Muddyhandz
Bronze Member
- Jul 1, 2012
- 1,226
- 1,955
- Detector(s) used
- Fisher's 1266X, 1270X & 1280X
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Hello,
I don’t usually post my finds anymore (it’s a long story) but thought the last two outings could be inspirational for many, so here goes…..
The weather has been a little cooler lately so I took a few days off from work and called up a buddy who could help with the exploration of a few potential fur trade sites.
He’s usually a clad hunter but with my request to dig some deep targets to help determine what’s there, and a change of scenery, he was game to go.
The first place (1 ½ hr drive) had a lot of 100 year old scrap and the ground was tampered with, so after a couple of hours it was time to move on.
We looked at few spots along the way but didn’t get out of the car since they were developed and eventually came to a large town about 2 hrs away from where we live.
The first site there looked real good and was in a strategic geological spot but unfortunately was full of modern trash and several modern pennies that were much deeper than they should be.
The next spot along river was also a bust having gravel laid down beneath the grass and was not original ground. I kept looking across the road to this plain looking park and eventually walked over.
Got a couple of pennies from the 30’s right off the bat and after digging 3 silver quarters in one hole, I looked for my buddy who was now sitting under a tree across at the last spot we were at….Daydreaming!
I yelled across the busy road “Hey, get over here!” After giving him a short lecture on how half the day is over and that there’s older coins coming out, he woke up and started swinging.
Although I’m mostly a relic hunter these days, this park was obviously virgin and it was exciting to dig older coins non-stop, considering back in the 90’s (when I was a coin-hunter) you could drive for hours and never find a park that had never been hunted before. Especially one that was in broad daylight on a busy road!
My total from there was:
66 George VI pennies, (Just like the detector I was using) and 9 wheaties. (many were old)
George V (1911 to 1936) - 6 small cents, I large cent, 1 nickel, 1 silver small nickel.
16 silver dimes, (6 were old) and 5 silver quarters.
My buddy had a handful of Geo. VI pennies, 4 silver dimes and 2 silver quarters.
Based on the dates and wear, I’d say this park saw most of its action from 1930 to the late 1940’s. When I’m out that way again, it’s worth stopping as there’s more to dig since we ran out of time.
I had said to my friend that I wished the park was a little older but still had fun digging so many older coins. Little did I know I would get my wish the next day!
Sorry for the long post but since I don’t post my finds very often, I’ll hope you’ll forgive me.
The next day, the same buddy called and I told him that I wanted to look for a couple of long lost beaches (with picnic sites) about an hour away and he was up for it.
When we arrived at the first spot and saw a pile of trailers covering the place with no ground to really search, (The water was now a marsh) we went on to the next spot.
The next spot was nearby and we were told that someone was just there with a detector and he didn’t find anything.
Got permission anyway but the place was really grown in with only cut trails and one small cut area.
Saw some sickening, massive plugs that were unfilled and thought “Here we go again.”
I could tell the person that made them didn’t know what they were doing, as the craters were broken into pieces; indicating they had to dig a plug for something on the surface and plus there was a silver dime right next to one such crater.
After repairing holes and a couple of hours with 3 silver dimes and a few bucks in clad, we decided we’d come back in the spring when the undergrowth was better.
Headed to a small festival and campground site nearby that I have permission for and had tried a few years ago but didn’t think was that productive. Went to talk to the owner and he said some guy was just here and looked a little reluctant.
I exclaimed “Please don’t tell me he left holes everywhere!” The owner confirmed and I told him that I only carry a screwdriver; showed him a motion saying out load “Tap, tap, pop” and he said go ahead.
After 2 hrs and $15 in change, we opted to head to town (to eat) and look for something else. At least I got my gas money back. Drove around town and saw nothing appealing, so I thought we’d finish up at a place where we know may produce gold and definitely clad, on the way back to the city.
As we were driving, I was telling my buddy how I used to bike out this way with my childhood friend holding our detectors on the bike’s handle bar. As teenagers, we biked miles to try some old town sites and one such town was approaching and I wanted to check it out, as I haven’t been there for a lot of years.
We drove through this 15 house town and saw a large treed lot that had a sign saying it was a park.
I said to my friend that I never remember there being a park here and thought it might worth trying as there could be some relics and such, from being an old house site.
We got out and saw a rock with a plaque and started to smile with what we saw!
So, this place became a park in 1998 and the chances are high that someone already hunted it, as we were not far from the city. With only 2 hours of daylight left, we gave it a whirl.
My first signal was a little silver nickel and knew things might be looking good. I was finding silver after silver in a short time span, with the excitement of digging one old coin up and having one or two coin signals right next to hole. An hour later, I got a blast of a signal and staring at me in the hole was an Edward 50 cent piece! As sunset approached and the mosquitoes were chewing me alive, I suggested we come back tomorrow.
