Just Getting into Metal Detecting...

UMCane · November 1, 2015 2:57AM

I retired to take on a new career as a "Professional Grandpa" and that is going quite well...

However the wife wants out of the house more so what better way to complement coin collecting with metal detecting! Budget allowed so I picked up a Garrett AT Pro kit on a really good deal from metaldectector.com.

Well, just when I order the toys, I had to go in for a partial implant of my big toe that has me laid up for 6-8 weeks in a boot. *&$^%#$^%*.

AUandAG · November 2, 2015 4:06AM

I have no idea what a partial implant on a big toe is, but it does not sound fun. Heal quickly my friend. Remember that detecting is all about moving slowly so maybe could could get out with a boot on?

bob

pcgs69 · November 2, 2015 9:53AM

I'm with AUandAG, hope you get out soon! Not familiar with a partial implant on a toe, but it doesn't sound fun at all.

Dockwalliper · November 2, 2015 2:09PM

Looking forward to you posting your finds here.

UMCane · November 3, 2015 6:29AM

Thanks for the "get well" wishes. I'm going to start my field tests at my son's house which was built in 1935. It's a big lot by St. Petersburg standards and should yield some interesting finds.

Also, I'm fortunate enough to live by a mid 19th century railroad line than runs up the west coast of Florida. It ferried passengers as well as freight from the north starting in the 1850's. It's since been turned into a 30 mile long bike trail. There are scores of sidings that have been torn up or abandoned. You can tell by length and "angle" of the backside of the building that there once loading docks there.

I should be able to start in a couple of weeks. In the meantime the Library is my best friend for old maps.

As for the toe, Over the years ,all my cartilage broke down and I developed a spur that I swear-to-god looked like a talon on top. The boot is great for kicking butt.

lordmarcovan · November 3, 2015 6:01PM

I did some sidewalk shooting in St. Pete once, in my mother's neighborhood near Tampa Bay. It's an older neighborhood with a few ca. 1910-ish houses. I wasn't at it long enough to find any old coins, but I did dig a neat antique brass hose nozzle and an old Sterling pin (brooch) with three dog heads on it. The dog's faces looked like bulldogs. My sister had Boston terriers, which are kind of bulldoggy-looking, so I sent her the pin. It cleaned up really nice and the clasp still worked fine, even though the thing was probably more than fifty years old.

I was only out there an hour or two during one of my visits. Mom has since moved to Bradenton.

Good luck! Watch out for sandspurs, hidden cacti in the grass, fire ants, and dog turds, and take it easy on that toe!

Spend your recovery time reading up and watching detecting videos and stuff. That should get you all fired up.

Then disappointment might set in when your initial finds don't match your dreams, but hey- just roll with it and keep on truckin'- that's natural. It's a game for the patient and persistent.

PS- if memory serves, Mom's house was at 155 18th Avenue SE, in the Old Southeast neighborhood. My stepfather built that house with his own hands. It's a lovely place in a nice old neighborhood. Just a few blocks from the bay, as I mentioned. Though I didn't find any silver or other old coins in my short stroll down a couple of blocks, I know they were there.

PPS- these Yankee folk probably don't know what sandspurs are. Lucky them.

Zot · November 3, 2015 9:28PM

Sounds like your area has great potential for good finds!

Old maps are indeed key. The more precise you can be with researching the history and pinpointing locations, the better your chances will be.

When digging near the old railroad you'll probably find plenty of junk as well. You might be surprised how much metal is in the ground. Patience pays though, and that one good find will make it all worthwhile

ricko · November 3, 2015 11:25PM

Welcome to the hobby... or, as some call it, the grand obsession. Sorry to hear about your

toe.... hope it heals quickly... and since metal detecting is slow and deliberate, you should be able

to get out soon. In old areas such as yours, research is a fantastic tool... could lead you to

some great finds. As Zot said though, patience is key... the great ones do not happen every day.

Keep us posted...Cheers, RickO

Zot · November 4, 2015 1:33AM

One thing you might consider is starting "dug sets" of coins. These can be whatever you want, e.g. a type set, or date sets of frequently found coins (Lincoln cents, various types of dimes, etc...).

In the beginning, you fill a hole with almost every find

Over time, it becomes more challenging... A complete set of almost anything is a nice accomplishment, even when you take some liberties in defining what's "complete" (e.g. exclude a key date, or limit it to a certain date range (a'la 'postwar') .

