Clad goldmine about to be covered :(

[flgliderpilot]

There is a spot near me, a gigantic open field once belonging to a church / school. They recently sold the land, and there are signs that office buildings are going to be erected very soon.

The thing about this field is that they had an October festival every year for as long as I can remember (40+ years?). Last 20 years or so had the pirate ship ride which went upside down... and promptly emptied everyone's pockets. You could hear the coins falling everywhere when people were on this ride.

I know exactly where the pirate ship was set up every year, and other rides equally as pocket cleansing.

Knowing that it will soon be covered with pavement I decided to try to hit it last evening at sunset since the field has no fence around it. I was greeted by a no trespassing sign stapled to a tree. Field is still nice grass and no fences. Of course the police would not stop me unless the owner of the property called, which they wouldn't since it's a large real estate company. But, the fine should I get caught would be far greater than than the $30 in treasure I could make haha. Obviously I passed.

Sad times.

 

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[Skippy SH13]

Oh heck, give them a call! I know folks occasionally get turned down to metal detect, but I've personally never had a no. I always start with "My son and I, as a hobby to spend time together, metal detect. Would it be ok if we searched for coins on your property? We will not dig plugs, and any trash we find we'll take out!"

About half the time they ask about how we get things out of the ground if we don't dig plugs, then I explain we cut flaps in the grass, to leave the roots intact, and we simply lay the flap backward. When we're through, we put the flap back and tamp it down. Most of the time, I explain, we don't even have to dig, as coins are within an inch or two of the surface and we can simply pop them free.

I LOVE coin spill areas... and you're right, you'll get $30 in a couple of hours.

SKippy

 

[flgliderpilot]

Hmmm ok I'll give it a shot! Worse they can do is say no.

 

[cudamark]

Just because there was a carnival there every year and coins were spilling to the ground doesn't mean those coins are still there. I've hunted many such sites and in the last 20 years or so, most of the carnie road crew own detectors themselves. They hit the area as they're breaking down the rides and booths. It's worth trying though......I guess. Maybe I've been detecting too long, as clad just doesn't do it for me! RIP clad...

 

[releventchair]

Well worth seeking permission. Heck you are not going to destroy it, just salvage some dropped coins..
Maybe assure your contact you will(and then do) stay clear of equipment and activities once they get underway.Write down that contact in case of questions later.
However, when a layer of earth gets moved/removed you want to hit it when the days work stops. Dirt piles too.
On a long used site the amount of soil removed is that much depth you gain with your detector.
Nabbed an old silver from a long hunted park when about a foot depth of soil was removed for a sidewalk install. It was about an inch deep in the bed. l.o.l..
Good luck acquiring permission and even if on the phone,smile.

 

[ivan salis]

always ask --you can only improve your chances --if you never ask ...the answers always no....

 

[flgliderpilot]

I've called a few times, and get voice mail. No return calls to my messages. cudamark is probably right... I know they lay down a huge tarp around the ride to catch that change. There may not be as much there as I imagine. Surely after years and many many events, the carnies have learned how to collect all that change.

 

[Loco-Digger]

A place like that will have many coins. Anywhere people are putting their hand in and out of their pockets, there are normally many coins. I pulled at least $50 in clad from a fairgrounds in about 20 hours. Many came from the midway area where the rides are normally set up. I'd keep working on the permission.

 

[kingskid1611]

When a coin falls to the ground it can sometimes roll and get lost. I know I have dropped change and looked and looked for it but never found it. It rolled away to be lost forever. I would bet there is not only clad but Silver out there. When they broke down the rides they covered up a lot of stuff.

 

[flgliderpilot]

Well, I tried for a week to get a response from someone and it's always a google voicemail. I've seen lots of activity on this lot, people walking dogs, cutting grass, etc, so tonight the curiosity got the better of me, and when it got dark I went for a "jog" across the field with my detector. Heading right for where I knew the biggest ride was, I quickly dug up 50 cents .. I had no lights so I was using my pro pointer with light taped over, and feeling for targets. .. a quarter, some dimes, and pennies.

I did a quick scan of the area and it was littered with iron hits but also coin hits ... every 6 inches was a solid iron or foil hit. It made it difficult for my Ace 350 to find the coins in the trash. I dug a few tin cans and I found a few more interesting hits and stuck my knife in the ground... the ground felt hollow and strange... then the bites hit. I was digging an ant hill! I must have dug about 5 ant hills in a row and then decided I'd had enough. I was only using moon light and no flashlight as not to draw attention... but honestly nobody was going to care.. it's a huge development company and an open field.

So the coins are there, but they are sitting in trash. Satisfied that I at least gave it a shot. It will be a parking lot in a few months.

All the coins were recent clad.

 

[D.C.]

I've called a few times, and get voice mail. No return calls to my messages. cudamark is probably right... I know they lay down a huge tarp around the ride to catch that change. There may not be as much there as I imagine. Surely after years and many many events, the carnies have learned how to collect all that change.

If the rides were set up on the grass instead of pavement , chances are their are still a lot in the ground. They only get what they (carnies) can see, never seen one with a metal detector(they spend every dime on cigs booze or dope). Usually see an old local hitting the setup site or parking area after.

 

[flgliderpilot]

If the rides were set up on the grass instead of pavement , chances are their are still a lot in the ground. They only get what they (carnies) can see, never seen one with a metal detector(they spend every dime on cigs booze or dope). Usually see an old local hitting the setup site or parking area after.

Yeah I found massive piles of bottle caps buried behind the ride areas. Fortunately they are easy to avoid with the 350 once I discovered what the first pile was.

 

[D.C.]

Yeah I found massive piles of bottle caps buried behind the ride areas. Fortunately they are easy to avoid with the 350 once I discovered what the first pile was.

That was probably where they were camped. I moved equipment for several shows in the past and can tell you where you will find the most---a ride called the zipper really flings money everywhere-and where they had a spashdown joint and where food windows were. But the parking lot was also a good spot. I used to live in tampa as well --easy diggin there.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Hopefully you can talk to the crew that is going to scrape and bulldoze the area and get back in there when a layer of top oil is removed maybe exposing older silver coins.

 

[flgliderpilot]

Hopefully you can talk to the crew that is going to scrape and bulldoze the area and get back in there when a layer of top oil is removed maybe exposing older silver coins.

great idea!

 

[Bum Luck]

Here's an all day wild past event that would have been fantastic to detect. Even the parking lot, scene of all night partying beyond description.

1975 FLORIDA JAM - FLORIDA STATE FAIRGROUNGS - TAMPA FLORIDA