Need Input on Upgrade

[fishes02]

New to the hobby, and enjoying every minute, but work is starting to interfere!! Currently sharing my digging load with a BH Tracker IV, and it has been very kind to me. Dug up over 2700 clad coins, along with 10 silver rings (nothing significant), 2 Liberty dimes (waiting on that first silver quarter), and 20 plus wheat pennies. But, there is so much trash in the ground that I really only dig on the copper/silver tones.

Now from reading everyone's input from these forums I know I'm passing over a lot of other good stuff, but I need something else to aid in my digging decision process vice just the tone which the Tracker IV gives. I've tried digging everything, but my wrist can only handle so much digging, and it would take me months to cover just one field or park that I hit.

I've got a $200.00 head start thanks to the BH IV, so any advice on my next upgrade would be greatly appreciated.

Also, it would double my appreciation if anyone can tell my how to clean those Wheat's.

/Cliff from Maryland

 

[BH-LandStar]

Hi Fishes02:

The T4 is a great little machine, but I can understand you wanting something that gives a little better clue as to what is under the coil...I might suggest one of the new Titanium series when they come out next month (hopefully), or if they are too expensive, maybe one of the Discovery series with the Target ID numbers on screen...this will give you a better idea of what you might be digging...


HH,

BH-LandStar

 

[dougmoore34]

Ok, as a numismatist let me first state that most of the time cleaning a coin destroys it's value. [Now that it has been said here is what I do...]
I use electrolysis and I can barely spell it so Iam definately NOT an expert. It will discolor the cent, but it will lift all of the ick off and for several that I thought were smoothies it actually brought up just enough detail to force me to take the acid to them. A coin with a porousity not visable to the human eye and a date beats a smoothy all day long in my book.
Doug in OR

 

[PACK RAT]

I tried electrolysis once on a 1944 wheat penny. It was the first time I did it so I may have done this wrong but when I was finished it looked like a clean copper slug. Couldn't tell it was a penny or the date or even any markings at all. It was a penny I had dug so maybe it was worse off than I had thought originally. Dougmoore34 have you ever had this happen to you? Like I said I only tried it once and could of done something wrong. Had added lemon juice and salt to water. Hooked one lead to coin the other to the spoon and made sure they weren't touching. Plug it in and made sure the penny was bubbling. Had it in for a while so maybe it was in too long? Any pointers would be appreciated.

 

[fishes02]

Knowing my luck I would probably end up with some blisters if I tried electrolysis. Was hoping for a quick easy solution to cleaning the white/grayish film that covers the copper after it comes out of the ground. Finger rubbing the coin does the trick in most cases, but just sometimes that doesn't even work. Appreciate the input though.

I will check out the Titanium series when they come out. Hopefully the upgrade will not set me back to much, but better to spend the dollars now vice later when arthritis sets in the wrist. The games not over until you dig that last clad.

Thanks/Cliff