Have You Ever Damaged a Find? Share Your Experience Here

[coinman123]

I'm pretty sure that most of you have hit a nice coin of such with a shovel or such, if so post it here. There are a couple of ways to damage your find, do something to it in the ground, like hit a coin with a shovel or break an old bottle with a shovel. Then you can mess up after digging, clean horribly and toast at potentially nice coin, break a find after find it too.

Here is my story. I dug up a nice ornate complete colonial knee buckle, my first colonial buckle ever. I was very happy, when I got to my car I tried to loosen up some corrosion on the iron bar, when I try to remove the corrosion I make the iron part break off! If that is not bad. I try to put it back in where it went and the end up breaking the frame in half!!! I felt horrible after that, my first colonial buckle and it is ruined!! I would not make that mistake now, but trust me, I learned never "clean" your finds until you are at home, it may take a little longer but it is worth it!

In this group photo of buckles, that little buckle in the top right, with the iron thing floating in the middle is the buckle I talked about, it is broken in half in this photo but I put the two halves touching together in this photo. The iron thing in the iron bar I tried to loosen the corrosion on and ruined everything.


Another find I damaged is an 1838 Large cent, I hit it with a shovel. I was showing my coin dealer my finds, he asks me to show him any cool coins I find metal detecting. He told me to be more careful with the shovel next time!!

You can not see it here in this photo, It is in this photo before cleaning (I will have to take new photos of it after cleaning now)


One more, I found a rare 1861 New Brunswick Half Cent, It was in horrible condition. No design was IDable on one side, barely any on the other. It felt like it was going to crumble in my hand at any time it was so brittle. My detecting partner was looking at it and attempted to clean it with a Q-Tip, the corner of the coin broke off right in his hand!!! (I am very carefully watching him whenever he looks at any coins I found now) Very small piece, probably 1/20 of the coin, I decided just to carefully glue it together just so I could see it better in it's case, luckly the glue dried clear and I will never sell it (if I did that would be a BIG problem)

Now you probably are thinking you can never trust me with any relics lol, hopefully I will not break any priceless artifact next year.

Written Guiltily, Coinman123,

 

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[JimK]

OK I will chime in. I was coin hunting an old farm house one day and got a good signal. I used a brass probe back then to locate the coins. The ground was hard but I never did find the target with the probe. So I dug a plug. Out popped a nice aluminum Red Goose Shoes token with a hole dead center the exact size of my probe. I learned to be a bit more cautious and to not let my probe get to pointed.

JimK

 

[pepperj]

I just didn't like her chest, so I smeared it over.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

Yup. I've tumbled a Flying Eagle Cent. On purpose too! I also got a bit outta hand recently cleaning with peroxide.
My first intact harmonica reed was snapped in half by improper extraction.
But, I haven't "dinged" anything of consequence, thankfully. Gimme time though...
Peace ✌

 

[Msbeepbeep]

I was hunting a sidewalk tear out and got a real high tone. The city burned their garbage back then and used the furnace clean out derbies for fill so there was a ton of trash metal and constant chatter from the detector, never did I think I had a good target, so I was probing away and scratched my one and only Barber dime!

 

[Silver Searcher]

Actually dropped a very nice Silver artefact of a Medieval saint on the floor whilst cleaning it Broke of one off his feet and the suspension loop.

SS

 

[Limitool]

There I was one hot summer day here in Tennessee. I was out back on this old wagon trail behind my home. I had already dug many wonderful iron signals. I'd dug chain links, bolts, washers and things to be determined. Then I got another... another good iron signal!!!! I carefully started to dig... after 5 minutes of chipping and then removing the "loose stuff" I got more aggressive (as usual). Hell I had to dig at least 2-3 inches (BIG DEAL HERE!). I broke out the claw hammer, 12" construction bar and Phillips screwdriver. After another 2-3 minutes I discovered I had hit, punched, scarred and dented another perfect iron horseshoe. In fact it was broke in two...

I felt GREAT!!!!! This process has been repeated at least 20 times and I still refuse to learn. When I see the "Golden One" I'll take a minute or two longer!!!!

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

This was the result of being frustrated in a yard where I had just dug up 2 large pieces of copper that read like a half dollar, and a hose spigot...which also read like a half dollar.

