U.S. silver coin of 2015 and the 23rd U.S. silver coin from the school site. I also found a deep wheat cent today.
It is amazing how much silver you are finding there. Considering kids did not have a lot of silver change years ago...hope it continues....Cheers, RickO
The girlfriend and I went to the school site for 90 minutes today. I let her use the machine again. Her very first signal was a 1942-D Mercury dime. She also found three deep wheat cents. I did all the digging, of course, lol. I used the machine for the last 10 or 15 minutes we were there and managed to find a sterling ring.
I went to the school last Friday and didn't find anything old. Today I went back and used both my sniper coil and my oversize coil. I found two wheat cents with the sniper coil and another wheat cent with the oversize coil. I think the pickins are starting to get slim over there.
I don't think I want to dig everything.etrac is designed so that one doesn't have to dig everything.couldn't really get away with not digging most everything in the '70's,though.discriminator technology was in its infancy.i had one on my white's but never used it in the field because of poor performance.it's possible to make amazing detector finds these days if you are willing to work the junky areas.a high-performance machine is definitely needed.
I would say "dig everything" to someone who is just beginning the hobby.Getting familiar with the various tones junk to treasure makes can only happen this way.After a time,you will have plenty of confidence that you are not bypassing a valuable target.It comes by paying close attention to the sounds your machine makes.
i am working on my gold sounds on etrac now...still dig lots of pull tabs...one should be able to tell the difference in pitch gold to aluminum.the problem here of course is that good gold number 30 (medium size 14K ring) is the same for an aluminum pull tab on etrac.so how do they sound different? if they do it isn't by much.dig enough gold you can pay for the machine..
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
Saw your recent '42 merc. Every time a 42 comes up... I keep hoping it will be a 2/1, but never found one.
Regarding digging every signal vs trusting the e-trac (or any other detector)...I've been at it for a few years and still can't trust that I will be able to tell the difference between gold or a pull tab, foil, zincoln, etc. If I bypass a low tone, I will always wonder, "what if?"
I detected at the school on Sunday and didn't find anything old. I went back today and managed to find a relatively shallow 1956 dime.
We've had a lot of rain recently, and nickel signals were really coming through strong. During about six hours of detecting, over the course of both days, I managed to find two dozen nickels. I dug several deep ones from 1947, 1961, 1963, and 1964, but never managed to get a Buffalo.
I went to the school for 90 minutes today after a strong rain. I found two wheat cents. I think one of them is a 1914, will have to check with a strong glass.
Comments
Two of the dimes were Mercury dimes: 1939 and 1942. The others were a pair of 1946, 1946-D, and 1964-D. The oldest of the wheat cents were 1917 and 1926.
The 1939 dime was completely covered by a bottle cap. I got a good silver dime signal and dug my hole. When I popped the plug, I could see a rusty old bottle cap in the hole. When I picked up the bottle cap to throw it away, I could see the obverse of a Mercury dime laying directly underneath.
A few years ago I had a signal, and found a bottle cap in the whole. Stuck the pinpointer in and got another signal, but it turned out to be a SLQ. You never know what else could be in the hole.
Lafayette Grading Set
On the way back to the car, I got an iffy signal and dug up a 1948-S dime. Six feet away I quickly dug up a 1941 Mercury dime. A short distance from that I also dug up a 1944 Mercury dime. Today was a good day.
<< <i>your machine is a silver sniffer. How much is left in your school site? >>
I haven't been systematically gridding the school site. Instead, I wander around looking for concentrations of deep wheat cents and then do some slow combing. I'd say that I've roamed over about 60% of the site.
In your april 9th post, that silver ring looks a bit older. what does the top of it look like?
<< <i>What's your wheat cent count for the year? >>
70
<< <i>In your april 9th post, that silver ring looks a bit older. what does the top of it look like? >>
I think it's a kid's ring. You can see some of the design on the top. I'd say that it's an abstract representation of a flower.
<< <i>That's a really good amount of silver by mid april. Doing good on the wheats too. The ratio is superb too. >>
Unfortunately, I doubt that my finds will continue at this pace unless I find some new properties to hunt. The site that I refer to as the new place is no longer producing anything old after initially giving up 6 silvers. The school site has given me 12 silvers, and my hopes are not high for too many more.
I was driving by an old baseball diamond near my house the other day and saw a guy metal detecting. I've seen half a dozen guys metal detecting in my area; but, this guy was new. I've never found anything old in this baseball diamond because of heavy interference from overhead electric power lines. I doubt this guy did any better; but, I was in a hurry and didn't stop to talk with him. He's the first guy I've seen metal detecting this year.
The first wheat cent I dug must have been in the infield. I had trouble digging a plug and could see a layer of infield gravel in the bottom of my hole.
All of these coins were only four to five inches deep. I might come back someday with my sniper coil. I ran the Etrac in high manual sensitivity; however, the recommended sensitivity at this site was somewhere in the 7 to 12 range.
I went to the school today and dug three silver quarters. I roamed the property and got a deep signal that I thought could be anything from a wheat cent to a silver quarter. It was a 1941 quarter. I slowly combed the surrounding area and got a clear deep quarter signal nearby. It was a 1944 quarter. A couple of hours later, the battery in my pinpointer died. I went back to the car, put a newly charged battery in the pinpointer, and then walked to another area of the property to resume detecting. This particular area has produced some surprisingly deep clad coins; so, I didn't get my hopes up too much when I got a deep quarter signal. I was pleased to see that it was a 1947-S quarter. I also found 11 wheat cents today. I think the oldest is a 1918.
I have more silver coins this year than quarters, any quarter. Can barely even find clad quarters in these parts.
Hopefully this got some of the excitement back for you!
I got out to a new corn field today, and in the middle of the field I was excited to see silver come out! Could it be seated, barber? Nope, it was a silver Roosevelt. Guess it's better than a clad dime. Also got a toasted Flying Eagle and a beat up copper. Hoping to be able to ID it.
<< <i>does your gf have any interest in getting a detector for herself? >>
She will often swing my machine while I'm digging a hole. Sometimes she is reluctant to give it back, which mildly annoys me because she doesn't have enough skill to find deep targets. She lost all interest in getting her own machine once I told her that she couldn't hunt right beside me due to the machines interfering with each other.
This coin is in really bad shape; but, I believe the date is 1891.
I would say "dig everything" to someone who is just beginning the hobby.Getting familiar with the various tones junk to treasure makes can only happen this way.After a time,you will have plenty of confidence that you are not bypassing a valuable target.It comes by paying close attention to the sounds your machine makes.
i am working on my gold sounds on etrac now...still dig lots of pull tabs...one should be able to tell the difference in pitch gold to aluminum.the problem here of course is that good gold number 30 (medium size 14K ring) is the same for an aluminum pull tab on etrac.so how do they sound different? if they do it isn't by much.dig enough gold you can pay for the machine..
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
Regarding digging every signal vs trusting the e-trac (or any other detector)...I've been at it for a few years and still can't trust that I will be able to tell the difference between gold or a pull tab, foil, zincoln, etc. If I bypass a low tone, I will always wonder, "what if?"
We've had a lot of rain recently, and nickel signals were really coming through strong. During about six hours of detecting, over the course of both days, I managed to find two dozen nickels. I dug several deep ones from 1947, 1961, 1963, and 1964, but never managed to get a Buffalo.