Finally! Some Silver in My Bowl of Wheaties

I finally (and just barely) broke my silver fast today.

It was something of a disappointing hunt, really. I awakened this morning with high expectations. I had plans to hunt a late 1800’s home on historic Main Street. But, alas, it seemed that almost every signal was an inch-deep Lincoln from the 1970’s. After about an hour it became very clear that this property had been hunted.

I did manage to squeak out five more wheats (giving me a total of 16 in my second year of hunting … Nov. 20 was my metal detecting “birthday”). They include a beautiful 1910 (found on top of the ground near the sidewalk! – which was just put down about two years ago), and really nice 1917-D, a 1944-D, a 1945-D, and a 1947-D. I found the last three in a very small area near the rear of the driveway … the same small area where I found the 1945 Merc.

Here is a close-up of the coins:

I did have a couple of other interesting finds. One was a very beautiful(and large) ladies’ pin. It has a flower and leaf motif. I am not sure what it is made of, but the metal is relatively soft. It was bent and broken in the center, and is barely hanging on my a thread of metal. There are no marks on it. I found it very close to the new sidewalk, very close to the surface … which leads me to believe that it was originally located under the old sidewalk. It was probably dug and dislodged during the installation of the new concrete.

I also found a blob of oxidized lead on the empty lot where I hunted earlier in the week and found seven old wheats. (Changed locations mid-afternoon.) It was located in a patch of ground where a walkway used to be. Interestingly, it is about 150 yards (as the crow flies) from the spot where I found a Civil War era Colt 45 dropped slug back in the spring (on the opposite side of Main Street).

Here is an overall picture for your enjoyment, absent the $1.75 in clad. Any knowledge of the pin would be most welcome.

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Garrett GTP 1350 / Oldest Coin – 1801 Draped Bust Large Cent / Silver Coins – 42 / Coin Count – 1,730 / Clad Total – $124.68

Where the Heck is the Silver?

I received permission yesterday to hunt an empty lot in a historic area on Main Street in my hometown. There was an early 20th century home on the site that was demolished about 15-20 years ago.

I evaluated the weather for the rest of the week (which is calling for rain and cold starting tomorrow) and decided to grab a couple of hours of hunting this afternoon. I left home with about two hours of daylight. I approached the wonderful old lot with high hopes of silver.

And what did I find??? Nothing but amber waves of grain! A whopping seven “old” wheaties, but not a single piece of silver. I found a 1913, a heavily corroded and worn 1919-S (my heart skipped a beat at first … thought it might have been a 1909-S!!), an absolutely pristine 1920, a 1930-D, two 1936, and a 1937. I was, obviously, on a good “old” site.

All cleaned up nicely in a hot peroxide bath. Here’s my pic ...

I will, of course, hit the area again. I’m planning to go back, turn 90 degrees, and hit it all from another direction.

And the owner is a super-nice guy. He has invited me out to his home to investigate some trenches in the woods on his land. He apparently has several shallow trenches with earth berms on the “high ground” on his property, very close to the Cumberland River. He is convinced that it is a Civil War site. He wants me to investigate, and I plan to take him up on it!

Thanks for looking!

Geoff

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Garrett GTP 1350 / Oldest Coin – 1801 Draped Bust Large Cent / Silver Coins – 41 / Coin Count – 1,677 / Clad Total – $121.07

Saturday is for Silver!

I got out for about three hours today. I received permission to hunt a small parcel of land that is next door to our local flower shop. There was once an apartment building on this rather steep piece of property. The only suitable place for hunting was about eight feet along the sidewalk … after that it dropped off dramatically and was covered by very high weeds.

Amazingly, I did not find a single wheat penny. But I did manage one little piece of sweetness … a 1935 Washington that was right next to the old walkway. It was at about five inches, and masked by a nail that was located above it. Kept giving a bouncy mixed signal, but I dug anyway and … presto … my oldest Washington to date!

Other cool finds included this very vintage pull tab, a Special Police 711 Tootsie Toy badge, and a play nickel dated 1950. I’m not sure what the melted blob is …

Here are my pics, with a close-up of the lovely Washington. He is my first silver coin as I inaugurate my second year of metal detecting (dug 40 in my first full year). Now, if I can only dig one every weekend …

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Garrett GTP 1350 / Oldest Coin – 1801 Draped Bust Large Cent / Silver Coins – 41 / Coin Count – 1,664 / Clad Total – $120.05

My Big Coppers For 2009!

I never imagined that I would find any large coppers in my area. Western Kentucky is relatively “young” compared to the east coast locations where the big ones are more commonly found.However, the Good Lord chose to bless me with three very surprising pieces this year.

 

I found the first one on March 23 … and it is the most unusual one of all … an 1854 One Penny token from the Bank of Upper Canada. It is HUGE! And I have absolutely no idea how it arrived in Cadiz, Kentucky.

