Newly Joined

[AgIA]

I have been reading this forum recently and thought I would jump in. I have already learned alot thanks to all of you. I bought an etrac last fall but due to a new child, work and early frustration, I didn't get back to it until a few weeks ago. I had a not so great detector as a kid and always wanted to find stuff but it didn't work out that way. I was finding clad last fall but nothing old which for me is the point. So, a couple weeks ago I started working over a park from the 1920s near where I work and didn't find much until right at the frustrating end of the hunt. But then - first silver - 1902 Barber dime. Have gone back now over the last couple weeks and the park has broken me in to what I am looking for by providing me 30+ Wheaties, 1 1905 Indian, 5 Mercs (1916-NoD, 1917, 1924, 1941, 1942-D), a 2nd Barber dime (1907) and a 1909 Barber quarter. I've just been in heaven and now I have the bug bigtime!

Glad to join you and I'll throw one question out to start. Most of the really old places that I would think to hunt around here are near the river (including the spot I got these goodies at) and it floods these areas out periodically. I'm getting the impression this often ends up burying things deeper making our jobs tougher or impossible. However the area I've been mining was undoubtedly flooded many times since the 1940s? or so and I'm finding stuff but I go other places that are similar geographically (like the other end of the park) and nothing is old that I dig. Does flooding work both ways? Does it clear some areas out and bury others so I won't have any idea until I get out and give it a shot? HH!

 

[banditicey]

I am unsure of the answer about flooding and depth and age of coins but..

CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME

Those are WONDERFUL FINDS

 

[NebTrac]

From my experience, wet soil will get the coins deeper and the silver will often have the tell-tale sign of being blackened. As for "working both ways", I really don't know. Depends on the amount of soil movement and build up due to extreme flooding. Is the area you are digging (the other end of the park) "downstream" so to speak from the other part? This and possible "fill dirt" to fix problems in the past would be all I can come up with.

Welcome aboard, congratulations on the finds and the relieving of your frustration. Thanks for the pictures as well!

NebTrac

 

[moonshine]

in my opinion it depends on how fast the water is moving. i would think that if the ground is real soft then the coins will drop deeper or get buried. if the ground feels solid when you dig it then it either doesnt matter or they might actually get washed out. i found three wheat pennies this weekend near a creek that were only an inch or two deep.

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

WOW!! Nice finds! Doesn't surprise me its a E-Trac though!

 

[doc1964]

When it finally "clicks" with the E-Trac it's a beautiful thing - no stopping you now. As far as hinting river parks, I hunt a couple and the depth of the finds can change from bend to bend. Some places get cleared and some get sedimented. In the parks I know, sand is the telltale sign that it gets sediment load from floods - and clad quarters will be a foot deep. The other, and much more difficult variable is where people hung out 100 years ago. I always do best where I discover the reason why lots of people were there - shady trees (may be long gone now), extinct wading pools, playgrounds, picnic areas (I look for old concrete picnic pads), ballfields, etc. Good luck!