Cladiator (OR)
Member
Hi everyone,
I had a good day at the local elementary school. I decided to grid the small exercise field since it has produced a couple of good finds in the past. I started in an obscure corner that was behind the small backstop, figuring it probably wasn't going to produce much...so I thought I could knock it out quickly and move on to a more promising area. I was working my way down a wood-fiber covered walking path and got a nice sounding high tone that was able to make its way past all the iron squeaks/falses that pretty much dominated the area. The display read 10-44 to 14-45 and hit two ways. I cut my way through the wood fiber and peeled it back out of the way to expose the wet dirt below--the wood fiber was about 4" deep. Next, I cut a 3" plug and checked the hole with the X-1 and was greeted with the sweet high-pitched tone of a silver dime. I centered in on where the X-1 indicated the target was with my next plug and popped out another 2" from the side-bottom of the hole. The X-1 told me I had my prize and when I cracked open the plug, the reeded edge of the 1941-S Merc was exposed. I love starting out a hunt like this!
My next target rang out only a foot or so away from the Merc and turned out to be a 1947-S Wheat. It was at about the same depth under the wood fiber and came in a clean 12-40/41.
I finished the first line of my grid and headed in the opposite direction (which was now in the grass) and about 30 minutes into that line I got a consistent 12-30 signal. I was figuring it was probably a screw cap, but since I hadn't dug anything in a while I decided to give it a go. A 4" plug produced a crusty Zincoln, but hey, you don't know for sure unless you dig. A foot away produced a nice 12-34, so again I popped out a plug and again out pops a Zincoln...oh well.
Finished with the previous line, I reversed direction again and worked my way back toward the fence and walking path. About 8' from finishing the line I reached the walking path and get a perfectly clean 12-36/37. I'm thinking "another Zincoln, do I want to mess with it?". My thoughts go back to the two keepers I found earlier in the path, so I decide "what the heck, I might get lucky". Again I work my way through 4" of wood fiber to get to the wet dirt below. I check the dirt with the X-1 and it is singing a 12-37 loud and clear--it's close to the surface. I dig in with my digging probe and break up the top inch or so of dirt to expose what looks like another stained and bent Zincoln...no surprise here. But then I wipe away the dirt and I see a profile that is pointed in the wrong direction--what???. I flip it over and wipe some dirt off to expose "ONE CENT" on the back and started laughing because I thought for sure it was a Zincoln. Turns out, it was a 1899 Indian Head penny--only my third Indian for the year.
Continuing on, I get a solid 10-34 about a foot away from where I just dug. Down through the wood fiber to expose the dirt; out comes the X-1; she's singing the target is very near the surface; the digging probe pops up a chunk a dirt; I reach down and pick up another stained and slightly bent INDIAN--no way!!! Then I look down at the hole again and see another one!!! By now I'm laughing out-loud and if there was anyone around they would of probably thought I had lost it--luckily, there wasn't. The 1887 and 1900 were sandwiched together in the hole. All three were probably from a pocket spill, but I thought it was kind of strange that all three are bent (one substantially and the other two just slightly).
The rest of the hunt only produced a couple of current nickels, but at this point I was still smiling about the Merc, Wheat, and 3 Indians. It was good day!...one of my best.
Thanks for looking and good luck on your next hunt!
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I had a good day at the local elementary school. I decided to grid the small exercise field since it has produced a couple of good finds in the past. I started in an obscure corner that was behind the small backstop, figuring it probably wasn't going to produce much...so I thought I could knock it out quickly and move on to a more promising area. I was working my way down a wood-fiber covered walking path and got a nice sounding high tone that was able to make its way past all the iron squeaks/falses that pretty much dominated the area. The display read 10-44 to 14-45 and hit two ways. I cut my way through the wood fiber and peeled it back out of the way to expose the wet dirt below--the wood fiber was about 4" deep. Next, I cut a 3" plug and checked the hole with the X-1 and was greeted with the sweet high-pitched tone of a silver dime. I centered in on where the X-1 indicated the target was with my next plug and popped out another 2" from the side-bottom of the hole. The X-1 told me I had my prize and when I cracked open the plug, the reeded edge of the 1941-S Merc was exposed. I love starting out a hunt like this!
My next target rang out only a foot or so away from the Merc and turned out to be a 1947-S Wheat. It was at about the same depth under the wood fiber and came in a clean 12-40/41.
I finished the first line of my grid and headed in the opposite direction (which was now in the grass) and about 30 minutes into that line I got a consistent 12-30 signal. I was figuring it was probably a screw cap, but since I hadn't dug anything in a while I decided to give it a go. A 4" plug produced a crusty Zincoln, but hey, you don't know for sure unless you dig. A foot away produced a nice 12-34, so again I popped out a plug and again out pops a Zincoln...oh well.
Finished with the previous line, I reversed direction again and worked my way back toward the fence and walking path. About 8' from finishing the line I reached the walking path and get a perfectly clean 12-36/37. I'm thinking "another Zincoln, do I want to mess with it?". My thoughts go back to the two keepers I found earlier in the path, so I decide "what the heck, I might get lucky". Again I work my way through 4" of wood fiber to get to the wet dirt below. I check the dirt with the X-1 and it is singing a 12-37 loud and clear--it's close to the surface. I dig in with my digging probe and break up the top inch or so of dirt to expose what looks like another stained and bent Zincoln...no surprise here. But then I wipe away the dirt and I see a profile that is pointed in the wrong direction--what???. I flip it over and wipe some dirt off to expose "ONE CENT" on the back and started laughing because I thought for sure it was a Zincoln. Turns out, it was a 1899 Indian Head penny--only my third Indian for the year.
Continuing on, I get a solid 10-34 about a foot away from where I just dug. Down through the wood fiber to expose the dirt; out comes the X-1; she's singing the target is very near the surface; the digging probe pops up a chunk a dirt; I reach down and pick up another stained and slightly bent INDIAN--no way!!! Then I look down at the hole again and see another one!!! By now I'm laughing out-loud and if there was anyone around they would of probably thought I had lost it--luckily, there wasn't. The 1887 and 1900 were sandwiched together in the hole. All three were probably from a pocket spill, but I thought it was kind of strange that all three are bent (one substantially and the other two just slightly).
The rest of the hunt only produced a couple of current nickels, but at this point I was still smiling about the Merc, Wheat, and 3 Indians. It was good day!...one of my best.
Thanks for looking and good luck on your next hunt!
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)and the merc is sweet WTG.