I found the other two last Thursday and posted on the finds last week. But the coins were a little on the rough side. One was an 1851 and the other … the truly sweet find and my oldest coin find by far … is an 1801 Draped Bust. I spent the greater part of today carefully removing the crud from these coins in a warm peroxide bath. The process is amazingly simply and (obviously … if you looked at the pics from my other post) does wonders for the coins.

And I am very pleased with the results.

Here are the obverse views:

And here are the reverse views:

I also took some close-ups, and am very pleased with the outcomes.

Here is the 1801 Draped Bust:

Here is the 1851 Coronet:

I’m not sure about the grade of each. I suppose the 1801 would qualify as a mere AG and the 1851 is at least a VF. It must have been close to brand new when it was dropped. But I would love your input.

Sorry for the “double-wide” pictures, but I wanted you to get the full effect.

Enjoy the pictures, and thanks for looking!

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Garrett GTP 1350 / Oldest Coin – 1801 Draped Bust Large Cent / Silver Coins – 37 / Coin Count – 1,612 / Clad Total – $115.36

Found My First Two U.S. Large Coppers!

I was desperate to hunt this afternoon, but consider myself to be somewhat “out of good spots” to hunt. So, I decided to head down to one of my trusty old spots that has produced for me before.

The ground was full of junk. I mean, full of junk. But in a large clear area I noticed a rough circle of stones that was slightly elevated. So, I says to myself, “That looks like an old foundation or cellar hole.” So I slowed down and really started to hunt the spot.

The first thing I found was a gorgeous piece of monogrammed sterling silver jewelry … a hairpiece or something. I’ll have to get some help on identification later.

But about a half hour later I hit on a signal that my Garrett ID’d as a half-dollar at two inches. I dug, and out popped a Draped Bust Large Cent! Boys, the dance was ugly. It was my first U.S. large copper. I would learn later at home, under bright light and magnification, that it is an 1801!!!

Then … about a half-hour later, I hit another similar signal. This one, also at two inches, was an 1851 large cent! My heart jumped into my throat because I thought for a moment, when I saw the head, that it was a gold coin …

Anyhow … it was an awesome afternoon. Two large coppers on a single hunt (and until today I had never found one). I’m still shaking. And I almost forgot about the undated wheat penny I found, #99 for me this year!

Here are the front and back pics … the 1801 Draped Bust is on the left, and the 1851 is on the right …

What an awesome afternoon! Thanks for looking!

Geoff

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Garrett GTP 1350 / Oldest Coin – 1801 Draped Bust Large Cent / Silver Coins – 37 / Coin Count – 1,581 / Clad Total – $111.19

Detective Work Leads to Virgin Spot … and My First Barber Quarter!!

So … I’m getting ready to leave town for a while. I have some doctoral seminars starting next Monday in Portland. And they say the weather is going to turn nasty on Saturday. So, I decided to make this an all-day MD marathon.

Since I needed to visit the jeweler in a nearby town to check out my (non)diamond from the other day, I went ahead and hit a couple of city park tot lots. Had some good digs.

80 coins for a total of $4.67 in clad.

But the real fun came this afternoon …

Yesterday, while talking to a woman at our local hospital, I found out about a place close to downtown Cadiz, right on the banks of the Little River. There were once several large, majestic homes along the old street that runs by the river. It is public land now, and part of it was altered when the new highway came through town. But the old sidewalk is still in place, and there are old walkways leading to the original home sites.

I drove to the spot yesterday and started foaming at the mouth … I had to get at it. But I thought that it most surely has been hunted before.

So I was most excited and anxious when I parked and began hunting this afternoon. I hadn’t been out of my truck five minutes, and had only walked about ten feet along the old sidewalk when I hit a loud quarter signal at four inches. I cut a plug, and saw this piece of sweetness staring at me from the bottom of it …

A 1916-D, in Fine condition (based upon the LIBERTY on the headband). A little silver tarnish/discoloration, but still a beautiful coin. My first Barber quarter!!! Needles to say, I did the happy dance.

But hunt as I might, that was the only piece of silver that I found this afternoon. But I was only able to hunt a portion of what used to be a front yard. I know there’s more there. But it is a HUGE piece of ground. It will take me weeks to hunt it well.

But in that one yard I found these 8 wheaties …

1916, 1925, 1927, 1930, 1945, 1950, 1952-D (x2)
Gets my Wheat count up to 30 so far in 2009.

I also found this completely awesome Rotary Medallion … a 50-year memorial given in 1955.

Altogether, it was an awesome, awesome day! My back hurts really bad, but it was worth it.

Thanks for looking!

Geoff

I Might Have Paid for My Detector Today!

It was mighty cold today, but a beautiful sun-filled day. So I set out to hit a couple of tot lots in a nearby town. I’ve had my eye on them for a while, and I knew they would be easy digs after all of the heavy freezes we’ve been having.

Well, I had a GREAT day for me. I found 107 coins total, $6.01 in clad (including eight nickels, most ever for me). But I’m most excited about the extra stuff.

