Feb 2, 2016: 6 more silvers including a MONSTER ring

pcgs69

Got back today to the Silver Beach. Was really hoping a piece of gold would come out so went to town digging every signal. Unfortunately no gold showed, but did get a few keepers.



Ended with:



4 buffalo nickels - 38-D, 26, dateless, dateless

2 Wartime nickels - 43P, 44P

2 Mercs - 37, 43

1 Sterling religious charm

1 MONSTER sterling band weighing in at a whopping 0.5 grams. Looks to be 1950s era. It was quite a few inches down, and the band is broken. Really surprised the TDI SL didn't have any problems detecting it.



As you can see the finds are getting smaller in quantity and in size. It's frustrating at times with this machine digging down at quite a depth to find a brass screw. But that's the challenge with using a PI machine.



Got some older "new" coins as well. Got 4 Jefferson nickels - 1 mangled dateless, 1939, 1941, 1947.

Any idea what that thing is above the last buffalo?

Will have to see when the next hunt will come, but it feels good to get on the board for 2016.

Bayard1908

I'm surprised you were able to get out. It's too cold to hunt where I live, except for a fleeting opportunity every week or ten days.

ricko

Some nice silver and Buffs there... no idea what the 'charm' is... Cheers, RickO

WhiteTornado

Nice finds. The blizzard from a couple of weeks back left 2 feet of snow. It's been slowly melting and we are just now seeing patches of grass again here and there. I've been to busy with work to even try.



I wonder if that small pin/charm is upside down? When I turn your pic upside down, it sorta look like a golf bag with clubs, maybe a lapel pin for a golfer?

pcgs69

The area had some great weather the past couple of days. It was in the 40s and even 50s where I was, and most of the snow is gone in the entire area.



It's possible that thing is upside down. It does sort of look like a set of golf clubs. Not sure how it was affixed though because the back is entirely flat and no signs of breaking off anything. Unless that circle in between the four "clubs" was where a bail was at one time to connect to a necklace?

WhiteTornado

Unless that circle in between the four "clubs" was where a bail was at one time to connect to a necklace?

That would make sense, could have been from a ladies' necklace. Any country clubs in the area?

mariner67

The charm or whatever does not look like a typical golf bag.....strap like part seems way out of proportion to be a golf bag. JMHO.

Nice finds as always. Thanks for sharing.

WhiteTornado

Originally posted by: mariner67
The charm or whatever does not look like a typical golf bag.....strap like part seems way out of proportion to be a golf bag. JMHO.
Nice finds as always. Thanks for sharing.

My other thought is maybe a vase with flowers in it. Always fun when you find a mystery item like that

johnny9434

nice haul

Zot

Dang, you're at it already! I'll still be frozen out for a month and a half at least.

Congrats on the silver. Whatever its size or shape, it still counts
The 1938 buffalo looks to be in very nice shape for a beach find.

As for the "fewer and smaller finds", I can relate.
I'd say that haul is still plentiful though, and the odds of a target being gold are probably better than ever as you've cleaned up most of the shallow stuff.

The mystery item looks like it's upside down and is a pendant with a golf bag and clubs. There would have been a loop through the small round hole and a chain through that.

pcgs69

That's what I'm hoping! Seems like a lot of lower tones left, so hoping there's a piece of gold still there. A lot of the targets are smaller, like brass screws, bathing suit buckles of some sort, and some other misc, items. I can guarantee there's gold out in the water, but trying to wade out there in low tide, you will sink into the mud, plus if these pieces are any deeper than a few inches and it would be a nightmare to dig. starting to check for negative tides to try getting a couple extra feet.



That pendant does most resemble a set of golf clubs. Reason I put it upside down was when I first found it, it reminded me of some funky 1960s/1970s Jetsons cartoon-like human figure with a missing head, and apparently 4 legs. Just didn't shake that thought when posted.

Zot

Digging can be a pain indeed. I've had some success trying to look for spots where the bottom is firmer, or where there's a clay layer at some point. if it's just sand/mud, gold seems to sink out of reach pretty quick.

Using a big heavy duty scoop can help too. This is one I use. It's about 4.5 feet long, and the bucket is almost a foot deep.
Small stuff like screws will slip through the holes, which is frustrating. I can dig with it up to neck deep water, and usually just need one scoop (maybe two or three at the most).
It's also quite sharp and you can put your whole weight on it to ram it into the bottom (and then bend hard) without breaking it.

pcgs69

That looks like a pretty serious scoop. My water scoop has a rounded front so it might be less effective than yours.



At this place, certain spots definitely have a clay bottom, but it's about a foot to foot and a half down. I found a US large cent 1845 (?) right at the clay layer last year. But it seems like the muddy areas, this clay layer may be deeper (not sure if I ever hit it in the super muddy areas). Would love to take heavy machinery and take 6-8 inches of top soil off at this beach.



Between the shells, mud, depth, it's frustrating. Might be worth bringing the scoop next time to test it out though. If I could get another 5 to 10 feet of dirt under the coil, it would no doubt open up some more finds.



How do you like the Surf PI Pro?

Zot

Originally posted by: pcgs69
How do you like the Surf PI Pro?

I like it. It's light, very simple, and gets pretty good depth.
I probably have more hours on it than on any other machine, which helps in squeezing performance out of it.

After a decade of use it's gradually starting to fall apart though; the headphones have required some MacGyvering, the joint in the shaft is so worn that it's wobbling a bit, etc.

It's been great value for money though (only my two White's machines, the MXT and this one, have paid for themselves through the value of their finds), and I think it still has a couple of gold rings left in it