Sapper724
Sr. Member
- May 28, 2013
- 425
- 184
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett AT PRO (Current)
Minelab Etrac (Current)
Garrett Pro Pointer
Sampson 31" Digger
Fisher F2 (RIP)
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
Hi Everyone! I haven't been on in a while, but I am finally getting this Etrac figured out. After things started clicking, I really have fallen in love with this machine. I am running it with a Sunray X-1 Probe and I can't imagine life without it now. These finds were earlier this year, but I don't think I posted them, so I am finally getting around to it now.
Earlier this year, my family and I decided to take a trip down south to Missouri. There was still some snow on the ground here at home, so I was very eager to get to hunting down there. I hit a few parks, and scored a few wheat pennies, but no silver. We tried at a friend's great grandparent's farmstead which is now a cow pasture, but it was so trashy I literally couldn't separate finds even with my AT Pro and the 5x8 coil. It was getting frustrating. Had I really just traveled 800 and some miles for a couple wheat pennies? It was beginning to look like it.
Later on, after we got back to the room, my wife and I did some researching, looking for old roads, trails, etc. We finally spotted something out of the ordinary, a nice little clearing where a road must have once gone but didn't anymore. I got to swinging, finding the occasional clad and nails as usual, then I got a solid silver signal. It was only about 4-5 inches down. I got to digging my plug, and sure enough, there was the edge of a quarter. There were people around, and I felt like I was being watched, so I didn't think much of it, and put the coin in my pouch. I only got a glimpse of part of the coin, the rest was still covered in dirt, but it looked in such good condition that I knew it had to be a Washington, so I slowly started scanning over the same small area. Then I got another nice hit, about the same depth, about a foot away from my last plug. I dug it, and at first I thought I had either a metal slug, a newer but corroded half dollar, or a token. I had to know, so instead of tossing it in the pouch, I looked a bit closer. My jaw almost hit the ground. I had finally done it, I found a Large Cent! I never thought I'd ever find one of those! Then it clicked in my head, if this was a Large Cent, what the heck had I just dug before? I opened my pouch, took out the dirt covered quarter, and looked closer, very carefully removing just a tiny bit of dirt. Then I could make out part of the front. It was a Seated! My year long goal was to find a Seated Liberty coin, and I had just done that and found a Large Cent! Now I was shaking. I replaced the plug, and right next to it I got another signal. As carefully as I could, I dug another plug, still shaking, and I saw another large coin. It was another Large Cent! I can't explain how I felt inside, except that I hope that everyone here can experience that feeling at least once, it was awesome. After I scanned further and further away from my original 5 foot by 5 foot area where I had just dug those coins, I wasn't getting hits any longer. I decided to work my way back to that area, and I'm glad I did. Another signal, and this time I found a very small coin. I thought at first it was a dime or maybe part of a .410 shell. Then I got it out of the hole, and I again couldn't believe my eyes. A HALF DIME! Only about another foot or two from where I dug the other coins! Then there was a signal on the side of that hole, and it was a dime! Then about 2-3 feet away and another Half Dime! I was awe struck. I felt numb, my wife was just as excited as I was, she was running to the car to grab my AT Pro. We didn't find much more that night, a couple of flat buttons, and that was about it. It was dark, and we decided to head back and get some rest, and we'd return in the morning.
The next morning, we got back to the spot, and carefully started searching again. My wife had found an old Tranter 1 ring bullet, and also a silver spoon. I found another flat button, and then about 10-20 feet from the "Honey Hole", I got another good hit. I dug it, and pulled out a small piece of metal. I didn't see much on it, so I almost just tossed it in the pouch, after all, the other coins were in such great condition, and this looked like nothing. Then again I looked closer, and I could start to make out numbers. After I got it cleaned up a little bit, I could see it, my oldest coin I've ever found, a 1939 Half Dime.
After all this excitement, and some very slow and tedious searching, we called it. I was still awestruck. I crossed so much off my bucket list I couldn't have been happier. This is only my second year of detecting, in a way it was kind of sad, finding so much awesome stuff so soon, but I'm not complaining! Later on we found out that the area where I had found the coins was at a 90 degree turn on the trail, so I don't know if it was a rest area for people, or if someone just got bucked off their horse and dropped a pocket spill on the ground. Most of the coins are very close in dates, and in similar condition, so I'm guessing they came from one place. The 39 Half Dime might have been someone else though I think, who knows.
The Etrac has worked wonderful for me so far, it just took some time in the field to get used to it. I still love my AT Pro too, I think any machine can be awesome if the right person learns how to use it.
