A good day and my best silver year ever! (Probably can't repeat again)

[Tenspeed]

Today was another good silver day for me with 2, a 1920D Merc and a 1911D Barber. This brings my silver total up to 122 (compared to 31 in all of 2011) which is pretty good considering where I live. I also found 1918 and 1927 wheats today. Please be patient...this will be long winded!

I was back at a yard I have hunted many times (home built on two lots in 1910) with my ETrac and also with my XP DEUS. The ETrac in 2 tone ferrous is just a monster. There is iron all in this yard (we have a lot of native iron in the soil where I live) and I have been hunting it off and on since spring. Last week it gave up 10 more wheaties with one being a key date 1910S in pretty good shape.

This one yard has given up a WWI medallion (more to come on that in American Digger next year), 1912 Barber quarter (my first), 1911D Barber dime, 6 mercury dimes (1920D, 1928D, 1935S, 3 x 1941), 4 Buffalo nickels (also a first for me), 25+ Wheaties from 1910 up (most were teens, twenties and thirties).

What I found today was that you must go in all angles to really cover an area well. I had cabin fever and went out to try 2 tone ferrous on the back yard. When I had no success in the back I went up front to try a herringbone approach to the yard that has been hunted very hard with the ETrac in conductive and TTF. Dirt was added to this yard 40 or so years ago and the yard is the nicest, soft, loamy soil you can ask for. First pass in the side yard netted a deep wheatie. Realizing I had only found the Barber quarter in the front yard, I made a beeline to the front yard for the same approach. First pass netted the 20D Merc. I was pretty excited.

Then the 82 year old homeowner came out and asked me to go to his farm with him. He had been telling me about it and the fact that there are several old homplaces on it (1700's through late 1800's/early 1900's), so I said "sure" since I can hunt his yard anytime. I am glad I did! The 1700's area is grown up and will be tough to hunt, a second house burned, but is huntable, and one house that was present when his grandfather bought the farm in 1922 is still there. This will be a rewarding place to hunt in the future.

We got back at about 5:00 with a little light left, so I headed back out front. The fourth swing I got a decent (8-43) but repeatable signal. I was thinking penny, but out popped SILVER! A 1911D Barber dime, my fifth Barber dime of the year.

Here is a breakdown of my best silver year EVER!

1948 Portuguese 2.5 Escudos
Walking Liberty Halves: 27S, 40, 41, 45 = 4
Franklin Halves: 53D, 54 = 2
Barber Quarter: 1912
Standing Liberty Quarter: No Date, 18, 18D, 26, 27, 30S = 6
Washington Quarter: 2x36, 39, 3x41, 41D, 44, 46, 48D, 52D, 53 = 12
Seated Dimes: 1892O
Barber Dimes: 1901, 1903, 1903O, 1905, 1911D = 5
Mercury Dimes: No Date, 18, 19, 19D, 20D, 23, 28D, 28S, 2x35, 2x35S, 36, 37, 38, 39, 39D, 40, 40D, 11x41, 41D, 7x42, 2x43, 2x43D, 5x44, 5x45 = 53
Roosevelt Dimes: 5x46, 46D, 47, 4x48, 50, 51, 51D, 2x52, 52D, 53, 2x53D, 54, 56, 56D, 61D, 2x62, 62D, 4x64, 3x64D = 34
Silver War Nickels: 2x42P, 45P

Thanks for being patient!!

I hope everyone has a HAPPY NEW YEAR and has a great hunting year!

 

[NebTrac]

I'm very happy for you Tenspeed! That is a great year. You've found a lot of silver for sure! I hope next year is even better. For the record. Check your date on your seated dime. I think they only made 'em up to 1891.

Thanks for the pictures and congratulations on your year!

NebTrac

 

[Sooper Dave]

What an Incredible Year! That is some amazing silver counts! 6 Halves & 6 SLQ's is Awesome! Congrats & Way to go on a wonderful year! Do you hunt any parks? Or do you mainly hunt old homes?

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Congrats on the great finds and for finding so much Silver this season !

 

[niterider_58]

Congratulations on a fantastic year

 

[moonshine]

congratulations tenspeed. ive enjoyed all of the posts youve made. great pics.

 

[MikeO]

WTG
Looks like a very promising site.

 

[DiggerODirt]

You DID have a GREAT Year!!! I can only hope for some of those coins around my area..Anything older than a Barber is a real treat around here...

HH,

 

[Tenspeed]

I'm very happy for you Tenspeed! That is a great year. You've found a lot of silver for sure! I hope next year is even better. For the record. Check your date on your seated dime. I think they only made 'em up to 1891.

Thanks for the pictures and congratulations on your year!

NebTrac

Thanks NebTrac!! You were right, the seated is 1891O. At home in MS I have found the end of the seated (this past October) and the beginning of the Barbers (2 years ago, November), both from the New Orleans mint. The Barber was XF to AU details with environmental damage while the seated had great detail with more environmental damage. The Barber was 11.5" deep in a red clay with the Seated at 10" deep in a white, limestone clay.

In the same area as the seated dime I also found many other deep coins with the deepest being a 1930S SLQ at 11".

I hope to go back and hunt some more this February when we take my daughter over for a college ballet audition at the University of Alabama (which is near where I am from in MS).

I never would have thought this hobby would be so addictive! Went to a civil war site south of Columbia, SC yesterday and came up with a 1902 V nickel and a block of civil war bullet lead (my hunting buddy found a star bridal rosette). It was different hunting an eighty acre open field when I am used to hunting in town. But it was easy digging sandy soil and was fun trying to find the iron patches in the field where the homes had been so we could look for the good targets. My buddy found an 1848 LC on Sunday in the same field.

Happy New Year everyone!!

 

[Goes4ever]

Great totals, would like to see some yr end group pictures.....make a new post and show us your silver pile for the year

 

[Tenspeed]

Great totals, would like to see some yr end group pictures.....make a new post and show us your silver pile for the year

I will collect them and do that. They are all in 2x2 holders since I date and locate where I found them, so it might be multiple pictures.

I really liked your silver pile!! The Indian pile was just as nice!

 

[Cutaplug]

Congrats on such an aweomse year! 2 Franklins I can't find my first =)

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

Awesome story! Love all the silver!

 

[Damar2003]

Congrats on a great silver year !

 

[Tenspeed]

I created a new post "Pictures of Silver and Better finds from 2012" if anyone wants to see photographs of the coins in the list along with some of my better finds.