Nickels?

[capt.]

I know that we, as detectorists, don't dig as many nickels (in the states) as other coins. We rationalize this by the similarity of their magnetic signature to pull tabs and can slaw and so they get over looked. I can believe some of that. However, on my last hunt before I caught the boat, I found 5 quarters, 6 dimes, 17 copper pennies without ONE SINGLE NICKEL/PULL TAB TONE. This was in an area in a local park that is just open land. Maybe 8 acres or so. They keep it cut down and there are some old, falling apart backstops in one area. I have been wanting to try it out just because...it is no where near any active part of the park today. My point, which is pretty obvious, is that I think I should have dug some nickels there also because there was no trash to confuse with nickels, thus making me miss or pass up a potential find. Where the heck are they? Why weren't a representative amount of nickels lost along with the other coins?

Even on the days that we, as detectorists, challenge ourselves to dig only the solid (Nickel area of your detector)and not fool around with questionable signals, the ratio of nickels to can slaw for me depending on the location, is still in the favor of can slaw. Why are there so FEW nickels dropped? Here is another senario with my water detector, which has one tone and no target identification numbers. The disc is set to block out iron. I dig every solid repeatable signal. In 2 outings in knee deep water I dug 38 coins. Of these 38 there was 1 nickel. This is not including all the trash targets that were solid hits...probably close to 200 "other" things that I dug up during those 2 hunts. I see a pattern developing here. Could it be that nickels are carried less often than other coins because of their monetary denomination of 5 cents? I don't know either but I am beginning to think that there are NOT as many nickels in the ground as other coins. That's my 2 cents... how about yours? On a whim I just checked the change in my pocket...2 quarters, 1 penny, 1 dime.

Thanks for humoring me and I am looking forward to what y'all have to say on the subject.

capt.

 

[dixiedigger57]

i tune my big box eldorado with a buffalo nickle on the ground, i just crank it back and forth till the nickle hits. like the buffs. they are a relic like me.

 

[wasp]

capt,

I have wondered the same thing as well. A couple of weeks ago I started taking my change out of my pockets and putting it on my night stand to see what accumulates. I am finding very few nickels in my change. Mostly quarters, dimes, and pennies. And really, not as many pennies as I think there used to be in the past. Maybe it has to do with current pricing in the stores I frequent???

I dig most signals in the nickel range....especially since I found two gold wedding bands in parks. When my Platinum (which is very similar to your Gamma) hits a nickel I can usually tell although shallow can tabs still fool me (and probably always will). Its a good solid signal that doesn't bounce unless its deep. But I still dig the rest of the signals in that range just in case it could be another ring. So far this year I have dug 260 coins of which only 13 were nickels which is right in line percentagewise with what I have found the past couple of years.....right at 5%. Since I started tracking my coin finds with a speadsheet I have recorded 4,904 coins to date. Only 261 were nickels.....again right at 5%. (Worse yet, only 5 were $1 coins and no half dollars.)

I did hit one park, for my first time there, last year where the only coins I found were nickels.....5 if I remember correctly. I guess whoever was there before me had disced them out.....lots of can tabs and aluminum can slaw.

Maybe, as you suggest, the nickels just aren't in the ground because not as many are being used.

 

[Dan-Pa.]

Have no numbers to justify this but a nickle is just not a populiar coin and for years the dime was predominant but over the last few years quarters are starting to catch up..I will say this find an area with a lot of nickles and lookout for a gold ring as the detectorists before you were cherry pickers. Indeed some units are just better nickle getters but all in all the dimes and quarters in your pouch will greatly outnumber nickles for the above reason and also so many junk targets mimic nickles compared to other coinage and a lot are passed on and left in ground..I try to shy away from pennies but imagine probably the most lost coin for those not too particuliar as todays units with bells and whistles, super accurate meters one can but do expect a penny now and then myself as we all can be fooled..In essence don't feel like the Lone Ranger as the average detectlorists doesn't dig many nickles in most cases..

