How deep is too deep??

[Heysenn]

Hey guys! So, we've been digging up clad and wheat pennies for a week now and have a quick question. I have noticed that when we get a "good" hit, I sometimes find myself digging very deep just to end up hitting a pop can / top / tab.

I've also noticed that coins are usually pretty shallow in the earth ...

So, my question is, what's the deepest you've ever dug for a coin?

Thanks!

 

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[SusanMN]

If you'd rather not dig big pieces of iron, you can check the size of the target by raising your detector up,four inches or so. If you still get a signal, it is likely a large target rather than a coin. However in passing up big signals, you might be missing a cool relic or even a cache.

 

[JmCraz8]

Depends if at a park no more then 10" but if I'm in the woods then however deep the target is its coming out lol

 

[Tom_in_CA]

On the beach I've dug coins down to 14" or so, that were just whispers And I have some buddies who've used the Sov/Wot combo that I've personally seen dig coins to nearly 1.5 ft.! And I'm sure if someone wanted to try some of the pulse nugget machines for coins, they could probably approach 2 ft!

I'm sure there's places on land, where coins can be that deep too. There was a particular park scrape in an old part of San Francisco several years ago, that when they'd pulled a foot of soil off, we found coins yet-deeper than that! (meaning they'd been over a foot deep before the scrape).

Just depends on the type soil you're working, as to how deep coins will sink.

 

[Heysenn]

Thanks for the info. I think while we're still learning we are just going to dig and dig until we find whatever it is until we learn the soil around here.

 

[Tucson Dan]

I have dug up clad coins from 2005 that are 6 to 8 inches deep. It truly is in the soil conditions.

 

[scotty544]

I live in an area with pretty dense clay type soils, have found indian heads in 2 to 4 inches deep. Sometimes though in looser soil areas, I have found newer zincons in 6 inches or so. Max that I have found so far is around 7 inches prob. but I just got my V3i about two weeks ago and am confident that I will find deeper coins.

 

[dmaki1988]

its a hidden mystery, i found old wheats and silver dimes literately two inches from the surface and i have dug memorial pennies and newer clad change six inches plus. if you live in the northern part of the country like i do i think frost and certain soil conditions play a big part in coin related depths. just gotta dig them all and hope for a good date lol.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

One of the deepest I have ever recovered was a 10" hit on a 1996 Roosevelt dime. Talk about disappointed.

I'd say 90% of the coins I dig are 6" or less. Coins usually read similar and solid in all four directions, so if you want to limit digging "X" the target.

But then that deep 3¢ silver on edge will elude you. ;-)

 

[PullTabPete]

How deep is too deep? When you look down and see a china man above you.

HH

 

[spartacus53]

I dug so deep, I had to bring a canary to make sure the air was safe to breath

 

[Debbie Alexander]

Just today I got a very good hit reading silver/gold. I dug down and have now hit a big slab of stone, but it is still reading silver/gold. Could this be something? I'm a newbie, so should I dig the slab stone out? It only reads out to a certain spot, when I get to that spot the stone ends, so I have marked it. This very weird, because the lady who lived in the log house here told me of the gold that was buried here...don't know by whom. Rev. war and civil war been here.

 

[Sandman]

Just today I got a very good hit reading silver/gold. I dug down and have now hit a big slab of stone, but it is still reading silver/gold. Could this be something? I'm a newbie, so should I dig the slab stone out? It only reads out to a certain spot, when I get to that spot the stone ends, so I have marked it. This very weird, because the lady who lived in the log house here told me of the gold that was buried here...don't know by whom. Rev. war and civil war been here.

Most likely what you hit was just rebar. But to be sure ya gotta dig it out as ya never know whats under it.

While hunting a park and get a hit, if I can't touch it with the screw driver I leave it. Time spend on your knees digging is time wasted IMHO.

 

[SusanMN]

How big of a slab are we talking about? It could be something underneath but it could also be rebar in the concrete. I'd at least see if I could uncover the whole piece if it seems potentially movable. I'd also use a pinpointer to check the concrete. It couldn't find anything underneath the concrete but it might pick out the rebar.

 

[scotty544]

She said stone. Not concrete.. I would definitely dig it up if they don't mind the big hole.

 

[Heysenn]

Okay. So we have been taking a lot of everyone's advice on here. Someone mentioned that once we pinpoint the target to raise the MD about 4" and if it still beeping, it's probably a pop can. We tried this on about 20 targets or so and every time it was a pop can, so that's a great little trick.

We're getting better. We're digging less and less trash every time we go out ... Instead of carting around a big ol' garbage bag, I'm comfortable tying a shopping bag to our tool bag now, haha.

 

[Heysenn]

Oh yea, even if we know it's a pop can we still dig it out so we can pitch it if we know we will be going back to that location. Do you guys do that too? I feel like getting one of those sticks with the pointy things at the end to clean up the surface trash while we are walking!!

 

[Rawhide]

Sandman is correct. Too much time on your knees and your missing targets. I have to have a good solid signal to even think about digging a plug. Or a wisper of a signal to go deep. I hit a dime at 10" the other day. I had the sensitivity way down, I just dont like getting targets at 18" inches. I dont know if the depth meter is right or not, and Im not going to find out. In dry wash beds, I go down easily a foot or more on small .22 cal bullet casings. I know I can detect the metal eyelets in my shoes at 2' foot, and my truck at 10' feet in all metal mode lol. I wonder how many people have dug after detecting his own shoe? LOL.

 

[labradigger1]

for what its worth, like others said it just depends on soil conditions, freezing, tillage,construction, filling in of the land so forth and so on. most older coins i have dug have not been more than 8 to 10 inches in unimproved soil. i have hunted fields that were soggy and had cattle in them and have dug lincoln cents around 13 to 15 inches deep with a pulse induction detector. only reasoning i can come up with for newer coinage being that deep is cattle are sinking when they step and pushing the coins deeper.