mfitzy111
Hero Member
- Mar 6, 2011
- 572
- 8
- Detector(s) used
- garrett ACE350 (traded off!), minelab E-TRAC, AT-Pro
- Primary Interest:
- Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
I hit the bank CRHing and dumped change, then headed to the local park (only to come to the gate being down and park was closed for some unknown reason.) so I backtracked off to local park number two where I have been once before and only found new clad...I figured I'd give some providence to digging all signals again ...until I get sick of finding pull tabs or dig up a gold ring, what ever came first -it was after noon and just warming up for the day
...so I started near the recreational area- play ground, concession stand and worked that area (again- as I hit this area just last fall and only found a few dimes, and clad quarters) I was working that area again and found a clad dime, then I hit a weird signal. was it a penny? copper?
it appeared to be a tone like copper but to me on the etrac the numbers didn't seem right (very likely why I didn't want to dig it last time I was here- just another Lincoln memorial penny.) so I just decided to dig as it was about my third good hit for clad by this time.
I dug down about 5-6 inches and saw what I thought was a walker- the size was right - but something was wrong- I know it wasn't silver from the tone- I was thinking wow! a gold coin, flowing lines in the design- what is this, and I'm killing it with my digging utensil - no way, scratching it to death in the coal rocks!!! ug! no!! it can't be!!...so I carefully removed some coal chunks and carefully dug out what turned out to be a 1887 pocket watch. ok I took this picture in the car after one of the covers broke off- just picking it out of the hole that happened. (well and I wanted to see what the inside looked like as it was partially open and dirt was coming out of it!)
I really looked it over going from the hole to the car. I decided that if it was gold- gold doesn't rust or turn green like copper, so it was wrong, but gold colored! ...after opening it up at home and washing it out I found some serial numbers on both the doors, breaking door number two off! (that was how I found the date online as to what year it was- it had all the info including the fact it wasn't a gold watch- meaning it was just gold plated.) major bummer.
bummer. I stopped in to the local jewelry store and asked -the dude was like- man you should just toss this in the trash- this isn't gold, it's not worth anything. He used his air tool to cut the back open so I could see every part in the watch had sadly rusted in to a trashy rusted pile in the center of the watch.
anyhow - I decided that this wasn't going in to the trash- I plan on finding the web site again printing the info up on the watch and boxing it up and sending it off to the Lackawanna historical society - I've already been in contact with them and they said just call before sending any relics to them. The watch artwork in my opinion was pretty cool looking- and someone who worked on the local rail lines that ran through the small town (town settled in 1871, incorporated in 1888) where i found it, lost it way before I was born!! so why not. That poor rail worker lost what was likely his tool for keeping the line running on time over 100 years ago. and I totally found that! Yeah, it's true! if it was gold it would have been a fantastic find, something I could pay off my car with...but it's still history so it's not my worst find! I have to share that...right!?!?!!
ok - I am so going back there when I'm off again. if someone lost a watch in 1887 they might have dropped some other really good treats also. you never know...
...so I started near the recreational area- play ground, concession stand and worked that area (again- as I hit this area just last fall and only found a few dimes, and clad quarters) I was working that area again and found a clad dime, then I hit a weird signal. was it a penny? copper?
it appeared to be a tone like copper but to me on the etrac the numbers didn't seem right (very likely why I didn't want to dig it last time I was here- just another Lincoln memorial penny.) so I just decided to dig as it was about my third good hit for clad by this time.
I dug down about 5-6 inches and saw what I thought was a walker- the size was right - but something was wrong- I know it wasn't silver from the tone- I was thinking wow! a gold coin, flowing lines in the design- what is this, and I'm killing it with my digging utensil - no way, scratching it to death in the coal rocks!!! ug! no!! it can't be!!...so I carefully removed some coal chunks and carefully dug out what turned out to be a 1887 pocket watch. ok I took this picture in the car after one of the covers broke off- just picking it out of the hole that happened. (well and I wanted to see what the inside looked like as it was partially open and dirt was coming out of it!)
I really looked it over going from the hole to the car. I decided that if it was gold- gold doesn't rust or turn green like copper, so it was wrong, but gold colored! ...after opening it up at home and washing it out I found some serial numbers on both the doors, breaking door number two off! (that was how I found the date online as to what year it was- it had all the info including the fact it wasn't a gold watch- meaning it was just gold plated.) major bummer.
bummer. I stopped in to the local jewelry store and asked -the dude was like- man you should just toss this in the trash- this isn't gold, it's not worth anything. He used his air tool to cut the back open so I could see every part in the watch had sadly rusted in to a trashy rusted pile in the center of the watch.
anyhow - I decided that this wasn't going in to the trash- I plan on finding the web site again printing the info up on the watch and boxing it up and sending it off to the Lackawanna historical society - I've already been in contact with them and they said just call before sending any relics to them. The watch artwork in my opinion was pretty cool looking- and someone who worked on the local rail lines that ran through the small town (town settled in 1871, incorporated in 1888) where i found it, lost it way before I was born!! so why not. That poor rail worker lost what was likely his tool for keeping the line running on time over 100 years ago. and I totally found that! Yeah, it's true! if it was gold it would have been a fantastic find, something I could pay off my car with...but it's still history so it's not my worst find! I have to share that...right!?!?!!
ok - I am so going back there when I'm off again. if someone lost a watch in 1887 they might have dropped some other really good treats also. you never know...
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