I let the ghost of an Indian head penny out of a hole today

[AVXVA]

I went out this afternoon to test a new set-up on the E-Trac. Went to an old abandoned school, and I was quite pleased by how the machine was working, 3-quarters, 5-dimes, 1-nickel and 2-pennies, all clad, except for a Wheat penny in about 15 minutes. Then I hit a solid 12-35 one way, and 12-34 the other, and by solid I mean I was running a 4-Tone Conduct set to Long. (I like Long because there is no doubt, there is no ambiguity on a coin when the machine starts talking.) Anyway, this was a solid, repeatable, two direction 12-34 : 12-35 and I'm thinking, that's an Indian head penny for certain.

So I removed the plug and the target was deeper. Went deeper, and it was still deeper. Enlarged the diameter of the hole, and it was still deeper, 12-34 : 12-35 the whole way. I went 6-inches down and I still didn't have it. I sometimes lose the coin to one side or another, so I enlarged the diameter of the hole to 13" and it was dead center, only deeper. So I walked back to the truck and grabbed a sharp-shooter shovel because now I'm about half pissed off. 8" down, and it's still deeper. I enlarged the hole again to about 15" wide, and it's dead center--only deeper. I take the sharpshooter and sink it to the foot stops and now I'm looking at a hole 14" deep and 18' wide. Target missing. I pile hole dirt in sequential, circular fashion so I can keep track of what's what. The target was not in the last pile of dirt, in fact the target was not in any of the dirt..or the hole...

So I turned the detector off and powered it back up. I went to a full open screen and searched the entire area. Nothing. Then I enlarged the search area to a five-foot diameter. Nothing. Then I changed programs on the machine and placed various coins on the ground, and I confirmed that the machine was working fine. Then I buried the Wheat penny in the hole with the dirt that came out of the hole, and got a solid signal from the penny at the bottom of the hole. I dug the penny up one handfull at a time, testing each handful as I went. Nothing--except for the Wheat penny at the bottom of the hole.

Then I filled the hole up, and poured a container water on the dirt. Nothing. Then I went home.

I'm pretty certain that I let the ghost of an Indian penny out of a hole today.

What could account for this??

Bronc

 

[hunter_46356]

No you didn't set the Indian ghost free. The ghost who lost him was watching over your shoulder and when you weren't looking he finally got him back. When you dig an old coin or relic do you ever wonder who and why it was lost to begin with. If these finds could only tell their story.

 

[BryanM362]

No you didn't set the Indian ghost free. The ghost who lost him was watching over your shoulder and when you weren't looking he finally got him back. When you dig an old coin or relic do you ever wonder who and why it was lost to begin with. If these finds could only tell their story.

Absolutely! That is part of the fun for me, wondering who dropped it and what was going on when the coin was dropped.


Bronc,

I take it you were running a pattern most of the time? One of the first things I do after I find a potential target is open the screen to make sure the numbers are the same and it's not an iron false.

Did you check the dirt with a pin pointer? Sometimes I get a a situation like that, where the e-trac won't find the target after digging, I think due to the orientation of the target, but a pin pointer will usually find it. Lots of rust, on and around a target, will mess with most detectors as well, the rust dissipates after you disturb the soil, target disappears.,.

 

[bertman]

Did you check the back of the shovel (if the site was muddy)? Just a thought as I once dug a signal and found a 1942 Washington in the hole. While removing the mud from my digger, there was a 1934 Walker stuck to the back.

Robert...

 

[AVXVA]

Lots of rust, on and around a target, will mess with most detectors as well, the rust dissipates after you disturb the soil, target disappears..

I think it had something to do with that, some kind of weird lead ore mineralization that I broke apart.

Did you check the back of the shovel (if the site was muddy)? Just a thought as I once dug a signal and found a 1942 Washington in the hole. While removing the mud from my digger, there was a 1934 Walker stuck to the back.

That had to be a wonderful surprise! No, it was dry, dry, dry. That's why I poured water on the hole, to enhance the electromagnetic aura.

Bronc

 

[ironsight]

Most of the time as Bryan said its a tiny piece of corroded iron. And if small and corroded enough they can ID as a coin. Once out of the hole enough of the corrosion has been dispersed to the point the pinpointer has to just about touch it to detect it. I carry one of those powerful pocket magnets to probe the pile for those elusive small pieces of iron.

Also keep in mind, for example only long nails will fail the 2way test. Severly corroded stubby nails, stubby bolts/screws, nuts, etc. can often pass the 2way test. Severely corroded iron tends to lose its magnetic properties looking more like a conductive target to a detector. In other words, the more that corroded iron has a form factor of a coin the more it will look like a non ferrous coin to the detector.