 

[BarberBill]

I generally run my disc below nickels and I usually find a fair number of them along with the other change. Certainly a smaller percentage, but they hit hard enough that I doubt if I miss many. And as they say, "if you're hitting nickels and tabs, you'll hit the gold as well".
BB

 

[Mtnmn]

My nickel figures match right up with Wasp's. Two yrs. ago my nickel finds averaged 4.8% of my total finds for the year, my 1st with the XT-70 and using the stock coil. In 2010 my nickel finds averaged 5.01% of my total finds basically covering the same areas, but using two DD high freq. coils which will hit on gold and nickels much better than the stock coil. Especially the little 6" DD high freq. coil which is a nickel magnet. My research shows that approx.10% of all gold ring "finds" are in the nickel range which makes it well worth your while to dig those nickel signals. When I find 5 or more nickels in a day, know that its been a good one! Usually disc. out the pennies except those reading like a dime.

 

[Mtnmn]

Correction, I don't disc. out the pennies, just ignore them...

 

[bbqman]

The Se Pro is a nickel killer, the numbers rarely lie. I have found more nickels in 3 weeks of hunting with this new machine that i ever did in 20 years of hunting with an old Garrett analog from `86. Several buffs, older jeffs and one v nickle so far. I know some don`t like em, but it thrills me every time. I also know that sooner rather than later a gold ring is going to pop out. I have never found one and I`ve found thousands of coins and lots of silver jewelry.

 

[Mtnmn]

BBQman: You brought up a good point, wonder on average how many nickel range targets most detectorists have to dig to come up with their first gold ring. Know that in the past two yrs, I've dug 76 nickels along with some of those pulltabs which read precisely the same as nickels and many more pulltabs which were just out of the nickel range ( hope springs eternal ) and have yet to find a single gold ring while doing so...

 

[slingshot]

Don't know if this means much, but I find the most when I set my Compadre at the lowest iron-reject setting. Seems like they maybe register a little lower after the ground takes it's toll.

 

[JB(MS)]

Evidently there isn't anywhere nearly as many nickels in circulation as there are other coins, and like others who posted in this thread I seldom get one in change. There are 102 nickels in the photo that, except for two buffalo nickels and a few that were clean enough to go in the miscellaneous change box, are the nickels I've found since early October. Being retired, or "retarded" according to my wife, I get out for a couple or more hours almost every day when the weather allows and except on rare occasions when I'm pressed for time I dig all nickel range signals. I also dig so many pulltabs it's almost as hard to find a tab as it is a nickel around the athletic fields and tot lots here in town, but they go for a good cause. My grandson turns them in at a collection center which sends them to the Ronald McDonald Foundation to be sold as scrap to raise money to help underprivileged kids who need medical treatment

[attachment 190897 102nickels.jpg]

 

[JB(MS)]

I dig all penny signals and currently have over 40 pounds of dirty pennies that need cleaning. I've added several hundred to the dirty penny box since the photo was taken.

[attachment 190913 lotsofpennies.jpg]

 

[dewcon4414]

I thougth about what you said.... then remembered i had change in my pocket. So i dumped it all on the table. To my surprise its about the same percentage wise that i find when detecting. I had 3 quarters, 4 dimes, 6 pennies and one lonely nickel. Go figure.

Dew

 

[dixiedigger57]

kudos to your grand kid JB! that is what i do with my tabs. i run very little disc and dig a lot of trash, put it in the nail apron, dispose of it, but, i dont have to dig that trash again next yr. some guys keep their finds, i dont keep clad. pays for batteries. i have given a lot of rings away to kids. i keep my nugget diamond, and have some silver, but i cant take it with me. however starting a box for little grand daughter. if i ever get to hunt anymore! remodel woes, yuk! there needs to be a md'er show instead of those %^$$# improvement shows. cutting into my time and money for a new machine!

 

[westwing357]

I too have only been getting one nickle to a hand full of other coins. And I dig all hits. Tons of pull tabs and bottle caps. As others have said Nickles are not found a lot. I don't think it's only because where they hit on the scale (TID). But just think of where it fall in our money scale. Also think about getting change anywhere, lets take 99 cents (3 quarters 2 dimes and 4 pennies) now it take you till 94 cents (3 quarters, 1 dime, 1 nickle,4 pennies) till we need that lonely NICKLE. Lets face it the Nickle is our little toe( only there to keep the others company). We just don't use Nickles as much (as other coins) so there are fewer out there to find. However it's always great to find them..... Well this is just my opinion.... Keep swinging and have FUN..... Jack