buffalo Nickels - Where are you hiding?

[texastreasures]

I've been detecting for almost a year now and I think I've been fairly successful for a beginner. I've had decent luck finding all kinds of silver coins. In less than a year of detecting, I have found one barber dime, over 30 silver dimes mercs/rosies, a standing liberty quarter, 11 silver washington quarters, a silver walking half, and a franklin half. I've also found over 150 wheat pennies ranging from 1913 to 1958, with most in the 40's and 50's. However, buffalo nickels evade me.

So here's my question: How do you guys find buffalo nickels? I'll celebrate if I find just one!

Odds are that I have probably passed my coil over some buffalo Nickels by now, but simply don't know what they sound like or what fe-co numbers they produce. I rarely find a nickel deeper than a couple inches and none are older than 1960 (except for two silver war-time nickels). Do old Jefferson nickels and Buffalo nickels (which are obviously a bit deeper than the modern nickels) sound much different or produce different numbers? In the Houston area, nickels produce a 12-13 on the display - how much variation can I typically except in the fe-co numbers as the nickels get deeper? To dig deeper nickels, will I need to simply accept digging a lot of trash? I mostly detect public parks and a few private yards too.

I'm hoping to hear from some of you who have been more successful with the old nickels. Thanks for your tips!

 

[McNickle]

Dont pay too much attention to the FE #'s.....but if you come across a signal that locks on at Co # 12,or 13-14 & stays at that #.......expecially at 4" or more......DIG it...........You will still dig 3-1 trash to Nickle....But that is the best odds..........if it sounds off at 13, 16,12,19 four ways.......Forget it.....but dig those that come in 12,12,13,12..four ways.....H.H.

 

[big-ears]

You will become one with your detector.............

 

[C&RHunter]

I agree with the numbers McNickle suggests, on finding those nickles. Personally, I think the Etrac is exceptionally good at finding nickles. For me Buffaloes will sound and read the same as newer nickles, as well as "silver" war nickles. As far as Fe numbers go, it seems if the Fe # stays at 11, the chances are, that it is the beaver tail piece of an old pull top. Stay with it, those buffs will come along. Good Luck.

 

[Corpsegrinder]

McNickle has it.. I impressed my dad with the E-tracs ability to tell me whats in the ground.. 12-12 13-13 14-14 if it rings in around that.. I am diggin.. almost every time its been a nickle.. or really really old style pull tab..

Keep at it.. they will be found.. Oh yes.. They will be found..

 

[bcoop]

Texas

Don't rely so much on the FE numbers, the ground and depth can cause the Fe to be 11, 13, 15, 17 or more especially if there is another target with it. Most nickels I have found do show up at CO 12, 13, 14 and even 15. I found my first buffalo at an old church yard at 10 inches in a hard packed Red Gravel drive way it was with my GTI 2500. The E-Trac is good at finding Nickels for me but no buffalo with it yet. Try some old church yards if you haven't already, you might be surprised.

BCOOP Missouri

 

[drodda777]

I've been at this for only 4 months now so I am by no means an expert. I have found 4 buffalo nickle so far. They sound the same as the other nickels and I have found two that were in less than 4 inches so the depth is not always an indicator. 12-13,12-14. The nickle has a distinct sound and once you key on that sound it is easy to tell the difference from a nickle and trash or foil and pulltabs. I know I am missing a few nickles in heavy trash areas but I have decided to pass rather than digging 100:1 trash to nickles in that area. I have yet to dig a buffalo with a date though. So I am looking forward to my first full date buffalo find.

Good luck with your quest,

Dave

 

[Nick A]

I was concerned at first too, but now I am getting old nickels pretty regularly, and definitely at sites w/o a lot of pulltab trash. One thing I did that seemed to help was combining the relic mode with the coins mode. Don't ask me why, but after doing that the nickels seem to hit harder. I think it just takes some time, and getting you brain focused on nickels. But if you are finding other "newer" nickels, the old ones will come. Keep swinging!