Home site keeps giving up big copper

[TrpnBils]

I've been working this early 1800s site since early February and although I struck out there last weekend I did alright today for a short hunt. So far I've retrieved four large cents and a half cent from around the area I believe the front door of the house was. I've also come across three indian heads there, an eagle button, and around 20 flat buttons so far. It's definitely getting more difficult to make finds but there is so much iron there that I know I can find more coins and relics as I clean the site up a little. So far the deepest coin I've found (dating back to 1799) has been less than about 4" deep...there's got to be deep stuff there somewhere, but the iron is masking it I think. I've also not found any silver there, which I have to believe there's got to be at least one or two pieces of lying around somewhere.

Today's take included three buttons (not pictured), an 1890 IHP, and a fairly worn 1820 LC. Also pictured here is a totally smooth LC of unknown variety I pulled there about 3 weeks ago (sitting on top of the ground...I believe somebody else found it and either didn't know what it was or didn't want it because there is no detail left). I have had it in mineral oil for 3 weeks but it's so smooth I can't even tell which is the front and which is the back so I'm giving up on it.

 

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[Vino]

Nice finds,
If it is iron infested, are you running 2tone fer.?
That should help out some, i know the etrac is ruff in the iron. .George

 

[collector01]

Congrats on the large cent! HH

 

[TrpnBils]

Nice finds,
If it is iron infested, are you running 2tone fer.?
That should help out some, i know the etrac is ruff in the iron. .George

Yep - unless it's a super-clean yard or something I generally keep it in TTF most of the time. I find that in multi-conductive I tend to start ignoring all of the non-obvious tones in the area between nickels and silver. This site is so old and so free of modern trash (at least cans, pulltabs, foil, etc) that I dig all the high tones in TTF and it usually ends up at least being something interesting if it isn't a coin. Plenty of spoon pieces, horse tack, buckles, buttons, etc.

I've done a lot of learning at that site in terms of making myself move about as slow as I can short of moving too slow for the detector to respond, learning how to ID iffy signals, working with bare minimum sensitivity to try to get rid of some of the iron signals, and today I did some experimenting with ground balancing right on top of the ground over iron. I wasn't sure whether that would help to filter out any of the little iron, and I'm still not sure it did, but it found me this stuff in the same locations I hunted last week and got skunked.

 

[park pirate]

Awesome..

 

[Dug]

Sweet finds.

If everything is in a tight area, try trenching through it to disrupt the iron layer. I have been watching a guy on another forum do that with very good results. Bear in mind that he is working in sandy soil versus clay and rock.

 

[TrpnBils]

Sweet finds.

If everything is in a tight area, try trenching through it to disrupt the iron layer. I have been watching a guy on another forum do that with very good results. Bear in mind that he is working in sandy soil versus clay and rock.

Thanks - it's mostly in a small area. The entire site is a field now, but I've identified areas that I believe were the barn, the driveway, and I'm sure I know where the house was based on the amount of nails and other iron. Still trying to figure out where the outhouse might have been, and where they went for water. There's a stream that runs along one edge of the property, but I'm assuming there may have been one area they went to for water and I can't seem to narrow that down. Most of the coin finds have come from an area that's about 10x15', so that might be an option. Can you PM me and point me toward the other posts you're talking about? I'd be curious to see how it works...

 

[vpnavy]

Nice finds! Thanks for sharing...

 

[Trezurehunter]

Nice Large Cents.

 

[deershed]

Sweet site!!

Congrats on on all your coppers and flat buttons!! The boy and I found a property like yours, we killed it there on coppers and flat buttons too. Makes for some Awesome hunts.
All our finds at our site came from a small area on the property too. We our finding some newer coins away from that "hot zone".
In the small "hot zone" we found 60 flat buttons, 8 large cents, one Classic half cent, and a capped liberty half cent. In the bunch were 3 KG's. Also found a silver Reale.
Away from the "hot zone we found a 64 IH, a 1910 barber, 4 buffalo's and some wheats.
Finds are slowing down right now until we find another hot area here. The area we'd like to hit is like a sponge with all the snow melt and rain, we'll be making plenty more trips back though.
Hit that small area of yours over and over, we hit ours from every possible direction and multiple times.
Good Luck on future hunts at your spot.

 

[TrpnBils]

How large of a coil are you using? Mine was totally unable to be hunted with the Etrac's stock coil but this 6" coil is doing well for me. Also - interesting that you mentioned the '64 IHP. Of my three indians at this site, one was a '64 pointed bust "L" variety in fantastic shape! I'm having that one authenticated and graded next month just for my own information. I'm not selling it, but it's a key (or at least semi-key) date so I figure I might as well.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello TrpnBils,

When I encounter a iron infested old homestead site I usually drop all discrimination (sometimes a bit of disc. to reduce the nails) and run in all metal mode on my Explorer SE. Of course, using this method the machine is constantly providing a lot of information to the headphones. I move the coil very slow and listen for the better tones. If the signal noise gets to be too much, I add a bit of discrimination to make it more bearable. This method works, but may drive you crazy with all of the input.

Regards,

Professor

 

[TrpnBils]

Hello TrpnBils,

When I encounter a iron infested old homestead site I usually drop all discrimination (sometimes a bit of disc. to reduce the nails) and run in all metal mode on my Explorer SE. Of course, using this method the machine is constantly providing a lot of information to the headphones. I move the coil very slow and listen for the better tones. If the signal noise gets to be too much, I add a bit of discrimination to make it more bearable. This method works, but may drive you crazy with all of the input.

Regards,

Professor

Sounds like I'm doing it right then as that's pretty much the approach I'm taking. My only discrimination on the etrac is the 34-35 lines in that mode

 

[Dug]

Thanks - Can you PM me and point me toward the other posts you're talking about? I'd be curious to see how it works...

Sure, but the digger only states he trenches but has not given any recipe regarding width, depth, or length. Something one man does not asking another particularly the last. He merely shows finds that he passed over when detecting due to iron. I'm guessing he goes down about 18" by 12" wide and scans the turned soil.

Outhouse: I'm told that most folks always chose to put it downwind (summer winds) from their house for common sense reasons. I believe the average distance from the house was about 30 yards. Figure out the prevailing summer winds for that location and go there first. Since the field has been worked you lost any telltale depressions that you could have looked for so you will probably be doing more probing, but the rewards can be worth it.

 

[Scrappy]

Any big copper is a good day, even the worn ones...

Nice saves and keep 'em coming!

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Sometimes those coppers come out smooth.... you cant get all good ones like your '99.

Keep pounding it, more will come out!

 

[deershed]

How large of a coil are you using? Mine was totally unable to be hunted with the Etrac's stock coil but this 6" coil is doing well for me. Also - interesting that you mentioned the '64 IHP. Of my three indians at this site, one was a '64 pointed bust "L" variety in fantastic shape! I'm having that one authenticated and graded next month just for my own information. I'm not selling it, but it's a key (or at least semi-key) date so I figure I might as well.

The boy and I just upgraded to the AT Pro, we were using the stock coil 8X11. We're still experimenting with different settings. Most the flat buttons and coppers were found with the Whites Coin Master Pro and the Lone Star Bounty Hunter.
We thought after we upgraded we'd go back there and find a pile more, not the case. Apparently the Whites and Bounty Hunter already found most.
The area is right now is soaking wet with snow melt and rain. We leave 4" deep impressions in the ground while walking so we've been staying away for now. Our last hunts though we weren't finding much?