mrdestructo
New member
Let me start out saying, i'm not even close to a guy that would look like he enjoys metal detecting. I'm 20 yrs old, have almost 2 feet of hair and plays drums in a christrian death metal band but I love going metal detecting and finding stuff. With that aside, I started metal detecting when I was about 12 with my first detector being a white's classic ID. I used that clear up to about two months ago when a friend from church gave me his White's XLT. I always wanted one of these but never had the money. Anyway, my friend and I every weekend would go to old houses and peoples backyards. I might post our findings and other past findings of mine later on. Anyway, I took this thing out to my backyard during the past few weekends. First, I'll give you some backround info on my area. I live on the outskirts of mercersburg, PA which was est. in 1732 or 38, 1730's sometime, and during that period and soon after they had slaves. Now they didn't want the slaves or poor people in the borough limits so they sent them to the outskirts, which is now called little africa because of that. There was little action during the revolutionary war but during the civil war, mercersburg is one of many key areas. Confederate civil war troops went through mercersburg on their way to the burning of chambersburg and later on union troops occupied it and had an officer living here. During the civil war was the underground railroad. Where they took slaves from the south and brought them up north. Well on the outskirts of Mercersburg, where I live, was a main route for run-away slaves. So in every field and every backyard could have colonial and civil war era relics and coins. So back to my backyard. My house was built in the 1920's roughly and rebuilt in the 1950's but the next plot over was a little store circa. about late 1800's and hasn't been occupied since the closing in the early 1900's. The area of dutchtown (where I live) is definitely around early 1800's. So as I start out my patterns over the 1 acre backyard, I come across numerous cans, tabs and foil to begin with. Talk about frustrating. Good thing though, I keep everything I find, even trash, and the trash I seperate and take to the scrap yard when I have enough. So as I was going I found a clad quarter and memorial penny among the trash. Then at the end of my row/line I get a nice signal about +70. I dig everything that is positive, so after a few inches pops out a round thing. I was like sweet a large cent but then when I picked it up it wasn't a large cent but a civil war era civilian button. It's still cool so I move on. Then after about 7 rows, I come across a 20ft x 10ft area of nothing but brass ends, bits of copper wire, a bazillion nails and other trash...........OMG 
But after all that I get into an area where there's not as much junk. Then after about 10 rows beside a young tulip poplar I get a low signal about +20. I think nothing of it and to my surprise a Union Civil war bullet pops out after 5 inches of digging. I was like, hey this is nice. Then I keep going and find the smaller button, then another medium button and the junk ring, old picture frame, and some kind of broach. I also found a few confederate civil war bullets, at least I think. I was thinking these are some pretty cool finds. Then after a good bit of rows I came across a signal that was bouncing from +55 to +65. I was thinking it was just another piece of aluminum can or a tab or some piece of junk, but to my surprise an 1877 Indian head penny comes out. My parents, which I still live with till after college, were in the garden on the other side of the backyard and when I found this I yelled to them and they came over and were like..."Sweet." Freaking right its sweet. After numerous junk findings and some alright things, I finally find a decent coin. Then I went on and found a 1925 penny, the older toy cars, belt buckle and another button among even more junk. Then after about 25 lbs of junk, seriously it was around that much, and some sweet finds I go to the front yard. Now when my dad bought this place we tore it down and built pretty much a new house. We did a lot of landscaping and unfortunately I didn't get to metal detect around the house. 
But I did go in the front yard a little before excavation and found, among lots of trash, a 2.5 in. civil war Bronze badge thing with U.S in block letters, a melted silver quarter and a 1925 penny. They were pretty sweet. I might post then later if you guys want. But I went even farther in the 2.5 acre front yard. I found two more buttons and a 1950 penny and again among some trash. So after my yard, I found this field that hasn't been plowed for like 15 yrs and is mowed every month AND...is back in the woods with no roads around it. So the grass was low and minimal trash. I was thinking might have been a very small civil war battle or something here. So I go out and at first found some newer 9 mm shells and some tabs. I was thinking crap this is going to be a repeat of my yard. But after about 50 feet there was nothing. Now the field is a about 5 acres and is a square. I decided to go from one corner to the other on the opposite side, a diagonal across the field. Half way across, after nothing since the beginning there was a 265 robert rifle shell. Stupid hunters, no offense to hunters but they leave there's shells on the ground. Then about 3/4 of the way across I get a nice single around +75. I dig it and out comes a very big civilian button. It has a pattern of a flower on the front and looks to be around the colonial period. I was like Freaking Awesome! Then I went some more and found the old bullet and the memorial penny. Then after zig-zagging across the field in no particular order, I find nothing else. Nothing....Not even junk!! So I went back to the car after my battery was low. So the past few weeks produced some good finds but no silver or really good coins. Just some civil era relics and some older pennies.
But after all that I get into an area where there's not as much junk. Then after about 10 rows beside a young tulip poplar I get a low signal about +20. I think nothing of it and to my surprise a Union Civil war bullet pops out after 5 inches of digging. I was like, hey this is nice. Then I keep going and find the smaller button, then another medium button and the junk ring, old picture frame, and some kind of broach. I also found a few confederate civil war bullets, at least I think. I was thinking these are some pretty cool finds. Then after a good bit of rows I came across a signal that was bouncing from +55 to +65. I was thinking it was just another piece of aluminum can or a tab or some piece of junk, but to my surprise an 1877 Indian head penny comes out. My parents, which I still live with till after college, were in the garden on the other side of the backyard and when I found this I yelled to them and they came over and were like..."Sweet." Freaking right its sweet. After numerous junk findings and some alright things, I finally find a decent coin. Then I went on and found a 1925 penny, the older toy cars, belt buckle and another button among even more junk. Then after about 25 lbs of junk, seriously it was around that much, and some sweet finds I go to the front yard. Now when my dad bought this place we tore it down and built pretty much a new house. We did a lot of landscaping and unfortunately I didn't get to metal detect around the house. But I did go in the front yard a little before excavation and found, among lots of trash, a 2.5 in. civil war Bronze badge thing with U.S in block letters, a melted silver quarter and a 1925 penny. They were pretty sweet. I might post then later if you guys want. But I went even farther in the 2.5 acre front yard. I found two more buttons and a 1950 penny and again among some trash. So after my yard, I found this field that hasn't been plowed for like 15 yrs and is mowed every month AND...is back in the woods with no roads around it. So the grass was low and minimal trash. I was thinking might have been a very small civil war battle or something here. So I go out and at first found some newer 9 mm shells and some tabs. I was thinking crap this is going to be a repeat of my yard. But after about 50 feet there was nothing. Now the field is a about 5 acres and is a square. I decided to go from one corner to the other on the opposite side, a diagonal across the field. Half way across, after nothing since the beginning there was a 265 robert rifle shell. Stupid hunters, no offense to hunters but they leave there's shells on the ground. Then about 3/4 of the way across I get a nice single around +75. I dig it and out comes a very big civilian button. It has a pattern of a flower on the front and looks to be around the colonial period. I was like Freaking Awesome! Then I went some more and found the old bullet and the memorial penny. Then after zig-zagging across the field in no particular order, I find nothing else. Nothing....Not even junk!! So I went back to the car after my battery was low. So the past few weeks produced some good finds but no silver or really good coins. Just some civil era relics and some older pennies.
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