Holedigger
New member
Greetings Yall,
Finally got out the end of January after a couple of idle months due to inclement weather and other comittments. Boy was I surprised! The weather was unseasonably warm and the ground was very moist from recent rain, so I thought I would go to a local hunted out park for a couple of hours. I have been a serious metal detector for about 5-6 years now and up front I'll tell you I have never found an old half dollar, a seated coin, silver dollar, flying eagle cent, etc. That is until NOW. After I selected a location to hunt in the park, it was not five minutes until I got my first signal. It sounded like silver at seven inches and on the display it screemed silver. I have been fooled before with rusty wheat cents looking like silver but I was very excited. I took my trowel and dug it with a vengence, as I lost control not being out for some time. To my surprise and heart beating excitement, my very first old 1906-D silver half dollar. I could not tell if it was a Franklin, Kennedy, Peace or whatever, as it was covered in dirt. So I put in my protective pouch for cleaning at home not to damage it. Man am I so very excited and happy. So, I put the plug back in and continue on with a smirk on my face from my find, anxious to show my wife and friends on my find. Getting up from my knees and starting again I continue to detect. Two steps later I get the same exact signal at about seven inches again. No way I think to myself as I drop faster than a drill sargeant commanding me to the front leaning rest position. A second later another silver half dollar has seen the light of day, again covered in mud except for the reed edges. Again I put the coin in my pouch with mud on it not knowing for sure if a Franklin, peace, etc... Now I'm super excited and ready to go home, clean and see what I found, but I don't. I get up and start to continue on. After a few steps I think to myself, "STOP", you didn't recheck those holes for other coins. I know better than that. Went back to the previous hole and swept my coil over it and nothing, shew!!! Went back to the hole before that and, beep, beep, beep. I dug the origional plug back up then used my X-1 probe to locate another coin. It was about an inch below my plug and after cleaning was a 1904-D Barber quarter in the same hole as one of the half dollars (not sure which). But, the one I got very excited about I scared terribly (1906-D), the picture does no justice to my trowel gouges. I have kept a log the last several years and it confirmed my thoughts about detecting vs. finds. Of course anytime is a good time to go metal detecting. But for me... I get the best signals when the ground is very moist and find the most. When the ground is dry or starting to about freeze, forget it. I swing the coil very slowly, as about one sweep per five seconds. I get 95% of all my finds in the first two hours, anything more is a waste of time for me. I think my concentration on the sounds wane and I start day dreaming or something. Anyway, I love this hobby, and if I can pass on what I have learned, happy hunting
Finally got out the end of January after a couple of idle months due to inclement weather and other comittments. Boy was I surprised! The weather was unseasonably warm and the ground was very moist from recent rain, so I thought I would go to a local hunted out park for a couple of hours. I have been a serious metal detector for about 5-6 years now and up front I'll tell you I have never found an old half dollar, a seated coin, silver dollar, flying eagle cent, etc. That is until NOW. After I selected a location to hunt in the park, it was not five minutes until I got my first signal. It sounded like silver at seven inches and on the display it screemed silver. I have been fooled before with rusty wheat cents looking like silver but I was very excited. I took my trowel and dug it with a vengence, as I lost control not being out for some time. To my surprise and heart beating excitement, my very first old 1906-D silver half dollar. I could not tell if it was a Franklin, Kennedy, Peace or whatever, as it was covered in dirt. So I put in my protective pouch for cleaning at home not to damage it. Man am I so very excited and happy. So, I put the plug back in and continue on with a smirk on my face from my find, anxious to show my wife and friends on my find. Getting up from my knees and starting again I continue to detect. Two steps later I get the same exact signal at about seven inches again. No way I think to myself as I drop faster than a drill sargeant commanding me to the front leaning rest position. A second later another silver half dollar has seen the light of day, again covered in mud except for the reed edges. Again I put the coin in my pouch with mud on it not knowing for sure if a Franklin, peace, etc... Now I'm super excited and ready to go home, clean and see what I found, but I don't. I get up and start to continue on. After a few steps I think to myself, "STOP", you didn't recheck those holes for other coins. I know better than that. Went back to the previous hole and swept my coil over it and nothing, shew!!! Went back to the hole before that and, beep, beep, beep. I dug the origional plug back up then used my X-1 probe to locate another coin. It was about an inch below my plug and after cleaning was a 1904-D Barber quarter in the same hole as one of the half dollars (not sure which). But, the one I got very excited about I scared terribly (1906-D), the picture does no justice to my trowel gouges. I have kept a log the last several years and it confirmed my thoughts about detecting vs. finds. Of course anytime is a good time to go metal detecting. But for me... I get the best signals when the ground is very moist and find the most. When the ground is dry or starting to about freeze, forget it. I swing the coil very slowly, as about one sweep per five seconds. I get 95% of all my finds in the first two hours, anything more is a waste of time for me. I think my concentration on the sounds wane and I start day dreaming or something. Anyway, I love this hobby, and if I can pass on what I have learned, happy hunting