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I haven't posted here in weeks but I have been getting out and detecting. I've just come off of a 4 day detecting binge with not much to show for it. Now that I have a new Garmin Montana 700 GPS I have been pretty fearless breaking into new woods and exploring for homesteads. This device measures my distance and vertical assent\descent and these 4 - 7 mile hikes in rolling hills are adding up. The best part of this hobby is how it has tricked me into going on all day hikes into the woods.
My Nox 800 with standard coil is finding loads of nails from the 1700 and early 1800's. The worse part is they usually measure between 18 - 20, the same range as many desirable objects. Looking at my 1830's map of the region the settlement was sparse and the few farms had some distance between them. It has always been rural. Judging from the stones and ruts I know I'm onto some old homesteads but I really believe these people were materially poor or operated largely on the barter or ledger system of trade. The coins show this, usually heavily worn, sometimes down to a copper slug. The KGII half penny is without date and the plain-looking copper disc I found today is a cent like the 1831 and 1851 but with a still barely readable date of 1845. Recently I've also found several horseshoes, pieces of broken iron cooking kettles, door hinges and shutter hardware, shoe buckles, and utensils. My gut feeling is I may be the first to scan these locations as easy targets are still buried. (I have found a mix of items from this area but am trying keep to recent finds).
Lately I've been discouraged with the low output because my first year of detecting which ended in August yielded some stellar finds including a gorgeous GW Inaugural button. Treasure won't find itself and I know that my odds increase the longer I swing that coil. The nails may be frustrating but they let me know I'm in the right place. My next investment is to get the larger coil. High ground and ridges can yield colonial to early 1800's artifacts in the 2" - 6" range, well within the reach of the standard coil. But I am noticing the brass butts of old paper shotgun shells quite deep on the bottom lands meaning the hills have slumped some over time. Also, the early farmers themselves may have tilled things under.
My Nox 800 with standard coil is finding loads of nails from the 1700 and early 1800's. The worse part is they usually measure between 18 - 20, the same range as many desirable objects. Looking at my 1830's map of the region the settlement was sparse and the few farms had some distance between them. It has always been rural. Judging from the stones and ruts I know I'm onto some old homesteads but I really believe these people were materially poor or operated largely on the barter or ledger system of trade. The coins show this, usually heavily worn, sometimes down to a copper slug. The KGII half penny is without date and the plain-looking copper disc I found today is a cent like the 1831 and 1851 but with a still barely readable date of 1845. Recently I've also found several horseshoes, pieces of broken iron cooking kettles, door hinges and shutter hardware, shoe buckles, and utensils. My gut feeling is I may be the first to scan these locations as easy targets are still buried. (I have found a mix of items from this area but am trying keep to recent finds).
Lately I've been discouraged with the low output because my first year of detecting which ended in August yielded some stellar finds including a gorgeous GW Inaugural button. Treasure won't find itself and I know that my odds increase the longer I swing that coil. The nails may be frustrating but they let me know I'm in the right place. My next investment is to get the larger coil. High ground and ridges can yield colonial to early 1800's artifacts in the 2" - 6" range, well within the reach of the standard coil. But I am noticing the brass butts of old paper shotgun shells quite deep on the bottom lands meaning the hills have slumped some over time. Also, the early farmers themselves may have tilled things under.
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