In reference to the Indian Cent ID discussion below...

[NealNoIN]

How many of you guys hunt with the digital screen and find lots of indians? On the smartfind screen I just dig any signal when the cursor is at or near the top of the screen(indians almost always have a little space between the cursor and the top). If the cursor is way to the left or in the middle or way to the right I will dig it and find coins in all of these situations. So I'm guessing that would mean that even though an indian cent ideally reads about 7--25, it COULD be 15--25 or 25--25 or even 30--25 or 3--25 or even 00--25.
The point I'm making is the conductive number is pretty dependable with only a small variance but the ferrous number can be all over. If your iron mask is rejecting 30--25 you could miss a few, if your iron mask is rejecting 25--25 you could miss an awful lot.
This of course is true with silver and other coins too. I just brought up the indians because of recent posts. Conductive numbers are pretty dependable on the Explorer, ferrous numbers aren't, maybe this is why they didn't even put the ferrous numbers on the XS and S models.
Neal

 

[king-ghidorah]

Thanks Neal. Now I'm going to hang myself because of the IH's I have missed.

 

[digitrich]

pre-1860 (copper/nickel), 1860 and beyond-bronze; and with corrosion, different soils and moisture content: their ID's move a bunch. You are going to have to dig some trash in most areas. I have dug Indians from left of tabs to silver dimes with the cursor being at the very top of the screen to 3/8 of an inch down.....in the same field even.

 

[mattockman]

I have stated over and over in many posts in the past that the conductive # and smart find location has always been more accurate than the ferrous location of cursor...I own the XS so I don't get ferrous #'s, but it is in relation to the smart screen cursor location...that being said one can imagine cursor will be close at it's correct hieght but can be slurred left or right more than anything....I always use smartscreen and then check digital #, so I know both....and have found Indians at mostly 24 and have varied from 23 - 26.....between 18-22 will mostly be screw caps....any higher can be large tabs newer screw caps or indains....it's a crap shoot and I choose to use my guide lines to dig less trash and get most Indians...I think the ferrous #'s are a waste of time unless you are talking text book target...perfect conditions....the conductivity has always been pretty darn close....unless at ungodly depths or very loose ground or tons of pine needles....stomping the ground or removing top layer helps in those cases...it will give a better reading in my opinoin. nothing on Badly corroded copper will help except to just dig it up. Close targets will also blurr the machine to a good reading of target. Just the nature of the game.Pick and choose how much trash you want to dig.....or dig it all...

 

[deeponedge]

Nice explanation matockman

 

[Chris/MA]

Per the "red book" guide:

Made from copper-nickel alloy (.880 copper .120 nickel, 4.67 grams, diam. 19mm):
Flying eagles 1856-1858
Indians 1859-1864

Switchover to bronze occurred partway through 1864, so 1864 indians of *both* metal types exist.

Made from bronze alloy (.950 copper .050 tin/zinc 3.11 grams, diam. 19mm)
Indians 1864 onward.
All wheaties except 1943, which was zinc plated steel.
Memorial cents 1959-1962.

.950 copper .050 zinc. (tin was removed). Book is somewhat ambiguous on whether weight changed any.:
memorial cents 1962-1982

zinc pennies 1982 onward (1982 exists in both metal types):
core is 99.2% zinc, 0.8% copper. This is plated with pure copper. Overall content is 97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper.


In a nutshell, this means:
flying eagles and early indians are of identical composition and mass.
Later indians and all wheats but 1943, plus memorials 1959-1962, are of idential composition and mass.

So any difference in reading within these categories will be due to differences in depth and state of corrosion, and of course if they're on edge or something or surrounded by junk. Indians and wheats also have different designs stamped on them, but any effect from that would be insignificant compared to the other factors.

You want to dig the older copper nickel indians and flying eagles, you definitely need to dig trash, no way around it.

 

[Chris/MA]

Of the indians you've dug that had ferrous locations other than the right side of the screen, what proportion do you recall being way to the left, vs. in the middle?

I hunt in open-screen and always dig anything with a decent conductive number that's middle or right side, but I usually don't dig stuff that's far left of center even if at the top of the screen, since it seems like a lot of iron lives in that area.

How much am I missing by not digging anything much to the left of center?

How many of you guys hunt with the digital screen and find lots of indians? On the smartfind screen I just dig any signal when the cursor is at or near the top of the screen(indians almost always have a little space between the cursor and the top). If the cursor is way to the left or in the middle or way to the right I will dig it and find coins in all of these situations. So I'm guessing that would mean that even though an indian cent ideally reads about 7--25, it COULD be 15--25 or 25--25 or even 30--25 or 3--25 or even 00--25.
The point I'm making is the conductive number is pretty dependable with only a small variance but the ferrous number can be all over. If your iron mask is rejecting 30--25 you could miss a few, if your iron mask is rejecting 25--25 you could miss an awful lot.
This of course is true with silver and other coins too. I just brought up the indians because of recent posts. Conductive numbers are pretty dependable on the Explorer, ferrous numbers aren't, maybe this is why they didn't even put the ferrous numbers on the XS and S models.
Neal

 

[digitrich]

n/t

 

[Chris(SoCenWI)]

Chris,

Coins in heavy iron can hit pretty close to the left side, not all the way like iron, but certainly way past middle. Generally they will bounce there and across to the right. Sometimes you get a axis location appropriate lower pitched growl, but usually there are some high tones mixed in.

Chris

 

[Chris(SoCenWI)]

Yep,

All the coins cents from 1864 through zincs were supposed to be the same alloy. But for some reason IHs and an odd wheat will hit lower on the conductive scale. Wondering if the variation in the tin/zinc can make the difference? If the alloy was all zinc as opposed to all tin or was it usually some combination of the two?

Or perhaps just being buried longer makes a difference?

Chris

 

[NealNoIN]

Some are far right...right up against the right side. Some are far left but not 32. Maybe a couple found at 30 ferrous but 29 for sure
will turn up some coins. Something around 29 is either something like a small piece of wire or a coin down deep or in iron.

 

[mattockman]

I hate to but in...but if it is not solid iron far left....and it is mid to bottom depth....dig it.....it will either be a shallow very small piece of whatever rusted(screw).....or a very corroded penny or very deep coin........copper coins can be very illusive when corroded with green and or deep.....silver when deep will either be still higher than copper or farther right than copper and either ride left to right top or top to bottom right......from what I have experienced silver will be more accurate than copper....when a copper coin is cruddy and green.....it will usualy be distorted sounding high and low audio...and bouncy cursor.....when it is a scew cap it will be solid and mid field......so that is a big give away to me....scratchy sounding and bouncing and at least half way depth gauge...it is good....mid way and solid it is usually some funky item or screw cap.....