This way, finding a common coin remains exciting indefinitely, as it might fill a hole in your set(s). Even if it doesn't, it might be a condition upgrade over a previous example you've dug

I've found the "upgrading" part to be surprisingly satisfying, although I still have plenty of work to do on that topic myself.. I'm almost afraid to handle some of the coins in my "collection" as they look like they might bite!

lordmarcovan · November 4, 2015 5:07AM

I've done the "dug sets" thing, and it's fun. I filled most of an old Wheat cent album with coins from the ground. No key dates, but I've found three or four 1909 VDB cents and a 1911-D. A friend dug an '11-S right next to me once, while I was digging a cool old 1890s hotel key fob.

After digging more than a roll's worth of Mercury dimes, I've made some headway towards that set, too. No 1916-D or 1921 dimes, but I've dug some of the other semi-key dates and a few early ones in really nice grade, too.

But even a common Wheat cent can bring a smile if it's a date you've never dug before.

UMCane · November 4, 2015 8:00AM

Thank you ladies & gentlemen. The "Dug" collection sounds like a neat idea.

LordMarcoven...my house is in north county circa 1989 built over an orange grove. Nothing to see here but buried trash. My son's place is just west & north of your families place on 22nd Ave. north, near Crescent Park. The homes 1920s-30s are timeless as a lot of owners are more in the "avant guarde", anti-Homeowners Association group and they take pride not in updating, but in restoration. The houses are very small by today's standards, but back then no one had a 60 inch TV in the media room.

The east coast is the "hot spot" as the amount of gold washing up on shore from shipwrecks is noteworthy. Florida has laws about retrieving below low & high tide. I'm going to work the "Old Florida" west coast towns that were popular with the wealthy traveling from Chicago & New York to winter here.

Good luck hunting all.

Bigpoppas · November 5, 2015 3:36AM

Originally posted by: lordmarcovan
I did some sidewalk shooting in St. Pete once, in my mother's neighborhood near Tampa Bay. It's an older neighborhood with a few ca. 1910-ish houses. I wasn't at it long enough to find any old coins, but I did dig a neat antique brass hose nozzle and an old Sterling pin (brooch) with three dog heads on it. The dog's faces looked like bulldogs. My sister had Boston terriers, which are kind of bulldoggy-looking, so I sent her the pin. It cleaned up really nice and the clasp still worked fine, even though the thing was probably more than fifty years old.

I was only out there an hour or two during one of my visits. Mom has since moved to Bradenton.

Good luck! Watch out for sandspurs, hidden cacti in the grass, fire ants, and dog turds, and take it easy on that toe!

Spend your recovery time reading up and watching detecting videos and stuff. That should get you all fired up.

Then disappointment might set in when your initial finds don't match your dreams, but hey- just roll with it and keep on truckin'- that's natural. It's a game for the patient and persistent.

PS- if memory serves, Mom's house was at 155 18th Avenue SE, in the Old Southeast neighborhood. My stepfather built that house with his own hands. It's a lovely place in a nice old neighborhood. Just a few blocks from the bay, as I mentioned. Though I didn't find any silver or other old coins in my short stroll down a couple of blocks, I know they were there.

PPS- these Yankee folk probably don't know what sandspurs are. Lucky them.

Yankee folk .. Lol !! You are a funny guy Lord M

If you live by the beach (even in the Northeast) and there is brush then you have run into Sandspurs .. I didn't even know they were called that until reading this thread ...

I also found out first hand what Chiggers were a few weeks back

I'll take ticks and Sandspurs over those critters .. Yikes that was bad !!

Good luck with your new detector

lordmarcovan · November 5, 2015 5:57AM

Bigpoppas- y'all have sandspurs up there, too? Bummer! Here I thought it was a Southern thing. But I guess just the name is.

You're totally right about chiggers! (Some also call 'em red bugs around here. Whatever you call 'em, they're evil.)

UMCane · November 18, 2015 6:56AM

I just had to violate Doctors orders and take my Garrett AT-Pro for it's baptism. 2 hours was my limit. I'm stuck on the idea of the old Seacoast railroad now turned into a walking biking trail. So I hobbled around in my boot about 500 feet in each direction and after a few aluminium artifacts, I hit coin #1... A 1970-D Lincoln with very little wear. Denver mint coins are not too common here in Florida. First coin in my "Dug" album.

On now in January to some serious detecting.

UMCane · December 5, 2015 7:28AM

Second time out hunting...hit my first silver

a 1940 Merc. F-VF

I think I'm on to something with old railroad lines. Many have been converted to bicycle and running trails nation wide. Those embankments could hold a lot of history.

pcgs69 · December 5, 2015 1:41PM

Congrats on your first! You'll always remember your first silver. The first one my dad and I found was a 1948 Roosevelt. Keep is posted on your next finds. With winter almost here in the north east we need others to chime in!

Just Getting into Metal Detecting...

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