small change
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I didn't have any plans to go to any holiday festivities or any parties so I ended up detecting all three days. Friday wasn't anything to brag about.
Tried a couple of schools not too far away that were built in the early 50's hoping I could score a couple of later silvers but failed. Found one wheat early on at the first school, so that gave me a bit of hope but then proceeded to find only clad until I left there. The second school was even worse. Found only clad & couldn't even find one wheat.
Saturday made up for the rest of the week. A friend of mine who I have hunted with quite a bit the last 2 years or so had permission to search the yard of an old house in a town nearby. He got the ok when he was there about a month or so ago when the town had city-wide garage sales one weekend. The house was an large Victorian era home built in 1892 with a large front & back yard. Started in the front & didn't get much at the beginning except for some clad but then found a '08 Indian Head Cent. Soon after, I found a '07 Indian Head Cent. Followed that with a '64 Roosevelt then came the best find, an 1892O Barber Half. It was only 3" deep or so & on edge. It gave a nice strong signal but it didn't have quite as high a tone as most silver I have found so far and so I wasn't expecting to find a large silver coin.
That happens to be the first Barber Half I have ever found. I followed that up with a '39 & a '41D Mercury Dime & then the Sterling Silver Catholic Medal. Also got a 1935 Buffalo Nickel, a '48 Jefferson, & a couple of wheats ('18 & '44). Didn't find much in the back. You could tell where some old structures (outbuildings) had been & after what we had found in front, it seemed promising, but there seemed to be much more iron & areas of cinders which made it much more difficult. Also, it was getting late afternoon by then & we had to leave, anyway. I did find a '34 Wheat Cent stuck to a '29 Buffalo Nickel which were the only notable finds in the back. My friend Roger also did well. Right after I found the Barber Half he found a '56 Washington Quarter & a '48 Roosevelt Dime in the same hole. Soon after he followed that with a '43 Walker. I think he also got 2-3 wheat cents. We were told someone had searched the yard before but didn't have any details on what they had found. The owners have lived there for approximately 9-10 years or so, & I would bet that the place would have been searched at least once before then. None of the coins we found were very deep at all. I don't think any were more than 4-5" so they all gave pretty clear signals.
Sunday ended up being much more like Friday, I'm afraid. Roger & I decided to try a couple of 1950s era schools nearby. We did find a lot of clad at the first one, & he did find a Mercury & a silver ring but I failed to get any silver. I did find an area in back of the school near some woods where I found three wheats & quite a few older Memorial cents ('59 - '67) & thought I'd get a silver dime or two eventually, but it didn't happen. The spot had some tough thick grass that made it tough to get close to the ground. The signals from the 5-7" deep Memorials & wheats weren't exactly that great either. They seemed to be a little weaker than I would expect. Tried two other schools but neither seemed very promising after a short time searching. Swept thru some hard clay-like ground & by the time we left the second school, the heat & humidity was getting to me & zapping my energy & interest. We didn't stay long at the 3rd school at all.
Anyway, here's the pics of the Saturday finds. Perhaps Roger & I should get up the nerve to go back to that same neighborhood & ask some other folks if they'd let us search their yards as well. The neighborhood has quite a few old large houses in it, many built during or before the 1920s. It may be much better than struggling at the schoolyards.
Take care & HH,
Dan.
Tried a couple of schools not too far away that were built in the early 50's hoping I could score a couple of later silvers but failed. Found one wheat early on at the first school, so that gave me a bit of hope but then proceeded to find only clad until I left there. The second school was even worse. Found only clad & couldn't even find one wheat.
Saturday made up for the rest of the week. A friend of mine who I have hunted with quite a bit the last 2 years or so had permission to search the yard of an old house in a town nearby. He got the ok when he was there about a month or so ago when the town had city-wide garage sales one weekend. The house was an large Victorian era home built in 1892 with a large front & back yard. Started in the front & didn't get much at the beginning except for some clad but then found a '08 Indian Head Cent. Soon after, I found a '07 Indian Head Cent. Followed that with a '64 Roosevelt then came the best find, an 1892O Barber Half. It was only 3" deep or so & on edge. It gave a nice strong signal but it didn't have quite as high a tone as most silver I have found so far and so I wasn't expecting to find a large silver coin.
That happens to be the first Barber Half I have ever found. I followed that up with a '39 & a '41D Mercury Dime & then the Sterling Silver Catholic Medal. Also got a 1935 Buffalo Nickel, a '48 Jefferson, & a couple of wheats ('18 & '44). Didn't find much in the back. You could tell where some old structures (outbuildings) had been & after what we had found in front, it seemed promising, but there seemed to be much more iron & areas of cinders which made it much more difficult. Also, it was getting late afternoon by then & we had to leave, anyway. I did find a '34 Wheat Cent stuck to a '29 Buffalo Nickel which were the only notable finds in the back. My friend Roger also did well. Right after I found the Barber Half he found a '56 Washington Quarter & a '48 Roosevelt Dime in the same hole. Soon after he followed that with a '43 Walker. I think he also got 2-3 wheat cents. We were told someone had searched the yard before but didn't have any details on what they had found. The owners have lived there for approximately 9-10 years or so, & I would bet that the place would have been searched at least once before then. None of the coins we found were very deep at all. I don't think any were more than 4-5" so they all gave pretty clear signals. Sunday ended up being much more like Friday, I'm afraid. Roger & I decided to try a couple of 1950s era schools nearby. We did find a lot of clad at the first one, & he did find a Mercury & a silver ring but I failed to get any silver. I did find an area in back of the school near some woods where I found three wheats & quite a few older Memorial cents ('59 - '67) & thought I'd get a silver dime or two eventually, but it didn't happen. The spot had some tough thick grass that made it tough to get close to the ground. The signals from the 5-7" deep Memorials & wheats weren't exactly that great either. They seemed to be a little weaker than I would expect. Tried two other schools but neither seemed very promising after a short time searching. Swept thru some hard clay-like ground & by the time we left the second school, the heat & humidity was getting to me & zapping my energy & interest. We didn't stay long at the 3rd school at all.
Anyway, here's the pics of the Saturday finds. Perhaps Roger & I should get up the nerve to go back to that same neighborhood & ask some other folks if they'd let us search their yards as well. The neighborhood has quite a few old large houses in it, many built during or before the 1920s. It may be much better than struggling at the schoolyards.
Take care & HH,
Dan.
wow dan now that is some good diggin buddy, love to see that big silver laying in the hole looking back at me awesome job 