My total in that 2 hour period……2 old wheaties, 1 small Geo.V penny, 4 large cents, 9 small silver nickels, 4 silver dimes, (7 in total for the day) 1 minty silver quarter, (of course a common 1919) and the 1910 - 50 cent piece. At least half the finds were Edwardian.
My buddy found a few big pennies, old small cents, an I.H. a small nickel and two old silver dimes.
Yesterday, my friend didn’t seem to enthusiastic. He had stuff to do and told me to go on my own.
Sounds good to me! I don’t like to hunt on weekends but this town was small and quiet.
When I arrived, I gridded the front and middle section of the property and spent a full day going low and slow.
My results were…….
2 old wheat’s, 2 Indian heads, 5 and half small Geo.V pennies, 6 large cents, 1 old style large nickel, 11 small silver nickels, 4 old silver dimes, and 1 newer silver quarter.
I can post later all the dates, condition, etc.
Of course being a relic hunter, I have to show you the non-coin finds……
The change purse wasn't around any coins and believe me, I tried that hole again. LOL.
This is not including the full bag of scrap like copper wire, lantern pieces, harmonica reeds, etc.
Here's everything washed up.
Park #1/Day one......
Park #2.....
That's about it. I’ve now given my “Competition” the location of the site and barely touched the big back yard. I’ve had my thrill and now someone else can give it a try. If you find something good, pass a site on to another.
My relic fields will open up soon, as fall time is when I’m in my element.
In conclusion, I wanted to post this as an inspiration to others that there are still virgin sites to be found that you can fluke from driving around.
I had said in a few of my earlier posts that those days were over and you have to research the less obvious places.
Well, I was wrong!
Please, if you go this post office/store site, take good care of the property and fill in your holes!
I say this because lately every city park we’ve visited has had massive yellow plugs all over the place (Some unfilled) and there’s a good chance that these places will become off-limits to detecting.
Let me know what you find (if you wish) as I’m documenting this site for the sake of the tiny, town’s history (if anyone would care) and my own personal interest.
It’s just a great example of what one may expect to find at such a place.
Sorry for the length of this post but I wanted to give the details of all the spots that didn’t pan out and how a typical day can go.
Don’t give up! You’ll find your hot spot if you keep at it.
Sorry for my old camera.
Cheers,
Dave.
I don’t usually post my finds anymore (it’s a long story) but thought the last two outings could be inspirational for many, so here goes…..
The weather has been a little cooler lately so I took a few days off from work and called up a buddy who could help with the exploration of a few potential fur trade sites.
He’s usually a clad hunter but with my request to dig some deep targets to help determine what’s there, and a change of scenery, he was game to go.
The first place (1 ½ hr drive) had a lot of 100 year old scrap and the ground was tampered with, so after a couple of hours it was time to move on.
We looked at few spots along the way but didn’t get out of the car since they were developed and eventually came to a large town about 2 hrs away from where we live.
The first site there looked real good and was in a strategic geological spot but unfortunately was full of modern trash and several modern pennies that were much deeper than they should be.
The next spot along river was also a bust having gravel laid down beneath the grass and was not original ground. I kept looking across the road to this plain looking park and eventually walked over.
Got a couple of pennies from the 30’s right off the bat and after digging 3 silver quarters in one hole, I looked for my buddy who was now sitting under a tree across at the last spot we were at….Daydreaming!
I yelled across the busy road “Hey, get over here!” After giving him a short lecture on how half the day is over and that there’s older coins coming out, he woke up and started swinging.
Although I’m mostly a relic hunter these days, this park was obviously virgin and it was exciting to dig older coins non-stop, considering back in the 90’s (when I was a coin-hunter) you could drive for hours and never find a park that had never been hunted before. Especially one that was in broad daylight on a busy road!
My total from there was:
66 George VI pennies, (Just like the detector I was using) and 9 wheaties. (many were old)
George V (1911 to 1936) - 6 small cents, I large cent, 1 nickel, 1 silver small nickel.
16 silver dimes, (6 were old) and 5 silver quarters.
My buddy had a handful of Geo. VI pennies, 4 silver dimes and 2 silver quarters.
Based on the dates and wear, I’d say this park saw most of its action from 1930 to the late 1940’s. When I’m out that way again, it’s worth stopping as there’s more to dig since we ran out of time.
I had said to my friend that I wished the park was a little older but still had fun digging so many older coins. Little did I know I would get my wish the next day!
Sorry for the long post but since I don’t post my finds very often, I’ll hope you’ll forgive me.