Thank you to everyone for help and advice on this forum, this is a great community to talk with. I hope you enjoyed the details of the hunt, and I hope it gives motivation to keep on going even when things are looking gloomy. Thanks everyone!
Happy Hunting!
P.S. Sorry for the Quarter and Large Cent pics not looking like the others, the files were too large to upload so I had to use what I had.
Earlier this year, my family and I decided to take a trip down south to Missouri. There was still some snow on the ground here at home, so I was very eager to get to hunting down there. I hit a few parks, and scored a few wheat pennies, but no silver. We tried at a friend's great grandparent's farmstead which is now a cow pasture, but it was so trashy I literally couldn't separate finds even with my AT Pro and the 5x8 coil. It was getting frustrating. Had I really just traveled 800 and some miles for a couple wheat pennies? It was beginning to look like it.
Later on, after we got back to the room, my wife and I did some researching, looking for old roads, trails, etc. We finally spotted something out of the ordinary, a nice little clearing where a road must have once gone but didn't anymore. I got to swinging, finding the occasional clad and nails as usual, then I got a solid silver signal. It was only about 4-5 inches down. I got to digging my plug, and sure enough, there was the edge of a quarter. There were people around, and I felt like I was being watched, so I didn't think much of it, and put the coin in my pouch. I only got a glimpse of part of the coin, the rest was still covered in dirt, but it looked in such good condition that I knew it had to be a Washington, so I slowly started scanning over the same small area. Then I got another nice hit, about the same depth, about a foot away from my last plug. I dug it, and at first I thought I had either a metal slug, a newer but corroded half dollar, or a token. I had to know, so instead of tossing it in the pouch, I looked a bit closer. My jaw almost hit the ground. I had finally done it, I found a Large Cent! I never thought I'd ever find one of those! Then it clicked in my head, if this was a Large Cent, what the heck had I just dug before? I opened my pouch, took out the dirt covered quarter, and looked closer, very carefully removing just a tiny bit of dirt. Then I could make out part of the front. It was a Seated! My year long goal was to find a Seated Liberty coin, and I had just done that and found a Large Cent! Now I was shaking. I replaced the plug, and right next to it I got another signal. As carefully as I could, I dug another plug, still shaking, and I saw another large coin. It was another Large Cent! I can't explain how I felt inside, except that I hope that everyone here can experience that feeling at least once, it was awesome. After I scanned further and further away from my original 5 foot by 5 foot area where I had just dug those coins, I wasn't getting hits any longer. I decided to work my way back to that area, and I'm glad I did. Another signal, and this time I found a very small coin. I thought at first it was a dime or maybe part of a .410 shell. Then I got it out of the hole, and I again couldn't believe my eyes. A HALF DIME! Only about another foot or two from where I dug the other coins! Then there was a signal on the side of that hole, and it was a dime! Then about 2-3 feet away and another Half Dime! I was awe struck. I felt numb, my wife was just as excited as I was, she was running to the car to grab my AT Pro. We didn't find much more that night, a couple of flat buttons, and that was about it. It was dark, and we decided to head back and get some rest, and we'd return in the morning.
The next morning, we got back to the spot, and carefully started searching again. My wife had found an old Tranter 1 ring bullet, and also a silver spoon. I found another flat button, and then about 10-20 feet from the "Honey Hole", I got another good hit. I dug it, and pulled out a small piece of metal. I didn't see much on it, so I almost just tossed it in the pouch, after all, the other coins were in such great condition, and this looked like nothing. Then again I looked closer, and I could start to make out numbers. After I got it cleaned up a little bit, I could see it, my oldest coin I've ever found, a 1939 Half Dime.
After all this excitement, and some very slow and tedious searching, we called it. I was still awestruck. I crossed so much off my bucket list I couldn't have been happier. This is only my second year of detecting, in a way it was kind of sad, finding so much awesome stuff so soon, but I'm not complaining! Later on we found out that the area where I had found the coins was at a 90 degree turn on the trail, so I don't know if it was a rest area for people, or if someone just got bucked off their horse and dropped a pocket spill on the ground. Most of the coins are very close in dates, and in similar condition, so I'm guessing they came from one place. The 39 Half Dime might have been someone else though I think, who knows.
The Etrac has worked wonderful for me so far, it just took some time in the field to get used to it. I still love my AT Pro too, I think any machine can be awesome if the right person learns how to use it.
Thank you to everyone for help and advice on this forum, this is a great community to talk with. I hope you enjoyed the details of the hunt, and I hope it gives motivation to keep on going even when things are looking gloomy. Thanks everyone!
Happy Hunting!
P.S. Sorry for the Quarter and Large Cent pics not looking like the others, the files were too large to upload so I had to use what I had.
Days like that are a trip when they happen.