I found a live round, 9mm Luger. I also found a cool key pendant and an eagle pendant. I found one ring (strictly junk) with a black stone. And the star is pretty interesting … maybe a general was playing in the tot lot?!!

But the best stuff is at the bottom.

I found a small, smooth, round pendant stamped 925 MEX. Cool! Sterling!

But the earring is the one I’m holding my breath for. I can’t find any stamp on the mount, but it appears to be gold (the mount for the post is very soft, the metal allows it to move). I will be getting the stone checked out tomorrow. My wife says that it is not a real diamond. I asked her how she knew, and she said, “Because you found it on a playground.” I think there may be a flaw in her logic.

I’m working on the assumption that it is not a real diamond. But if it is … it is HUGE. (I’ve included a dime for reference.)

Here are my pictures. Thanks for looking. It was GREAT to get out today!

***UPDATE — The diamond is a fake.  Oh, well …

Incan Treasure?

I hunted for three hours this afternoon at a new location. It is a house built around 1900, and it is located next door to the house where I found my oldest coin. It is a rather large property, so it will take me several visits to hunt it thoroughly. I only finished a small portion of the front yard today.

The main difficulty is that there is lots of junk. I dug eight carcasses of matchbox cars (or matchbox knock-offs). I only managed a few cents in clad. Interestingly, I found four copper Lincolns neatly stacked upon one another in one hole. They all have a beautiful green copper patina. But I got skunked on old coinage and silver. None to be found.

But the prize-winner for my hunt today is this interesting whatzit. It measures approximately one and a half inches square, and appears to have had an encounter with a lawn mower.

It appears to be some form of jewelry with holes near each corner. One still has a ring attached. When I pulled it out of the hole, I thought, “Cool … Incan treasure.” Indeed, the face looks like the Incan warriors I have seen portrayed on pottery and art in Peru.

But when I turned it over I discovered that I really did find a piece of Incan treasure … a little .925 Peruvian silver!

Maybe I’ll discover some older coins tomorrow.

Finally Got to Swing Again!

It’s been over two weeks since I’ve been able to do any MDing. Extreme cold, compounded by an ice storm, put the clamps on my swinging. But today we had sunshine and 61 degrees in Western Kentucky. Glory!!

So I got out for two hours at the end of the day. I hit a site where an early 20th century farmhouse has recently been torn down. It was tough hunting. Lots of junk, and lots of limbs and debris on the ground everywhere. But I found a few cool things in my short two hours.

I found an old pocketwatch (small) that had a little glass on it, but it crumbled and fell off as I lifted it from the ground. Also found 47 cents in clad, a brass thimble from a Monopoly game, a small metal ball that read as a penny on my Garrett, and a medal. Here’s a picture.

The coolest item of all is the medal. It appears to be copper, based on the red oxidation on the front and a small amount of green copper patina on the back. Interestingly, the entire medal apparently was electroplated with 14k gold (you can still see the gold on the details of the face). The back is stamped, “Guaranteed 14K Gold Plated.” I’m not sure what the medal was for. I tried to locate another one like it online, but was unsuccessful. Here’s a close-up.

Thanks for looking. It was great to finally get out after a two-week hiatus. But I’ll be hitting the ground hard tomorrow!!

Hoped for Silver – Found Awesome Relics

I spent six hours today hunting this house.

It is the Futrell House Bed and Breakfast, located on historic Main Street in Cadiz, Kentucky. The owner is a friend of mine, Gary Polete.

The house was built sometime in the 1870’s by a town physician. His twin brother, also a doctor, owned the house next door (to the left). I went there today with high expectations of silver … but it was not to be.
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I managed to scrape 4 Wheat Pennies out of the ground – 1914, 1920, 1929, & 1958-D (a crying shame that 1914 didn’t have a “D” on it ), along with 15 other Lincoln memorials and two clad dimes (a grand total of 35 cents clad).

I was starting to think that the place has been hunted before, but as the day progressed and I began to find the Wheats, I started to wonder.

Then the cool relics started to appear.

First was this flat button. It still has green gilt over half the front. It measures 19 mm and reads, “EXTRA RICH GILT” on the back. It’s my first-ever flat button. I did the happy dance.

Then about an hour later I dug this button. I almost had an out-of-body experience. It is a 22mm uniform button with the state crest of Ohio on it. How did it come to be in this front yard? I have not a clue. I’m not quite sure of the period it came from, or what kind of uniform. I’ll post it in the identification section.

Then about a half-hour before dark I dug this little baby. It is an oxidized slug, single-groove, 9mm in diameter and 14mm in length. I’ve never seen one so small before.

SO, not a lot of coins, but plenty of awesome stuff. Enough to make me go back. I still have lots of yard to hit there. And Gary introduced me to the neighbors who own the other old doctor’s house. They gave me permission to hunt their property, too.

Here’s a picture of all my finds, including a copper-ish “whatsit.” Thanks for reading.

Geoff