150 + coins found on a single day and not a single silver - what am I doing wrong?

[OhioTrevor]

I had an epic day at an old scout camp. Literally, I could not go 25 feet without finding a coin and I probably covered less than 5% of the common area (excluding camp sites). The camp was founded in 1946 and I was shocked that after digging more than 150 coins in 5 hrs, I did not have a single silver coin and only one crusty wheat cent. I was hunting with a 6 inch col on my equinox in "cherry picking mode." Could it be I was simply losing depth in that mode? Or was it just bad luck? One thing is for sure, "A scout is thrifty" seems to be a gross exaggeration. I suspect you could pave a road to the moon and back with pennies, nickels, quarters and dimes, with what was lost at this Scout camp over its 74 years of history.

Some of the finds pictured: pocket knife, ballpeen hammer, horseshoes, various neckerchief slides, 4 flashlights, mysterious titanium, stainless steel, or nickel thing (center picture lower right)?

The pocket watch had me very excited, thinking it might be masonic due to the unusual insignia on the front. When I showed it to my 14 year old daughter she immediately identified it as a more modern Harry Potter variety.



For those of you who saw an earlier post on mysterious iron object two feet underground. I did not have a chance to re-investigate further on this trip, but I will eventually.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[smokeythecat]

I don't think its a depth issue either. My next door neighbor's house is at least 126 years old. I pounded the lawn. I found enough wheat cents to actually buy something but only one 1945 merc. It has to be there to begin with. The place has never been dug. My neighbor has lived there 60 years. My house is down the hill from there. Stuff rolls down hill. We found all kinds of stuff but ony 1 silver coin to date. And only 1 wheat cent. All other coins were modern things my daughters lost, or I lost. Now I know where their Hot Wheels cars went!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Armstrong]

When I don't expect one is when I find one. I probably had double that 150 this year before finding one.

 

[MigColG]

I've been detecting for many years, I've found my share. However, I just hunted an old house last Saturday and picked out 93 coins in less than 3 hours. Crazy - sometimes more than one coin under the coil, more than one in the same hole - even my pointer was finding coins as I knelt down. All clad. The surface layer needs to be cleaned out, then the more historically relevant artifacts and coins will turn up. Keep at it.

 

[watercolor]

Most of those neckerchief slides pre-date 1964, which means. . . the SILVER & WHEAT era of time
It's there, no place is ever hunted out. . . detect those areas that are hard to detect; tree-lines, bushes along paths, places not easily detectable.

If you're cherry-picking, many of those trashy areas you pass over could be masking nice targets. Patience is a virtue.

Have fun & happy hunting!

 

[OhioTrevor]

I must say that this is one of the nicest communities to be part of. Thank you everyone for the encouragement and advice. Much appreciated.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

I don't know your machine but it sounds like you were probably in the wrong mode for depth, you might make a post asking about settings and mode to use for more depth, maybe someone can get you dialed in with some other setting that they use.

 

[tnt-hunter]

Keep in mind some of those older spots have been pounded over the years, and the clad was later drops. Then again, kids in the 1940’s and 50’s didn’t have any coin to lose anyways...I’m a child of the late 60’s, we used to rake up a yard for a few hours and get a dime each. We were rich I tell you!

I have to agree with fistfulladirt. When I went to scout camp in 1961 I only had 50 cents with me for the week. I held tight to my money because it was hard to come by. Now kids go to camp with $50 or more and don’t worry if they loose some change. The camp is 74 years old, so somewhere there is some silver, but you just have to get your coil over it. In the camp I am working, the tents are not always in the same spots, so you might have to widen your search to find where the tents used to be set up for the summer. Congratulations on the good hunt, stay safe and keep swingin to find the silver.

 

[tnt-hunter]

Most of those neckerchief slides pre-date 1964, which means. . . the SILVER & WHEAT era of time
It's there, no place is ever hunted out. . . detect those areas that are hard to detect; tree-lines, bushes along paths, places not easily detectable.

If you're cherry-picking, many of those trashy areas you pass over could be masking nice targets. Patience is a virtue.

Have fun & happy hunting!

I disagree with your assessment of the neckerchief slides. The 3 Boy Scout slides and Webelos slide are the style in use today. The Tiger Cub slide is as well and the tigers did not come into being until 1979 and the slide was at least 6 yers after that (not sure of the exact date they started producing the neckerchief and slide for tigers). The original tiger uniform was just a tee shirt with iron on patches, no neckerchief or slide. Stay safe and keep swingin.

 

[Joe-Dirt]

Welcome to the “ I can’t find silver club” Trevor, it’s been about a month for me. I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong, you can’t find it if you don’t swing over it. Try an old city park and hit the overgrown areas with a sniper coil, it’s there. I think my issue is we have been hunting colonial farm fields and those old time Yankees where either dirt poor or very careful. We have a few great new spots coming up along An old colonial road in Worcester county. Folks have been traveling, living and dropping stuff there since the 1600’s So fingers crossed. In my case silver comes in waves, this past winter, spring and summer I was getting something silver almost every time I went out so I think you’re due. Good luck out there brother and dig the scratchy signals!!

 

[OhioTrevor]

1946 BSA Camp - There was silver after all. Thanks for the encouragement.

Reporting back to all my friends on Treasure.net. Guess what folks? I spend a few more hours at the camp and finally found a silver.



45 more clad coins and a pretty cool vintage neckerchief slide were uncovered and a shingle silver quarter 1945 S. I am going to keep at it. At least I know there is silver there. Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[fistfulladirt]

Nice! There has to be more!

 

[Wildcat1750]

Reporting back to all my friends on Treasure.net. Guess what folks? I spend a few more hours at the camp and finally found a silver.

View attachment 1870022

45 more clad coins and a pretty cool vintage neckerchief slide were uncovered and a shingle silver quarter 1945 S. I am going to keep at it. At least I know there is silver there. Thanks for the encouragement.

So glad you finally scored a silver GW Quarter there. Congratulations!

 

[pulltabfelix]

If you want silver go back over the same area and either discrim out all 26 and below or set your tones to only respond loudly to 27 and above. Yeah you might miss a rosie, but you won't be spending time digging pennies. Go slower and lower your recovery speed to 4 to maybe get a little deeper and listen for faint signals. If you have a 15" coil use it. Silver lives deeper than memorials.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Very productive hunt! The silver will come!

 

[Cool Hand Fluke]

I'd be willing to bet that once you cover at least 90% of the area you will have close to a dozen silver coins. Ratio of clad to silver is probably 1 silver to every 100 clads in an area like that. I've hunted several boy scout camps and they tend to have lots of targets. Put the time in there and the silver will come, a camp started in 1947 has to produce.

 

[jacobgosling]

Wow! That's quite a haul. What are the odds that so many Boy Scouts would have holes in their pockets?...lol

Best regards,

JG

 

[OhioTrevor]

Not so sure “a scout is thrifty” anymore.