Im still surpised that I even went for this target....as you can see I had about 0% faith in it, so i was just plucking away trying to move out the "Junk"

 

[Jason in Enid]

I can't even count that high after 30+ years! My most memorable one was a couple years ago; First ever silver dollar. Of course my detector was telling me it was a dollar, but I figured that it was just another giant piece of. So after I was already about 8 inches down and still hadn't dug it, I rammed the digger down and pried up (it was rock hard dirt, you had to break it apart like that) and I felt that metallic *tink* as I popped it. Fortunately I only hit the very side of it and didn't slide it across the face. It still looks really nice.

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

I can't even count that after 30+ years! My most memorable one was a couple years ago; First ever silver dollar. Of course my detector was telling me it was a dollar, but I figured that it was just another giant piece of. So after I was already about 8 inches down and still hadn't dug it, I rammed the digger down and pried up (it was rock hard dirt, you had to break it apart like that) and I felt that metallic *tink* as I popped it. Fortunately I only hit the very side of it and didn't slide it across the face. It still looks really nice.

haha...We posted at the same time..with pretty much the same thoughts on our digs

 

[coinman123]

There I was one hot summer day here in Tennessee. I was out back on this old wagon trail behind my home. I had already dug many wonderful iron signals. I'd dug chain links, bolts, washers and things to be determined. Then I got another... another good iron signal!!!! I carefully started to dig... after 5 minutes of chipping and then removing the "loose stuff" I got more aggressive (as usual). Hell I had to dig at least 2-3 inches (BIG DEAL HERE!). I broke out the claw hammer, 12" construction bar and Phillips screwdriver. After another 2-3 minutes I discovered I had hit, punched, scarred and dented another perfect iron horseshoe. In fact it was broke in two...

I felt GREAT!!!!! This process has been repeated at least 20 times and I still refuse to learn. When I see the "Golden One" I'll take a minute or two longer!!!!

It is only a matter of time before that happens to me. I will dig very violently when there is hard parked ground or such, trying to make it easier to dig In that enviroment. this year I will try to avoid the need to make it "easier" by digging like that.

Coinman123,

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

When I first started detecting I used to use a "modified" screwdriver to "pop" coins out of the ground. I got a great signal on my Tesoro, stuck my digger down, and stabbed the middle of my first Walker half. Gouged a huge gouge in it...boy was I bummed. Now I dig plugs and try to be much more careful...also my pinpointing skills have markedly improved.

 

[bigscoop]

A gold cross, laced with 16 diamonds, hunting in a hurry, bent it clean in half with my scoop. Repaired it the best I could. It's in my avatar as a constant reminder.

 

[coinman123]

I got another, I broke a 1930's Lapel pin I found inside of a jar from the 1930's, along with some thumb tacks, a small tiny lace buckle, and some other stuff from that time. The "seal" thingy fell snapped off the pin when I was messing with it. I still put it in my box of interesting things, broken or not it is still a cool relic.

I will post a photo of the broken coin when I get a chance.

Coinman123,

 

[Slingshot]

I've torn up plenty of stuff extracting it from the ground. Always disgusted when I slash a nice coin with my digging implement. Just goes with the territory and something you just have to learn to live with. Fatigue, extremes in temperature causing frozen hands or sweat pouring in your eyes, rain pouring down on you, mosquitoes chewing you up, all are factors that can contribute to damaging something nice while you're trying to get it out of the ground. I'm sure I'll tear up some more nice items in the future, just all part of the fun of treasure hunting. Cheers!!

 

[Ahab8]

I got a killer signal and dug a 1782-2 Reales from the edge of a river. It was in these super packed in river rocks that was like trying to get I to cement. Got another great signal beside it and was trying to be as careful as possible. This 1739 real must have been wedged between two stones and when one moved it snapped the real in half. Thank god I dug the 2 Reales with it to take some of the sting away from damaging the other.

 

[Limitool]

It is only a matter of time before that happens to me. I will dig very violently when there is hard parked ground or such, trying to make it easier to dig In that enviroment. this year I will try to avoid the need to make it "easier" by digging like that.

Coinman123,

Well around here there's no such thing as "digging" at all. You chip away at the hard soil, rocks and boulders. Then you remove the "loose" stuff and repeat. When I lived in MI. I could bury you in 10 minutes. Around here it's a weeks job by hand.