Coin patch found near train tracks frozen in time....for now.

[Idprospector]

I found an area in eastern oregon yesterday that was abandoned in 1915 and was in use since the late 1800s. I had intended to check the site to see if It had been detected before or if had any diggable targets due to frozen ground. I found over 100 separate targets that were coins. Or I am hoping they were coins. The area was about 20 feet by 40 feet and all the targets were 4 to 6 inches down. There were 12-45, 46, 47, and 48s, ....... 12-11, 12, 13s, ......... 12-20, There were a few iffy signals with good CO numbers as well. There are a few nails and shards of iron but no real trash. I found two wheats a half inch down that I could dig, they were 1917 and 1918, Great shape but both have some serious black crust only on one side. The only repeatable targets seemed to be obvious coin numbers. I checked an area 100 feet or so on each side of the patch I was working and both sides had lots of coins. I didnt get but a couple of good repeatable signals that didnt correspond with coins. They were possible gold targets in the 12-2 to 12-5 range and two different 1-39 signals at about 6 or so inches. I was using TTF and did get some wild numbers due to barbed wire and railroad steel that was badly rusted. I did get two coins on the surface that were wheats from 1917 and 1918, Both great shape but one has black crust on one side that is a day into an olive oil soak. A much larger area than I detected carefully appears to have lots of coins in it. Any ideas how to get the coins dug before spring? I was thinking a hammer and a spike to break the frozen soil. It is very fine sand and dust that was very wet when frozen. I dont know how deep the freeze is but it was 16 degrees last night when I was detecting. I hate not being able to detect and I am running out of options. Idigid

 

[banditicey]

WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN SPRING

Do not torture yourself, Winter is half over and we all may have an early melt

How did you find it?

I would luv to get such opportunities in our area

HH with the Thaw

 

[Idprospector]

I did some research and found a train/stage stop along an unused portion of train tracks in eastern Oregon. I was hoping I could dig since I knew the soil would be dusty and sandy and hopefully dry. The old stage stop building was long gone and I didn't find one target there so I figured I would try a little farther up and down the tracks. I thought maybe someone back in the day might have walked the tracks or someone on horseback might have lost something there. Then about a mile from the old stop I started getting some signals mostly iron and nails. I drove one more mile and got out to check in an open area with some darker soil thinking it might not be frozen and started getting good signals all over. I started swinging fast and covering lots of ground just to see how big an area I was dealing with. I started swinging slow and covered a pretty good area in TTF and found there to be coins every foot or so and some almost on top of each other. I have hunted for arrowheads in that area before and know that in the spring I will be able to dig easy. I never had been on the tracks because the rail bed was built up with soil from other areas and usually didn't produce any native american goods for me. There is a hundred or so yard long area of fairly concentrated targets that look like coin signals to me. I am doing some more research but find nothing yet to explain the coins. I found a couple of relics as well. I will post the pics here later tonight or tomorrow. I don't know what one of them is and I am not sure the other is a relic at all. Could be just some very interestingly shaped iron. Anybody know if horse riding mail carriers had a pin or badge they wore that was shaped like a running horse? Pony Express or something like that? Anyway I am going back out in the next few days with a cordless drill and some large iron stakes and a large hammer to get to one of the signals that comes in like a silver 3 cent piece. I am going to try a flexible aluminum piece of dryer vent connected to my exhaust pipe to try and melt my way down 5 or 6 inches. I figure drill a hole 6 inches deep then direct my exhaust onto the area and keep enlarging the hole as it melts until I get to the coin. I will keep you posted and will post some before and after pics of the wheats I found later. Idigid.

 

[Silver Fox]

Wow, sounds like you found a real honey hole. Wish you the best of luck. Anxiously waiting for your next post.

 

[Ringo853]

lucky! Let us know!

try:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=pony+express+badge&hl=en&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=1Ir3Tq-nLM-78gOev_yzBA&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CCAQ_AUoAQ&biw=1417&bih=642

 

[EtracTom-AdirondacksNY]

You are one dedicated diehard detectorist. Best to you go for it!!

 

[treasure sstate]

Sounds labor intensive to retrieve those coins. Sounds like a great spot for when the ground thaws. If the olive oil doesn't work try a soak in WD-40 it is great on stuff like that and doesn't hurt the patina on the coin.