The next day, the same buddy called and I told him that I wanted to look for a couple of long lost beaches (with picnic sites) about an hour away and he was up for it.
When we arrived at the first spot and saw a pile of trailers covering the place with no ground to really search, (The water was now a marsh) we went on to the next spot.
The next spot was nearby and we were told that someone was just there with a detector and he didn’t find anything.
Got permission anyway but the place was really grown in with only cut trails and one small cut area.
Saw some sickening, massive plugs that were unfilled and thought “Here we go again.”
I could tell the person that made them didn’t know what they were doing, as the craters were broken into pieces; indicating they had to dig a plug for something on the surface and plus there was a silver dime right next to one such crater.
After repairing holes and a couple of hours with 3 silver dimes and a few bucks in clad, we decided we’d come back in the spring when the undergrowth was better.
Headed to a small festival and campground site nearby that I have permission for and had tried a few years ago but didn’t think was that productive. Went to talk to the owner and he said some guy was just here and looked a little reluctant.
I exclaimed “Please don’t tell me he left holes everywhere!” The owner confirmed and I told him that I only carry a screwdriver; showed him a motion saying out load “Tap, tap, pop” and he said go ahead.
After 2 hrs and $15 in change, we opted to head to town (to eat) and look for something else. At least I got my gas money back. Drove around town and saw nothing appealing, so I thought we’d finish up at a place where we know may produce gold and definitely clad, on the way back to the city.
As we were driving, I was telling my buddy how I used to bike out this way with my childhood friend holding our detectors on the bike’s handle bar. As teenagers, we biked miles to try some old town sites and one such town was approaching and I wanted to check it out, as I haven’t been there for a lot of years.
We drove through this 15 house town and saw a large treed lot that had a sign saying it was a park.
I said to my friend that I never remember there being a park here and thought it might worth trying as there could be some relics and such, from being an old house site.
We got out and saw a rock with a plaque and started to smile with what we saw!
So, this place became a park in 1998 and the chances are high that someone already hunted it, as we were not far from the city. With only 2 hours of daylight left, we gave it a whirl.
My first signal was a little silver nickel and knew things might be looking good. I was finding silver after silver in a short time span, with the excitement of digging one old coin up and having one or two coin signals right next to hole. An hour later, I got a blast of a signal and staring at me in the hole was an Edward 50 cent piece! As sunset approached and the mosquitoes were chewing me alive, I suggested we come back tomorrow.
My total in that 2 hour period……2 old wheaties, 1 small Geo.V penny, 4 large cents, 9 small silver nickels, 4 silver dimes, (7 in total for the day) 1 minty silver quarter, (of course a common 1919) and the 1910 - 50 cent piece. At least half the finds were Edwardian.
My buddy found a few big pennies, old small cents, an I.H. a small nickel and two old silver dimes.
Yesterday, my friend didn’t seem to enthusiastic. He had stuff to do and told me to go on my own.
Sounds good to me! I don’t like to hunt on weekends but this town was small and quiet.
When I arrived, I gridded the front and middle section of the property and spent a full day going low and slow.
My results were…….
2 old wheat’s, 2 Indian heads, 5 and half small Geo.V pennies, 6 large cents, 1 old style large nickel, 11 small silver nickels, 4 old silver dimes, and 1 newer silver quarter.
I can post later all the dates, condition, etc.
Of course being a relic hunter, I have to show you the non-coin finds……
The change purse wasn't around any coins and believe me, I tried that hole again. LOL.
This is not including the full bag of scrap like copper wire, lantern pieces, harmonica reeds, etc.
Here's everything washed up.
Park #1/Day one......
Park #2.....
That's about it. I’ve now given my “Competition” the location of the site and barely touched the big back yard. I’ve had my thrill and now someone else can give it a try. If you find something good, pass a site on to another.
My relic fields will open up soon, as fall time is when I’m in my element.
In conclusion, I wanted to post this as an inspiration to others that there are still virgin sites to be found that you can fluke from driving around.
I had said in a few of my earlier posts that those days were over and you have to research the less obvious places.
Well, I was wrong!
Please, if you go this post office/store site, take good care of the property and fill in your holes!
I say this because lately every city park we’ve visited has had massive yellow plugs all over the place (Some unfilled) and there’s a good chance that these places will become off-limits to detecting.
Let me know what you find (if you wish) as I’m documenting this site for the sake of the tiny, town’s history (if anyone would care) and my own personal interest.
It’s just a great example of what one may expect to find at such a place.
Sorry for the length of this post but I wanted to give the details of all the spots that didn’t pan out and how a typical day can go.
Don’t give up! You’ll find your hot spot if you keep at it.
Sorry for my old camera.
Cheers,
Dave.
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