Silver Dollar...

[Sheldon J]

Here is one for those of you with expierence....

In the yard of my other home there is a fine old (100 + year) maple tree that when I detected it several years ago I received a "silver dollar" on my detectors ID. When I tried to dig it a huge tree root was in the way so I left it....

A couple of years later I bought my oldest daughter an Garrett and told her if she could get to it she could have it. Her detector rang out "Silver Dollar" on the target ID loud and clear, and nope she could not get around the root either...

Fast forward to now and I have a new Bounty Hunter (new tech, better resolution) that I again am going to give it a go when the weather breaks. I do not want to kill an old maple tree, and my daughter thinks the root has grown around the coin. In my experience roots usually push stuff out of the way and do not grow around unless it has been driven into the tree... At last check it read at a depth of about 12" n the root appears to be larger than that....

So thoughts, ideas, anyone? By the history of the land (once an old country store, that goes back to the early 1800's) this coin has to have been in the ground for over 70 years and I am real curious as to just what date and condition may be....

 

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[OldNBroken]

Could be deeper big iron

 

[mick56]

Only one way to find out what it is.

Once I was detecting around an old house that was torn down to make way for a new road. I got a good signal under a tree root and could not get to it. Since I knew the tree was going to come down anyway, I came back with an axe and chopped through the root. Came up with an old Palmolive Soap token, it was good for one cake of soap.

I don't know if chopping one root will kill a tree.

 

[Swartzie]

My bet is big, deep, old iron. It will signal high regardless of the detector. Will a pinpointer pick it up when you put it by the root? If it does it's probably big 'ol iron. The bigger something is the further down the pinpointer will pick it up. If you want to cut the root a folding pruning saw works real well on roots.

-Swartzie

 

[luvsdux]

I've had a variety of targets read as a dollar. The only way you'll really know is to retrieve it. I'm sure you won't kill the tree by severing one root.
luvsdux

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

There are rooting hormones your can get at your local garden store that may help the root heal is you have to cut it. As long as it isn't the taproot or a major support root, the tree should heal up fine.

 

[Sheldon J]

I'll check on the rooting hormones, just a little more history, across the road from this building (once a country store until the mid to late 60's) is a field that during WWII they showed movies in on the weekends. People would buy snacks at the store / gas station and would go sit there in this still vacant field, and can you say virgin territory... I know the owner and plan on asking permission to hunt.
BOT I have found silver in this yard before, and darn near no junk targets. Back in the early 1800's next to the house (where the shop is) was an earler country store that burned before 1900, I really need to go over this area real close....

 

[kayden]

Dig silver....Then bonus ....2-3 years later firewood!

 

[liftloop]

hay there Shelden J
hows it going,
if it is down a foot all ready and you can raise the loop of the ground a foot and it still picks it up.. it bigger than a silver dollar but could be a chunk of copper. a round here a good size chunk of mass copper comes up as a dollar or + 94 on the mxt.

my 5900 will pegs the needle all the way to the right and stick in all metal mode.did you turn and sweep over the target and check the reading again.pin pointing can give up its size. if no buddy cares dig a round the root I've done that lots of times why all looking for glacial float copper especially when the beep came from under the tree. hope that helps good luck and have fun.

 

[blackbeard1717]

I had the same issue with my Fisher IV after further digging It was 1900's piece of a Ford head lamp the circular object what gave off the silver dollar reading. There are no detectors out in the Market that is 100% accurate.